One of our favorite places to "get away from it all" is the Pawnee National Grassland in eastern Colorado. We are fortunate to live close enough to visit frequently, as it is an interesting and relaxing place any time of the year.
We took advantage of the balmy mid-70s temperatures and mostly-sunny skies yesterday and spent the day driving around the southwestern section of the western part of the grassland. (There are 2 non-contiguous parts of the Pawnee Grassland) We packed a picnic lunch, folding table & chairs, a rifle & target, binoculars and a camera--and we had a fun, relaxing day.
In the roughly 8 hours we spent in the Pawnee yesterday, we saw almost no one.
There was not a lot of energy-related traffic in the area we were in. Testing, fracking, drilling, storage and transport (oil) and windfarm construction / maintenance traffic constitute most of the activity and traffic we see in and around the Pawnee. Some agricultural traffic also. A few shooters and seemingly fewer tourists.
It is an excellent place to "get away from it all."
Here's a nice picture of our Camry a few feet off the road, the cowpie in the foreground providing a nice "authentic" touch.
We love to drive around, seeing what there is to see. When the weather permits we also enjoy hiking a bit and taking pictures of interesting things we see.
Our drive yesterday took us by several "prairie potholes."
We learned from an informational sign that these are the remnents of a failed attempt about 100 years ago to divert water from the Laramie River in Wyoming and bring it to the dry grassland farmers in eastern Colorado. The short synopsis included a tale of speculators, governmental wrangling and greed--how nice to see the ultimate result is the oasis for wildlife that remain.
In mid-March the vegetation looks mostly dormant, especially from a distance. A closer look reveals how wrong that first impression is, however. These prickly pear cacti were shouting "SPRING!" to me yesterday.
Sections of the Pawnee are carpeted with prickly pear, and they are particularly beautiful when they flower in June.
I'm not sure what kind of cacti these are, I didn't see too many of them in the areas we hiked yesterday, but I did see a few. Their red centers make them easy to spot.
The intricacy is so geometric and pleasing to the eye...
A surprisingly large, well-camouflaged grasshopper
We saw a lot of birds yesterday, lots of different kinds. The Pawnee is known for the number and variety of birds it supports, both residents and migrators passing through. Although at first glance the landscape looked pretty barren of food for these birds, a closer look yesterday revealed plenty of insects were also about and enjoying the warm weather.
A popular thing to do in the Pawnee is target shooting. Tried my hand yesterday and had a good time with it. Actually hit the target a few times!!
Joe also had fun putting a few holes in the target
It was easier when we sat down and used the table for a little help in holding steady against the relentless wind
My camera's microphone really picks up the wind noise!
We love the Pawnee!
And as always, we are already looking forward to our next trip
