Independence Rock and Rattlesnake Pass

 We left our campsite near the shores of Alcova Lake and headed away from Fremont Canyon, past the old Pathfinder Cemetery 

and over to Independence Rock. 

I had been to Independence Rock before, but it was a first visit for everyone else. While climbing up the flanks of the rock with a dog is not the best way to visit, we made the best of the situation and looked around for emigrant signatures.

After exploring for a bit, we started to make our way down.

At the north end of the rock is a group of monuments behind a fence that we briefly checked out.

We relaxed in the shade of a pavilion at the trailhead for a bit, then started to make our way back to the car. On the way, Sierra found a baby mouse, lying alone on the sidewalk. 

Unfortunately, I don't think it will survive very long. 

From Independence Rock, we make our way to the short Devil's Gate interpretive trail. The views are not as good as those from the Mormon Trail. However, the trail on the Mormon property is off-limits to dogs and since we have Rosie with us, we could not hike it. Instead, we headed over to Rattlesnake Pass to check it out the grave and a few of the signatures there.

After the short, hot hike to Rattlesnake Pass, we returned to the rest area at Independence Rock to eat lunch in the shade of one of the picnic shelters before returning to Alcova Lake to do some swimming. 

Lake Minatare State Recreation Area: Swimming and a Visit to the Lighthouse

It was a hot day today, and so Noelle, Sierra and I decided to head over to the lake to cool off. Our first stop was the famous Lake Minatare Lighthouse. 

We had seen it before, but it had not been open due to Covid. This time we were able to go inside 

and see the view from the top.

After descending from the top,

we made the short drive over to the swimming beach and enjoyed the cool water for a bit.

After a few hours at the lake, we went home to clean up before spending the evening at the Western Nebraska Pioneers game.

Unfortunately, our Pios lost to the Hastings Sodbusters. 

Scotts Bluff National Monument: Pony Express Re-Ride 2022

 Today, the annual Pony Express Re-Ride made its way past Scotts Bluff. It was carrying mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. Due to weather in eastern Nebraska, it was a bit late in arriving. Noell, Sierra and I arrived and staked out a spot to watch at the Museum sign.

After a short wait, we could see the horses and rider approaching.

We watched as the riders exchanged the mochila. 

After a short stop, the next rider was on his way west.

Horsetooth Mountain Open Space: Horsetooth Falls

 Yesterday's hike took a lot out of me. I'm not sure why, but some of the more strenuous hikes (I would really not even consider Mount McConnel to be all that strenuous) seem to really take their toll on me. I spent a good part of the evening yesterday shivering in my sleeping bag in the tent with very little energy. Still, I wanted to get out for at least a short hike today. Sierra and I opted for the short hike to Horsetooth Falls.

After eating breakfast and packing up camp, it was a scenic drive along Stove Prairie Road. We arrived at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space from the opposite direction from which we had approached it last week. This time there were plenty of parking spaces. We parked, paid the fee, changed into our boots, and then hit the trail. It is a very pleasant area with nice scenery right off the bat. 

We practically ran into a small herd of mule deer right away.

Besides wildlife, there were plenty of wildflowers to observe. 

After a short ascent, we arrived at the top of a ridge where there was a bench to relax at. 

Then, the trail descended into a small canyon for the rest of the walk to the falls. The falls themselves were a bit of a disappointment. Just a trickle of water flowing. Still, Sierra enjoyed standing in their spray.

We were alone when we arrived at the falls, but by the time we left, there were lots of people there. We ate a snack and then started our way back to the trailhead, admiring the views of the high peaks to the west.

 

Then, it was on to Fort Collins for lunch at Totally 80's Pizza and mini-golf.

Roosevelt National Forest: Mount McConnel

 Today was the start of a Father/Daughter weekend for Sierra and me. We packed our camping gear and headed to the Mountain Park Recreation Area in the Poudre Canyon to do some hiking and camping. After setting up camp and relaxing by the river for a bit, 

we hit the trail with our destination being 8,012-foot-tall Mount McConnel. 

The hike starts right off with a pretty steep climb.

Then, it continues with a pretty unrelenting ascent. Luckily there are lots of great views from the trail due to the fact that large portions of the forest in this area have burned.

Sierra enjoyed testing out the old stone benches that had been built along the trail.

The higher we climbed, the better the views seemed to get!

Soon, we approached what we thought was the summit. It turned out to be a false summit. Shortly after that we entered the Cache la Poudre Wilderness and caught our first view of the true summit.

Then, it was a short hike to the short spur trail that leads to the summit of Mount McConnel.

Finally, we were standing at the summit!

Sierra found a nice rock to relax on.

I found a nice spot to lay and doze. There were some flies that were bothering Sierra and she wanted to start heading down. The descent went pretty quickly.