My wife, my daughter, and I have been exploring the parks and scenic attractions of El Paso County, Colorado.
Two weeks ago we spent our Sunday morning at the Paint Mines Interpretive Park, near Calhan, in eastern El Paso County. The site, as may be seen from the link in the title to this piece, is an area of eroded clay soils, laid down some 60 million years ago, and exploited by Native American as a source for pigments. This is where "war paint" came from for some of the Plains Indians, and proto-Indians, going back some 9,000 years. It was also a source of clay for pots.
I suppose the drive from home out through Falcon, Peyton, and Calhan, took us about an hour. There are several miles of well-kept trails in the park, and it was a very enjoyable walk. There wasn't a lot of bird activity, though there were some Red-Winged Blackbirds. Of course, they are found pretty much everywhere.
