Comanche Trail

Plotting my next move toward Denver, I found the Comanche National Grasslands to be right along the path. Petroglyphs, caves, and remote camping sounded perfect. 

Tulsa proved to be a good stopping point. I needed a shower. As you can see, Yonav needed a bed.

The next morning, the road was dull and long, but I was clean.

I was almost blinded by the spectrum.

When I pulled into the camping area at dusk, it was apparent that the campsite was rarely used. It was 8 miles into a gravel road, and there was nothing around except for broken down windmills and farm equipment.

In the mornings out on the grasslands, I cooked sausage omelets in preparation for the hikes. Each day, I found trails to the Petroglyphs and to Crack Cave.

There is a cave in Picture Canyon called Crack Cave. Inside the cave, there are, supposedly, petroglyphs which only are illuminated on the spring and fall equinoxes. The National Park Service only opens this cave on those days and reservations are required. I called to plan my trip around being there on the spring equinox, thinking that this would be a once in a lifetime kind of deal. Apparently, there is a white fungus killing bats all across America, and this year, the caves will not be open.

When I arrived at the cave, there was an iron gate with a padlock. The cave is next to an old abandoned homestead. The family had to move because of a drought in the 1820's.

The expanse of the grasslands is quiet. At night there were no sounds. It was eerie. I sat atop this rock and wondered how many Natives and Homesteaders had done the same. Many beautiful structures adorned the canyon, which made for some cool pics.

With a Bird's Eye View, we were tucked in at night by sunsets of blue-grey and auburn reds, along with a six pack of Fat Tire--Ah, Colorado...