After dealing with the frustration of the damage from the gravel roads, we still love hiking.

The first hike was Valley of 1000 Devils. This isn’t a trail, but a route. The difference is a trail has a path you can follow, a route is a suggested path that you use orienteering skills to navigate.

It’s a fairly decent hike, lots of ups and downs but the beginning is a well travelled and decent trail.

Every time we visit Grasslands East, I have found bleached bones reminicient of our mortality.

The further you hike here, the better the buttes.

I had seen similar rocks but none so well textured. I thought it resembled a petrified egg or something else exotic.

On the way to the Valley of 1000 Devils, looking down a coulee we saw more buttes and sights that couldn’t be photographed well, but, I keep on trying.

Once the trail vanishes into hints of trails and various routes that don’t go anyplace, we found ourselves in the valley.

We often found that long pants in the tall grass is better than shorts. Fewer bugs to contend with as well as less scratches from unknown plants make for a more comfortable hike while wearing long pants.

I am amazed, still, at nature.

We see the trails in some of the photo above and head down to follow them. We find that some are trails and others are just flat spots from runoff that look like trails.

We stop often during hikes to make sure that we look around and absorb the beauty that surrounds us.

Another reason to stop to look around is to check on the dog. This one will run around until he’s too tired then stubbornly stop and lie down.

This was a very long hike to see these Buttes and the trail…route was almost non-existent.