Richard Rathe's Reflections – Page 17 – Where I've been and what I've learned along the way…

Picket Wire Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite

On my trip west this year I made sure I had time to visit this unique area. The Dinosaur Tracks are located within and along side the Purgatoire River with the Comanche National Grassland. [Gallery]

The area is located 35 miles south of La Junta, CO off the lightly maintained County Road 25 (upper left in the map above). The last few miles are on a primitive forest service road that ends at the Withers Canyon Trailhead and Campground (four sites with fire grates and a pit toilet).

The first portion of the 5.2 mile trail goes down a steep “stairway” to the canyon floor. I had to walk my bike most of the way but it’s not far. After that it flattens out into an easy path through grassland and cottonwood trees along the Purgatoire River.

There are a few ups and downs where the river crowds the canyon side.

About half-way to the tracks I came upon the Dolores Mission from the 1870s to 1890s.

The small cemetery includes several well preserved headstones (mostly of children).

After another easy 1.5 mile cycle I was at the tracksite proper. There is a parking area for off-road vehicles and a pit toilet. There are several interpretive signs.

Someone obviously had a sense of humor…

The tracks are on both banks and in the river bed itself. The water was low so I was able to access most of the site however dirt, sand, mud, and debris covered a portion.

Two Parallel Sauropod (Herbivore) Trackways

To give a sense of how complex the site is I’ve borrowed part of this illustration from an excellent write-up I found online. [A Dash with the Dinosaurs Field Trip Guidebook (October 2000) compiled by Matthew Morgan for the Colorado Geologcial Survey]

There are more of my track photos in the gallery.

I was alone for the entire day but I did encounter a few critters along the way.

My cycle back was idyllic! Speeding along with the warm sun at my back and a cool breeze on my face.

Did I mention the “stairway” back up to the trailhead?

I hadn’t expected there to be designated campsites at the trailhead, but I decided to stay instead of driving back to civilization in the dark. It was a nice, quiet and beautiful night!

Mountain Bike Trip to The Maze 2019

It would be hard to top our 4WD/bike trip to the White Rim in Canyonlands National Park last year, but entering the isolated subunit called The Maze was a strong contender! [Gallery]

This was not a loop trail, but a very challenging, out-and-back trek to the edge of the Colorado River Canyon. We spent most of the first day just getting to the trailhead on the extreme western edge of the park and establishing our first camp at Happy Canyon. I pitched my hammock between a juniper and a pinyon pine and was rocked to sleep by the wind all night.

The riding got serious the next day going down the face of the Orange Cliffs on the Flint Trail.

It was very steep and difficult even for the vehicles. I did a lot of walking. Things only got worse the rest of the day with loose rocks, sand and drop-offs. We met a county employee with a huge 6WD Grader who was actually maintaining the road (“every seven years whether it needs it our not”). When we told him where we were headed he laughed and said “We haven’t been back there in thirty years!”

The area around Teapot Rock was especially challenging, requiring spotters and backing up around impossible corners. Late in the day we finally made it to the Land of Standing Rocks, a windswept plain punctuated by fantastic rock formations receding into the distance. It was magical!

We camped about an hour before dusk at Chimney Rock. It was cold and windy but we made the best of it with G&Ts and hot food prepared in a Dutch Oven by Glen.

The next day we went for a long, meandering hike following the canyon rim.

We saw many strange and beautiful things including odd box-work erosion patterns in the stone. They looked like apartment complexes for tiny people!

On our return to camp we relaxed with a caprese salad, beer, & G&Ts before a multi-course dinner. Hard to beat! That night it got down in the 20s but fortunately the wind died down.

The next day we headed down the relatively easy road to The Doll House. Along the way we met at pair of hikers who had crossed the Colorado River from Spanish Bottom in Inflatable Kayaks (!) that they had in their packs! They planned to hike upriver and paddle back to their car on the other side. Amazing!

The Doll House is an area of huge striped rock towers with little doll-like figurines on top. The formation is an extension of The Needles region immediately across the river.

We camped at site #3 on the opposite side with spectacular views!

I found a perfect place to hang my hammock between a boulder and an old juniper tree. Room with a View indeed!

Moon Rising Over Colorado River Canyon & The Needles

Richard & Bill in the Valley of the Dolls

On the fifth day, alas, we had to turn homeward. I had a great time cycling several miles with Jeff as we retraced our route. We did not climb back up the Flint Trail however, exiting near the tiny town of Hite on the extreme upper end of Lake Powell. It was a spectacular trip!

Boundary Waters Canoe Trip 2019

This year we returned to the Gunflint Trail and entered via Poplar Lake. [Gallery] Our party of four became just Ross and I due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. This was exacerbated by horrendous wind and cold rain on the drive up. Fortunately we had a place to stay (a family cabin) and waited an extra day for the weather to improve.

Crossing Poplar turned out to be the hardest part of the trip. We started with a cold headwind and couldn’t find the portage at first.

After that everything fell into place, the weather improved and we made good time by double-packing. We arrived on Gaskin Lake by mid-afternoon and snagged one of the best campsites located on a small island.

I found a great place to hang my hammock tent just above a short cliff.

There were several great viewpoints where we had happy hour and meals. The bugs were few and the weather mild.

The sunsets were spectacular, especially with a pair of loons to serenade us.

Our first day trip led us north to Allen Lake, which has a single campsite. It is long, thin and pretty shallow. On the western end it is surrounded by bog with many pitcher plants.

Since we were camped on a small island, we collected firewood on the way back.

And we both went swimming off a very convenient rock ledge.

Next day Ross cooked up one of his famous breakfasts.

And we headed out to Winchell Lake for the day. This is one of the best lakes in the BWCA. Its south shore is defined by the Misquah Hills, which rise up several hundred feet and even sport a few cliffs. The north shore is much lower and all the campsites are located along it. Some of the area has burned in the past few decades creating a mosaic of different forest types.

We revisited a campsite I stayed at in 2002. It looked even better! Nearby was a small waterfall draining out of the lake. It has a pool big enough to bathe in and a nice white cedar grove below.

The trip out was uneventful with lots of fall color showing along the portages.

Until next time…