Hiking Vogel Canyon

We had stopped at the US Forest Service office in town to check out hiking trails around the area, specifically wanted to hike in Comanche National Grassland - something we have never done is hike in a grassland.  Vogel Canyon seemed to be the best fit and off we went yesterday afternoon.
Overcast skies, but much cooler.  We have been experiencing mid 90's for the last couple of days and did not want to fry ourselves in the sun.

Vogel Canyon has two permanent springs at the bottom of the canyon that helps support a variety of wildlife.  There are 4 hiking trails, all pass through the shortgrass prairie land and juniper trees.  American Indians lived in the canyon hundreds of years ago and left behind rock art that is still visible toady.

I could almost see the stagecoach coming

As we entered the parking area of the Canyon, we stopped and saw the Barlow and Sanderson Stage Road where you can see the ruts of the stagecoaches that once rumbled through the area.

Based on where the rock art is located and seeing ruins, we chose to hike the Overlook trail.  This trail took us along cad zillion juniper trees and the closer to the canyon we got, it felt like we were in Mesa Verde National Park.  Shale and limestone rocks became the scenery, jutting out all over the place.  The Canyon - talk about a wow factor.  Never seeing a canyon like that where there at the bottom of it is a flat area, could see where settlers would be here.  Very pleasing to the eye, plenty of water and grazing land.

Hiked much more than this - maybe close to 3 miles?

Easy overlook trail

Rock formations were awesome

We wondered where the canyon was?

Abundant Juniper trees

The hike was rated moderate, walking to the overlook was quite easy.  Then we hiked down into the canyon and across to see the rock art up close.  At first we did not see the rock art but then you stand back and study it, then it comes to you.  We did see rock art from the lost tribe of Israel.  Dah.

At overlook looking across to rock art (see interpretive signs?)

Rock art - look closely

Looking back to overlook from interpretive signs at rock art

Look right above - lost tribe of Israel found? See Menorah?

Just barely make out the rock art 

Very tall canyon - looking up

Followed the trail along the bottom of the canyon back and stopped and wondered at the ruins we saw.  How did people survive?  Stone foundations that you could definitely tell were hand placed, did not get too close because of the threat of rattlesnakes.

Large cairns marked most of the trail

Perfect grazing area

Meadow looking across

Chimney ruins

Fairly good size shelter

Wondered if someone lived here long time ago?

Trail got a tidge confusing at times - no markings we could see

Continued along the trail, seeing huge cairns placed just far enough ahead that we did not loose our way.  One area of the trail was so covered with debris from the runoff of water, and another area was clogged with tumbleweed.  We knew cows grazed in the area, so so much cow poop!  And could smell them when we were near the springs, phew!  Never saw them.

Spring offered watering hole for cattle

The hike back was quite moderate, sometimes difficult because of moving up and down over the different layers of shale.  We thought that in the springtime when the grasses started to come back from the winter snows, the wildflowers blooming, must be really beautiful.  And of course - a tarantula waved goodbye to us as we were leaving.

Mr. Tarantula came out to say, "Thank you for visiting!"

More Sights Along the Santa Fe Trail

We followed the Santa Fe Trail south and west out of La Junta which for the most part of our 35 plus miles was on the original route of the trail.  Unlike the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails farther north where roadways were built away from the trails, the route we took yesterday said we were on the actual trail (they paved over the original but you got the flavor of the landscape and topography).

36 of these granite stones are along the Colorado trail

Surprised how flat!

One of the biggest problems we had was the road AND our subsequent hikes was littered with moving tarantulas. Lots of them!  I have seen them in the past in the desert by us in Arizona but not here or anywhere else.  And they are really big!  I kept thinking of my sister who has a tremendous aversion to spiders - she would have gone into cardiac arrest.  Knowing that tarantulas were not poisonous, I was able to get close to one and take some pretty neat pictures.  We had to be very diligent when we were driving and hiking - they were everywhere, especially on the road.  These were males migrating, the females stay close to the dens.  The experts say they make great pets.  Buddy would love to have one.

Could get a job a Walmart - as a greeter!  Hello!!

About 6 inches long

We stopped at Timpas Creek where between 1869 and 1871 a stage coach station was located.  Once thriving town of 120 folks, dance halls, saloons, school, church, hotels, stores, restaurants - now is mostly deserted.  There are a few foundations left but the homes left standing - wow! looks like they would fall in any minute.  Limestone markers show where the trail came by and we were able to see many markers along the trail during the day.  Water was the uppermost importance and the trail followed one creek after another with stops along the way.

Part of the Comanche National Grassland

Nature trail down to Timpas Creek 

Spotted these along the roadway

Look closely - there is water in that ravine (Timpas Creek)

We also stopped at the Sierra Vista overlook which explained that this was a major milestone on the emigrants journey - they finally could spot the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

If it was clearer day, we could have seen Rockies much better

From a journal of 1839

A little farther down the road was Iron Springs which was an important water stop for travelers.  Between 1861 and 1871 Iron Springs served as a stagecoach station.  It was also a scene of several Indian attacks.  Trail ruts are still visible but we were hard pressed to find them.  With the heavy rains this spring and summer in the area, we think that contributed to the high vegetation growth and therefore we had trouble finding the ruts.  Did see the ruins of the stagecoach inn.

With all the rain this spring and summer, the vegetation was quite high,
hard to see the ruts.

The Grasslands

Now I can see the ruts!

Along the Santa Fe Trail to Boggsville

We are camping along Route 50 which is part of the original Santa Fe Trail which runs from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We are on the Mountain Branch of the trail which followed the Arkansas River westward out of Kansas and veered more west and north, then dropped southwest at La Junta.  This route was longer but had more rivers and grazing areas for livestock whereas the southern route called the Cimarron was much faster but more treacherous due much less water. Choose which one you took based on the time of year you were traveling.  Just east of La Junta is a town called Las Animas and there is a link to Kit Carson there.

Originally they were buried here, now rest in Taos

We read where Kit Carson spent the last years of his life in a small settlement near Las Animas called Boggsville.  Founded by Thomas Boggs who worked at Bent's Old Fort, his wife, Rumalda, was granted 2,040 acre parcel as settlement of her step-father's holdings (she was Charles Bent's step-daughter and he was killed in Taos during an uprising by the Taos Indians and Hispanics - Bent was governor of Colorado at that time).  Thomas Boggs constructed a 6 room home along the banks of the Purgatories River and more settlers came to live in this small community 3 miles from Bent's Old Fort.

Boggs first home, Carsons lived in with Houghs for a time

What his looked like

And now

Boggs second home

Kit Carson and his wife Josefa were the uncle and aunt of Rumalda.  The Carsons often grazed their cattle through the area of Boggsville and came to live in Boggsville, staying with another family called Houghs in Boggs old home (Boggs had built a new 2 story, 14 room home near the old) while Carson was building his own home.  The Carsons did not live long in Boggsville, sadly, Josefa died of complications of child-birth and within 1 month Kit Carson also died, some say of a broken heart when in fact he died of an aortic aneurysm.  Their children were adopted and raised to adulthood by Thomas and Rumalda Boggs in Boggsville.

Dry Purgatoires River

Boggsville was the county seat beginning in 1870 until 1874 when Las Animas took over when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad come through to Las Animas, bypassing Boggsville.  A bridge over the Arkansas River was built in 1874 and this also shifted the Santa Fe Trail emigrants away from Boggsville. A general store, public school, livery, library, church, irrigation ditches to support the farms and ranches, the town once boasted 576 people with over 20 structures.  People moved away from Boggsville and the last resident left in 1905, and the town's buildings deteriorated to ghost town until 1986 when the Bent County Historical Society took over and restorations began.  Sadly, the home that Kit and Josefa lived in is gone but the Boggs home still stands.