8/7 There is still a lot to do before leaving Colorado. First I stopped at a Wild Birds Unlimited in Ft. Collens to drop off some samples and then not far is the Gardens on Spring Creek with a gift shop and a history of buying our earrings. However, they have none of our earrings in the store so apparently it is time to try and rekindle their interest. The buyer is not present but members of the staff are very intrigued and that is often a good starting point. The gardens offer plenty to see and educational too. There extensive garden of veggies with a pavilion that appears to be used for prepping meals for school groups.
After a walk through the garden I check out an environmental center west of town operated by the University. The building has a classroom but not a visitor center accommodation a gift shop. But there are some good trails. The vegetation is wooded with grassy open areas that must be really pretty in the right season, but on this mid summer day it is extremely parched. There is barley any green below the canopy which is interesting after being in desserts that appeared to be more lush.
Geographically I am in a good place to check out the Pawnee National Grassland is more or less east of Ft. Collins but finding the heart of it requires a loop north on the scenic route. In the western section there is a 35 mile birding trail which I did not drive all of given the time. But it was fun to watch Lark Buntings, Horned Lark, and Meadow Lark all hanging out together at the Information pull out. There is no Visitor Center or gift shop here but I would love to come back in peak bird season.
The western part of the grassland has some chalk buttes that seem analogous to the Badlands in South Dakota though not as extensive. From the most scenic spot where there is a picnic area and parking for a trail head, you can see a pair of buttes standing alone like islands near the edge of a more extensive bluff. The level grassy tops add to the notion I am looking up at a shoreline. It’s a nice little side trip and there are other people here, which is surprising after not seeing a soul at Cimarron and Comanche grasslands.
It’s time to put Colorado behind me. I head southeast towards Kansas with plans to camp at Prairie Dog State Park. It is after nine when I get there and the prairie dogs are already in bed but bugs are definitely out. I found a campsite easy enough near the lake but it is so buggy that I decided not to pitch the tent and sleep in the car. They are not bitting insects but they gather thickly around any light and especially my lantern. I am glad I checked the water heating up before putting in pasta because it was full of the little flies and two beetles as well. So I opted to sit inside the Rav and have a sandwich.
8/8 I get an early start thanks to not having to pack the tent up. I visited the prairie dogs near the entrance and there are many out standing erect keeping watch although they do not seem to be minding me. I did not see any burrowing owls but I did see more wildlife that morning driving the country roads including a Coyote, a Night Hawk, and a mama Wild Turkey with two half grown chicks.
Heading mostly south I picked up I-70 which I will mostly be on all the way back to Pennsylvania. I have the day to do some side trips and in Hays I found the Sternberg Museum of Natural History for which I had to stop to show my dinosaur earrings and I discovered a really neat museum just off the freeway.
The Sternberg Museum is old school in all the ways I love for a natural history museum with lots of material on display. Kansas is apparently rich in the finds of sea creatures from an ancient sea that once occupied middle America. This particular fauna is well represented including a very large large fish that had swallowed another fish shortly before it was entombed.
They have dinosaurs too which seals the deal making the museum a great stop off for families and I could tell I was sharing the galleries with parents and their children taking a break from the freeway. The top floor is dedicated to a spacious walk through diorama with life size dinosaur animatronics. Being in that room made me feel like a kid again.
Another Kansas park with an intriguing name and not far off the interstate is Mushroom Rock State Park. Of course I am thinking of what kind of interesting gift shop it might have but turns out the Park has no headquarters or staff. There is no fee so there is not even an iron ranger on duty. There is a cluster of oddly shaped rocks and at least two look very much like giant mushrooms and a country dirt road happens to cut through the middle of them. A few other car loads of people have found this natural playground and children especially are enjoying the especially enjoying the more accessable formations. For anyone traveling with kids this would be another worthwhile stop.
My hope today was to make it to the Moon Marble Company located just east of Topeka but setting the course in my app indicates they are closed. Being a small business they apparently are still closed. To bad, because I was really looking forward to paying a visit since I bought a bunch of their animal, science and other thematic marbles to use with some of the paper pulp projects. But its better to know know when I can plan a different stop.
So I found the Milford Nature Center at Milford State Park another 75 eastward. Before getting there I made a quick stop in Abilene after noticing a sign for the Shivering Sheep Yarn shop and thinking some yarn from Kansas might be the perfect gift for Mary who recently took up knitting. Luckily the nature center is open until 4 so I have just enough time to make the stop. Also, it turns out they are networked with at least two of the other Kansas nature center locations we work with and are already familiar with our product. So they are happy to receive some samples and are optimistic about buying more later.
There is not much else to do now but drive. I will fit in one more visit tomorrow at Mounds State park in Indiana. They have been buying Jabebo for several years but I have never managed to visit personally. Plus, it would be good timing to stretch my legs a bit. In doing so I found the earthworks really interesting and unique. I was also surprised to learn that an amusement park had been built here including a train ride circling the earthworks. Though according to the information provided, the owner and operator of the park did a decent job protecting the ancient structures. Today in addition to the mounds there is extensive paths through woods, rare types of wetlands and along a river and the park is busy with people enjoying nature.
This concludes this unusual pandemic summer trip of 2020. Summing up my accomplishments I attended 1 wedding. I made 14 business stops with 8 being new prospective locations. Drove more than 5000 miles visiting 3 National Grasslands, 2 National Forests, 1 wilderness area, 5 National Park locations, 3 State Parks, and 2 Dinosaur museums. I saw 89 different kinds of birds including 4 life list species as well lots of other wildlife. I pitched my tent 11 times and hiked 87 miles.
