Going west on Route 24 out of Woodland Park we next visited Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, where, beneath a grassy mountain valley in central Colorado, lies one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world.
This family circle of fossilized stumps grew out of the single trunk of an older parent tree. The 3 trunks are ancient clones, or genetically identical copies of that parent tree. This trio of stone stumps is unique in the world's fossil records.
Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide reveal a story of a very different prehistoric Colorado.
On a stroll through the park I found these Indian Paint Brushes blooming, along with numerous other wild flowers.
We took a back road back to Castle Rock which followed the Platte River for several miles.
Some scenery and a distant mountain along the way.
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