Mountains Dressed in Gold

When I returned to the car after hiking around Beaver Brook Reservoir (click here - Beautiful morning... fall morning...), I realized I wasn’t ready to go home yet. So I decided to drive up Squaw Pass Road and take in some fall colors... those beautiful mountain colors.

 

Unexpected adventure - Labor Day weekend. Part 3

Our first day on the road was full of travel and experiences, and everything went exactly how we'd like it to... Click here to find out how it all ended - Buena Vista and hummingbirds. The next morning, we decided to return to Leadville to visit the museums and stroll the streets of old mining town. Then we drove a few miles off the main road to visit the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, which we'd never been to before...

 

When the Garden Wakes Up or Two Hours of Magic ;)

It’s not unusual for me to leave the house while it’s still dark, chasing those first rays of sunlight breaking over the horizon. But this time was different - I wasn’t waiting for a landscape or mountain view. This time I was waiting for the sun to rise so I could capture photos of flowers. I stood outside the Denver Botanic Garden, waiting for the sun to rise while the sky was almost black and the ground was untouched by light.

 

Beautiful morning... fall morning...

Fall is here! Not just because it’s September 27th and the season officially started a week ago… but because the Colorado colors have finally arrived. It was a bit late this year, and for a while it felt like we wouldn’t see much of those bright hues. But we were wrong and now they’re HERE! 

Early Saturday morning, I headed out… though I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going :) I took I-70, turned toward Evergreen, and before reaching the town I veered off onto one of my favorite mountain highways - Squaw Pass Road. Soon I pulled into a small parking lot and decided to hike up to Beaver Brook Reservoir, a little man-made lake not far from the road. The sun was just peeking over the tree line, and as I was getting ready to start, the first rays lit up an aspen across the lot. I took it as a good sign ;)

 

Buena Vista and hummingbirds - Labor Day weekend. Part 2

After leaving the Red Cliff Bridge (click here to refresh your memory - Labor day weekend - the beginning), we drove down the road and spent most of the day in Leadville. We visited a couple of museums and strolled along the main street. But let’s skip that part for now and jump to our next stop: the town of Buena Vista.

 

Labor day weekend - the beginning. Part 1

That morning we found ourselves on the road... What a wonderful feeling - driving 70 miles per hour toward new discoveries and adventures... And the first adventure wasn't long in coming... Although we left behind beautiful sunny weather downhill, it started raining right after Idaho Springs... And it poured down hard, dramatically changing the landscape and making the drive along the winding I-70 less enjoyable than it should have been... But... we've lived in Colorado for quite some time, and this change didn't surprise us at all, except perhaps slowing us down a little... though not much ;)

 

It's here! Maybe fall is coming ;)

Today we woke up early and just couldn’t stay home. The foliage downhill is only starting to change… and we hoped to see more of it up in the mountains. So, without much thinking, we drove up to Central City to check if we were right... and… we were!

 

Late August flowers...

We are entering the phase, when the summer flowers are giving way to fall ones... So let's take a last look at them before they disappear... But, probably, let's start with damselflies ;) We may not see them until next spring...

 

White and purple

Another Saturday and another stroll through the Denver Botanic Garden in search of sparks of beauty. For some reason, most of the flowers I captured that day were either white or purple (with a few exceptions)...

 

The City of Louisville - the town of miners

Louisville began as a mining community in 1877, experienced a period of labor violence early in the 20th century, and transitioned to a suburban residential community when the mines closed in the 1950s.

 

Late summer beauties...

I think I'll make it simple... Late summer flowers are simply beautiful and do not need any story. I mean they tell you stories better than I can do, so... just LOOK at these beauties ;)

 

Between flowers and ducks ;)

The week before that Saturday, I was walking through the Denver Botanic Garden and admiring the water lilies (Water and flowers)... A week later, I was still planning to look for more of those... but I also wanted to find something different, and I wasn't disappointed, as I was greeted by a beautiful rose and several wild flowers, bright and beautiful...

 

Maxwell Falls - Third Time’s the Charm?

Maxwell Falls is a popular destination, and for good reason - it’s close to Denver and offers some beautiful scenery. Spring and early summer are definitely the best times to enjoy waterfalls, but after a few recent rains, I hoped early August might still be a good bet. This was my third visit (click here to see the first one - Maxwell Falls hike on Saturday), but this time I started from the Conifer trailhead.

 

Water and flowers

Flowers bloom all summer long. Different flowers... But there's a moment in midsummer when the water lilies open up and create a colorful tapestry on the surface of ponds and lakes... And that's the perfect time to take a stroll and admire these flowers.

 

Fast falling water... waterfall!

With the really hot days here in Denver, everyone is looking for a way to escape it... at least on the weekends. So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to do the same and searched for a place to go. The Lost Lake hike came to mind, and we settled on it. I did this hike a few years ago (click here to see it - Lost Lake hike) and really liked it. I didn't remember it being especially hard, but this time we decided to do only a part of it.  The goal was just to get to the waterfalls and relax there for a while...

 

Mostly white... and yellow ;)

I don't have a real explanation… but when I reviewed the flower photos I took at the Botanic Garden, I realized that most of them were white... and yellow. Just a few were other colors, mostly purple or pink. I guess I didn’t intentionally choose a color palette, I just captured whatever caught my eye but still, it was an interesting observation.

 

Pine Valley Ranch Park hike... the second part...

The first half of the hike was easy (you can check it out here to refresh your memory - Pine Valley Ranch Park hike... the beginning). Walking along a flat trail beside the stream was pure bliss. But soon I asked myself: Am I really ready to head back home? And the answer was simple - nope. So instead of returning to the trailhead, I turned right onto a winding trail that disappeared into the trees, luring me toward some kind of adventure. (Right - no, I didn’t look at the map and had no idea where this trail might lead me.)

 

In full bloom

Yep, the flowers are in full bloom now. And every time I wander around the Botanic Garden, I am enchanted by all this beauty...

 

Pine Valley Ranch Park hike... the beginning

I am always looking for some places to escape the summer heat, and sometimes I find some real gems... Like Pine Valley Ranch Park, which I found and explored last week. The trail starts with a crossing of the North Fork South Platte River, and the bridge doesn't make my heart beat faster...

 

Wild, bright and bold. Right, the FLOWERS of Summer!

I love flowers. Any flowers. No exception (okay, you get me, almost no exceptions)... But summer flowers are a special treat. They are bright... they are wild (even when they grow in  gardens) and they are bold... They are special :) And this Prairie Sunflower is one of them. It grows everywhere and attracts not only my attention, but also ton of bees and flies :)

 

Sunday, Mountains, Clouds, Sun, and Rain..

Saturday night, we checked the forecast for Sunday and quickly realized we had to go somewhere. The choice was clear, either stay in Denver and roast, or escape to the mountains and stay unroasted and (relatively) cool. Unsurprisingly, we were ready for a quick getaway. After all, who enjoys being seared by the blazing sun?

We considered a few spots and settled on a short hike at Kenosha Pass. Not too far, but far enough. Not too high, so we could stay below the tree line, but high enough to enjoy cooler temperatures. So the next morning, after an hour drive, we arrived, unloaded, and took in the scenery. The high-altitude meadows and mountain ranges looked amazing… but the sky stole the show - it was CLOUDY!

 

Summer is here ;)

...And don't ask how I know that Summer is here. I just know... 

 

Birds and Flowers at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat

I had heard of this place but hadn't had a chance to explore the area until a few weeks ago when I went there one morning and walked around for a couple of hours learning about the ponds and habitants...

 

St. Mary's Glacier... again ;)

Three years ago, I hiked up to St. Mary’s Glacier and really enjoyed it. So when last Saturday I asked myself where I should go to escape the searing heat, the answer was simple - head to the mountains, see a glacial lake, and find some snow that never melts. This place is always a treat for the eyes, so I didn’t think twice. :) 

It was still early in the morning when I pulled into the parking lot, and found it completely empty. That surprised me. This place is popular, and 8 a.m. isn’t too early for weekend hikers. A few minutes later, I figured it out: they had recently built another parking lot - and that one was already full. :)
Anyway, I grabbed my backpack and started walking up the trail. And oh boy… this trail is tough. But it didn’t surprise me, it just reminded me to take it slow and enjoy it as much as possible.

 

Poppy day

Sorry to all dog lovers out there... it was poppy day not puppy day! :) 
Yeah... I was wandering around the Denver Botanic Garden, and my attention was mostly drawn to, no surprise, poppies...