Kayaking

Today has been our first opportunity to use the kayak on this trip. You will not be able to see it but there is an Osprey nest in the tree on the left of this island up at the top. There were 2 Ospreys in it when we went by this morning. We felt very fortunate to have seen them. According to the forest service there are 25 to 30 pairs that come to nest in this area of Colorado in the summer.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain NP is just a few miles from where we are staying. We left early this morning for a day of sightseeing in the park. It has been about 20 years since we were here last. We were rewarded by getting to seeing lots of wildlife about early in the morning.

This is the view from the Alpine Visitors Center well above the tree line.

Grand Lake CO

This is Grand Lake, a cute little town near us.
We hike around Monarch Lake today but it got too windy to kayak as well.

Winter Park Colorado

After a stop in Denver on Friday night to see our friends Dick & Barb Muhlhauser we drove up to the Winter Park Ski area where we have a condo for the week. These are pictures of Columbine Lake that we hiked to today. This hike was about 7 miles round trip and only 1000' elevation gain, so it was not as tough as the one in New Mexico. It was absolutely a beautiful hike and lake.

Red River New Mexico

The Red River area which is just north of Taos was a real surprise. Quite a tourist town in the summer and a ski area in the winter. Andy is standing in front of an old mine we found on our Columbine Canyon hike. This area has a functioning mine now and in the past was mined for gold and silver.

The hiking in the area is beautiful and as you can see gets up above the tree line. This means we were hiking in the 9000 to 11000 foot altitude. I needed to stop often on this hike to catch my breath. I took this picture just before the thunder storm came in and we had to hike back part way in the rain.

Pecos Wilderness New Mexico

We camped in the Pecos Wilderness at Jack Creek and did a lot of hiking in the area. This is one of the caves on the Cave Creek hije we took. All of the streams are rushing with beautiful clear water.

The Black Eyed Susans are everywhere, most with these butterflies on them.

On The Road Again

We left on Sunday, August 8th for a trip to Colorado. We spent the first night near Alpine in AZ where the wildflowers are still in full bloom.