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Trips
and Travels
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If you ever take a drive through
the Grasslands, you will notice windmills everywhere. There
is no shortage of wind out on the prairie and is a natural
resource to bring the water up from the underground aquafiers
to the surface for irrigation and drinking water for grazing
animals. I call the route on this page the Windmill Loop,
though that name could apply to most any Grasslands route.
The day was overcast and very
humid, but was an otherwise warm late spring day. The journey
included the usual prairie wildlife, including a snake out
sunning (this one wasn't a Diamondback Rattler, of which there
is no shortage of out in the prairie), springtime wildflowers,
and the assorted abandoned farmhouses and farming equipment.
The pictures are in no particular order and speak for themselves. |
Windmill Loop
Reloaded
| In mid-June I made another trip
back to the grasslands and drove the windmill loop again. Here
are some pics of the trip. I tried not to duplicate the pics
I have in the above trip. It was a very hot day and the usual
late afternoon storm clouds moved through the area, but missed
where I was by a few miles to the West. |
Ault
| Ault is at the intersection of
Highway 85 and County Road 14. Coming up from Denver, it is
the last stop for gas and supplies before heading out into the
miles and miles of the grasslands' open roads. |
The Roads
| The roads across the grasslands
are mostly 2 ruts. 4-wheel is not required, but you should drive
these roads with an SUV or a short wheel-based car. I normally
don't park in the middle of the road to take pics, but traffic
was light. |
The Clouds
| During the spring and summer
months, the thunder clouds really can build up fast and furious.
Today was no different. Fortunately, the main buildup this day
was a few miles to the West of where I was so I didn't have
to hurry out of there. |
The Prairie
Wildlife
| Here is a bird nest I found on
a fence post. I don't know what kind of bird eggs these are. |
The
Prairie Wildflowers
| Being mid spring, the prairie
was in full bloom. |
Prairie Water
| One normally doesn't think of
bodies of water out in the prairie, but if you are patient,
and do some exploring, you will find it. |
Leave 'em as
You Find 'em
| There are many gates out in the
grasslands. When you come to a gate, leave the gate as you find
it. If it is closed, close it after you go through. If it is
open, leave it open. The fences and the gates control where
the cattle graze. |
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