How Does Our Garden Grow?

It's so much fun watching the corn grow.  Check out the size of those tomatoe plants!  And the pumkin plant must be 20 feet long!  I enjoy working in Mom's back yard listening to the water in the pond. 

Rocky Mountain National Park

Jim and I took a day trip first heading to Boulder, CO.  Along the way we passed the National Oceanographic Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and NASA.  The center reminded me of Microsoft headquarters.  Also in Boulder is the University of Colorado, reminding me of the UW.  Boulder is a cool city with tree-lined streets, brick houses, and lots of young students and techies riding bikes everywhere.  

We drove on up to Estes Park (below), a quaint, small, touristy town located at the base of RMNP.  We stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe and enjoyed the scenery.   

The Rocky Mountain Lodge was a perfect pit stop before entering the park. 

There are two roads to the top.  We took the back road thinking we would see more interesting territory.  We did!  There were others who apparently felt the same way. It was actually a well kept dirt road for a nine mile stretch to the top.

We saw the same things sometimes twice because of all the switch backs.  The snow markers on the road were approximately 12 feet tall.   

We made our way up to an elevation of 12,213 feet above sea level, above the tree line.

We had almost reached to lodge on top when we came around a corner in the road and spotted these bulls.  These beautiful animals are well protected in the park and could have cared less that we were there.  Check out them racks!!

At Alpine Visitor Center, we're not quite at the top.

There was still patches of snow left so I imagine it gets mighty cold at night in them there mountains.  

   

We drove about 200 miles this day and have 100s of additional photos if your interested.   The skies and mountains are magnificent!   If you ever have the opportunity to visit CO, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Lake O'Sullivan, WA 7-16-2010

I flew to Washington on July 15 and stayed overnight at Mike and Becky's in Enumclaw.  The next day we drove to Lake O'Sullivan, near Moses Lake and camped with the entire family and very dear friends.  This is Wayne and his wife Irlene.  They've been going to Lake O'Sullivan every summer for a hundred years making it a tradition for family and friends.  They stay a couple of weeks and greet the weekend campers as they come join them.  Some poor people have to work during the week.  As friends or family leave the camping area, others come.  It's always an awesome time!

         Mike taking Colton, Beau and Ian fishing.

Bonnie and future daughter-in-law, Lisa going tubing.  Isn't she the cutest thing, Lisa that is. Cute couples?

Kurt and Troy taking the kids tubing.

Colorado Rockies - Baseball Team That Is!!

Hi Everyone:

Last Friday night a bunch of us drove into Denver to the Coors Stadium for a CO Rockies baseball game.......and guess what?  I forgot my camera.  Darn!  We had pretty good seats between home and first base in the nose bleed section and it was a perfect, beautiful night  for hot dogs and beer.  They played the first place team in their division,... San Diego.....and won 5 to 8.   I see where the Mariners are not doing so well.   

http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=col

I'm flying to Seattle this Thursday to go camping with the kids and grandkids.  Can't wait!

We are finding the motorhome quite comfortable.  Of course if anything goes wrong, Jim can fix it.  We just wish the bathroom was bigger, but you can always tell when it's occupied........

July 4 Weekend to Steamboat Springs

I hope everyone had a safe July 4th weekend.  We sure did! 

On Thursday, Jim and I took a beautiful drive to Steamboat Springs and spent the night with Jim's nephew and wife, Jeff and Shelly Dillingham, at their beautiful home in Clark, twenty miles north of Steamboat Springs.  Jeff had asked Jim to help him install a new generator at their cabin in exchange for a weekend there.  What a deal! 

On the road to Steamboat Springs near Kremmling. 

We have not been below 5,400 above sea level since we arrived in CO. The highway to Steamboat Springs took us over the continental divide 11,049 feet. Breath deeply!! Expand those lungs!!   Check out the elevation on Navagail nearing Steamboat Springs.

We drove to Jeff's cabin on July 2.  On the way we passed numerous rivers that looked perfect for fly fishing.  We passed Wolford Dam which supplies water to Denver - from the WEST slope.  Jim's says there is a large underground pipe through the Rockies.  That must have been an expensive project!  We passed over Rabbit Ears Pass at 9,578 elevation, named after a rock cropping that looks like........guess what!

After numerous dirt road turns, we arrived at the cabin.  The structure is only 6 years old and quaintly decorated by Shelly and her mom.  It has a beauty of its own, unlike the Barthaven cabin. 

See the cabin way over yonder?

We came across this Sandhill Crane and her two chicks (just born) as we were riding the quad around the lake. First mama (with about a 4' to 5' wing span) flew off into the Aspen trees. Then she decided she'd better come back and protect her chicks, and she did so with vengeance, squawking all the while. We left the scene immediately and were sorry we disturbed her tranquil nesting area. 

The Colorado State flower is the Columbine.  Aren't they beautiful!

I'm so used to gray skies most of the time in Seattle, I continue to be amazed by the deep blue skies with fluffy white clouds of CO.

The Colorado River originates in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Here, a 100 miles south, it is only 50 feet across, tranquil enough to train new kayakers.  Once the Colorado River meets the Green River in Utah, it then becomes the large, deep river we know that cuts through the Grand Canyon. 

  

On our way back to Arvada on the 4th, we passed Vail, Colorado, the famous ski slopes that go on forever through the mountains.   This photo of the bunny hill was taken from our speeding car.

We ended July 4th by watching the fireworks at the local park. 

Trip to Garden of the Gods

Jim and I had an amazing trip south of Denver and saw some beautiful country.  We skirted around Chatsfield Reservoir and the town of Littleton where Devra use to live.  We got gas in the car ($2.59 to $2.85 per gallon, Diesel $2.89/$2.95).  Then on to the quaint city of Sedalia.   From there we drove along the South Platte River to Deckers, CO. 

They say you can fly fish for rather large Brown and Rainbow Trout in the Platte River.

We had "Navagale" take us off the main highway so we could see the country better.  We passed through the Pike National Forest where there were remnants of a large fire that burned thousands of acres.  It reminded me of theYellowstone fire, but larger.  Navagale had us at about 8,400 feet elevation.  Here is what we came across, which we would not have seen if we had taken the highway.

 

These photos where taken on our way to our main trip objective, and that was to see the Florissant Fossil Beds and the Garden of the Gods.  We went to the Fossil Beds first where we finally "bet the bullet" and bought a senior park pass for $10.00.   Now we can get into any national park for free.  Jim had to buy the pass as he's older than me......hehe!

The fossil beds where formed millions of years ago by a volcanic lahar (mudflows and streams of stone).  Paper-thin shale is being uncovered ,and by carefully peeling away layers of the stone the scientists are finding many insects and plant life from millions of years ago.  Proving what?  That moths, wolf spiders and cattail leafs are still the same as they were long ago. 

One thing Jim and I learned from visiting the fossil beds is the uncovering of VERY large, petrafied Sequoia Redwood trees trunks.  Did you know there use to be Sequoia Redwoods in CO?

See Jim in the background. 

 Here's another one.  We walked over a mile through the park to see the diggings and the petrafied Sequoia trunks. 

I think I see a fossil snail!!

 We have so many photos of the Florissant Fossil Beds, we just can't download them all.  Ditto for the Garden of the Gods.  These photos speak for themselves. 

 

The "Cathedral"

See the man (or woman's) face?

Do you see the ugly man looking up on the right, and the rock climber on the left?

  We drove about 250 miles in a large southern loop.  It was an eventful day filled with spectacular views. Colorado means