Pawnee Buttes

The weather cleared so early this morning drove out hoping the arrive before sunrise. Didn't quite make it. Old AF Sarge said he wants to see lots of pictures.

To the North is a mammoth windmill farm stretching for miles.

Getting there is fun as it is somewhat isolated. I've driven there in a Lincoln Towncar but a studier vehicle makes a more enjoyable trip.

The buttes themselves.

As these are as many pictures as blogger will let me upload, there will be a Part II.

This trip I didn't walk out to the Buttes. It is nesting season and people are requested to not disturb the raptors nesting as they will abandon their nests. Instead, I just sat and soaked up the solitude and listened to the birds. No one was around except for one vehicle and tent about 3/4 miles away in a fold in the ground.

The area is an open range but no cattle were present. On a trip several years ago, on the return hike from the buttes, I encountered a young Angus bull. He was  about twenty feet away. While Angus are not overly aggressive like dairy bulls, they are to be respected. I kept an eye on him, and he kept an eye on me as we passed each other. Lucky me! Had he decided to be proddy I had nowhere to go and certainly couldn't outrun him.

If you have read Michener's "Centennial" he used this setting as "Rattlesnake Buttes". I've never seen one in the area but they are common.

Part II is coming up. More information (and better pictures) can be found at this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawnee_Buttes