05/19/2022 to 06/23/2022
Our annual trip up to Minnesota to see the kids, grandkids and friends.
We are leaving earlier than usual because Quinn is graduating from high school.
This time we will meander up through Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota to see some of the lesser known monuments, parks and points of interest. COVID made traveling so scary these past 2 years, and we want to try to catch up on doing what we enjoy.
We will stay in the same apartment building as last year until June 20th, then meander home. It seems like a long time, but it always goes too fast.
- Chimney Rock National Monument - Pagosa Springs, CO
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Toadstool Geologic Park
- The Mammoth Site
- Pipestone National Monument
- Mt. Evans - Idaho Springs, Colorado
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison - Colorado
Our first stop was Chimney Rock National Monument. Although archeologists have been working here for over 25 years, it was only given the protected status of "monument" in 2012.
It is part of the Chacoan culture with 200 homes, some excavated but many left in situ.
The "chimney rock" formation is something to see by itself. Quite stunning. Add the history of the ancient puebloans and it is a must see for us.
Our first glimpse of Chimney Rock
Obligatory sign
Info about the main house in the lower level
This is the first kiva at the lower level
Some other rooms that were excavated
We don't know what this lovely shrub was
More rooms
That is our goal.
Up. It is not a long hike, maybe a mile
You can see Chimney Rock and the outline of the great wall
The ancients really knew about location
Info on what is what up here
The wall. Most of it is reconstructed but that little shelter protects the remaining original piece
And we are at the top
The archeologists only uncovered a small portion of the ruins. Many more have been identified but left alone for preservation
That lovely white bloom. Whish I knew what it was
WILDLIFE!
Next stop was Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was close to 3 hours away, so the day was getting on. That, plus a chilly wind that picked up, and plans for hiking the trails and the dunes were not feasible.
So, we considered this a Recon - getting an idea of what we can do here the next time we pass through
First glimpse of the dunes
Like White Sands, you can hike up and around the sand dunes, or board down them.
This is Mendano Creek. Apparently it's a big draw for splashing around
We were not really prepared for wading in the water, and for us it was cold
This place looked fascinating so we added it to our list.
Operated by the Forest Service and part of the Oglala National Grasslands, the area is full of fossils from 30 million years ago and some very interesting formations.
Again, the wind was pretty brutal so we settled for a rather short hike around, but it was enough to get a nice flavor for what we could enjoy with more time and nicer weather.
Toadstool road. Yes, that is really the name.
And the formations.
I am in for scale. And yes, it is quite cold and very windy, thus the head scarf to protect my ears.
Walking along the path - actually a ledge here.
The trail is marked by those brown wooden posts - sort of like the orange markers in White Sands
The variety is gret
Again, in for scale. Between the overcast and uniform color it's hard to get a good feel for size and depth
In 1984 the Forest Service built a sod hut near the site of one erected in 1929
It is a very good example of how many settlers lived.
The sod walls were very thick giving great insulation - if you had a glass window or at least shutters.
Not plush, but it kept you warm and dry.
Heading north on Toadstool Road - eventually we wound up in Hot Springs, SD and The Mammoth Site.
We had seen this on a map, and since it was an indoor venue we figured we would take a peek because the weather is quite cold, rainy, and very windy. Spring in the Badlands.
We were pleasantly surprised by this museum. The site is still an active dig, but some bones have been recovered and a few put together.
We thought they did a very good job explaining how so many bones were found in one spot, the geology and history of the site.
We immediately thought of an inverted ships keel, but we loved the wooden ceiling
One of your first stops, and it give an idea of how far down they have dug so far
Piles of bones. Thousands of bones
Big femur
One of the mammoth skulls
One of the fossils being worked on
Down in the bottom of the dig
I don't think this was part of a skull
More bones
A couple of the reconstructions
Yes, more bones.
Ribs
Teeth
More teeth
And tusks, tons of tusks
We crossed the border into Minnesota, and decided we had time to stop at Pipestone National Monument.
Native peoples have mined for catlinite (pipestone) here for about 3,000 years and used for carving ceremonial pipes.
Only those from recognized tribes are allowed to harvest the rock, and it is still used today.
Pipestone is also home to one of the only original prairie grass patches left. There are several nice walking trails that highlight the prairie grasses and rocks.
All in all it was a very pleasant stop
Welcome to Pipestone. Inside there were several people making the pipes.
Pipestone is also home to one of the last vestiges of Tallgrass Prairie
We opted for the Circle Trail. The Spotted Quarry is named small white spots in the pipestone
Pipestone Creek
Hiawatha Lake. Created by the CCC in the 1930s as a swimming hole for children in the nearby Indian Boarding School
The dam that the CCC put in.
Just part of the lovely trail
Carved by the French scientist Joseph Nicollet and members of his 1838 expedition.
That's me standing on a rock looking down into another lovely site
Trust is everything.
Leaping Rock. It was named this because young native braves would leap the 12 feet across to land on it an imbed an arrow point. A test of bravery.
An old quarry.
We saw these everywhere
And yes, our friend the bagworm.
Not really sure which species
Just a nice artsy shot
Tailings of Sioux Quartzite. The natives have to pound this away to reach the pipestone beneath it.
Exhibit quarry
And yes, it is active.
We did this road way back in 2013, but we enjoyed it so much we decided to add it to the itinerary.
We spent the night of the 21st at Silver Lake Lodge up in the mountains above Idaho Springs, CO. The folks were great, and the view of St. Mary Glacier were amazing.
Next day we headed up the road to Mt. Evans.
Wow, what a difference a pandemic makes. Now you must make a reservation because it's been "discovered" as a great get-away during COVID, and folks just keep coming.
On our last visit it was us and maybe 10 other folks. This time it was packed, and I can only assume that was the reason the mountain goats and sheep are not as abundant along the road.
But we enjoyed it anyway. Still got our goats, sheep, marmots and great veiws.
The view from our B&B
Every now and then I get a picture of George
You can sort of see St. Mary Glacier behind me. Or what is left of it.
The sun was just starting to set
Back to Mt. Evans
Echo Lake
Yes, that person is fly fishing. Hope he has insulated waders
Summit Lake - still some snow on the ground
Just a view from the road as we climb upward
I think that's Lincoln Lake
Now nearing the top. The highest observatory in the U. S. and what is left of Crest House restaurant that burned in 1979.
Some info about the observatory
That is the very peak of Mt. Evans. We climbed it - 14,265 feet. You can get a little dizzy up there
Now for the animal portion of the trip.
It never gets old having a mountain goat just 5 feet away.
Yellow-bellied marmot.
Yes, we love these guys.
We took a few dozen shots of marmots as we drove up and down
And of course mountain sheep. I liked the sheep butt shot as they strolled along the road
Traffic came to a stop as this one nibbled on something it found tasty
I add this because it give a good idea of how well they blend into their surroundings
Didn't see any rams, just lots of females and kids.
We have always meant to this but just never seemed to be in the right place and have the time. Another "wonder what's there" from looking at a map.
The park is not huge, but it does have impact. Think Grand Canyon, shrunk in size and made of metamorphic rock instead of sandstones.
We did the north side drive and the overlooks were just amazing.
That's the Gunnison River down there
We did see boats
This was absolutely amazing. It is really hard to capture the immensity of these cliffs
And the river way, way down there. Only took about 1.7 million years to carve this
The geology on our side is totally different from that across the river
The narrowist point between the two sides
Obvious
Not so obvious
Imagination is necessary
And then there's the camel
Well, I actually had to do some researching to figure out where the camel was
See!
Just some really neat rocks
