The Grunwald's Christmas Tree Adventure 2021

After enjoying some Christmas lights and a delicious dinner at The Post in Fort Collins, we got a night of restful sleep and headed out for today's adventure. After a short stop at Twin Silo Park for some playing, we headed into the mountains along the Poudre River. We drove west to the town of Rustic, then headed north on County Road 69 to one of the two recommended tree harvesting areas in the Canyon Lakes District of the Roosevelt National Forest. We ended up parking along Swamp Creek Road and hiking into the forest on the closed road.  

There weren't any spruces in the area. It was all ponderosa pines. Still, after a little snooping around we found a few potential trees. We settled on this beauty.

I cut her down.

Then, I dragged it back to the car where Noelle and I used our tie-downs to affix it to the roof for the long drive home. 

I think we got a real gem of a tree this year!

Mariana Butte and Oxbow Natural Area in Loveland, Colorado

This morning, Noelle, Sierra, Rosie and I made the drive south into Loveland, Colorado to look at some Christmas lights and cut down our Christmas tree. Our first stop upon arriving in town, a short hike on the Hidden Hogback Trail and up Mariana Butte. We drove through town and parked at the trailhead for the Hidden Hogback Trail and the Oxbow Natural Area. The trail started by bypassing a section of the Mariana Butte golf course and then headed up a ridge.

The trail continued through sections of the golf course 

with a few overlooks of Loveland and the mountains to the west. When we reached the Mariana Butte loop, we decided to hike it clockwise. It started by descending close to a neighborhood, before ascending 

up to the summit of the butte. Along the way was a humorous sign, encouraging hikers to stay on the trail.

Once we reached the summit, we relaxed for a bit and took some photos.

Once we had our fill of the views and rested for a bit, we returned to the trailhead by completing the loop and heading back on the Hidden Hogback Trail.

After lunch, and a beer at nearby Berthoud Brewing,

we felt like another short hike before we headed to Chapungu Sculpture Park for Winter Wonderlights. We decided to hike the Oxbow Nature Trai. Upon parking at the trailhead, we immediately noticed some elk grazing in a field there.

We watched one of the elk make his way over towards the Big Thompson River.

Then, we noticed another elk in the river.

Listening, we could hear elk making their weird elk whines all around us. A short walk over towards the golf course and we saw what appeared to be close to 100 elk on one of the fairways. They were just everywhere!

After observing them for a bit, it was starting to get dark. It was time to head east to check out some Christmas lights!

Soapstone Prairie: Mahogany Loop Trail

I finally got out for a long hike for the first time in a long while. This morning I woke up early and hit the road, headed south into Colorado to hike at Soapstone Prairie. I had never been there before, but had hiked nearby at Red Mountain Open Space. The weather forecast called for high winds, but not until later in the morning, which is why I wanted to get an early start. 

It was an uneventful drive, mostly in the dark. I arrived at an empty trailhead just after 7:30 and, after using the restroom, hit the trail.

The wind was dead calm for the first half of the hike. Like the name of the place suggests, Soapstone Prairie's trail system mostly traverses prairie. There were not any trees along the trail, but lots of the trail's namesake Mountain Mahogany.

The trail was pleasant, with not much steep ascending.

Along the way I saw five mule deer, including two really nice bucks.

Once up on a ridge, there were nice views west to the distant mountain, now capped with snow.

Altogether, the hike is just over 7 miles round-trip. Besides seeing the mule deer, it was not the most exciting trail I've ever hiked. Still, it's nice to see the city of Fort Collins be proactive in setting aside this land for preservation and recreation.

Black Hills National Forest: Meeker Ranch

 For our last day in the Black Hills before heading home to Western Nebraska, I looked online for a short hike to an interesting destination that we either had not been to before, or that we had not been to in a long time. I managed to find a place called Meeker Ranch on forest service land just outside of Custer. We left Hill City and made the short drive south into Custer. After turning on a county road just outside of Custer State Park we found ourselves at a gate and small parking area with a really nice view. 

We would hike the gated road to our destination; 

an old cabin and barn in a beautiful valley.

The views from the road were pretty nice, featuring distant looks at the Needles and other dramatic scenery in the highest elevations of the Black Hills. Soon enough we reached the valley containing the ranch. The first building we encountered did not appear to be part of the ranch. It looked to me more like a forest warden's cabin.

A short walk into the valley brought us to the cabin and other buildings left from the ranch which dates back to 1887. 

I went inside the cabin for a look around.

There's lots of broken glass littering the floor inside. I also found a Better Homes and Gardens magazine dating to 1947.

After exploring the cabin, we checked out some of the other buildings.

Besides the structures, it was pleasant to just admire the surrounding scenery.

I could definitely live in a little valley like this! From the ranch buildings, we headed up a ridge to see if we could get a better view of the Needles.

While we didn't get the view we had sought, it was still a pleasant place to explore. Sierra even found a rock to climb.

Soon enough, we turned around to head back to the car.

We headed into Hot Springs to visit some friends and get some lunch before the long drive back to Gering. 

A Day in Rapid City

 After our hike at Buzzards Roost, it was a quick drive into Rapid City. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Canyon Lake Park. After we had filled our bellies, we headed up to Dinosaur Park. Noelle and I had been here before, but it was Sierra's first time. She didn't seem as excited to visit as I thought she would be.

Besides the dinosaur sculptures, the park features really nice views of Rapid City, particularly downtown. 

From Dinosaur Park we headed downtown. First we checked out the Art Alley.

After some ice cream at Main Street Square, we checked out a few of the presidents' sculptures. 

Of course, I had to have my picture taken with Andrew Johnson.

I also thumb wrestled with Jimmy Carter.