Even our beloved Y of the Rockies
...... and some of the beautiful flowers for which Deer Mtn. is known
Monday, July 16, 2012
Deer Mountain - Spring 2011
Even our beloved Y of the Rockies
...... and some of the beautiful flowers for which Deer Mtn. is known
Sunday, July 15, 2012
LILY LAKE - Spring 2011
I had never really liked Lily Lake. It looked so hot - no trees to shade the stroll. Besides, it looked so small and was right by the highway! All these judgements were made from the car, dropping off and picking up fishermen. And, they were reinforced on all thousand trips to Bald Pate Inn. Boy, have I changed my tune! My first real visit was June 1, 2011, and I've been back on every visit to Colorado since. There is so much more than just a hot, sunny walk around a small little lake!
The first draw is the majestic presence of Mt. Meeker and Long's Peak to the South.
The Twin Sisters, their rocky escarpments skirted in scenic woodlands, lie to the East and Lily Mt.,with it spectacular stone-crowned peak, dominates the North side of Lily Lake.
Lily Lake is a spring fed lake and is the origin of Fish Creek (think Beavers!) which flows north into Estes Park. It is home to the Colorado State Fish, the Greenback Cutthroat Trout. Thus, Lily Lake is very popular with the anglers!
The first draw is the majestic presence of Mt. Meeker and Long's Peak to the South.
Photo by Anders Halverson
We like to hike the Lily Lake Trail by going South toward Mt. Meeker and Long's Peak. On the South side are wetlands where we are greeted by the croaking songs of thousands of inch long striped Boreal Chorus Frogs. A large variety of water fowl can also be found here, as well as many varieties of birds and wild flowers. This wetland area is certainly a source of much entertainment for the hiker!
Continuing along the South side to the West, one begins to meander through meadow and open forest while the North side path winds along the base of Lily Mt. We enjoy entering the Lily Ridge Trail from the West side of the Lake. This Trail is a gentle climb up above the Lake Trail and follows it on the North side of the lake.
The Lily Ridge Trail allows one to forget that Hwy. 7 is nearby and even provides trees for shade. (Actually, the visitor really forgets the highway as soon as he enters the Lily Lake Trail! The Lake and Trail seem to be lower than the highway.) More important than forgetting Hwy. 7 though, the views from Lily Ridge are GORGEOUS!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Spring 2011 - More Snow and Roaring Rapids
We continued to enjoy the snow and its resulting fast moving rivers. A drive up Trail Ridge Road (TRR) did not disappoint even though it was still closed, unusually late for June 2.
We weren't the only tourists mesmerized by all the snow! (Hope he wasn't from Texas too!)
One of my favorite views from TRR - and look how full the Sheep Lakes are! In fact, I'd never really noticed there was more than one swampy body of water. These are so blue and clear and gorgeous!
Stopping by Moraine Park to figure out the new fencing proved to be the most beautiful scenery of the day! So much snow on the mountains and such full and fast streams running through the Park! We found the fencing as expected; it is there to keep the elk out, not the humans! Very important to know since hiking to Moraine Park is a Number One activity for our Highlander Clan!
A drive into town (Estes Park, that is!) provided even more exciting views of water. Look at the Big Thompson! It was roaring through town!
It made our Poppy's pizza right by the river even more enjoyable. (It wasn't necessary, though, as this was my favorite pizza I've ever eaten! The caramelized onions are to die for!)
The Big Thompson was so high with much more snow to melt that there were predictions of flooding. Thankfully, they did not materialize. (We certainly remembered the problems caused by the previous year's flood.) Merchants along the River Walk were prepared though.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Spring 2011 - Snow
If Fall is our favorite time to visit the Y, Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), then late Spring is certainly the most relaxing time to visit. There isn't the anxiety that we won't see any, alright many gorgeous elk or find the most amazing golden Aspen trees. Instead, we just enjoy what's there - often lots of snow still in the Park (RMNP) and signs of Spring all around. It's still cool, of course (a big plus!) and there are fewer visitors in the Spring, making any kind of waiting line nonexistent. This May/June visit did not disappoint!
The snow was exceptional since RMNP had a record snowfall this year.
Sprague Lake
Bear Lake
Our First Attempt - We decided to come back later in the week when there might be less snow & ice.
The silver lining to this decision is that for the first time in about 30 years I noticed there were actually beautiful views from the Bear Lake parking lot! I guess I thought the views began only upon entrance to Bear Lake (: This is only one of many photos I took from the parking lot.
We returned later in the week armed with hiking poles (Jim) and crampons (me).
Jim graciously poses with his hiking pole in a hole to show us how deep the snow is.
Emily called from Washington DC!
The snow was exceptional since RMNP had a record snowfall this year.
Sprague Lake
Bear Lake
Our First Attempt - We decided to come back later in the week when there might be less snow & ice.
Jim graciously poses with his hiking pole in a hole to show us how deep the snow is.
Emily called from Washington DC!
Good thing we didn't need to use the facilities!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Many, Many Firsts!!! September 2010
FALL is our favorite time to visit the Y, Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park. The weather is cool, even requiring jackets at times. Snow often visits just to give a hint of things to come. The Aspen trees and many other plants are a glorious golden with orange and red thrown in. The crowds have dwindled from the summer, especially on week days. And the animals come out, seeming to say, "Whoo! Now there's room for us!" The elk bulls take advantage, gathering their harems and warding off attempts by younger bulls to "borrow" some of their ladies.
FALL 2010 was no exception. The weather was gorgeous; it snowed. We hiked a "new for us" hike, designed just to see the beautiful golden trees. We saw more animals than ever, closer than ever, and even some we'd never seen! And, with Jim's patience, I took many, many great pictures, even deleting some at night to be sure I didn't run out of memory. Alas, I lost my camera the last day of our trip.
BUT I'd like to share our trip with you anyway; it was our best FALL trip ever!
We hit the trail, Bear Lake that is, early Friday morning. Rather than going all the way around Bear Lake, we followed the Flattop Mountain Trail for a while. Beautiful view from up there and Gorgeous Golden Aspen. As we returned to Bear Lake to continue the loop, we met several people who told us, "Too Bad you missed the MOOSE in Bear Lake!" To our surprise, though, we met the moose on the trail. We really couldn't continue our journey until he decided to wander off the path, so I got to take lots of pictures. This was the first moose either of us had ever seen - and on our first morning! Just a hint of what was to come! After such excitement, we went on to Hollowell Park to explore the beaver dams I had discovered earlier in the summer. The beaver were sleeping, of course, but I got to inspect the dams up close and personal. Next stop, after returning to Highlander for lunch, was Sheep Lake. And, guess what we saw! Yes, BIG HORN SHEEP! Not really the first time we've ever seen them, but every time seems like the first because we spent so, so many fruitless hours for so, so many years watching for the Big Horn Sheep to come down from the mountains. The rest of the day was filled with wonderful sitings of many ELK! I really enjoy watching the bull react when one of his harem wanders away from the group or when another bull approaches. The most amazing siting came as we returned to the Y. Three large, beautiful Elk Bulls were lounging on the Hempel Family Program Building lawn and around the corner a bull was standing guard as his harem of nine frolicked on the Craft Shop's play ground! He was one. nervous. bull!
Saturday morning yielded another early start. I loved it! We got to do the Downhill Hike I'd heard and read so much about. It was awesome!!! I loved every minute of this hike! We parked our car at the Park & Ride, took the shuttle to Bear Lake, hiked to the very picturesque Bierstadt Lake for lunch, then to Mills Creek Basin for the glorious golden aspens - not that there was any lack of glorious golden aspens all along the way! And, finally to Hollowell Park to catch the shuttle back to the Park & Ride for our car. Returning to Highlander, we were greeted at our back door by a bull elk and his harem of about six. I watched and photographed a long time as they slowly moved down the mountain, probably going back to play again on the Craft Shop's wonderful new playground. After a brief respite we left for an early dinner at Bald Pate Inn never expecting more excitement. But, excitement is what we found as we exited the Y! Right there, in the middle of Dorsey Lake were two elk bulls sparring on an island created by the low water level! We slowed and watched a few minutes, but my fear of seeing one of the beautiful bulls getting injured - and our reservations - allowed only a few photographs. After dinner it was off to see the BEAVERS on Fish Creek Road. Another first! I've looked and looked for beavers over the many years we've visited RMNP but to no avail. It was so much fun to see the beavers come from their houses under the dam. They seemed to come one by one. Soon there were several swimming, swimming, getting out of the water, and then going back in. Unfortunately, since the beavers do not come out until just before sunset, there is a relatively short viewing time. But, that makes it all the more fun to go back again and again!
Sunday's start was not so early or ambitious! Upper Beaver Meadows provided wonderful scenery for a picnic and several trails to explore. And, a trip to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was definitely necessary! It was time to replace our Trail Ridge Road cassette tape with a CD! Especially since our 10 year old car doesn't even have a tape player! Our return to the Y yielded another nice surprise! Lounging on that island in Dorsey Lake was the older of the bulls that we had seen sparring the day before. (I had been concerned he might not do well in the battle.) He lounged while I took many, many really good photos! Love, love, love it when my subject will sit still for me to shoot again and again.
We took our time Monday morning, stopping in town to take some pictures and driving on to Glen Haven for those cinnamon rolls since our plane didn't leave Denver until the afternoon. Glen Haven - that's where I lost my camera! Haven't been back since!!! I was devastated at first but now am just thankful that I remember the trip even without the pictures! It'll be a challenge to me to capture comparable photos in the future..... and, to not lose my camera again!
FALL 2010 was no exception. The weather was gorgeous; it snowed. We hiked a "new for us" hike, designed just to see the beautiful golden trees. We saw more animals than ever, closer than ever, and even some we'd never seen! And, with Jim's patience, I took many, many great pictures, even deleting some at night to be sure I didn't run out of memory. Alas, I lost my camera the last day of our trip.
BUT I'd like to share our trip with you anyway; it was our best FALL trip ever!
We hit the trail, Bear Lake that is, early Friday morning. Rather than going all the way around Bear Lake, we followed the Flattop Mountain Trail for a while. Beautiful view from up there and Gorgeous Golden Aspen. As we returned to Bear Lake to continue the loop, we met several people who told us, "Too Bad you missed the MOOSE in Bear Lake!" To our surprise, though, we met the moose on the trail. We really couldn't continue our journey until he decided to wander off the path, so I got to take lots of pictures. This was the first moose either of us had ever seen - and on our first morning! Just a hint of what was to come! After such excitement, we went on to Hollowell Park to explore the beaver dams I had discovered earlier in the summer. The beaver were sleeping, of course, but I got to inspect the dams up close and personal. Next stop, after returning to Highlander for lunch, was Sheep Lake. And, guess what we saw! Yes, BIG HORN SHEEP! Not really the first time we've ever seen them, but every time seems like the first because we spent so, so many fruitless hours for so, so many years watching for the Big Horn Sheep to come down from the mountains. The rest of the day was filled with wonderful sitings of many ELK! I really enjoy watching the bull react when one of his harem wanders away from the group or when another bull approaches. The most amazing siting came as we returned to the Y. Three large, beautiful Elk Bulls were lounging on the Hempel Family Program Building lawn and around the corner a bull was standing guard as his harem of nine frolicked on the Craft Shop's play ground! He was one. nervous. bull!
Saturday morning yielded another early start. I loved it! We got to do the Downhill Hike I'd heard and read so much about. It was awesome!!! I loved every minute of this hike! We parked our car at the Park & Ride, took the shuttle to Bear Lake, hiked to the very picturesque Bierstadt Lake for lunch, then to Mills Creek Basin for the glorious golden aspens - not that there was any lack of glorious golden aspens all along the way! And, finally to Hollowell Park to catch the shuttle back to the Park & Ride for our car. Returning to Highlander, we were greeted at our back door by a bull elk and his harem of about six. I watched and photographed a long time as they slowly moved down the mountain, probably going back to play again on the Craft Shop's wonderful new playground. After a brief respite we left for an early dinner at Bald Pate Inn never expecting more excitement. But, excitement is what we found as we exited the Y! Right there, in the middle of Dorsey Lake were two elk bulls sparring on an island created by the low water level! We slowed and watched a few minutes, but my fear of seeing one of the beautiful bulls getting injured - and our reservations - allowed only a few photographs. After dinner it was off to see the BEAVERS on Fish Creek Road. Another first! I've looked and looked for beavers over the many years we've visited RMNP but to no avail. It was so much fun to see the beavers come from their houses under the dam. They seemed to come one by one. Soon there were several swimming, swimming, getting out of the water, and then going back in. Unfortunately, since the beavers do not come out until just before sunset, there is a relatively short viewing time. But, that makes it all the more fun to go back again and again!
Sunday's start was not so early or ambitious! Upper Beaver Meadows provided wonderful scenery for a picnic and several trails to explore. And, a trip to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was definitely necessary! It was time to replace our Trail Ridge Road cassette tape with a CD! Especially since our 10 year old car doesn't even have a tape player! Our return to the Y yielded another nice surprise! Lounging on that island in Dorsey Lake was the older of the bulls that we had seen sparring the day before. (I had been concerned he might not do well in the battle.) He lounged while I took many, many really good photos! Love, love, love it when my subject will sit still for me to shoot again and again.
We took our time Monday morning, stopping in town to take some pictures and driving on to Glen Haven for those cinnamon rolls since our plane didn't leave Denver until the afternoon. Glen Haven - that's where I lost my camera! Haven't been back since!!! I was devastated at first but now am just thankful that I remember the trip even without the pictures! It'll be a challenge to me to capture comparable photos in the future..... and, to not lose my camera again!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Alluvial Fan July 2010
Remember the post about Matt's family sneaking away? If not, click here to discover the attraction. Well, some of the rest of Highlander's Clan decided to experience The Alluvial Fan for ourselves.
The overwhelming expanse of huge boulders which were forced down the mountian by the rush of 29 million gallons of water in July 1982 makes the Alluvial Fan a natural place for contemplation.
The overwhelming expanse of huge boulders which were forced down the mountian by the rush of 29 million gallons of water in July 1982 makes the Alluvial Fan a natural place for contemplation.
Charlie, however, had enough of all that contemplation, so he climbed .....
and climbed, up and down and all over those huge boulders!
When he tired of the boulders on land, he took to tackling those in the water!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Trail Ridge Road
One branch of the Highlander Clan renewed our yearly tradition of journeying up Trail Ridge Road which was opened in July 1932. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous motorway in the United States with more than 8 miles above 11,000'; the highest elevation is 12,183'. The road approximates the historic path followed by native Americans when crossing the Rocky Mountains. These gorgeous photos of Trail Ridge Road are borrowed from emily large Photography.
One can stop along the way at several points to take in the magnificent views or even hike from various trailheads. The traditional and favorite hike of the Highlander Clan has always started at the Tundra Communities trailhead at Rock Cut and climbed gently 260' to the Toll Memorial. The hike is .5 miles (one way) and offers a close up view of the alpine tundra environment - complete with tiny wildflowers, colorful lichen, and scampering pikas. (By the way, 2011 visitors to Highlander will find a pika in the cabin!)
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