Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Pawnee National Grassland, Colorado

I finally had a chance today to travel up and visit the Pawnee National Grasslands in Northeastern Colorado today.  This is monsoon season in Colorado and there is lots of moisture in the area, so it was partly cloudy and hazy, not the best conditions to photograph in but the temperature was in the mid 80’s and with a slight breeze it was very pleasant.  Unusualy cool for August.

The picture above was taken at the Pawnee Buttes, home to many forms of wildlife.  Some of the trails are closed during May and June because of a raptor nesting area and I saw some antelope as I drove in.  I spent a couple of hours hiking around and exploring the buttes from all different angles so I can come back sometime when the lighting is better.  I didn’t see any other people there and it was very peaceful wandering around under the big sky and subtle beauty of the prairie.

From the buttes I wandered up and down all over the grasslands.  My first stop was Grover, a pleasant little town on the prairie started in the 1880’s as a cattle loading station on the railroad.  The railroad is long gone and the town seems a little out of place now.  Overall the town is looking a little run down, but everyone’s homes seemed to be well cared for and it was fun poking around looking for photographic opportunities.

From there I headed south and finally east, driving through towns such as Buckingham, New Raymer and Stoneham before ending the day in Sterling, ready to continue east and south tomorrow before heading back to Denver.