Chimney Rock: Hike to the Rock Trail

 There's now an official hiking trail at Chimney Rock State Historic Site in Nebraska. Yesterday, an official grand opening ceremony took place and so today, Noelle, Sierra and I drove over to check out the new trail. We arrived at the new (and extremely large, paved parking lot) to start our hike on the wide gravel trails. 

Almost immediately we crossed a ravine on a large steel bridge. Along the way there were lots of blooming flowers to admire. Mostly sunflowers, 

but there were also bush morning-glory 

and Rocky Mountain bee plant in bloom. 

The trail system consists of several loops and spurs that lead to the visitor center and the new parking lot near the Pioneer Cemetery. Great views of the rock can be seen from many different vantage points and angles.

It was a pleasant walk, but the trail does not get as close to Chimney Rock as I had thought it would. Also, the new trail lacks the feeling of adventure we got from hiking the old, unofficial route. Wildlife encountered along the trail consisted of many, very large grasshoppers. 

Otherwise, we didn't see much. If I had to rate this trail on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 5. Nice views, but a little boring terrain-wise and the parking lot is way too big.

Georgetown Loop Railroad

 The last day of our wonderful Utah/Colorado vacation. We woke up this morning and ate breakfast at our campsite (a little bit of excitement due to a pine marten who stole our bagels). Then, we headed down Guanella Pass and into Georgetown for the Georgetown Loop Railroad. It was a short, fun and very touristy ride. 

When the ride was over, we got a couple of beers at the Guanella Pass Brewery, then ate lunch at a small, pleasant city park, before making the long drive back to a hot Gering. It was a great vacation.

White River National Forest: Lily Pad Lake

 Since last night was Saturday night, I had a difficult time finding a place to camp that wasn't full. We opted to book the last remaining hotel room in Rifle, Colorado. This morning we ate our hotel breakfast and then headed east on I-70 to Frisco. We parked at the Meadow Creek Trailhead for the 3-mile round-trip hike to Lily Pad Lake. 

The trail starts with a gradual, but steady ascent on a rocky trail.

Occasional views opened up to nearby Peak 1.

Parts of the trail passed through aspen woods,

while other sections traversed open meadows. 

We entered into the Eagles Nest Wilderness.

Soon we caught views of the Dillon Reservoir far below.

Soon enough we were at our destination, the beautiful, little Lily Pad Lake. We took a break, admired the view and snapped a few photos there.

Then, we started on our way back to the trailhead. 

We spent most of the afternoon in Frisco, before driving Loveland Pass 

to Georgetown. Traffic was pretty heavy. From Georgetown, we drove up the Guanella Pass Road. We snagged one of the last campsites at the Guanella Pass Campground where we are spending the night.

James K Robb Colorado River State Park: Island Acres

With a hot forecast, we opted to spend a good portion of our afternoon in Grand Junction at the Island Acres unit of James K Robb Colorado River State Park. There is a really nice swimming lake there. It's filled with cool water and offers great views of the surrounding canyon.

It was a great way to spend a HOT summer afternoon!

Colorado National Monument: Devil's Kitchen

Yesterday, after leaving Sego Canyon, we made the drive east into Colorado. We stopped in Grand Junction for the night. While we had originally planned to camp at Colorado National Monument again, we were getting tired of the heat and so opted to spend the night in a hotel instead. This morning, we woke up, ate the very good free breakfast, and then headed into Colorado National Monument. Hot temperatures were in the forecast again, and we wanted to try to beat the heat. 

We arrived to find a full trailhead and so we parked at the Devil's Kitchen Picnic Area. We hiked a short trail to the road, 

crossed it, and then started hiking towards the kitchen.

The trail spends a short time traversing a canyon,

and then starts to climb to its namesake, the Devil's Kitchen.

The "kitchen" is an interesting rock alcove. 

We spent quite a bit of time exploring it and climbing around to different vantage points. 

After about a half hour, we started to make our way back to the trailhead. 

We had to meet a friend in Grand Junction for brunch.

Sego Canyon Rock Art

 After leaving Canyonlands National Park, we made the drive north up to Interstate 70. After driving east for a bit, we exited at Thompson Springs and made the short drive north to check out the rock art at Sego Canyon. There is a nice panel right at the parking lot.

However, the really impressive panel is just around the corner. Here you find a huge panel of red pictographs of creepy-looking humanoid figures. 

Across the road there is more rock art. It's on private property, but you can see it well from behind the fence. 

There's also a natural arch on land across the street. I think it's public land, but not completely sure.

From Sego Canyon, we returned to the interstate, then headed east into Grand Junction, Colorado where we are spending the night. Goodbye Utah! It was a great visit.