On Saturday we decided that if the sky was clear on Sunday we would leave the house early and enjoy some of Douglas County's attractions. The temperature outside was already in the mid-forties when we left our Parker home shortly after 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. As we drove past Iron Horse Elementary School, just a mile from home, we saw eight mule deer walking across the school grounds.
Jan and I wanted to get out and hike a little so we drove west on Lincoln Avenue and when we got to Lone Tree we turned left on Yosemite, then right into Crooked Stick Trail. This brought us to the parking area on the east edge of Bluffs Regional Park. The park covers over 230 acres of hilly open space. Views from the higher lookout points are spectacular. Snowcapped Mount Evans and many other 14'ers were stretched out along the horizon. What was empty ranchland twenty five years ago (everything south of County Line Road!) is now blanketed with the cities of Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree.
Bluffs Regional Park is definitely worth a visit. Judging by the number of runners, walkers and cyclists we saw using the wide trail network, this may be a secret that local residents would like to keep.
After about an hour, we returned to the car and headed south to Daniels Park Road. Soon we spotted a herd of elk approaching. We turned the car around and stopped where we thought they might cross. Moments later we were able to get a couple of photos of them jumping a cattle fence with the mountains in the background. No prize winning shots here, but photographing wildlife is always a game of luck.
Continuing south we stopped at an enclosure where about twenty bison were eating hay. This refuge is owned, and the herd is managed, by The City and County of Denver. What are commonly called buffalo are actually bison. The incorrect name 'buffalo' was made popular by "Buffalo"
Bill Cody back in his traveling rodeo days in the late 1800's. I guess he didn't want to be called "Bison Bill" Cody.
From the south border of Daniels Park, one gets great views of the Sanctuary Golf Course and Pikes Peak in the distance and, of course, the whole front range. The road south winds through the beautiful wooded hills of Castle Pines and eventually runs into highway 85 linking Castle Rock with Sedalia.
When the weather is good, there is always something to do and new places to explore. Who would think that within fifteen miles of Parker, we could see mule deer, elk and bison?