On the road to the dumpster

On the road to the dumpster, we stopped 'cause of this sunset.

Cindy's pic with her basic camera, turned out to be better than mine, I think.

Don't you like that the grass looks like a B&W,
while the flower and the sky kept their colors? 

Cool, I think!

Checking out our elk herd

Went yesterday to check out our elk herd.
They like the meadows close to the lake, about 5 miles from the cabin.

Found them easily.

I tried to do a panoramic shot. It took 21 pictures to show them all.
I had no luck. Since they kept moving, I could not join up the frames.
These pics are panoramics of just 2 shots each.

Didn't see hardly any males; those we saw looked juvenile.
Guess the mature guys are off doing manly stuff...until hormones brings them into the herd.

There were tons of babies, though.

This particular mom had two babies feeding off her, on & off.

I counted a total of 148 elk.
Cindy says there were closer to 200, because so many babies were lying down; 
hard to see in the grass..
Last year we counted a total of 96, but it was a little later in August.

I think as the season grows longer, a few wander away to be by themselves.

This gal was in meadow by herself, about a mile from the herd.
And there were 4 others at the edge of the woods, 
but they hid as soon as we got close.

We'll, if you don't like elk, 'cause you think they look a little "funny",
there are other hoofed animals to look at here, too.

Yes, there's lots to see, when you are out in the woods.

Bike riding at Forbes Park

We went bike riding 'round our cabin in Forbes Park.

It was quite enjoyable with nearly 80 degrees weather, at the middle of the day.

Found this place with a view of the road below, 
and the closest neighbor far off in the distance to your right.

Imagine your house, surrounded on 3 sides by pines, about 1 1/2 the height of telephone poles....
and in the clearing below, around meal time, perhaps 100 elk!

Thought it was a nice price for this 2+ acres spot.

Maybe the cheapest Mt. land in Colorado.

Making it up the pass

At Breckenridge's Art Festival we were very pleased with the quality of the art.
Much much higher quality than many we have seen. 
Make a stop if you are in the area next year around this time.

But, it was time for us to go. Even in retirement there are things to do and appointments to keep.
So we put the pedal to the metal and climbed Hoosier Pass, at over 11,000 feet.

Our dog Dallas, who likes to run next to me as I bike (in Texas' flat country),

couldn't understand why we were in such a hurry, 

when we could have used our bikes to make the climb, like this young fellow.

We were not even tempted to try it, though. 

So we drove on south past South Park (yes of TV fame)

and made one last night's camp, on the east side of the Collegiate Peaks.

They are a series of mountains, each over 14,000 feet high.

Most familiar to you might be the names of: Mount Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia.

But there are 4 other Fourteeners for you to climb here, if you wish.

So, we took in the sunset reflecting on the clouds to the East

before resting, then hitting the road once again, and heading to the cabin.

From Dillon lake to Breckenridge

From the lake we headed south on Hway 9 for a 20-30 minute drive to Breckenridge.

There you can take the gondola up to the top and just sit with a cup of expresso if you wish.

Or...you can zip-line above the trees, ride a wheeled sled through the toboggan trail, or just ride down the slopes along the mountain bike trail. What fun.

Lots of super rich folks have built huge houses along the lift trail . 
And, in fact, the gondola makes two stops there to pick up those folks, right there in their neighborhood!

But, there are other spots in which you can stay.

Personally, these along the stream, down by the city seem more appealing to me.

If you get tiered of looking at the slopes, and hearing the stream rush by, right besides you,

you can just take a look at the local wildlife or flowers.

Tour through Central Colorado

After finishing Camp Rio and sending everyone back home, 
we decided to take a "vacation" ourselves, 
and tour a small part of Central Colorado.

We packed up the van and headed to Dillon Lake.
It's close enough for a day's outing from the city of Denver, right off IH 70.
It's close to many of the ski areas:  Copper Mountain, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, and Breckenridge.

So, this is what you might expect to see:

( I got this off the internet, 'cause of what happened below)


We camped at the National Forest, on the other side of the lake from the marina, but took a bike ride there.
Lots of boats are docked and kayaks & paddle boards to rent. 

But we had to hurry along: rain was on it's way. 

It didn't start pouring (fortunately) till we got back to the camp, but it rained for hours. 

Finally, just before sunset, a little sunshine came out...

enough to snap a picture.

And, by 7 AM the next morning, this is what we saw out our window:

kayakers already out on the water.....
and a dog with an expression on his face, telling us it was time to get out and, please, have some fun!

Hike form The Great Sand Dunes up to Mosca Pass

Each Wednesday a group form Forbes Park takes a hike. 

This is the first one I have taken this Summer.

It was from the Great Sand Dunes up 2,200 feet in elevation, to 9,700 feet, through Mosca Pass. Then, lunch overlooking the valley on the other side of the range.

It was not easy for all to get there.

But after eating half my sandwich (and 80% of my water), 
Big D was ready to play in the flowers again!

The views on the way are quite nice.

But seeing the dunes on the return, is specially rewarding.... 

 because we are almost back!

Until our next hike, Adios.

Camp Rio 2015 has begun

Camp Rio is when we get 3+  generations together and 
have one week of planned activities in the mountains of Colorado.

This year the theme is based on the books, The Magic Treehouse.
Each child had to read all 10 of the 51 books in the series.
Each of the 5 days of camp had a theme based on one of the books.

We didn't have a treehouse.....but, Cindy & I made a deck before they got here.

It protrudes over a hill that then drops off 300-400 feet into a canyon behind the cabin.


Here is pic about half way down Fox Canyon.
(Our side is actually steeper than the other side, which is what you see.)

During the week, Josh & I also made a slide from the deck
that goes towards the canyon...
and a climbing wall for them to come back up without having to walk around the deck.

Here is a video of the first brave souls to try it!
(Turn up the volume to hear what is going on.)




We are happy to report  that ALL campers survived this adventure.

(Stay tuned for more adventures from Camp Rio, Summer,  2015)

We made it to Colorado in late June, when the heat finally arrived in Texas.

I put out my bird feeders and noticed that the same birds where here as last year.
But, they where not eating out of the feeder.

So I took a few pictures of them and zoomed in on my computer.

Every time I see this one, he or she is carrying an insect.

No kidding! Here's another one!

I guess the rainy Spring has let the bugs reproduce nicely...
and the birds are enjoying some fresh protein!

P.S. The grandkids discovered the reason for so many bugs in the bird's mouth:

There is a nest o 4 fresh hatchlings under the deck of our house. The parent bird is bringing food to it continuously!

Here is a quiz for you. Who is this guy?

Here is a new guy I spotted recently.
Any ideas on what he/she is?

A beaver you say? Not quite. 

But, he is in the rodent family, like the beaver, just smaller.
Only 16-24 inches long, excluding it's 12-18 inch long tail .
The average one is 10 to 15 pounds. 
But that's enough to be major source of protein in some diets.

Its the Nutria, or Coypu, as it is called in South America, where it originated.

Here's another picture.

 It might look small, but it would scare the living daylights out of you if it came close, I swear!

This one was at the marshland of Port Aransas, where birds like to congregate.
(Incidentally there is at least one alligator there too.)

So, how did he/she get there?
Well, do you old folks remember the first "informational" programs on TV?
Around 11 PM to 1 AM back in the 1960's and 70's?
Remember how you could make so much money by raising Chinchillas and then selling them off to furriers?
From what I remember, some of the people who ordered those cute Chinchillas to raise got these, not-so-pretty guys instead. 
There was a commotion for a while back then. 

Well, it seems that many were let loose by their new owners, and now you find these guys free in all continents (except Australia?)! They survived quite well.
Some consider them "invasive" because they seem to eat lots of the local plant (25% of it's body weight per day, year-round!) and thus run off local animal.

Anyway, I decided to watch this one for a while.
After 10 minutes I suddenly noted that a tiny baby had come out of the water to visit with mom.

After about 3 minutes they disappeared into the water again.

And here is another interesting fact:
Did you know the mom's nipples are further out from its belly than many other rodents?
That's so she and the baby can both go hide in the muddy water (same color as her fur)
and the baby can be nursing with his head barely above the water.

OK, OK. I have said enough.
But now you know the rest of their story.

On the other side of the bay from Port Aransas...

is Corpus Christi.

I have to tell you, my favorite part when I lived here, 12 to 35 years ago,
was always the downtown bayfront.

I see that people still come to the T-Heads, to take a break form things at work.

I used to come at lunch time, bring a sandwich and the journals to do a little reading on by sailboat.
The water, birds, and views helped keep the pressure down. 

But, I hear that the price of a boat slip has risen form $79 in my day, up to about $400 a month. 
I can see why there are no longer any of those 22-24 foot sailboats like I used to have.
Instead, this is what docks now.

Anyway.....
Many now come to see the memorial to Selena, our famous singer from those days....

a true favorite of the people of South Texas.

Others come to buy freshly caught shrimp, right off the boats.

And while the fishermen throw off the fish by-catch to the waiting brown pelicans....

those darned seagulls come out of nowhere

and steal about 8 or 9 out of every 10 fish thrown out to them!

Some things don't change.

What the Texas beaches look like

I realized I have not really shown what the mid Texas beaches look like.

Wide open beaches, where you can drive your car directly to the shore.

Or take a golf cart from the shopping area to the beach.

And on this particular night in late May, we got here camping about 7 PM.
It was when the setting sun gives everything a golden hue.
And it it sure did look appealing 

to head towards the water.....

 and take a dip in the ocean with your family and dogs.