Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Clash of Seasons

The first snowfall usually comes early every fall in Colorado. This fall, Denver’s September weather was the warmest recorded since 1872, according to an analysis from the National Weather Service in Boulder, and Southern Colorado hit new heat records in early October. The biggest factor for early-season snow is elevation, with the high Rocky Mountains and towns receiving their first snow earlier than the lower Colorado Front Range. 

We finally had our first light snowfall on November 4th; the latest I remember having since I moved West 11 years ago! It made all the fall foliage look even prettier with a mantle of white.

Our next snowfall on November 6th  almost broke a record! Denver International Airport and the southeast metro, including Highlands Ranch and parts of Aurora, saw around 20 inches of snow over 36 hours, almost tripling the November average of 7.3 inches. 



We measured 24 inches of snow in our backyard, but the air temperatures soon rose and it began to melt very quickly. The moisture was very welcomed, as we had been in drought for most of September and October.


My husband and I had fun watching a squirrel forage for food in one of our trees. He found some tree seeds and spent the morning devouring them.

Our neighborhood mule deer are still in their rut season and there have been more bucks than usual roaming around our yards, undeterred by the snow.



Something exciting in our area is that a few large elk have settled in our neighborhood during their fall migration. All the photos above are neighbors' photos shared on our neighborhood Facebook page. I haven't personally seen them yet, but hope to!


"When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm growing old."
~ Lady Bird Johnson

We hope for more snow this week--how has your weather been?


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Monday, November 4, 2024

Happy November!


 Happy November! 

Our fall season has been warmer than usual and I have enjoyed the autumn beauty in our area.


Our unusually warm summer and extended mild fall meant our potted fig tree produced the most figs we've had since moving to Colorado eleven years ago!

When fall arrives, we move the tree into our garage, where it goes dormant until spring. We water it about once a month to prevent the roots from drying out, and it thrives.



Even my wild cosmos flowers did well this year!


One of our favorite activities this fall has been watching our grandson play on his high school soccer team. 

They had a very good season!

We always see many deer outside our windows

. They often decorate our lawn!


One day a buck who unfortunately had a wrapped rope swing around his antlers showed up in my backyard.  I called our neighborhood open space ranger who told me they were aware and that Colorado Parks and Wildlife came out twice to try to free him, but every time he ran away. The decision had been made that as long as he could eat and walk it was best he was left alone.




A week later he showed up again, and it seemed the rope had unwound quite a bit and was dragging...


...and when he got up I could see it was wound around a hoove!

He could walk, but he had to keep his head lowered to do so. I called the ranger, who said he would contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Thankfully, the rope was eventually cut, and he could walk freely again! There is still some rope on his antlers, but that will fall off when he sheds his antlers in early spring. 

Overall, we had a wonderful October, and now I look forward to the possibility of welcoming our first snow this week!


Please join me again on my blog next week.

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Sunday, October 27, 2024

Salida, Colorado



On our last day celebrating our special anniversary, we left the Mt. Primcton Hot Springs Resort to drive to the nearby town of Salida for dinner. Although the resort had a wonderful restaurant, we wanted to enjoy a drive along the scenic Collegiate Mountains located in the Sawatch Mountain Range.  The Sawatch Mountian range includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet (4,401 m) elevation, the highest peak in the Rockies. Salida has the nickname "The Heart of the Rockies," as it is beautifully nestled between the Sangre de Cristo and Sawatch Mountain ranges,


All photos in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on


As you can see the drive along the Collegiate Peaks is beautiful! We passed many ranches and were entertained by the formation of clouds bringing precipitation to the distant peaks.



Salida was founded in 1880. Salida, meaning "exit" in Spanish, was named for its location near the point where the Arkansas River flows out of the valley and into Bighorn Sheep Canyon, upstream from the Royal Gorge. 

 One of the first things a visitor to  Salida is likely to notice upon arrival is the mountain with a huge “S” on it. This mountain is Tenderfoot Mountain, but it’s also referred to as S Mountain.  There is a road to the top and also trails. Prominently located at the end of F Street — the town’s main street – it is normally adorned with white lights in the shape of “S.” This alternates with a red heart symbolizing the “Heart of the Rockies." At Christmas, the mountain is zig-zagged with 4,500 brightly colored LED lights to form a 750-foot tall Christmas tree. It shines on Tenderfoot Mountain from the summit to the base over Salida throughout the holiday season, from late November into mid-January.



We parked our car and walked to the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, which is 148 miles of river park well enjoyed by rafters, kayakers, and standup paddleboarders. The stretch of Arkansas River in and around Salida has up to 5000 trout per mile so it is also a fisherman's favorite!


The river was lined by beautiful autumn-hued Cottonwood trees.



We walked along the Salida River Trail.



We were amazed by the giant height of the Cottonwood Trees along the river trail and enjoyed sitting on a bench for a while watching the river flow by.


We then spent some time walking around the historic downtown.




Salida has Colorado's largest historic downtown district! Salida was first established in the 1800s as a stagecoach stop and later as a stop-over for travelers on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Downtown Salida is on the National Register of Historic Places. 
It has the finest collection of historically significant buildings in the state. Salidachamber.org has the map above with links to all the businesses and restaurants in the historic district.



Downtown Salida is a certified designated Creative District! The historic downtown is filled with artisans of every genre, including advertising and architecture, blacksmithing and metal, ceramics/pottery, digital media, fiber arts, videography, fine art, graphic design, murals, music, performing arts, photography, sculpture, and writing.



We enjoyed browsing through antique and bookstores, as well as the souvenir "Five and Dime" store. Along one of the side streets, we saw a very old and weathered piano on display!



There were also many art galleries to browse.



Halloween decorations were on display in many of the shop windows.



We decided to try a highly-rated Mexican restaurant called Casa Calaca. My husband had their triple sampler and I had their seafood mariscada. Both were delicious!


After dinner, we had another scenic drive back to our room at the resort, where we were able to enjoy the hot spring pools again. 
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful anniversary holiday!


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Sunday, September 29, 2024

Fall Color on Guanella Pass in Colorado

The fall season comes early in Colorado's higher elevations.  My husband and I know that as September approaches its last days it is nice to enjoy a car drive in the mountains to witness all the beautiful autumn colors at their peak. One of our favorite drives is on Guanella Pass from Grant to Georgetown.  


Guanella Pass (highest elevation 11,669 ft or 3,557 m) is a high mountain pass and one of the many scenic byways in Colorado. It is an easy winding 24-mile drive with many aspen trees along the paved road and in the mountains surrounding it.



Our first stop along the way is at Geneva Creek, a tributary of the North Fork South Platte River, to the south.  You can see a short video of the flowing creek in the video above.




The sky was a deep cloudless blue and the fall foliage colors were illuminated by strong sunlight.


Our second stop is always by this waterfall located very near the road, where we take a walk around to see all the views.




"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty"  ~ John Ruskin


" Wild is the music of autumnal winds
Amongst the faded woods"
~ Willian Wordsworth



I always enjoy seeing this home that is along the way --- imagine living there for all four seasons?


Informational placards at a roadside pull-out--click on them to enlarge the photos and any other photo in this post


We reached the 11,669 ft or 3,557 m summit. We stopped here to take photos. As you can see the summit is above the tree line.  


At the summit, hiking trails lead east to Mount Bierstadt (elevation 14,060 ft (4,290 m)) and west to Square Top Mountain, with many other trails connecting to the lower parts of the pass.



Leaving the summit we are soon surrounded by aspen trees again!


"The Heart of Autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure upon the trees."
~ Charlotte Bates


Another favorite spot where we stop is on the Silverdale Trailhead above Georgetown.




In this short video, you can listen to how the aspen trees "quake" in a breeze!


"Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the Autumn tree."
 ~ Emily Bronte


It is easy to see why Fall is my favorite season!

PS: My heart goes out to all those impacted by the devastating Hurricane Helene. You are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.


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Sunday, September 15, 2024

Oh Deer!


 I haven't had the chance to write much about what's been happening in our local area this summer, and now it's almost fall! I didn't plant my usual vegetable and flower garden this summer because we traveled to New York and went on an East Coast Cruise in June. In a way, I'm glad we didn't plant anything because this trio of animals has been hanging out in my backyard almost every day, eating everything. The doe looks thin in this photo because she was still nursing her twin fawns. She's now back to normal weight as the fawns are older, and almost exclusively eat plants.


It has been nice looking out my windows to watch the fawns grow up!


This week I noticed that the fawns lost their spots and were growing their winter fur! It has been getting cooler at night although our daytime temperatures have been above normal for this time of year.



This is another deer trio that has been visiting lately--three young bucks!


They have also been eating all my shrubs!

I know I can spray a deer repellent on the shrubs to deter them,  but I don't like to apply chemicals that can affect the birds, insects and bees, rabbits, squirrels, etc, that also visit my backyard, so I've learned to tolerate them munching on everything.




Speaking of wild rabbits...we have many that also eat everything! They had a hard time with the high temperatures this summer and I often saw them sprawling out on a patch of dirt under a tree to cool off. Their poses made me laugh!




To successfully grow any plant that grows, I have found that I need to protect it by surrounding it with chicken wire fences. As a result, a handful of perennials have been able to bloom this summer, along with some vibrant sunflowers. It was nice to see a bit of color!



Fall in Colorado is beautiful, and I look forward to sharing some photos soon.

Be sure to check back!

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