A day in the Pawnee National Grassland...

It's a place of great beauty, where the wind blows without hindrance, dust is fine and once airborne by a passing car or truck, takes its own time to slowly sink back to earth, and where it would be easy to believe one was in a foreign land--and yet I was less than three hours from home.

This is the Pawnee National Grassland, the destination for four friends who happen to be artists and photographers, who share an enthusiastic passion for adventure and exploration--even for those familiar places we think we know. 

We couldn't wait to photograph this building in Keota.

Armed with detailed maps, lots of water, a few snacks and plenty of sunscreen, we set out a couple of weeks ago to visit an area in Colorado--north of Greeley, east of Fort Collins, south of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and west of Sterling.

I learned that once the communities of Grover and Hereford, now quiet shadows of former days, were once thriving towns connected by a rail line from Cheyenne.  Hereford was even referred to as a "resort" town and featured three buildings designed by students of Frank Lloyd Wright!  

Fortunately, one of us, Susan, has lived in Colorado longer than the rest of us and lives "just a stone's throw" from the edge of the short grass prairie.  As one who loves the history of this place, she was able to share old newspaper clippings, a general understanding of this area and access to private lands that afforded us special photographic opportunities.

One must love--or at least appreciate--the solace of open space in the short grass prairie.

I love the gray-weathered wood of this structure.

 Our first stop was in Keota and we took advantage of the morning light to shoot empty buildings and the "pleasing decay" of structures falling to the ravages of time and weather.  

We laughingly agreed that a trip like this, full of "no where" and "abandoned houses" might not appeal to everyone!  But, for us, it was remarkable and seemed to willingly invite us to look closer and see more.

Slats of the roof of the structure (above) reveal patterns with nails
and sky.

Even though it felt like we were the only humans in this vast expanse of land, I would be surprised to look up and see a large truck driving by, leaving a long dusty plume behind it as it rumbled along the dirt road.

This is oil and gas country and despite the drop in prices and the inactivity of many drilling sites, this is still a vital aspect to the economy of Weld County and so the trucks continue to roll along those empty dirt roads. 

Pawnee Buttes seems to rise without warning from the prairie.

Horses we met seemed glad to pose for us.

We followed signs to Pawnee Buttes, which is an unexpected sight to encounter on the prairie.  

The geology of this place is amazing.  Who would imagine "sea bed?"

Heading north we stopped to photograph anything/everything that caught our artistic interest--which was just about everything!  

In Grover, we think the red building on the left was once an opera house
and the white building across the street a hotel/rooming house.

In Grover we stopped for lunch, as Susan mentioned that Grover's Market and Grill was the only place to get a bite to eat for miles and miles.  The hamburgers were delicious!!  

A blue car waits in Hereford.

The views from this house captured my imagination as I photographed it in detail.

Suzette and I captured each other in opposite windows.

There are some places that seem to beckon and feel comfortable from the beginning and this old house outside of Hereford was that to me.  

From its vantage on the prairie there would be no surprise storms from the west (or any direction, for that matter) as views seemed unending.  

Even as it continues its decline, this house was beautiful to me.

Just down the road and down the hill lies this house near the river.

Closer to Crow Creek, this property appealed most to Annie, who could imagine the view from the kitchen window at the end of the day.

I missed the views from the house above.  They were just a mile or so apart and yet so very different.

The flag waves brightly outside the post office in Carpenter, Wyoming.

Since we were "in the area," we decided to drive north into Wyoming and visit Carpenter (which wasn't even on one of the maps we brought.)

We were glad we did as there were lots of fun places to photograph.

A quiet afternoon in Carpenter, Wyoming.

Eventually, after several additional photo stops, we decided to head to the West Pawnee Ranch Bed and Breakfast.  

Not only had we booked the Prairie House for the night, we had made plans to have dinner there, a hearty ranch dinner that was especially delicious after a day in the sun and wind.

The Prairie House at the West Pawnee Ranch Bed and Breakfast.

We were warmly greeted by owners Louanne and Paul, and their adorable friendly dog, Foxy, who lavished us with kisses and managed to get lots of tummy rubs.

Suzette, Annie and Susan willingly allow Foxy to nag them into some serious petting.

 

Seriously, who can resist this sweet face?

Breakfast awaits...

...as does the open road to continue our exploration and appreciation of this beautiful place so close to home..