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 11, 2024

Cycling Without Age


Last  week my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a "trishaw" bicycle ride in Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado with volunteers in an organization called "Cycling Without Age Littleton."  They provide free rides locally by appointment. We signed up through a neighborhood senior resourse called "Aging and Unstoppable," which we attend once a month, hosted by a Senior Real Estate Specialist, Kali Hepker.

Information about the organaztion from the CWA Littleton website:

"Cycling Without Age is a movement started in 2012 by Ole Kassow, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ole wanted to help the elders get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a trishaw--and electric three wheel and cart bicycle --and he started offering free bike rides to the local nursing home residents. Ole felt everyonre should feel the wind in their hair/'

He then got in touch with a civil society consultant from the City of Copenhagen, Dorthe Pedersen, who was intrigued by the idea and together they bought five trishaws and launched Cycling Without Age, which has now spread to all corners of Denmark, and since 2015 to another 50 countries around the world." www.cyclingwithoutage.org



Our driver, Lisa, ensured we were comfortably settled in our trishaw, making sure our seatbelts were fastened and covering us with a blanket. Lisa is a retired school teacher from Iowa who moved to Colorado two years ago to be closer to her two daughters. We enjoyed a delightful conversation with her as she skillfully navigated the streets.

My husband and I are in our early 70s and are still able to ride bicycles ourselves. However, it was enjoyable to sit back and take in the sights this way. I want to use my blog to encourage everyone who reads this to check if there is a local chapter of Cycling Without Age. Consider signing someone up who would enjoy a ride, or perhaps even volunteer as a driver yourself.



From Hudson Gardens, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the foothills. As shown in this photo, our neighborhood, situated in those foothills, experienced its first snowfall of the fall season the day before.



Hudson Gardens is always a favorite place for us to walk, and it was beautiful in its autumn splendor.

If you'd like to view the garden in its summer glory, click on this link which will show two posts about the garden from earlier times.

 
Workers were taking down the Halloween displays from the annual " "Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns" event.  We enjoyed attending this a few years ago with our grandchildren.


Next, Lisa went outside Hudson Gardens to ride the bicycle path along the South Platte River Park. South Platte Park protects two-and-a-half miles of the South Platte River along with the surrounding riparian (streamside) habitat of cottonwood forests and wetlands



We had views of the river as we rode beside it.


Lisa explained to us that this metal sculpture depicts the height of the South Platte River during the disastrous flood of 1965!  Informational placards tell the story, which you can read on this website. The Chatfield Reservoir and Dam was built between 1967 and 1975 to help prevent flooding of the river in this area ever again.


We followed another Cycling Without Age volunteer driver, Blaine, back to the Hudson Gardens Parking lot.  We really enjoyed our comfortable trishaw ride and all the pretty views we saw.  

The Littleton Cycling Without Age volunteers provide almost 1,000 rides a year. To view a short PBS video about the Littleton Cycling Without Age Organization -- click here.

If you live in the Littleton, Colorado, area, and would like to schedule a ride for yourself or someone you know, click here.

To donate to this wonderful 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization click here for further information.

Thank you, Kali, for arranging this wonderful outing, and to, Lisa, at CWA for a very enjoyable ride!
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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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Monday, October 21, 2024

Autumn Beauty Along Cottonwood Pass


On the second day of our stay at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort—click here to read about the resort—we decided to drive to the nearby Cottonwood Pass. 
Cottonwood Pass is a 56.8-mile stretch of paved, winding mountain road connecting Buena Vista and Almont, Colorado. It summits at the continental divide (at 12,126 ft elevation) and features some of Colorado’s best hiking trails, campsites, and mountain vistas
It's a stunning mountain pass known for its colorful fall aspen groves, and we hoped to still be able to catch some autumn color during our drive.



Cottonwood Pass is in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. The road over Cottonwood Pass is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the U.S. The area surrounding the pass is mostly forest, with the San Isabel National Forest to the east and the Gunnison National Forest to the west.

It was the second time we drove over Cottonwood Pass--click here-- to see that late summer drive where we followed the pass all the way to its end in Almont


We were thrilled to see that the autumn colors were still vibrant! Bright patches of orange and rust foliage mingled beautifully with the golden aspens.


 Clouds were building up and a few raindrops fell at times and we drove along the winding road.

More bright colors!

\\
We passed some very tall aspens and many cottonwood trees.



As we drove higher there were more pine trees and scrub brush.



Eventually, we were above the tree line


We parked for a while at the summit and seeing heavy clouds and sleety snow that began to fall, we decided not to drive further but to return to Nathrop.



We did take the obligatory photo of the summit sign!

Driving back down...


...passing the autumn scenery from the other direction

Passing a lake area as we approached Buena Visita.

A last look back at the mountain peak we just drove down from.


Looking at the mountain range in the distance we knew we made the right decision to turn back, as heavy clouds were in that area and it was probably raining or snowing at the higher elevation. Because of high snowfall, Cottonwood Pass closes for the winter, usually in November, and reopens in May

Later that evening we drove to the charming town of Salida for dinner--on my next post

Please join me again on my blog next week!


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