Snow... snow... snow...

You know how that happens in Colorado - nice and warm day, plenty of sun and nothing tells you to bring an umbrella. And the rain starts in the afternoon, and the sky is gloomy and it's pouring... But nothing tells you to bring snowshoes. And when it's dark and you need to drive back home you find two inches of fresh (and wet) snow covering the roof of your car, the roads, the lawns... And you have no choice but drive through the blizzard and hope to be at home before the weather really starts acting up... And all of this happened yesterday and driving wasn't fun at all. I know, the video makes it look better, but still, look here and be glad you were sitting at home and enjoying the snow looking from your window ;)

 

Between Christmas and New Year...

- Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way...

I know, Christmas was a couple days ago, but this tune is still here and will be until at least New Year, so we all are still in a Christmas mood, aren't we?

 

The exotic beauty of the orchids

Nothing can beat the day in the Botanic garden, isn't it right? But some days are better than others and some days are just as good as they can be... So, one cold October day we happened to stop by the Botanic Garden and visit the Orchid Showcase. Hundreds of these exotic blooms were on display and we were unable to pass on this opportunity.

 

Chihuly Glass under the snow in the Botanic Garden

Chihuly Glass is an art. No doubts about that. It looks great anywhere but especially nice installed in the natural environment. We were so fortunate a few years back when Denver Botanic Garden had Chihuly's sculptures around for almost a year... Look here how nice the glass looks in combination with grass, flowers, leaves and how amazing it looks at night... click here - Chihuly in Botanic garden

And you would like to see how the same sceneryChihuly glass in Botanic Garden looks like under the bright sun - click here - 

A couple weeks after I got these night shots the snow covered the ground and changed everything. So I had a good reason to come back to the Botanic Garden and take a few more pictures with a completely different mood and appearance...

 

Washington Park in April

It is cold outside today. And the snow covers everything. It is Winter after all and I have no complaints about the weather... but... let's travel back in time (or forward?) and enjoy the warm April day in Washington Park...

 

Trail of Lights in Botanic Garden at Chatfield Farms

It definitely could be better if the snow would cover the surface and make everything look more Christmas-y... But we cannot control the weather, can we?

 

Fall colors - Echo Lake

Fall colors in Colorado are bright and bold. To enjoy them all you need is to drive up to the mountains and look for the aspens. Echo Lake is one of the most popular destinations to look for the orange and gold...

 

Farewell, Bisti wilderness... Part 6

To look at the sunset in Bisti wilderness, click here - The sun was rolling down... Part 5

I know I promised you to come back here and explore some more of the Bisti wilderness. And... let's do it! Even more, let's go back in time... Not too far, just a few months back... From April to October... Why? From the dry season to the rainy days. In fact it was raining hard just the day before we visited Bisti for the first time and it made a huge difference with our Spring visit. We got there early in the morning and started walking towards the north side of the valley. Immediately we realized that wet clay is the hardest thing on Earth to walk on... It sticks... sticks... sticks... more and more and soon every boot weighs at least 10 pounds (I am not kidding or exaggerating)... Just look at our tracks... You know what saved us? Grocery bags! ;) We wrapped the boots before entering the clay field and... surprisingly it helped - less clay stuck ;) But.. nothing is perfect on this Earth and we still had heavy feet but kept going... we had no option but to keep walking ;)

 

The sun was rolling down... Part 5

Click here to look Into the space hatchery... Part 4

It wasn't really easy but we left unhatched aliens because we realized it was getting late and we needed to return back to our car before the darkness hid it.The sun was rolling down and we had only an hour before the sunset so... We had enough time to find our way back if we walked directly to the parking lot... But as you can guess it wasn't gonna happen...

 

In the space hatchery... Part 4

To look at the Moon landscape, click here - Can you change my ticket? Where? The Moon! Part 3 

We said goodbye to the Moon landscape (or Martian, we were unable to agree about that) and continued walking. Just a few dozen steps and everything changed, the colors returned and the hills were beaming calling us... I still believe a couple of sirens were singing there...

 

Can you change my ticket? Where? The Moon! Part 3

To see the Martian landscape, click here - Yes, I said one, right, to Mars! Part 2

One more turn and again we stopped surprised... We couldn't believe our eyes... Were we on Mars? Probably... Was it the Moon? Possible... What about Earth? Hm... doubt it...

 

Yes, I said one, right, to Mars! Part 2

To look on how our journey started click here - Can I have a ticket to Mars, please? Part 1

As I said before, it doesn't matter where you are going, everything looks different there. And when we climbed down the valley just a hundred yards from the place we started we found out it looked completely different... I mean we were staying on the bottom of the canyon but the surrounding area just wasn't the same... The colors were different, the shapes, the hoodoos... Everything was just a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

 

Can I have a ticket to Mars, please? Part 1

I think everyone dreamed of conquering space and exploring the planets. At least once, while still being a child... Have you ever thought of walking on the Mars surface and wandering around? Just looking... I definitely have... 

We discovered this place during one of our trips but didn't have enough time to really hike there so we decided to return later with only a goal to roam at this inhabitant place and explore it like a planet.... So one Saturday morning in April we started our space journey. Don't believe me? You are right, I don't believe myself either, but when I am looking at the pictures I don't believe we stayed on Earth all the time. Because it looks like a Moon, or Mars, or Jupiter but definitely not our planet...

That day we were heading to Bisti/De-Na-Zin wilderness, located near Farmington, NM. Even though we started early enough it took a while to get there so we were a bit too late, but had no chance but to start exploring. We dropped the car at the parking lot and walked in the desert, moving on the valley bed toward the hills on the right.

 

Denver from the bird's eye

Did you even fly in your dream? Just like a bird, circling around some familiar place and looking at it from an unusual angle... and waking up with a faded feeling of the fly and disappointment with the dream. Because it was only a dream...

I don't know about you, but I always wanted to fly... Not on a big airplane (I did it and that's not that exciting), but a small one. The one where you can open a window and feel the wind, and where you can see the shadow of the screw in front of you...

 

Red Rocks Amphitheater

I've been to this place many times. And every time it feels new... like it never happened before...

 

Cherry blossoms...

When the weather is cold and unpleasant the best we can do is to remember the moments of joy and warmth...

 

Winfield and Vicksburg ghost towns

I guess I am in a ghost mood. Last Saturday I visited Nevadaville, a ghost town near Central City and today I would like to talk about two ghost towns located (or better to say hidden) near Buena Vista. To get there you need to leave a paved road near Granite (small and almost ghost town  itself :) ) and use dirty County Road 390...

 

Amazing place we always love to visit - Leadville

Let's go somewhere and start exploring it not as a regular tourist but as the locals... We visited Leadville many times so I will combine pictures from two different trips here. One happened in October and another in September. Just a month and a half (and five years) in between but it made a huge difference. September's pictures definitely miss the snow that was covering the mountain peaks in October, but otherwise... It feels good to mix two trips in one story... As I said, let's start from a small street where rare tourist lands. And, yes, the houses are not looking as bright and fresh as on the Main Street, but still surprisingly nice and that is what we like the most about this small mountain town - how nice it looks!

 

Somewhere between Durango and Silverton...

...or, better to say, in the middle of nowhere. Because I don't recall anything bigger than a house or a farm or a hut in between these two towns. But who cares! The road itself is beautiful and if you don't mind driving slow and are ready to stop here and there you can find some nice places to look at. The road runs through San Juan Forest and sure is nicer during the Fall time... but early Spring is a good time to explore this route too...

 

Old town... ghost town...

I was always a fan of Central City and the surrounding area. It is close to Denver, cooler than downhills and a nice place to hike, recharge and relax. So last Saturday I drove there in the morning and started to walk up the hill.

 

Cañón de grandioso - Grand canyon

We drove all day long and reached the South Rim of the Grand Canyon late. I mean it... Like 10PM late. It was pitch dark in the parking lot and we could see nothing... Absolutely nothing... But we couldn't not walk to the edge and look down... Still nothing to see though... but... we all can swear we could feel something... something unspeakable and unclear... like some huge beast was quietly sleeping down below and breathing slowly... It was a silent night and a windless one... but still we all can feel the presence of something we have no words for...

We slept in the car and in the morning we walked there again and now we can see... not much in the beginning but with the Sun slowly rising we finally can see it - the Grand Canyon...

 

Medieval joust

To see the King's promenade click here - King, Queen, jugglers...

The county fairs weren't rare in the medieval village and happened every week. The bigger events happened monthly and were hosted in the small towns. But the best event one could attend happened in Fall, when the biggest annual fair was hosted somewhere in the county seat. And I assume it looked kinda close to what we were able to see at the Renaissance Festival. One could wander around and buy some stuff, could have some nice street food and enjoy some entertainment. But... the biggest and most interesting attraction was the knight joust.

 

King, Queen, jugglers...

To look at the medieval fair click here - The bridge connecting the past and the present...

We were wandering around and enjoying the time spent in the past... And finally... it started!

 

The bridge connecting the past and the present...

I don't think any of the people of the present time would like to return back to the past and live there. I mean jump back something like five hundred years... But... wouldn't it be nice to peek through the time and spend a day there. A day in the medieval town... even better... a day at a medieval fair... Wanna try? ;)

 

Beautiful mountain lakes

Yep, this is again about the lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. The previous story you can find here - Rocky Mountain National Park lakes

Actually, this is the previous story, because it happened a few years earlier ;) But the lakes are the same, so the order is not that important, is it? Also other time we were in the Rockies late in Fall (just before first snow) and this time in the middle of the Summer, which makes everything even brighter and... summery I guess...

Easter Service in Red Rocks Amphitheater

Don't really remember who told me about this event... We've been to Red Rocks before but always during the day time and I was tempted to see it at dawn... So I decided to go... I don't think you need much of the comments, but I am adding some details between the images but... you can skip them altogether. I guess the pictures will give you an idea how it looked like this early morning April the 4th, 2010...

 

To gamble or not to gamble?

The weather in Colorado is unpredictable. And mostly changing really quick... For example the snow can come fast and rashly. But the sun the next day can melt it out. And the next day the roads are clean and dry again and luring us to go to the mountains... The only question is where? And Central City is one of the best places to go if you want some coldness during hot summer days or coolness during the Winter... And this is not about cool weather (in the Winter it's always this way) but about cool place to be ;)

 

Garden... God's Garden...

Garden of the Gods is an amazing place to visit. Especially at the end of March, when the sun is already warm and everything is waking up and reaching out for some sun rays...

 

Escape from the big city...

Weekend is a good time to relax and to go somewhere... somewhere far away from the busy city... somewhere where... you can spend your weekend, I guess ;) Where you can walk along the streets and hear not the noise of the cars passing by but the dry leaves rustling. That is why one Sunday we got into the car and drove South towards Colorado Springs. But Colorado Springs wasn't our destination, we thought this city is still way too big for us...

 

Morning in the mountains

Sunrise in the mountains is often a beautiful and mystical show. Sometimes you cannot tell if you see these gorgeous colors or if you are dreaming of them... At this moment you often grab anything you have in your pocket and try to capture the scene so later you can prove your sanity and confirm you weren't sleepwalking while seeing this miracle... And mostly this "something" happens to be your smartphone ;) Today this device is capable of capturing the image, but 10 years ago... hm... it was possible to capture some impressions... but not even close to what I was able to see while I was driving to work.

 

Quick snow

Just a few days ago we all still enjoyed the bright colors of the maple and ash leaves. But the forecast told us that was not for long...

 

Red and orange, leaves and flowers...

We shouldn't complain about the Fall this year, should we? It started late and I was afraid we won't really see the Fall colors and it would be quick and dull. I am glad I was wrong...

 

What can I tell you about Winter? It is made from silver and copper...

To read the previous part click here - Gray mantle of fog...

We left Canyonlands and drove a couple of dozen miles to Arches. Another place where the weather and centuries created a nature masterpiece. Time carved the figures and arches from the dark red rocks and today thousands of people are coming here to see it. This time we were there in a very interesting moment... Unimaginable time when the red and white created something different. Magical and mystical, attractive and magnificent...

But before we got there we had some peculiar experiences because of the weather. The road dove to the fog and surfaced back all the time. Mostly we had some sense of direction, but often just hoped the road brings us there and we don't get lost...

 

Gray mantle of fog...

To read the previous part click here - A 1000 miles is not a detour for the mad dog... 

As I told you before, we left the Dead Horse viewpoint and dove into the thick fog. The windy road ran between the cliffs and on an open space. Sometimes we barely could see the road and sometimes we had a nice and good view of where we were going. No one can even forget the road like this... no one...

 

A 1000 miles is not a detour for the mad dog...

Now no one can remember who was the first to see the pictures of Bryce Canyon hoodos covered with white snow. But once you see this beauty all you can think about is to go there and see it yourself... So we planned the trip for the end of February (2010) and were waiting for the day to come. We were really nervous the week before because of the forecast. Weather in February is unpredictable all the time but this time Mother Nature has outdone itself - the light snow every day and heavy snowfall over the weekend. But we decided to go just weren't sure about our destination. The car was booked and Friday around 8PM we started on I-70...

We expected the hardest part would be driving to Gleenwood Springs, going up and down on the mountain highway. And we were right. During five and a half hours (compare to regular four!) we saw a lot of snow, ice and wind. And it was dark... Finally we got there, filled the tank with gas and changed the driver. While waiting at the gas station we looked around and were mesmerized by an amazing picture of the night and snow covering everything...

 

Mexico, vacation... Sandos Caracol Eco resort, the last part (16)

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Sandos Caracol Eco resort, part 15 

 

Mexico, vacation... Sandos Caracol Eco resort, part 15

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Maroma Beach - the best beach on the coast! part 14

I guess you have an impression we just went places and moved around instead of having some time on the beach (at least I hope you have this impression ;) ). In fact we spent most of the time in the resort. We went to the beach or swam in the pools... We enjoyed lazy sunbathing and we found a great drink we had all the time (no alcohol but some greens and fruits that made it perfect for any time of day).

 

Cheesman Lake, Saturday hike

"With easy access from the front range, Cheesman Lake, also known as Cheesman Reservoir is a popular manmade body of water near Deckers, Colorado. It is found along the South Platte River in southwestern Jefferson County and is approximately a 1 hour and 30 minute drive southwest from Denver." When read this passage I knew, there is my destination for my Saturday hike.

 

Mexico, vacation... Maroma Beach - the best beach on the coast! part 14

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... out of beaten path in Playa del Carmen, part 13 

White sand and turquoise sea... bright sun and light breeze... what else one can dream of when enjoying the beach time? Nothing, I guess... And if the beach at the resort you are staying at is not good enough, you can always go and enjoy another one, can't you?

 

Mexico, vacation... out of beaten path in Playa del Carmen, part 13

To read the previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Playa del Carmen, town for tourists, part 12

The main street in Playa del Carmen is always busy - you can find some tourists, a bunch of noisy gift shops, plenty of restaurants, a couple of cigar shops and many small jewelry kiosks... Everything is bright and full of life... 

 

Mexico, vacation... Playa del Carmen, town for tourists, part 12

To read the previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Sandos Playacar resort, part 11

We already looked at resorts, ruins, small towns and beaches... Let's take a look at the big town of Playa del Carmen, the nearest city to our resort and kinda center of resort life in the area.

 

Staunton Park hike... yes, again ;)

I know you might ask why we were hiking there just 5 days after we spent half a day walking along the trails... The answer would be simple and easy - because we liked it there. Just like that ;) So we returned back in less than a week and found a completely different place... Click here to see the first hike pictures.

 

Mexico, vacation... Sandos Playacar resort, part 11

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Tulum, part 10

We enjoyed walking around Tulum ruins. That was nice and pleasant. But... just one small "but" spoiled that day... it was a bit toasty. And I guess now I understand the feeling of the piece of steak being grilled on the iron pan. No, that wasn't that bad, actually, when we were walking along the coast line where a light breeze made it really pleasant... but once we turned around and strolled along the "second" line of ruins we weren't pleased anymore. We were slowly roasted under the burning sun... So we walked there quickly and... escaped. I mean literally jumped into the car and drove back to Playa del Carmen.

 

Mexico, vacation... Tulum, part 10

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Mangrove forest, part 9 

That was our second day traveling and after viziting Ek Balam we were really tired walking through the hot and humid jungle, so once in the car we turned on AC full blast. That was a huge relief and soon we felt much better. Our next stop was at Tulum. Another ruin place but on the coast.

Once there we boarded the tractor powered wagon and traveled a few minutes to the entry point...

 

Eagles View hike in Reynolds park

It was a chilly Saturday morning when I pulled to the parking lot and started walking. The Eagle View trail is steep the first mile and doesn't offer much of a view.

 

Mexico, vacation... Mangrove forest, part 9

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Coba pyramid, part 8

As I mentioned before, there is a huge mangrove forest on the resort grounds and you can walk there any time. So, let's do it but before stepping off the asphalt, let's just glance around. Nice way to dispose of old tires, don't you think? ;)

 

Golden Gate Canyon - Golden Fall Colors

The Fall this year is long and bright. No complaints... We like going outside and checking for yellow and red leaves. This time we chose Golden Gate Canyon Park and started from Panorama Point.

 

Mexico, vacation... Coba pyramid, part 8

To see the previous part click here - Mexico, Vacation... Jungle, part 7 

We spent a couple of days lying on the beach and enjoying nice sunny weather. But one day we considered it a bit cooler than the day before and we decided to see some new ruins. It sounds strange, doesn't it? New ruins… the ruins are old, how can they be new? But that was a new adventure, so we called them new. In fact, the day wasn’t much colder but definitely windier, so it was good to go deep into the jungle to see something interesting.

Short hike in Staunton Park... Fall colors!

Monday is a good day to go for a hike. The trails are not crowded and you can have them all for yourself. I know Monday is also the day when most of the people are working and have no time to go hiking. That is the biggest reason why I am usually not going out on Mondays too ;( But sometimes I just have to go somewhere and not to be surrounded by too many people... just cannot resist and those are the best Mondays ever! ;)

 

Morning... fog in the mountains...

Colorado is a state of the sun... I mean we have more sunny days than gloomy days and the fog is always an unexpected guest. At least in the city of Denver... I guess people living in the mountains won't agree with me and can tell they have fog or clouds on the ground often... But for us, who live in the middle of the big city in the foothills, the fog is a rare and pleasant surprise...

 

Mexico, Vacation... Jungle, part 7

To read previous part click here - Mexico, vacation... Valladolid and Chemax, part 6

Next morning we woke up early and decided we wanted to go to the jungle. Just to see how it feels being inside, because we have never seen jungles before.