Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area: North Trail

 It is forecast to be hot today, but I wanted to get out and go for a hike somewhere not too far from home. I opted to head back to Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area and check out the northern-most of the trails to the boundary of the wildlife management area. And so I set out today, arriving at the trailhead just as the sun rose

for my hike along the dusty road. The early morning sun cast a reddish light on the bluffs.

The lower sections of trail were loaded with different species of wildflowers. There were lots of bush morning-glory blooming, 

along with Missouri goldernod,

Rocky Mountain bee plant,

scarlet gaura,

whorled milkweed,

and even a very late-blooming yucca.

I headed further up the trail, climbing into an area of Ponderosa pines that reminded me a bit of the Black Hills.

Soon enough I came to the boundary fence which was marked for Platte River Basin Environments land on the other side.

The land on the other side looked pretty similar to what I had already traversed. 

Some day I would like to go explore there, but now it was time to turn around and head back the way I had come. As I descended I noticed a few more wildflowers in bloom; dotted gayfeather

and prickly poppy.

I also found a couple of turkey feathers 

and saw an ornate box turtle as I approached my car. 

Not a bad way to spend a hot summer morning.