I've been wanting to get out of town to hike a longer trail that I've never hiked before. However, the weather forecast of snow and wind didn't cooperate and so I opted to head down to Owl Road again to stretch my legs. I brought the camera and here's what I saw:
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| Bald eagle |
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| Downy woodpecker (male) |
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| gadwalls |
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| Lots of Canada geese |
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| White-tailed deer |
Distance hiked: 2.73 miles
Cumulative distance hiked in 2025: 13.43 miles
I had a few quick things to do at work this morning. Once I finished, I figured I might as well go for a hike. We got about 3 to 4 inches of snow and so today's hike would be in a winter wonderland.
I made the steady climb higher and higher up the bluff. Starting about 1/3 of the way up the trees and other vegetation was coated with rime and snow.
The summit itself was very beautifully decorated, like a Christmas card.
I explored both the north and south overlooks and then headed back down, past the deer herd, to the visitor center.
Distance hiked: 4.4 miles
Cumulative distance hiked in 2025: 10.7 miles
It's supposed to snow today and I wanted to get outside for some fresh air and exercise before it starts. I headed down to Owl Road with my camera to walk and look for animals. It was cold, windy and there was a hint of moisture in the air. I didn't end up seeing many birds (other than Canada geese), but I did see about 6 bald eagles, a few flickers, and some mourning doves.
Besides the few birds I saw, I caught a quick glimpse of what I thought was a feral dog we had seen on a previous outing to Owl Road. It quickly saw me and ran off. When I made it to the area the dog had been, I found a dead opossum. It was definitely NOT playing 'possum.
It appeared that the animal I had seen earlier had been feeding on the opossum. I was skeptical it was the dog. Sure enough, a little later into the hike I saw a coyote.
When I reached the end of the canal road, I crossed to the other side and walked game trails between the canal and railroad tracks. I didn't see much more wildlife on this cold day. However, on past hikes in the area, here's what Noelle and I have seen:
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Broken arrowhead found in gravel along the river.       |
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| Old, weathered bone (not fossilized) eroding out of badlands formations. Probably bison bones. |
Distance hiked: 3.1 miles
Cumulative distance hiked in 2025: 6.3 miles
Happy New Year! Today we started off the new year with our traditional First Day Hike. We hiked up the closed Scotts Bluff Summit Road and down the Saddle Rock Trail for a 3.2-mile round-trip hike. Here's some photos of the excursion:
Distance hiked: 3.2
Cumulative distance hiked in 2025: 3.2
From Bent's Old Fort we headed east into Lamar where we got some sandwiches for our lunch at Safeway. Then, we headed northeast to Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.
After our lunch in the picnic area, we set off on the trail that leads to an overlook of the massacre site.
It appears that there once was a small monument at the overlook site, but it is no longer there. We continued our hike on the bluff trail with views down to the dry Sand Creek and surrounding plains.
Interpretive signs along the way help to explain the events of the day of the massacre, November 29, 1864, and the events leading up to the event.
At the end of the 1.25 mile long Bluff Trail, we turned around and made our way back towards the start of the hike. We stopped near the overlook to use the restroom and take a break.
Then, continued on the finish our hike
We had a nice stay in La Junta and made the short drive out to Bent's Old Fort this morning. Unfortunately, due to structural issues with the fort it is completely closed to the public. The short trail that heads around the fort and down along the Arkansas River is still open though. So, we set off for the short hike.
