Mountain Bikers' Guide to Colorado

This is a new book by Dan Hickstein, which features photographs by our friend, Yann Ropars.  You don't have to mountain bike to appreciate the views!

Yann has used photos which showcase some of the 4:50 Club members, like my husband, Doug :-)

The Other Side of the Fence...

I'm too short to tell if the grass is greener,
but these rust-colored sunflowers are glorious!

Good Sunday Morning

One of my favorite things about my home is the view I am blessed with every morning!  You couldn't wish for a better way to start the day :-)

Me Irish Be Shine'n

Happy Birthday, Lynelle!

Little Lynelle is my younger sister,
so, instead of revealing any ages here,
I'll just be wishing her the happiest of days!!

Golf Poem - Shared by a Friend/Fanatic Golfer

In My Hand I Hold A Ball, White And Dimpled, And Rather Small. Oh, How Bland It Does Appear, This Harmless Looking Little Sphere. By Its Size I Could Not Guess The Awesome Strength It Does Possess.     But Since I Fell Beneath Its Spell,  I've Wandered Through The Fires Of Hell. My Life Has Not Been Quite The Same Since I Chose To Play This Stupid Game.    It Rules My Mind For Hours On End;  A Fortune It Has Made Me Spend. It Has Made Me Curse And Made Me Cry,  And Hate Myself And Want To Die. It Promises Me A Thing Called Par,  If I Hit It Straight And Far. To Master Such A Tiny Ball, Should Not Be Very Hard At All. But My Desires The Ball Refuses, And Does Exactly As It Chooses. It Hooks And Slices, Dribbles And Dies, And Disappears Before My Eyes. Often It Will Have A Whim, To Hit A Tree Or Take A Swim. With Miles Of Grass On Which To Land,  It Finds A Tiny Patch Of Sand. Then Has Me Offering Up My Soul, If Only It Would Find The Hole. It's Made Me Whimper Like A Pup, And Swear That I Will Give It Up. And Take To Drink To Ease My Sorrow, But The Ball Knows ... I'll Be Back Tomorrow.

Celestial View Update

I did a little more research on my last post...  The two bright objects in the photo are definitely Venus and Jupiter, with Venus being the brightest.  Both planets are beautifully visible in the morning sky.  Four of Jupiter's largest moons are also visible, though I was not able to see them with my naked eye.  I highly suggest getting up early to catch a glimpse of them!

If you are looking at the evening sky, the two planets visible are Saturn and Mars.

Happy Sky Watching!

For more information, go to:
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

Celestial View

Looking at the night sky is one of my favorite things to do!  I like to contemplate who else may be out there gazing in my direction :-)

I believe this is Venus and Jupiter, but my Pocket Universe app has been a little temperamental recently, so I could be wrong.  Either way, they have been amazingly bright in the wee hours on the morning - and when I say wee, I mean between 4 and 5 am.  This view is NE/E from my backyard.

It's Friday! Enjoy it!

Plenty of Pretties

Though gone from my garden, there are still plenty of pretties left around town. I noticed these at my morning happy place :-)

Last of the Summer Blooms

This is one of two Day Lillies left in my garden, which, with the exception of the hedge roses and potentilla, marks the end of the summer blooming season in my yard.

July Birthstone: Ruby

Happy Birthday month to my sister, Lynelle!

"The gleaming Ruby should adorn,
All those who in July are born,
For thus they'll be exempt and free,
From lover's doubts and anxiety."

The Ruby represents the properties of

devotion, integrity, courage and happiness.

To the Bottom...

We rode the incline railroad to the bottom, where lies the Arkansas River.

Down...

The remains of the old redwood water pipeline,
which used to carry water to Canon City,
are still visible.

Up...

From the Bridge

Took too many pictures to post while wandering across the bridge...

West Side

East Side

You know this wouldn't be here
if some idiot hadn't tried it...

Through the bottom

Gully washer or misplaced road?
End of the line, either way... 

Royal Gorgeous

My parents mentioned that they were taking a little Colorado road trip which would include the Royal Gorge.  As I had not been there before, I invited myself along :-)

Lots of interesting movement around
this water-powered clock tower!

Busy Bee

I love to look at the sky through the leaves
and branches of trees.  I found this view
before we even walked across the bridge.

July Birth Month Flower: Larkspur

The July Birth Month Flower is the Larkspur, which represents the qualities of an open heart and ardent attachment.  My sister is a July baby and I think these represent her perfectly :-)

In the language of flowers, the message sent could vary based on the color:

Pink:  Fickleness
White:  Joyful, Happy-Go-Lucky
Purple:  You have a sweet disposition

Biking Guests

Our New Zealand guests spent the morning biking with Doug on Coyote Ridge.  Laura has decided that biking over moss-covered tree roots isn't so bad after facing rocks like these.

You'll note I was not there :-)

Hiking in Lory - Goal Reached

This is the bridge Ryan and several volunteers from Troop 188 built on Howard Trail in 2007.

Looking towards Arthur's Rock Trail

This lady bug was watching Doug tighten a few screws.

Hiking in Lory

We took the long way to Howard Trail, the site of Ryan's Bridge, but it was a nice morning to be out with just a little lingering smoke smell in the area.

This is looking east from Howard Trail
over Horsetooth Reservoir about 8 am.

This area along Howard Trail was hit
by a micro burst a few years back.
Note the undergrowth and dry
fuel readily available to a wild fire...

Hiking in Lory

These three photos were taken on the west side of Lory along the Westridge Trail.  Westridge is a service road.  From inside the park, all was peaceful - black squirrels informed us we were interrupting their day, we scared a bunny and we were cautiously watched by several deer (the second photo shows one watching us from the ridge).

From the summit, we looked toward the northwest and could see where the fire had blackened the area.

I think this flower looks like the hibiscus
I saw everywhere in Hawaii.
Maybe it's a Colorado hibiscus - lol!
See the little fly on the petal?

Deer on the Ridge

Summit

Hiking in Lory

This is the area along Timber Trail
that we were uncertain about.
Spot fire or back fire?

Obviously a back burn -
note it follows Timber Trail.

Hiking in Lory

Note the red retardant spattered on this rock and the surrounding grass...  It was very interesting to see the results of the drops we had watched a few weeks earlier.  I wonder how long it will stay before washing away?  

Based on location and Doug's knowledge of the trail system, we believe the lone tree in the 2nd picture is the one we saw go up like a torch from across the lake.  It was in the right area and nothing was surrounding it.  It was odd to see one burn when there really wasn't anything else in the immediate area on fire.  

Hiking in Lory

On July 1st, Doug and I took a long-loop hike - about 9 miles - through Lory State Park to see if there was any sign of the fire near the bridge our son built for his Eagle Scout project.  I am thrilled to report that there was none!

Along the way, we noticed an area where there may have been a spot fire, but we're not sure, because a little farther along Timber Trail, there was obvious evidence of a back fire.  The back fire area followed the trail exactly and had burned low to the ground with no damage to the trees.  We also hiked through areas where retardant had been dropped - you could see the red spatter on the rocks.

Follow me through the next few days as I post pictures in chronological order...

Doug patiently(?) waiting for me
to catch up on Wells Gulch Trail.

It seemed to me that more pinecones were
lying along the path than normal.
Maybe they fell in response to the fire?

Bike Week Finale

I'll finish off with a couple of older models...

Traditional Schwinn paint job.

Check out this child seat.

No way would it pass inspections today :-)

Thank You!!

100% Containment!!
Evacuations lifted as of noon yesterday.
Much gratitude goes out to all those
who worked so hard to safe lives and property!