Coyote Ridge Natural Area

I had business to take care of in Fort Collins today. I woke up early and hit the road. It was about 2 hours and 15 minutes to town where I immediately sought out the trailhead at the Coyote Ridge Natural Area. I parked in the half full parking lot there and hit the trail, an old, wide gravel road at this point.

There were lots of prairie dogs off the side of the trail. They didn't seem too worried about the presence of humans.

Soon enough the trail started to climb a bit. I took a short side trail to an overlook where a large herd of deer was grazing.

Then I started to climb to the trail's namesake: Coyote Ridge.

When I reached the top of the ridge, I was treated to wonderful views.

I stopped for a water break under an interesting tree,

then continued down the ridge into a valley and up a second ridge. I reached the junction with the Rimrock Trail,

completed a short loop, and then retraced my path back to the car to run my errands in town, with a great lunch at Comet Chicken.

Carhenge

After my hike at Toadstool Park this morning, I decided to take the long way home by making a detour into Alliance, Nebraska; the home of Carhenge. I'd visited before, but wanted to return to the iconic art environment.

An added bonus was a chance to check out Brewery 719. It ended up being a worthwhile stop. I can't wait to return with Noelle and Sierra!

Oglala National Grassland: Toadstool Park

I was so excited to get out and explore Toadstool Park today! Noelle and I have visited this place before. It was early in my first season working at Wind Cave National Park.

I had seen it on the map and it wasn't that far from park housing and so we made the drive down into Nebraska to check it out. We didn't know what to expect, but were both really impressed. So today, I would get to experience this special place all over again.

I made the long drive north, parked at the campground and hit the trail.

It was quite muddy.

Quickly I found myself at some of the first "toadstool" formations.

I continued on the muddy trail at the bottom of a ravine for a bit,

then decided to climb up a drainage to get a view from the top of the badlands. I scared an owl as I climbed the drainage. It was steep and strenuous, but the view at the top made my efforts worth it.

I continued on at the top of the badlands, and loved all the amazing views from my high vantage point.

Besides the views, there were fossils to be found,

including this tooth,

maybe from an oreodont?

The amazing views continued as I traveled along the top of the ridge.

Eventually I came to the Hudson Meng Bison Trail and figured it would make a logical point to start heading back towards the car. I descended the trail down a steep drainage

and even found a small snake that appears to have frozen to death on the trail.

At the bottom of the drainage, the trail continued past lots more interesting formations. I really liked this particular toadstool formation.

Soon enough, I found my way back to the Toadstool Loop and followed it past wonderful scenery

and back to the car. I had one more area to check out before I left though: a sod house.

Noelle at the sod house during our 2002 trip

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Today I decided to go explore a neighboring National Park Service Site, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. I traveled west to the town of Mitchell, Nebraska; then north towards the monument. I had traveled about 5 miles or so, north on Highway 29, when I decided to turn around and get gas. The monument is kind of in the middle of nowhere and I decided it wasn't worth the risk of running out of gas.

After filling my tank in Mitchell I headed north again through some desolate Nebraska plains. Finally I arrived at Agate Fossil Beds. My first stop in the monument was the Daemonelix Trail.

Daemonelix, or Devil's Corkscrews, are the fossils of corkscrew-like, ancient beaver burrows. A few of the burrows are on display in situ, within clear plastic display cases.

Besides the fossilized burrows,

the views of the surrounding desolate prairies was quite striking.

After my hike of the Daemonelix Trail, I headed east over towards the visitor center and the Fossil Hills Trail. The trail traverses University and Carnegie Hills, two of the sites that have been excavated for their rich, Miocene fossil deposits. The trail also features a spur

that leads to the "Bone" Cabin,

a temporary residence for the scientists who worked in the fossil quarries.There are plenty of signs warning of rattlesnakes near the cabin.

Luckily there is little threat of seeing them in November. I rested at the cabin for a bit,

then headed back towards the visitor center for a quick visit. I say quick, because by this time I was pretty hungry and ready to head home for lunch. it was a pleasant visit and I look forward to returning with Noelle and Sierra in the future.

Courthouse, Jail and Chimney Rocks

Nice weather was forecast for the day, and so I decided to get out and do some exploring. Even though I have been to both sites before, I opted to head out to Courthouse/Jail Rocks and Chimney Rock. It was a chilly but clear morning as I set out headed east on Nebraska Highway 88 to my first stop of the day, Seybolt Park,

the home of Courthouse and Jail Rocks.

I parked at the turnaround parking area and headed over to the rocks, famous landmarks on the Emigrant Trails. Reading emigrant journals of the 1840s through 1860s, it's clear that seeing these two rocks was a major achievement for the pioneers. It meant that no longer would they be traveling along the mostly flat plains, but that they would be headed into the mountains. I circumnavigated Courthouse Rock,

admiring the views

and looking for emigrant inscriptions. I found a few, including  Ike Bettelyoun

CW Kirby,

 and a few others.

I opted not to climb to the top of Courthouse Rock, as I've read the former route to the summit is badly eroded. I have, however, climbed it back in 2006.

From Courthouse/Jail rocks, I headed west towards perhaps the most famous landmark on the Oregon Trail: Chimney Rock. The visitor center there is currently closed for a renovation project, but I was able to admire the view from a road that leads to the nearby Chimney Rock Cemetery.

From there I traveled further west back to Scottsbluff, roughly following the Oregon Trail.