Guernsey State Park - Back to Normal

A Touch of Fall in the Park

Looks like the park is back to normal after more than 30,000 people showed up for the four-day Eclipse celebration. It was terrific seeing so many people enjoying the park, but it sure is nice to have it quiet down as we head toward fall.

This is the time of year when Jan and I enjoy hikes and drives in the park. Our activities range from walks of a couple of miles to simply sitting somewhere and enjoying the views.

Taking a Break on Black Canyon Point Trail

I have spent some time the past few days looking at some of the smaller projects the Civilian Conservation Corps finished in the park. I don’t think it is possible to find all of the parks CCC work, but it sure is fun when we find something new.

A small area along Lakeshore Drive - Built by the CCC, Holding Back the Mountainside.

Cooler weather means it is a terrific time to hike or just sit and enjoy the view in Guernsey State Park.

My book on the park is still selling well, both locally and on line. You can pick up an inexpensive eBook copy here or order the soft cover edition and put it in the office, on the coffee table, or make it a gift for someone who loves the park.

CCC Worker Statue at the CCC Museum in Guernsey State Park

If you like reading western fiction, mysteries, gardening books or fun kid’s chapter books take a look at all my books here. That ends my shameless self-promotion of my CCC and the Building of Guernsey State Park book and my eight fiction titles.

February and a Walk In the Park

What a beautiful day in the park. I had to look hard to find much ice as it appears about 99% gone.

A Bit of Ice near the dam

 Today we took kids, grandkids and friends for a hike. The temperature was in the low 50s no wind, just a hoody and my ever-present gloves – hands never seem to stay warm.

The lake is back

We hiked the Red Cliff to Museum Loop Trial. A nice hour and a bit more trip. As always it was fun, good exercise, and you just never know what you might see.

These might be the best steps the CCC built in America

With the snow now melted and nearly forgotten and the trails drying out we will be on our, almost every day, schedule of walking in the park.

Get out and see the park and maybe a mink, like this one we watched today

 We like to go east side one day and west the next.

Always interesting raptors in the park

 It is also almost that time of the year for our rather unscientific annual deer in the park count.

Never know what might fly over when we walk in the park

Meanwhile, get out for a hike in one of Wyoming’s great State Parks. 

Museum is well past the half-way point of our hike

Guernsey State Park - Doing it Right

This must be some kind of Bonus post or something. I normally post every five to seven days and here I am posting two days in a row. A great hike will do that for me. 

Nice view as we started our hike this morning

People who know me, more than likely, have heard me complain about the new high wall on Guernsey Dam. It was never that high until the Bureau of Reclamation worked on the dam two years ago. The new height of the wall makes a view of the lake nearly impossible as drivers cross the dam. More importantly, it has also made the road over the dam much more dangerous as drivers from the north cannot see smaller cars, motorcycles or bicycles on the dam.

The original - I wasn't around for this one

However, that is not what I want to blog about today. And, there is a distinct possibility that the Bureau of Reclamation knows quite a bit more about dam's and dam building than I do.

Safer, but much taller new wall during construction in 2013

Here is the way to build a wall, this one in being built by the State Park System. It looks great. Unlike the Bureau wall of modern concrete, this one is concrete and faced with stone.

This is going to look super when finished - very CCC like

It looks like the CCC built it, and I am sure that is what Todd Stephenson, Superintendent of Guernsey State Park, had in mind when re-doing this one. Much like the work done along Lakeshore Drive over the years, this fits the park, fits the Civilian Conservation Corps work in the park and fits it very well.

On another note, the park is fantastic for recreational walkers/hikers right now. Despite some health setbacks, I hope temporarily, I have still enjoyed quite a bit of time in the park this fall.  

We call this one the, Lost Trail, as it was started but never really finished by the CCC.
Not sure many know where this one is. I will be posting more on this one later.

Like to learn more about the building of the park? How the Civilian Conservation Corps teamed with the National Parks Service, the state of Wyoming, and the Bureau of Reclamation to build one of the most unique and beautiful parks in the American west. Hit this link!

Happy to say it is still selling well if you have already purchased, thanks. I still like the book better than the eBook, but it is available in both forms. Order one for yourself and another for a friend today. 

I read a blog this week that said if a nonfiction book sells more than 250 copies the first year, it is a success, and if it reaches 2,000 sales in the life of the book,  it will have done better than 99%+ of all nonfiction. So far so good. (-:)

Black Canyon Trail

The Black Canyon Trail is a seldom, if ever, used trail in the park. But what a great trail. It is still marked but a bit hard to follow in places. Someone, a few years back, put marking tape on a few trees along the way, but it is fading fast. We hiked this trail for the first time in two years last Friday and found it both challenging and wonderful.

This trail is on the east side across from Black Canyon point, just across from the little camping area at the bay at Black Canyon. This hike takes some time, it took us a bit over two hours but it is worth the time. Not overly strenuous but does have some pretty serious uphill's as you walk.

Because this trail would take too much work for bicycles it has become a kind of forgotten walk. It was better before the fire as were all of the park burn areas.

Give it a try - this might be the best hike in the park, big rocks, trees, wildlife, views and great exercise. I took over 100 photos and will attempt to post five or six, or maybe 11.

The Start

Into the wood

Sometimes at the end of the trail something unexpected, a long forgotten CCC road and hidden CCC culvert.