Love Those Aspen!

Aspen groves have a magic that you don't understand until you have stood amongst them, looked to the tops of these magnificent trees and gazed at the vastness of the sky beyond. And then as you study the trunks and see the "eyes" looking back you! The only sound is a rustle of the bright green leaves. .and the moment in time in the high country of Colorado grabs you forever! May I share. . . . . .sf

Far Above Mancos. . .

Yesterday afternoon we took a two track very bumpy trail (I dare not call it a road!) high up into the LaPlata Mountains exploring old mines, aspen groves, rock slide areas and gorgeous mountain views. Scooby Doo went along and enjoyed the jaunt also. We didn't see as much wild life as we hoped. We're still looking to see one of the elusive moose found in this part of the state. What we did see was some range cows, sheep, a friendly sheep dog, ground squirrels and chipmunks, and too quick for the cameras marmots! I did get a zoom shot of a lone hawk watching for his dinner entree to come by. I think we ended up close to 12,000 feet which we were quickly reminded of whenever we took short hikes from the Jeep. The last time we had tried this road we were blocked by a snow bank in May! No snow this time, just the wonderful still that is found in the mountains. SF

The Best Rally Event of All!

The annual Motorcycle Rally puts it best foot forward when many of the riders come to the local nursing home and spend time with the residents there. Some of them even take those who are able for rides! It is an exciting day for all involved and we always go to try and catch a few of the memorable moments with our cameras. sf

Loving the Four Corners!

We're in the first part of the third annual Sugar Pine Ranch Rally, a Labor Day weekend motorcycle rally that is focused on a ranch about a mile from our house. We helped with registration last night and go back for another four-hour shift this morning.

This is part of living in the Four Corners ... it's been a focus for Labor Day bike rallies for close to 20 years. On the other hand, as Sandy pointed out in her post, we have so many other interesting things to see and do, so close at hand.

Our trip around the San Juan Skyway reminded us of that so beautifully! The ice park above Ouray, where we filmed people climbing a wall of ice in March, is a chasm of bright sunlight and sculpted cliffs in summer.

Rich wood and beautiful flowers adorn a bank entrance in Telluride; the little towns along the Skyway boast a wonderful array of Victorian buildings.

I enjoyed the spotted fawns, but chuckled at the two marmots beside the road below Ophir, just spending the afternoon watching cars go by!

And then the subtle shades of earth and plants in the slopes of the basin just east of Ophir, going up to Ophir Pass.

Memories.

San Juan Skyway -

We have just returned from 2 days traveling some of the most beautiful country in Colorado. For those of you not familiar with the San Juan Skyway it is a loop of about 250 + miles which includes Silverton and Telluride as well as Durango, Ouray and some other small mountain towns. Tom and I deliver the quarterly Arts Perspective magazine on this route and the bonus is we are able to do photography of scenery and wildlife along the way. It is fun and 2 days on the road is just about right for us "older folks". I haven't tweaked all of the pictures but I will see what I can find to share from the 350 plus pictures I brought back. I think the twin fawns that still have their spots has got to be a favorite of mine.sf

Baby Teeth!

We stopped by this afternoon to visit with Alexander, the baby camel that lives on a ranch between here and Cortez. He was proudly showing off a mouth full of teeth in one of the pictures. I need to research camels and find out if they are born with teeth or they get baby teeth like humans. Alex is definitely growing in size and did come to the fence for a brief time and give me an opportunity to take a few up close pictures. He's a cutie. . . kind of in an E. T kind of way! sf

Grand Night!

Last night was a "Grand Night on Grand Avenue" in Mancos. I hope the pictures tell a little of the story. I was too busy tending to customers in the Artisans Co-Op to get pictures during the busy part of the evening. These are end of day photos with friends,artists, horses and visitors to Mancos enjoying the Grand Avenue Art District and the open doors of the shops and the happenings in our unique and wonderful downtown. Next comes the "Fall into Mancos" fall art festival as part of the Annual Mancos Balloon Festival. I can hardly wait! sf