Is it hot where you are?
Is the summer heat of July beginning to wear you down, make you perspire, and yearn for somewhere cool?
(all photos will enlarge if clicked on)
I thought I'd share some photos I took while on a car trip, from Colorado to Arizona, last October. My husband and I were driving south along State Highway 285, in beautiful Park County, Colorado. The views we saw of distant snow-capped mountains, that surround this 9,000-foot high plateau, took our breath away!
Snow comes early to the higher elevations of 12-14 thousand foot high mountains! Do you feel the cool breezes coming down from those mountains into the valley? Ahhhhh!
The snow-covered mountains were beautiful backdrops for autumn gold leaf aspens...
...and deep green pine trees.
We continued to drive south until we entered central Colorado's Chaffee County.
There we saw more high snow-capped mountains in the distance!
We were entering the Buena Vista area, where we had a view of Mt. Princeton. Mt. Princeton is 14,204 feet high mountain and is part of the Collegiate Peaks of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Sawatch Mountain Range contains eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mt. Elbert, which is the highest mountain of the Rocky Mountain Range in North America, at an elevation of 14,440 feet. One would really cool off if they climbed that mountain!
The town of Buena Vista is at an elevation of 7,965 feet, in the Arkansas River Valley. It was founded in 1864 by settlers who felt the abundant water sources made the land suitable for agriculture.
Buena Vista means "beautiful view" in Spanish, which is the perfect name for this area, don't you think?
I hope these snow-capped mountain views made you feel a little cooler this summer day and filled you with a little awe at the amazing beauty of the state of Colorado!
I also recently enjoyed some amazing views in New York City, as my husband and I visited the top of the new One World Trade Center Observatory, on a trip we just returned from. More about that trip in a future blog post!
You might even see elk (or an elk statue) grazing in one of the meadows!
I hope these snow-capped mountain views made you feel a little cooler this summer day and filled you with a little awe at the amazing beauty of the state of Colorado!
I also recently enjoyed some amazing views in New York City, as my husband and I visited the top of the new One World Trade Center Observatory, on a trip we just returned from. More about that trip in a future blog post!
What is your favorite way to stay cool in the summer?
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41 comments:
What a lovely drive to take. I think the mountains are perfect places to spend time in the hot weather. I'm heading off to spend a night in Idaho's beautiful canyons. Love the mountains!
Beautiful views! I'm looking forward to a predicted cool down this coming week. I just melt in heat! Have a good week Pat!
Hello Pat, what a scenic drive. Colorado is beautiful and the snow topped mountains are gorgeous! I feel cool already, it is hot and humid here today. Wonderful views and images. Have a happy new week ahead!
A good friend lives in Nathrop, not far from Buena Vista so when we visit, we often take a hike along the river. It's a pretty little town and is surrounded by so many tall peaks. It's been cool here in Breckenridge this summer and now it's going into the low 40's at night. I'm hoping frost holds off another month, but that might be wishful thinking.
I love this post and it brough back so many memories of the many vacations I've had in Colorado!!! I haven't been to Buena Vista in a long time!
Very nice landscape! I miss long drives with endless views of mountains and greenery.
Amazing sweeping views of your landscapes. I really took my time with these to take in all the beauty.
Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography
yes, the name is very appropriate! Really a beatiful place!
I'm just counting the days!!! Will be there in two weeks, as we will go to MT first this year. You are making such beautiful memories!!!
My sister has been drivingt down through Idaho, Utah and Arizona now across New Mexico on the way back to Florida. She is also sending spectacular photos to us, like your beautiful ones. The South West is amazing!
Lovely scenic views for a hot summer day, yes! :)
Breathtaking views. Those snow capped mountain peaks are amazing.
Hi Pat,
I know how you feel. I love my new home, but I miss the old one. I'm glad that you got to see your family.
We visited CO one August and experienced SNOW!
Thanks for playing today.
Happy Blue Monday!
It was in the 90's yesterday but a more civilized 82 today. From here we go back to the mid 70's which we've had all summer.
I wasn't thinking of the cooling effect of the snow caped mountain Pat but more so how your photos look like they're straight from a magazine. Lovely views.
Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.
Stunning views - My favorite is the second one! Even though temps can really get high in the mountains, for some reason it's more enjoyable to me that in the valleys:)
Those mountains look amazing. What a great drive.
Majestic mountains and gorgeous photography ~ definitely refreshing in the heat we are having in MA (humidity) ~ Is that animal real? Almost looks like a statue ~
Happy Week to you,
artmusedog and carol
Been there many times. My niece has cabin Near Hartsel. We always go to Buena Vista for supplies. Beautiful part of the world.
Splendid landscape.
Oh yes it's hot here (and very dry as no rain has fallen at all this summer). These were very beautiful and refreshing photos for sure.
Gorgeous photos - breathtaking scenery!
Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/07/bug-eyes.html
Beautiful photos! I so want to get out on the open road now :)
Joy @ Books and Life
Wow, beautiful scenes. It has been a long time since I have been in that neck of the woods and I think it may be time to check it out.
It's winter here in New Zealand, so cold, not hot. Your snow capped photos are wonderful. The clarity in the first photo is incredible.
Wow - so very beautiful!
magic and refreshing views.. at present here in Italy we have 38° which is really very hard !!
very kind regards Pat !! all the best!
Neat elk statue! I love those mountain views though! Stunning!
I have never made this drive but have thought about it....maybe I will have to now....just beautiful!
Beautiful indeed! My wife and I have climbed Mount Princeton.
For Pikes Peak, the cog railroad is beautiful, but I prefer driving because you can stop when you want and spend as long as you want at the top of the mountain. But the road would be very unnerving for anyone not used to serious mountain driving. (I've driven up Pikes Peak several times, ridden the cog railroad twice, and hike Barr Trail once.)
I did a double take when I saw that elk - I thought it was real at first. Mt. Princeton? Yea for my home town name. Just looking at the photo makes me feel cooler, Pat. But my favorite way to stay cool is to be by the beach, jump into the surf and feel the ocean breezes.
We Come to Oregon to cool off in the summer! Our hot days are in Florida in the Spring! No wonder I feel mixed up sometimes. Beautiful Colorado views... Buena Vistas indeed! Your pictures are so crisp and clear, I can just almost feel the wonderful Colorado air!
What incredibly beautiful views you had on that trip. You photos are magazine worthy. Not enough summer heat here, our summer so far has been cool.
Just beautiful! Colorado is gorgeous! We loved it there!
You took great photos of awesome landscapes. It was unusually humid and sticky a couple days ago for several days. We're not used to that kind of heat. We're back to our regular weather, thank goodness.
Take 25 to Hollister
This was all so familiar...I forgot to visit here after reading my email subscription. "Buena Vista" is a good name for those scenes. I once lived in Sierra Vista in AZ. I laughed when you mentioned that you bring out the flannel in the evenings. There is nothing much worse than hot, sticky sleeping weather. You have the best of both worlds. Will we see some posts about your NYC trip?
Beautiful! I really do feel cool breezes coming down from the snow covered mountains. Your photos are superb, Pat. They look like they belong in a travel magazine! I'm looking forward to your NYC photos.
Awesome mountain pics! I feel cooler already! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. :)
Very hot and very brown a lot too due to the drought. Thanks for a beautiful visit for Pink Saturday.
Kaye Swain
SandwichINK.com
:)
Thank you for cooling me off this morning with those beautiful snow-capped mountains. It's so hot here. I am actually looking forward to winter! Did I just say that! Oh my.
I see we're neighbors. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your photos are lovely. Colorado has so much natural beauty also.
Alas, no trips to Colorado coming up, but your gorgeous pictures make me want to plan one. Beautiful day in NY today and will be out soon to enjoy the almost humidity free day. Have a sweet Sunday!
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