GC1G8B2Ungulate Utopia
Type: Traditional
| Size: Micro
| Difficulty:
| Terrain:
By: siff@
| Hide Date: 09/13/2008
| Status: Available
Country: United States
| State: Colorado Coordinates: N40° 55.527 W105° 16.551 | Last updated: 06/19/2022 | Fav points: 0
This log only cache is just a short drive on a dirt road into the heart of Antilocapra americana territory. From US 287 turn east onto Larimer County Rd 37. From I-80 in Wyoming, take exit 342 (Harriman) exit and go south into Colorado. There are scenic views all around.PLEASE respect private property; there is no reason to step over the barbed wire fence. Be careful where you park, as the shoulder can be very soft after a rain or snow. The road may also drift over in the winter, so use good judgment!
The American pronghorn is commonly called an antelope. Early Europeans called them goats, however they are neither goats or antelopes, but the sole surviving member of the family Antilocapridae, and are native only to North America.
Pronghorns are the fastest mammal in North American and second fastest in the world next to the cheetah. However, their huge heart and lungs make them able to run faster for a longer period of time. The cheetah tires after about a quarter mile, whereas the pronghorn can go two to three miles maintaining a speed of 45 MPH. Scientists have identified 13 distinct gaits.
Pronghorns are the only animal to shed their horns annually, and both males and females can grow horns. Pronghorns have a 320 degree field of vision; a human's is about 140 degrees.
While many people know that the American bison was hunted to near extinction, so was the pronghorn. By 1908 there were only about 20,000 left from an original population estimated in the 10-20 million range. Now there are more pronghorn in Wyoming than humans. They are not able to jump fences, so their range can be severely limited by dividing land into "ranchettes", and they can be denied access to winter feeding grounds if a fence blocks their access if they need to move from snow-covered areas.
So, keep you eyes out for these remarkable animals, and enjoy the vistas (especially going southbound, but then again, northbound has it's moments, too).
DO NOT THROW DOWN A REPLACEMENT CACHE IF YOU CANNOT FIND IT.
03/24/2019 By MinnesotaLoons Found on the way home after playing at Happy Jack rec area. SL TFTC
08/22/2018 By TheTribe97 Tftc! My husband and I hit this on our way home after a night at Harriman Retreat Center. Was just laying on the ground, so we tucked in back in a little.
01/14/2018 By Takes the Hard Way As I was driving home this afternoon and this cache was showing up on my GPS as not being found. I was pretty sure I had found it already....but I decided to stop by and double check.
I found the cache container on the ground....and I did find it back in April of 2017....just forgot to log it.
I signed the log again and tucked it back into it's hiding spot.
SL
05/15/2017 By L Clan Interesting container. Beautiful area. TFTC!!!
Ungulate Utopia
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