Yesterday we decided to take advantage of a beautiful November day and take a drive to the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in western Nebraska. (Click here for a link to the NPS page) It turned out to be a spectacular trip, warm sunny weather, great scenery on the drive, and lots of interesting things to see.
We retraced part of the route we took on our trip last week to Fort Laramie, heading north through Wyoming on 1-25, driving about 50 miles further yesterday before heading east on US 20. As you can see in this picture, a few patches of snow were still around from last week's storm. Temperatures were in the 40s/50s, and it wasn't nearly as windy (or as clear) as it was on our trip last week.
The fossil beds at the monument are located in these two hills, and they contain the bones of many mammels that lived in this area during the Miocene epoch, about 19 million years ago.
The visitor's center has exhibits of excavated and assembled skeletons of many of the animals represented in the fossil beds, along with examples of what the beds actually look like, which are preserved jumbles of bones several feet deep. The skeletons are all quite bizzare-looking, with obvious similarities to modern day mammels, but enough differences to make them instantly look alien.
Here are some representations of what these animals might have looked like, from the brochure handed out at the monument:
After time travelling in the visitor's center, we decided to take a short hike and check out the area's current conditions. These sobering reminders were in evidance throughout the monument:
Good advice when its not too cold or too high for snakes...
We hiked part way up to the fossil hills, on a paved trail that crossed the Niobrara River and its adjoining wetlands.
Niobrara River
another view of the river, with monument service buildings in the distance
The late afternoon sun enhanced the golden tones of the landscape
a landscape full of seeds
and evidence of its residents, like this hoof print (an antelope?)
and this burrow entrance (pocket gopher? or snake?)
and this anthill
Not surprisingly for a warm sunny afternoon, there were clouds of bugs near the river, and lots of birds everywhere. Otherwise we didn't see any wildlife on the trail, including any rattlesnakes, which of course we were keeping an eye out for.
We enjoyed our time at Agate Fossil Beds, but wanted to leave early enough to allow us to make most of the drive (south to I-80) through Nebraska in daylight. The route took us through Scottsbluff, and we wanted to get a look at the area. The entire trip (NE hwys 29 and 71) was gorgeous, and we timed it perfectly, with daylight fading as we got on the interstate and headed for home. Roundtrip, Joe drove about 490 miles yesterday.
NE 29, the road stretching out to the horizon
"Bring me the horizon"
--Captain Jack Sparrow
