May 3
On the drive from Beatrice, NE to Nicodemus NHS, I had a few “experiences”. The first was having a Bald Eagle fly within 25 feet of my car. Full head of white, and long white tail feathers, it was quite royal. A few moments later a Great Horned Owl flew as close. It was huge, as was its head, having what I call a “flat face”, and sunken eyes. Websites say it is hard to drive through Kansas without seeing a Great Horned Owl. By starting out on the road at 5 AM, I helped my odds. But then I had to gawk at the largest ball of twine in the world. Cawker City in Kansas has the “ball” sitting right on US 24, in the middle of town. A roof covers the ball. Visitors can add length of twine, but I passed. I saw blue, green, white, and the requisite yellow twine colors in the couple of layers closest to the surface.
With the Roadside Attraction for the day behind me, I pulled into Nicodemus NHS. The website said the VC was closed today. But maybe I should go back to Vegas. I met two rangers at the front door. They were preparing to host a truckload of elementary students from Dodge City, KS. For those of you who know your Kansas geography, that is 2.25 hrs at the posted speed limits. A bus will probably go slower. That is one long drive. I hope all went well with the students, the park staff, and the teachers and chaperons. The rangers generously said I could use the Passport stamp. They also said the park app provides an audio tour for a visitor as they go to the five historic buildings which comprise the park. One has the option of walking (the total distance is not that much) or driving. I selected the mechanical horse option, stopping at each building, reading the placards, and taking photos. Such important history is embedded in this town, being the first Black settlement west of the Mississippi River, and with people still residing within the city boundaries it is the only one still remaining.
I had forgotten the distance between western Kansas and Denver. One hour after another kept going by. Finally, taking US 36 up through Boulder and into Estes Park, the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. I did see a church sign which read, “Skip rope, not Church.” What a great line. The US 34 entrance (Fall River) to the park is having construction, so I went through the US 36 entrance (Beaver Meadows). A mile or so into the park I stopped at a pull-out in order to photograph the snow capped mountains to the south. I met Katy and Ray. In an earlier visit, Ray had found a perfect “seat” in a large boulder, right at this pull-out. Now, whenever they return, he has to sit in the “chair” and have his picture taken. I agree, it looked like a chair.
With the main East-West park road closed due to the enormous snowpack left from the winter, I stopped at the Beaver Pond pull-out, hoping to see beavers. Well, if there are any beavers in the park, they are not there. A sign says they used to frequent this spot, and had built dams, but no more. A lady with a nice camera said this time of year moose like to come through this wet area to graze. She was calmly waiting to see if any might arrive. I will stop there in the morning, since that is a good time to see wildlife.
The Hidden Valley section was open, so I drove to the parking lot. This area allows visitors to tube and sled down long hills. Granted, you have to use manual horsepower to climb up the hills before you get to enjoy the thrill of gravity, but if you have the gumption, go for it.
The last stop was the Endovalley area. This included a 2.5-mile roundtrip hike to see a string of waterfalls, and then a few hundred-yards hike to see an Alluvial Fan. The long hike was needed since the park rangers had closed the road due to weather. My frustration was that I did not see one ounce of snow on the entire distance of blacktop to the picnic area at the end of the road. But, always good to get some exercise. And a few other folks had put on their hiking shoes as well. One could see the stream coming out of the mountains was higher than normal. Sections of the banks were flooded, and many trees were in the middle of small lakes.
The Alluvial Fan was created in 1982 from a flood which came when the earthen Lawn Lake Dam gave way, high above the valley floor. Three people lost their lives in the tragedy, a solemn reminder we always have to be aware of our surroundings when in the wilderness.