Paint Mines Interpretive Park 11-07-21

I drove to a small geologic park 34 miles east of Colorado Springs in a town named Calhan, CO. Just south of the town is an amazing below ground canyon created by clay erosion. It showcases an unearthly number of shapes and colors in a small area. Clay, soil, limestone, and sandstone make up most of it, I believe. I spent 3 hours wandering every corner of the formations half of the park. Arrowheads and pottery shards 9,000 years old were found in the park. Native Americans used the yellow, pink, and orange clays for paint. Modern settlers used the clay and the area was mined professionally until protected. Ironically, I've lived only 34 miles from this for 22 years before seeing it. Glad that I finally saw this.