Saturday, September 08, 2012

Mitchell Lake Trail

Yesterday I answered my mountain craving.
Even though we live right at the base of the mountains, 
we don't make the drive up into the hills nearly often enough.

We were treated 
to the very beginnings
of the golden Aspens' seasonal change
as we made our way up to 
Brainard Lake Recreation Area
& the Indian Peak Wilderness.

It was sunny when we started the hike
up to Mitchell Lake, 
but as we ascended, 
the fog met us.





The fog became so dense that we
nearly walked right past the lake
without even noticing it.

It was so beautifully eerie
to be completely enveloped
so that even the horizon is erased,
and to feel like we were the only ones for miles.





The promise of rain 
& the cold seeping into our bones
pushed us back down the path, 
and back down the mountain, 
out of the rain, 
and into our cozy home
to wrap our hands around steaming mugs.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Boulder recently hosted a leg of the

What that meant was a ton of road closures, 
and lots of people gathered in 
various spots throughout Boulder
to watch the cyclists quickly zip by.

We watched them in two spots.
First we waited downtown.




Then we headed up the hill to see them a second time.
Lots of supporters dressed in crazy costumes or
had flags and ran alongside the cyclists 
for short segments.



One of the most interesting things to me was the
entourage for each cyclists. There was a huge 
parade of cars behind the cyclists
carrying all their gear & extra bikes.

Of course, bringing up the rear was the 
broom wagon, 
doing the final sweep.


Wednesday, September 05, 2012

A doe, a deer.

The other day we were downtown
and saw this little lady making her way 
through an empty parking lot.







This is a fairly common sight, with deer parading 
through neighborhoods,
bears climbing trees in public parks, 
and the occasional mountain lion in town.

Thankfully this little lady was heading back toward
the nearby meadows of the Open Space
and away from the streets and cars.