Hazy Morning Sunrise

Our friends often ask why we live "so far away" from town and the center of life as we know it. Here's one reason:


No, it's not our land — that life is still just a dream for now — but there's nothing like being able to drive five minutes from home to see sights like this.


As always, you can click the image for a larger view. And for more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Reaching the Summit

A few more pictures from the last leg of our winding ascent through the Rocky Mountains.


This is the beautiful view from Rainbow Curve, where I spotted the Clark's Nutcracker of my previous post. In fact, at the top of the largest clump of scrubby-looking trees in the lower center of the picture is where the nutcracker was perched. (If you look at this much larger version of the image, you can barely see the little blog of light gray and black that is the nutcracker.) Not quite at "eye-level" as I had remembered, but still an excellent vantage point from which to bird.

Running crazily in and out of the rocks and boulders in the foreground were several small chipmunk-looking critters, which according to this authoritative site were actually Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels.


These spastic little creatures were constantly on the go and not at all afraid of people, to the delight and enjoyment of a number of kids and other sightseers who seemed more interested in their antics than in the beautiful panorama spread out before us.

Moving farther up the slopes, we quickly move beyond the tree line and into more and more patches of still-lingering snow. And enjoying the thin air and cool summer temperatures were a small family of the most magnificent animals we had yet encountered in the park: North American Elk.




Unfortunately, it was just about the time we spotted the elk that the altitude sickness hit me square in the head (with a corresponding kick to the stomach). We stopped off at the Alpine Visitors Center for the kids to realize their lifelong dreams of touching real snow, and for me to get a little fresh air to clear the cobwebs. But as the headache and nausea increased and a wave of dizziness started to take hold, a resident park ranger / E.M.P. sent us scurrying back off the mountaintop with scare tactics worthy of a middle school principal. The rest of the trip was, quite literally, downhill from there.

Rocky Mountain Skies

We break the blow-by-blow account of our recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park to simply enjoy the deep blue perfection of the Colorado skies, the peaceful green valleys, and the brilliant snow-capped peaks of this beautiful area.






Click any image to see the full-sized version

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

A River Runs Down It

Once we got inside the park, our first stop was for a nice picnic lunch with the birds. Next stop, however, was to do a little climbing to see this glorious sight:




With my knee problems, I quickly decided that I would be the one to stay down low and take pictures. Cat and her Aunt Susan got a little more adventurous, climbing up the rocks that bordered the swift-moving flow.


Of course, if the girls were going to do a little climbing, then Cowboy and Uncle Jason were going to have to work to show them up. This shot is taken from the same vantage point and at the same resolution as the one above. See those two little blue forms in the middle of the picture that appear to be waving?


Eventually, they all came back down, and my sister even enticed me to get out from behind the camera for a change, if just to prove that I really was on the trip. Then it was time to pile back in the car and head farther up into the mountains.




For more great water-themed images, visit Watery Wednesday #43.

Lake Loveland and the Search for Bighorn Sheep

Starting out for the mountains, we first passed through the city of Loveland, Colorado. Loveland is well-known for its public arts collection, most of which consists of sculptures that decorate various public lands and parks around the city. (In fact, one of the sites I hope to see the next time I visit the area is Loveland's Benson Sculpture Garden, which contains what is reportedly one of the nation's best outdoor sculpture exhibits.)

We hadn't planned on stopping in Loveland, but as we drove alongside Lake Loveland we just couldn't pass up such a picturesque view of the mountains.




And of course we then had to stay and enjoy some of the sculptures located along the scenic shore.

 
Once we finally had our fill of scenery and sculpture (and, of course, had skipped about half the rocks in Loveland across the surface of the lake), we piled back in the car and headed into the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.


One of the things Cat had been hoping for was to catch a glimpse of the mountain goats that live in the mountains of Colorado. (Well, the actual request was for "yodeling mountain goats," but I blame that on too many hours spent watching The Sound of Music when the kids were younger.) As we passed through the canyons leading toward the park, we soon discovered that Colorado doesn't have mountain goats. We all agreed that Bighorn Sheep would do just fine, but no matter how hard we looked we never did spot any of the creatures. Yodeling or not.




Another thing we had talked about seeing was waterfalls, and Cowboy was so excited when we came across our first one that he used up half the film in his camera documenting this natural wonder.



Unfortunately, this one was man-made and only about three feet tall, located near the parking lot of a strip center in the touristy town of Estes Park. A bit of a letdown, but the next leg of the trip more than made up for it!

TOMORROW'S POST: The real thing...

SkyWatch: Daybreak

I drove down to Brazos Bend State Park last Friday for a day of birding. The early morning skies were filled with ominous dark clouds, and for the first hour of the drive I was afraid I might have to leave the camera in the truck for fear of it getting drenched. But as I continued, much of the clouds and the haze gradually burned off and the rising sun appeared. By the time I had almost reached the park, I just couldn't help but pull off the two-lane highway to snap a few pictures.




For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

SkyWatch Friday #40

I headed out for a walk at lunch today with camera in hand and a pack slung over my shoulder. Besides a few mediocre shots of hawks, herons and egrets, I brought back some views of the Houston skies to share today.

The blue skies of morning are quickly being overtaken as storms move in for the weekend. This was the view looking off to the west of my position:


...while turning around to the eastern skies revealed a bit more foretelling of what's in store for the next few days:



For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

SkyWatch Friday #35

The rainclouds are (thankfully) darkening the Houston skies this week, offering hope for an end to — or at least some temporary relief from — the severe drought the region has been experiencing. So I'm remembering the beautiful skies we enjoyed on our last trip through central Texas:


(Click the image to view the full-sized version on Flickr)

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

SkyWatch Friday #31

More of the beautiful blue skies over Tomball, Texas.


It just doesn't get much better than that.


For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

SkyWatch Friday #30

No matter what ol' Punxatawney Phil has to say, the prairie dawgs here in Texas have declared that Spring is just around the corner. And judging from the crisp mornings, warm afternoons and radiant blue skies we've been having all week, it's going to be a whopper of a season!

Enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having all week, I couldn't help but hear the nasally, twangy voice of Willie Nelson celebrating with me:


Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see


Bluebirds singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds all day long


Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly


Blue days, all of them gone
Nothing but blue skies from now on

Here's wishing you blue skies and bluebirds for the foreseeable future!

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Moooove Over, Bessie

...it's time for SkyWatch Friday!

(Click the image to see the full-sized version...)
Where better to watch a hot Texas summer sky than from under a big shady tree, lazily chewing your cud and hanging out with the herd?

Texas Summer Sky

Looking up at a beautiful Central Texas summer sky, from our family vacation to San Antonio back in May.

Have a great weekend!