Bead Mountain Ranch

 With Mom and Dad in town, Noelle and I had a chance to get out on our own for a hiking date. We decided to stay close to home and check out the nearby Bead Mountain Ranch. We had visited the land previously; an extremely cold and windy day in January of 2020, when Sierra had just started school and Noelle had not gotten her jobs yet. 

 

For that first trip we hiked up to the summit of the area's namesake, Bead Mountain.

Today, we decided to check out the bluffs to the right of Bead Mountain as you approach it from the parking area. The weather today was pretty much the opposite of what it had been when we last visited; hot and still. As we started our hike, we immediately encountered two snakes. They were very green looking North American racers.

Can you see the snake's head hidden in the grass?

Seeing those two snakes right off the bat, made us a bit nervous about rattlesnakes. We wouldn't see another snake for the entire day. We slowly picked our way to the base of the bluff 

and then started the steep climb.

Along the way we saw some wildflowers in bloom.

Once we had attained the top of the ridge, we found a barbed-wire fence. We followed the fence line out to a natural overlook of a chimney rock that I thought looked like a mummy and Noelle thought looked like a hawk.

We decided to have a closer look at Mummy Hawk Rock and so we made our way along the ridge towards the prominent point. 

We found some pieces of an ornate box turtle's shell along the way.

Soon enough, we were at the base of the chimney. 

We enjoyed the view there for a bit and then noticed a stock tank surrounded by a fence in the plains  below. 

We decided to have a closer look and so descended down towards the water.

A closer look at the stock tank revealed that the fence seemed to prevent animals from accessing the water. It seems like a waste, but there must be a reason for the fenced tank.

From the tank, we found a cattle trail that led back towards the car. 

It made for some easy walking and allowed us to enjoy the views of the nearby Bead Mountain.