FCNC 3/31/12 (and yard flower)

Mt. Rosa Summit 3/30/12

Great hike today with Nancy.  We summited Mt. Rosa (11,500 ft).  I would recommend waiting until more snow melts - we had lots of snow drifts once we got onto Nelson's trail, and particularly on the track to the summit. In many places it made it impossible to find the track and so had to do a fair amount of bushwhacking until trail could be rediscovered.  Snow was hip-deep in places and had many fall-throughs to knee/thigh/hip depth.  Definitely made it more adventuresome and athletic.  Could do with snow shoes but you'd end up carrying them a long way.   We used yaktraks and that maybe helped a little on some of the ice. Lots of fun, though!

Sand Creek Massacre National Monument and Amache WWII Japanese Internment Camp

Road trip touring dark, dark, history on the far eastern plains of southern Colorado with mom and dad today.  Saw a poor lost doggy on the road out to the Monument - called the vet # on its tags and they called the owners - I hope that dog got home - it seemed scared, poor baby.  The Sand Creek National Monument had very little to see - basically it is a preserving of land where the tragedy happened, like a mark-off of a sacred space.  People who have relics from the massacre have started sending them back to the site for burial - like people who have scalps that soldiers took from the battle and passed down - sick history indeed.  Google Map directions do not tell you how to get to the monument - they only tell you how to get to a station where they then tell you how to get there.  Same thing for Amache - directions don't tell you how to get there, only how to get to the general town.  And then they give the wrong address of where to stop for more information.  I guess that's rural Colorado for you.  But, the local sheriff gave us an escort out the camp to make sure we found it - that's small town American for you. :)  Long day of driving, glad to be home.  Sad history, but needs to be remembered.  Oh, and awesome yellow fly.

Garden of the Gods Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Bird Bath 3/25/12

Now I don't mind so much the water the runs into the street when I try to water the lawn. :)

Aiken Canyon 3/17/12

With Mark and Irma.  Good birds for me:  Spotted Towhee and Red-breasted Nuthatch

Blue Jay

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Huh?

Townsend's Solitaire

Spotted Towhee

Awesome Tufted-ear Squirrel (black)

Sangre de Cristos

Spanish Peaks