Today Dave did a bit of work around Beluga (the new windshield has a tiny leak) and then we set off for a new to us State Park. Because of Castlewood Canyon State Park's location hidden in the plains instead of the mountains, it is often overlooked. Fine with us.
For once, the forecasters were partially right and the sky grew dark as we walked around some of the overlooks.
As a result, we did most of our exploration of this rocky park by Jeep. I had hoped to drive through the park, from north to south, but didn't know it had two sections, not connected by roads. We did the first section, then turned around, exited the park, drove up rt. 83 to 86 and reentered again there. A bit confusing, but, it is what it is.
 |
| Meadowlark serenade |
 |
| this rock climbing area was closed to protect nesting raptors |
The park provides many relatively short (up to 4 miles a section) hikes in a rocky canyon carved by Cherry Creek. There are some interesting cliffs for climbers and several caves. For history buffs, there are the remains of the Castlewood Canyon Dam, built in l870.
The dam burst in l933, ripping downstream into Denver, killing two people and destroying 6 bridges.
The park very pretty in the spring, home to many unusual wildflowers and lots of wildlife.
 |
| is she looking? |
We managed to dodge most of the heavy rain and the sound of thunder reverberating in the canyon was quite interesting. We had Lewis with us so he wouldn't be home alone if a storm came up. He didn't seem to react to the storm in the backseat, a good thing.
The sun was out when we arrived home and we were able to sit outside and enjoy happy hour.....all and all a good day, despite the crappy weather.
Nice new park to explore on a grey day. Glad Lew was along so he didn't get worried about the dark sky.
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys got a little exploration in before all the terrible weather. We seem to be in a pattern of one nice days for every 12 garbage days. OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's starting to feel like it. Uggghhhh. Come on, Sunshine!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, "Is she looking?" :-) You come up with the best captions!
ReplyDeleteSo much fun to explore new parks. We're currently at Hocking Hills SP in Ohio—who knew there are caves and waterfalls and lush mossy canyons in Ohio?
I agree with Laurel :-)
ReplyDeleteOverlooked are my favorite parks! Interesting the dam wasn't rebuilt, or completely torn down. Love the delicate blooms, especially the sweet little blue ones.
The weather this spring has been crazy. Last night we had a huge thunderstorm with 60 mph winds in some areas. This is not normal May weather! Glad you had a decent day despite the weather.
ReplyDelete