Mining for paint?

Pastor Doug has been telling Sherrie and I that we needed to go hiking out at the paint mines near Calhan. It's out on the plains about 30 miles northeast of here, so we were waiting for a cooler day to go. He also said for the best lighting we should go in the morning or evening. Sherrie wasn't available until after 2pm today, so with temps in the low 70s, today was the day to head out there. The formations found in Paint Mines Interpretive Park are composed mostly of sandstone and clay eroded by water. The colorful clays were used by American Indians to color pottery, thus the name "paint mines". Narrow trails wind amongst the wonderful formations, with a new delight around every turn. I took close to 100 pictures, but here are a few of my favorites:








Overview of part of the park

There were lots of wildflowers, especially wild roses. We also found a horned lizard.






Thanks for the recommendation, Pastor Doug!