SELDOM HAVE WE SEEN COLORADO SO VERDANT this late in July. The early monsoon rains seem to have countered recent temperatures in the 90s and there are still pockets of snow on the high peaks of the Rockies.
Aspen Grove, Rocky Mountain National Park
Snowy Cirque, Rocky Mountain National Park
We spent another nice weekend with Tim and Candace at their cabin just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, with long walks, good food and stimulating conversation as always. When we tired of that there was a Lord of the Rings DVD to keep us occupied. Candace adores Vigo!
Cozy Cabin in the Woods
From a Simpler Era
The Park is still on a reservation system after 8 AM and we had to wait for nearly 30 minutes to get in—seems that more and more people are taking advantage of “America’s Best Idea.” While Connie, Tim and Candace were focused on birds, I was more interested in the wildflowers—besides, I had only my 18-300 mm lens. It’s been a while since we spent any time identifying them but I recognized many of the more common blooms and Candace filled in some of the blanks.
Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
Indian Paintbrush
Harebell
Chiming Bells
As far as the birdies go, it was mostly the usual suspects. The only newish (for the year) species was a Williamson’s Sapsucker.
Williamson's Sapsucker
