Rest day wreck

I'd intended today to be a rest day but that notion didn't survive an abrupt collision with reality.

Rather than hike, I'd planned to take a little half-mile stroll to a particular spot. I'd told Mom about this place and I wanted to make sure I had the location suitcased because she said she wanted to hike over to the spot herself.

This particular place is not actually on our land, it's on the neighbor's land. The easiest way to get to it is to drive down to the south unit, park in the southwest corner, cross the fence and stroll over a little hill. It's a bit of a hidden gem but if you park in the right place it's only a few hundred yards distant.

So after morning chores Red and I set out.

I drove to the best parking place from where I could visit and confirm the site location with only a quick and easy walk over a small rise.

Upon reaching the other side of the small rise I realized that my recollection of the location of the site was, er, faulty.

However, I chose to persevere. Looking about and matching topography and terrain with only slightly cloudy memory I realized that I was probably about two miles away from my destination.

So much for an easy stroll on a rest day.

You'll perhaps be unsurprised that once I'd recalibrated my plans to match reality I was rather pleased with the prospect of working hard rather than resting. The two mile trek would be over rough native prairie with lots of steep slopes. The very thing!

The weather conditions were warmer than forecast but also cloudier and much windier. Oh well. After considerable exertion over 2.5 miles of challenging ground, Red and I hove into view of the site.

Run! It's the Monolith!

After yesterday's hard hike (10.44 miles) Red was still a bit worn down and looking forward to a rest day herself. But she hung in there.

I paused atop a ridgeline to survey the scene of an agricultural endeavour I'm not in favor of.



I scrambled down the ridge and then back up to the top because rest day.



A bit later I found...



It was a smashingly beautiful day. Cool stuff to see everywhere I looked. And remarkably, a new discovery.



I bitched about overgrazing while surrounded by spring greenup. There are no binary solution sets in nature.



Mysteries are fun.



We live on a dynamic planet in a dynamic universe.



Poor Red. Good ideas sometimes aren't. It was a near-death showdown at coolville.



More wind, more wonder, more bitching.



At the end of our little rest day hike Red and I had gone 4.74 miles and had a very good time. My fitness watch tells me we'd climbed the equivalent of 96 22-foot flights of stairs. I think that's about right.

I also found what appears to be a green glass six-ounce coke bottle. I forgot to take a picture, but I'll do so when it's cleaned up and I've looked it up. It was marked "Scottsbluff NEBR" for what that's worth. Kind of fun to find. Very solid and heavy.

And that's gonna be it for the day. I'm still working on dialog but making progress.

Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.