Evening Sky

Monsoon season in the rockies means frequent storms, and bit of humidity and beautiful skies. I look out my window all evening to see what kind of sunset we'll get. When I see wisps of pink and orange, I run out into the street to take my pictures. All the photos in this post were taken standing in the middle of the street in front of my house. The other day our neighbor was staring at me like I was crazy until he noticed what I was photographing. In minutes he was in the middle of the street, too.

Enjoy the beauty, the drama, the gorgeous Colorado sky.

Mt Evans

The day after the Gipsy Kings concert I decided that I wanted to take the trip up Mt Evans. I've always heard the drive was amazing, and I had a free afternoon. The drive up was beautiful.



And scary

Did I mention scary?




But the views from the summit were beyond incredible.






Look!





And, a baby!





I highly recommend this drive if and only if you aren't afraid of heights.
I admit that I was relieved when we were at a lower elevation back amongst the trees.

Sunday in the Garden

I spent some time today in the garden with my camera. My garden is tiny, but I reap many rewards from it. Maybe one day my garden will grow - and I will also have homeade compost!





I love sunflowers in my garden.





Yummy treats







Rain is threatening. I have my fingers crossed. The garden would love it.

Animas Forks

When we stay in Ouray, we always make a day trip to Silverton. It's a beautiful rugged old mining town. After lunch we decided to take the 4WD road to Animas Forks - an old ghost town. It was once a mining town of about 450 residents. There was a saloon, hotel, post office and general store in Animas Forks back in the day - that would be about 1886.


I kept thinking how amazing it would be to have this view from your window. Then I thought about the horrible winters. The constant threat of an avalanche. The deep snows. It once snowed 25 feet in Animas Forks. The residents had to dig tunnels from building to building.


This is the house built in 1879 by William Duncan who was a postman and miner who struck it rich!


One of the homes even had an indoor "toilet."

If you are ever in the Ouray or Durango area, I highly recommend the trip to Animas Forks. I think it's rated a difficulty 2. The road is very bumpy as you near Animas Forks. The 12 mile trip from Silverton took over an hour. You really could take this drive in a car. You don't need a vehicle with high clearance. Gorgeous scenery! A beautiful afternoon trip!

Another Trip to Ouray!

We finally made another trip to Ouray. This has become our favorite place to visit in Colorado.





And, I finally drove my first 4WD trail! I'm hooked. We went to Yankee Boy Basin. The road is ranked a difficulty 3. But, it really wasn't too bad if you aren't afraid of heights.





The wildflowers in Yankee Boy Basin were absolutely amazing. The beauty of this place almost brought tears to my eyes. Since no words or pictures can accurately describe the place, I'll just let you enjoy the pictures!
And, to my new friend Dana - this post is dedicated to you!
Have a beautiful day!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

We recently had the chance to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I hadn't been there since I was a kid. It was just as spectacular.

The pictures don't capture how grand and surreal this place is. Hope you enjoy them anyway. It is truly a magnificent destination. I recommend staying in Montrose. You'll find good food and reasonable lodging.

Enjoy!

After looking at these pictures, I want to get outdoors. I see a hike in my future.

Curecanti National Recreation Area

We passed the Curecanti National Recreation Area on our way to Ouray. The Blue Mesa Reservoir is Colorado's largest body of water.


It's amazing how the landscape of Colorado seems to constantly change as you're traveling through the state.


As we're leaving the Curecanti area, we can see the San Juan mountains ahead. I'm like a little kid again when we start to get closer to the mountains. I just can't wait. This is where I feel most at home.