Flower for the Day Prickly Poppy 8-26-14

We have been watching this colony of Prickly Poppies (Argemone albiflora) for several years.They are along the Bear Lake Road where it is difficult to stop and try to identify them

as well as photograph them. The flower has 3 long sepals and 6 petals with multiple yellow stamens. The stem and leaves have sharp prickles. The flower head is messy and the sepals and petals are often askew. It looks better from a distance than up close.

M son Chris took the photos after dark and the second one was taken with flashlight lighting just for fun. This is the end of our three year prickly poppy saga. Thanks to Jackie Oldham for help in identification. 

Trip to The Loch 8-23-14

  I got up early and was at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead by 7:09. There were two runners who took off up the trail ahead of me. It was a day that the clouds stayed very low so it was like hiking through a fine mist all the way up. Before the trail junction to Mill Lake (left) and The Loch (right) there was a rainbow (at 8:00 in the morning). The pot of gold was at Mills Lake but I was headed to The Loch. Oh well. The Loch was beautiful as usual but the clouds never lifted so I could not see The Cathedral Spires. As I reached the Mills Lake /Loch junction coming down the runners jogged by
mecoming down from  Sky Pond and headed back up to Mills Lake and Black Lake. I bet they missed the rainbow.

The Trail

The Rainbow

The Loch

FFTD Bonus Selfie with bear paw print

After a recent hike we noticed why it is not a good idea to leave food in your car in bear country. There is a good sized black bear paw print on the window - larger than my head.

FFTD Bonus Brown Creeper 8-21-14

On a recent hike a bird watcher with binoculars pointed out a "brown creeper" which turned out to be a sparrow like bird that can only walk up a tree because of the anatomic form of its feet. If it tries to walk down it falls because its feet can not hold it up. It often passes nuthatches that are walking down the tree as it walks up using its tail for balance.

FFTD Bonus: The Goat Treatment 8-18-14

Just when you think you have seen it all, come to Estes Park and learn more. Some friends on Devils Gulch Road have hired 260 goats to handle their overgrown fields - no mowing for them. These Wyoming goats are placed in a the field which has been surrounded by a portable electric fence and they get down to business eating noxious weeds (even thistles)while at the same time aerating and reseeding the enclosed area. Of course the material eaten becomes natural fertilizer. It is a real phenomenon to observe as well as listen as the goats create a marvelous cacophony of bleating, chewing, tinkling, and passing all manner of gas and solid material. When they have finished with one field they go on to the next enclosed area. The goats seem to be tame as my son scratched the head of a goat with huge horns.

Flower for the Day Wild Blue Flax 8-18-14

This beautiful stand of Wild Blue Flax is for my bride of 53 years today. Jan you are the BEST.

Artists at work and play 8-16-14

Solitude Cabin Bridge over the Middle St. Vrain Creek

Kickin' Back in the Eno 8-16-14

Here is the view from the Eno Hammock. Jan is nestled in by the North St. Vrain Creek in Wild Basin after enjoying Grandson Will
for a week.

Something beyond understanding

Just remember: If you treat each day  as if it were your last, someday you will be right.

FFTD Bonus The trail to The Pool and Fern Lake 8-15-14

Yesterday Ken Oldham and I hiked to The Pool and Fern Lake.  On the trail to The Pool we could see changes brought about by last years flood. I would not have wanted to be on the trail when this massive boulder dropped in. There was a mini alluvial fan around it.

We hiked up to Fern Lake. The trail was steep and tough for me but it was worth the effort. The photo shows Fern Lake and above it are Notchtop  and Little Matterhorn Mountains. In the days of the giants Ken and I climbed them both.