Yula Mae's Flowers

I am always impressed that these flowers continue to bloom year after year. They were planted by #Yula Mae Anderson Aldasoro well over 25 years ago. She and her family spent their summers on this same location on this ranch. While her husband and the sheep herders tended their sheep, she gardened and tended to their three daughters. She was an avid gardener and a wonderful lady that we all miss very much. The flowers are around the perimeter of my yard, but were originally within the fenced boundaries of the yard when Yula Mae lived here. I don't know the name of the purple flowers, the others are fragrant yellow roses that typically bloom around the 4th of July. The wagon wheels are the REAL thing. They were used on wagons on the ranch in the very early days.

Jeeping in the Rocky Mountains Part 3

After we left #LakeCity, we took #CinnamonPass to #Silverton and then took "OphirPass back to #Telluride. It was a gorgeous day, but was a 12 hour long ride and as tired as we were, we loved every minute of it. Compared to Imogene Pass and Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass and Ophir Pass were gentle and easy to travel. While cruising along, we saw a moose which is a rare sighting in this area of Colorado. Moose are starting to migrate slowly to this area, but this is the first one I have ever seen.

The moose!!

                                                 A marmot posting for us

The original jail near the top of Cinnamon Pass in the abandoned town of Animas Fork.

Why do people do this with stickers??

Jeeping in the Rocky Mountains Part 2

After driving over #ImogenePass to #Ouray, we took #EngineerPass to #LakeCity. Lake City is a quaint old Colorado town that has been beautifully preserved. There are still old boardwalks rather than concrete sidewalks, interesting old stores and great restaurants.We had lunch at #SouthernVittles. I hate to admit it, but I had chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. It was wonderful. I started my diet again the next day. You only live once and it is not like me to pass up good southern food when I can find it. Lake City seems to be mostly made up of Texans. Maybe that is why I like it so much. Fun Facts...........................

WHY IT IS UNIQUE

1. Lake City is the only town in Hinsdale County.
2. Hinsdale County is made up of 96% public lands. That means they have the fewest miles of roads per person, plus the most land area located far from roads, making Hinsdale County the most remote county in the lower 48.
3. Hinsdale County is made up of 4 wilderness areas and 2 wilderness study areas. 
4. Located at the crossroads of two major scenic byways: Silver Thread Scenic Byway (Hwy 149, 2 wheel drive) and Alpine Loop Backcountry Byway (CR 30/20, 2 wheel & 4WD).
5. A designated National Historic District since 1978, boasting over 200 historic structures.
6. They have reconstructed over 500 feet of original boardwalks in the historic downtown.
7. Lake San Cristobal is the second largest natural lake in the state.
8. There are hundreds of miles of hiking and off-road trails.

WHAT isn't there

1. Commercial chains - no Walmart or food chains. You have to drive over an hour to find any kind of major retail or food chains.
2. Stop lights. There is not one stop light in Hinsdale County, there are stop signs but not many of them.
3. Traffic. Now July tourism can be an exception to that rule or herds of wildlife can be considered traffic, but they rarely have anything resembling city traffic.
4. Light pollution. Lake City has the most beautiful night skies and nothing to keep you from being able to enjoy it with a naked eye.
5. Noise.
6. Great cellular service. There is no cell service within 5-10 miles out of town in any direction and it is not likely to pick up for at least an hour until you hit Gunnison or Creede.
7. Elevators. There is no building higher than two stories in Hinsdale County.

Lake City

Yes, there is still snow at high elevations. A creek is running
under this snow bank.

An old trappers cabin.

Jeeping in the Rocky Mountains - Part 1

It has been a cool, wet summer which has kept me indoors more than I care to be. However, this past weekend we had a beautiful day and went #jeeping with good friends #CrisMitchell and #MattMitchell. We started in Telluride on #ImogenePass and drove over the pass where it ends in #OurayColorado. It is a beautiful drive that goes well above timberline and summits at 13,114 feet in elevation. Imogene is 17 miles long and is the highest pass in the San Juan Mountain Range and the second highest vehicular pass in the state of Colorado.

A view of the road we had traveled to Imogene Pass summit.

Sheep grazing above timberline.



One thing nice about all of the rain this summer is that the wildflowers are abundant and brilliant with color in the high elevations.

Me taking photos

Elephant head flowers that I rarely see.

Indian paint brush. At high altitude they are brilliant pink.

Ptarmigan Lake. There are 5 Ptarmigan Lakes in Colorado,
 but this is the highest at 12,939.

Bluebells. Not to be confused with the ice cream.

A field of elephant head flowers.

Next we drove over #EngineerPass to #LakeCityColorado.

Stay tuned for my next blog.....Jeeping in the Rockies, Part 2.

Deer Eating My Flowers

We don't have many deer here on the ranch, but there are occasionally a few that hang around for the summer. I woke up this morning to find these two eating my "deer resistant" wildflowers. Go figure.

Escape to Mexico

Spring weather in Colorado is very unpredictable. This year has been no exception. It has rained and snowed constantly for the past few weeks. We always plan a vacation in May to escape the dreary weather. This year we spent 9 days in Playa del Carmen, Mexico at a beautiful resort, Secrets Capri.

Playa del Carmen

It is common to find a fish pond in hotel lobby's, but this resort had a turtle pond with 49 turtles. They would occasionally get out of the pond and wander around the lobby until someone found them and put them back in the water. LOL. We often stopped by at feeding time to feed them.

Turtles in the turtle pond in the hotel lobby

Cabanas at the pool

I spent hours around the pool reading, sunning and relaxing. Too Perfect

One of our awful  selfies. This is my first and last!!

I was fascinated by the Coatis. I had never seen or heard of them prior to this trip. They are known as a Mexican racoon with a very long tail. They run around so fast that I couldn't get a picture.
This is one picture that I snapped of its face as he was hiding in a bush. Look at the bottom in the middle of the photo to see his cute face.

Elk in the Yard

I haven't been very active with my blog in recent months. It was cold and wintery and I just wanted to stay inside and stay warm. But now it is early Spring and I am motivated to get outside and get active. 

We are having a very early Spring....about one month ahead of normal. My daffodils are up a few inches and all the snow is melted in the yard. Of course, that could all change and it could start snowing again and not stop until the end of May! Mountain weather is so unpredictable.

I woke up yesterday morning to a nice herd of elk in the front yard and behind the house. I took the photos through the window hoping not to scare them away. I get so excited when I see elk this up close and personal. You would think I had never seen one before! 

The are starting to shed their winter coats, so they look a little natty, but such a huge wild animal that I stay fascinated with them. The only problem is they tear up my year with their hooves and poop everywhere.