JULY IN COLORADO 2014

THE BIG ANIMAL FIX

After leaving California and the Pacific, we headed for the mountains.  A couple days in Denver to acquire goods and a truck and then nearly a month off the grid at the cabin. 

                From Denver we head west and climb, crossing the divide at Berthoud pass, about 11,000 feet.  Then through the high plains to the mountain community of Grand Lake at about 8500 feet. 

            We are situated two miles outside of town, up a rough dirt road.  No electricity, No running water, No indoor plumbing – just kerosene & Coleman lamps, headlamps, a well with a pump, and an outhouse.  Great fun.

There she is - lovely as ever

The cabin and all the pine furniture - tables, cabinets, beds - 

were made by Grandpa Tillman, 1938

One of the first projects was to frame this Remington replica. 

 It will be fun to watch the knotty pine age as the walls have done (for the last 76 years).

    We have taken out a total of about 70 trees that died due to a pine beetle that reached the heartwood after several years of drought (see post from last summer).  Right now the water levels are high again, all the reservoirs full but there are thousands of dead pine both standing and fallen in our vicinity.  Sometimes just getting to town requires some tree trimming where logs fall across the way.

 The major project was to cut trees still in danger of falling on the cabin 

as well as clean up those that had fallen or been cut and not hauled.

Front of the cabin

 In the distant past, going to get logs and haul them in for firewood was an issue

It won't be an issue for a long, long time

Behind of the cabin

                We have our moments of beauty but August is really hot.  The cabin was always in the shade in the past and we have effectively removed the shade.  It is still cooler inside but the heat seemed extreme.  August also still has the unwelcome feature of mosquitoes.  They diminished in numbers and by the last week we could be outside in short sleeves without bug spray.  September is far nicer although there is always a risk of snow.  We did have some rain and hail more than once.

Hail
No harm done, it is really kind of fun to hear on the metal roof

Very, very loud! 

So quiet when it stopped

                We also picked up summer colds and spent a couple days just sitting and blowing noses.  Plenty of books and once we stocked up on herbs and teas, we quickly turned it around.  I ordered Chinese herbs from one of my vendors in California but they somehow could not comprehend what general delivery was so I did not receive them until we got back to Denver.

BIG ANIMALS

                Definitely got our fix this year.  Frequent moose and deer out the front and back door.  They really liked to cruise through about 8 am although we could expect to see them almost anytime.

DEER

Doe and two fawns

 On the road

Out front through a window

The yearling - maybe a fawn from last summer

Mule deer have the distinctive black on their faces in addition to huge ears

Also out the front

Velvet boy - love his antlers

 Different day, two young bucks out back

 Each one stopped to look back

Can't stand how cute they are

MOOSE

             Some in the front yard, some in the back.  Several days with none and then they seemed to just hang around.  Out in the meadow at twilight we saw a different female with a calf but the light was too low and she had the little guy lay down and he totally disappeared in the long grass.

 The first time we saw this female there were two males but from that day on, just the one

What an impressive beauty
Those long legs have no trouble climbing through the down fall

 They are really fond of this spot, sometimes for naps

It is just above our outhouse, which becomes the lookout

He keeps pretty close tabs on his girl

                There were also a number of other characters who keep us entertained.  We did not see the usual jays this year however. 

 I watched this little guy (lesser chipmunk) 

deftly strip the thinnest grass stalks of their seeds

 These were the most curious little birds I've ever seen, 

They went from branch to branch as we moved about checking us out - every day.

 The Rocky Mountain Marmot was not yet in hibernation

In fact most of the ones we saw were madly grazing the grass in the meadows.

This is the only one I've ever seen in the forest - maybe he was shunned by his tribe

This little flicker posed for me - hard to see here how long his beak is

Similar to a woodpecker

FOREST

                Between wood cutting days and indoor improvements, we did some hikes and got into the forest.  Early in the month the waters were running high as the snow was still melting.  Later in the month the waterfalls weren’t as turbulent and just patches of snow were in the high peaks.

 Cascade Falls

about two miles past the cabin on my most favorite dirt trail, the North Inlet

The trees are still thick this close to a water source

 Nice to see so much water, 

hard to picture a month ago but I saw evidence of it flooding

Adams Falls behind me,

making Gil nervous so close to the edge

 Adams Falls was roaring too

East Inlet Trail

 New trail for us along the Tonohutu River

Twin berries

both a trail and camp ground are called Twin Berry after this cutie

                To balance the heat and mosquitoes, we usually had the treat of seeing the columbines.  The later it got, the fewer there were.  We found them in pockets of shade.   

 Columbines in the forest shade

 The blue columbine is native, the state flower

Other colors are hybrids, still pretty 

Path to Summerland campground

This meadow can be really wet, 

in a couple weeks the grass will be golden and the dirt dry again

While the columbines faded away, the blue bonnets sprang up, tiny and cheery.  We were surprised by how many flowers were in the purple hues.

 Blue bonnets

 Purple sage

 Wild clover

Lupine

                And once again, while the number of dead trees is still staggering in places there is hope where new growth is evident.

 The beetle took its toll here

And forests have a cycle of their own

           

We also got up to the Lodge for some lunch.  

High sun at lunchtime, but great views and good food.

           We learned that there were pelicans and osprey nearby.  We had been seeing the osprey so went searching out the pelis.  Turns out we can see one end of the island from Colin’s house situated between Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain.  Sure enough when we went over to do some laundry (thanks Colin) we saw the pelicans.

 I don't have the equipment to pull in the other birds

 but was pretty happy to have located these amazing guys

After that we occasionally saw both the pelis and osprey flying near the water

            On our way home we stopped at the liquor store (still separate from the grocery store in Colorado) and across the road we caught this guy just minding his own business foraging through the aspen.

We saw him a time or two and started calling him "townie"

Trailridge Pass

                So, we were not seeing elk and that meant we had to travel up to higher ground.  Grand Lake is the SW entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes is NE entrance.  The road between is spectacular in every way – Trailridge Pass.  We made the drive mid-trip and then returned to Denver that way when we left (mistake – see later).

Ain't she sweet?

 Lucille, our truck for the duration, 260,000 miles and going strong

 Layers of elelvations, changing views around every bend

Read Isabella Bird's book:  A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains 

who did all of this by horseback with hardship in the 1870s

 Tundra Sunflower

The silversword plant we've seen at Haleakala on Maui

is an adaptation of the sunflower, 

now I get it

The rock formations are usually not so dramatic

Hiking at over 12,000 feet is also dramatic

More Big Animals:  ELK

                But the real reason we crossed the pass was to see elk.  They were still hanging out in the high country.  The males were still buddies, the rut had not started.  

 Primarily females here, lounging mid day

 Still in the park and protected, 

they will move down to lower elevations when the snows come, soon

 Happy to stay put for the time being

He'll soon enough tangle those horns with an older bull for the rights to herd

Silly to have favorites but the elk or wapiti is just magnificent

Heading back down the eastern slope now toward Estes Park, 

a valley can be seen below, others lay below that

                Twilight is generally the best time to see elk being active.  They leave the forest cover to forage.  On our return to “our” end of the park (western slope) we saw a large group of females with young.  As we watched, little ones emerged that had been laying down in the grass and invisible.

 Six of about 25 just visible, others still in the trees, no doubt

 She is so gorgeous

 This fawn is really dark

Yes, their ears are really that pink

 This one was bugeling to her baby who was supposed to stay hidden

they couldn't stay down with so much excitement going on

He didn't want to be in trouble but the other little guys were going to their mama

My first, to watch an elk calf nursing.

             We did see one herd where the male must have had over 50 females he was forcing to change direction and when they did they ran.  It was a tremendous sight but unfortunately for us here – it was binoculars only, no camera shots.  That occurred just inside the park at our end.  We only imagined we could hear their hooves beat the ground.

           Not far from the elk stampede, we saw this young female moose in her classic element - water. They have adapted to eating dry but when water abounds, they dip their long nose, grab algae and filter the water back out through teeth and lips.  Maybe she is just drinking her fill here.  She didn't mind she had cars stopped up and down the road.  Gotta love it.

                Home again, we watched a forest service crew heading up to work the high trail.  We had seen pack mules earlier in the week but this time they had pack llamas!

Pack llamas

            Before we left we were treated with yet another first.  We had seen a female moose bedding down for the night with her little one the first week - too far and too dark to catch.  We didn't see them again until they wandered through our back yard almost a month later.

 We keep very still, we don't want to spook them

 What a portrait

Adorable

LOTS OF COMPANY: two leggeds

                Back to our wood cutting and other projects, we also had a few people events and visitors.  Our first visitor was Siglinde from Santa Fe.  Just a short visit but very fun. We can describe what it’s like at the cabin but nobody gets it without staying a bit.  We are so glad she made it.  

This is the lake by day, for the fireworks on the 4th it was very crowded with people

waiting for the display to start at 10pm, promising to be spectacular over the water

Same tree, pretty nice lights - love it

The only real problem is that it lasted only 10 minutes because some of the ordinance blew a hole in the barge and sunk it!  No finale this time.

 Siglinde at East Inlet, Adam's Falls

 Picnic near the lake

Watching a hawk land in a tree only to be harassed by several small birds until it left

Hula Medley

Between outdoor events, we listened to Hawaiian music on 33s in the Victrola and she helped me with lace curtains for our bedroom.

Between us we finished them

Sewing was always a pass time for the ladies up here in the bygone era

Kind of fun to play at tradition

The swing out front is another tradition

Amazing how many hikers stop to go for a ride or at least a picture

They usually sit down

           One of the best parts is the night sky.  There is virtually no light polution (like on Kauai's north shore) so the stars are intense. When the conditions are just right, dew, etc. some of the plants just glow, especially the scrub juniper.

Boot Hill

Siglinde left the same day family started arriving for my brother’s memorial service and life celebration.  David passed away last December less than a year since our mom. Never fond of crowds we had a small ceremony for him and then others joined in for the party that followed.  It was just right.

Memory box

David drew a whole collection of balsa boxes

Now we have a whole collection of containers for the family photos

Gil had prepped the stone for the marker and then we did it Hawaiian style with music, toasting, and remembering.  

 Really pretty stone, just a little bumpy where the plaque goes

 Laurie, Sharon, Jackie, Chris, Colin

My two nieces and 2 of their combined 6 kids

 Toasting David  poetry man

Hawaiian style - Aloha oe

I know he loved it

                I got a chance to visit with Jackie and take a nice walk by the river with Laurie. We picked flowers for my late sister too.  

           

She sat right down next to the flowers (just left of her rear end) 

Another visitor that didn’t seem to mind having humans around

           Chris' family joined us as did Shawn and his girls.  Colin's girlfriend from the fire department had a short visit before her shift.  The nephews were anxious to see what Shawn was driving from previous visits. A little younger they all have stories I do not want to hear.

Lots of grunting and nudging over truck stories

This picture doesn't do justice to Chris' monster in back

Colin's on left and Shawn's on right

Chris & Til

Mom meets new girl - too cute

Family man - Jordan, Christy, Shawn & Chloe, Taylor

                Nieces left for home, back to their jobs.  Shawn and his family were in for the next week and we had a great time.  We got in a hike and picnic up at the falls and a horseback ride, Shawn helped with some work including putting the awning up and got to see the bull moose.  Some good visits.

 Jordan and Taylor admiring the water

 The classic foot shot

Sharon & Taylor at Cascade Falls

 Uh, yeah, snowmelt is COLD

 Surprise!

Smaller than my thumb, we think he had fallen from a nest

Good luck buddy

Gil, Shawn, Chloe ready to ride

Lots of scenery and a little dust

 We hadn't had much rain but we were ready

Somehow the girls all missed it but Shawn really loved seeing this bull 

meander through our back yard

                Shawn and Christy went to Drive By Pie in Granby and brought home jalapeno apple and black berry pies.  The sticky berry pan went out on the “chipmunk stump.”

Pie face

 These guys were relentless, tag teaming the pan 

until there was no sign of sticky berry goo

A hiker came by as the gang was heading out and took our picture together

Hope they enjoy the road trip back to California

                So we have a new card game at the cabin.  No matter who stayed over, we played 5 Crowns – for 2-7 players and from age 8 on up.  Then everybody ordered themselves a set when they got home.  Good fun, mostly chance, some strategy.

5 Crowns

Really fun, diamonds are blue, clubs green, a fifth suit of yellow stars

It's all about wild cards

Colin’s Birthday

                The next event was nephew Colin’s birthday.  His twin sister Chelsie couldn’t make it and most of the family had already gone but a whole new group was in town.  It was a blast with drinks at the Gateway Inn and then dinner at the Sage.

 Party time at the Gateway

core entertainment in Grand Lake

 Colin and Richard

and Many pitchers of Moose Drool 

even though we were told the Gateway doesn't serve pitchers

special night

 Colin Spruce with his dad Mr. Bill

 and Mr. Gil

 and hummer who kept landing on this pole to check out the view

 Mt. Craig or better known as Mt. Baldy

Bill & Wendy in from S. Calif

Jeff (Jackie's son, Colin's cousin)

Nobody had a good time

 Tracy and Nate - Jeff''s family

Party over, time to get back to work, Jeff came to help (as usual).  He and Gil took down the two-man trees including topping the dead ones that support the swing.  Hairy business up there. 

 One topped, one to go

Jeff on the ladder with the chain saw

Gil on the rope below to pull it away from the cabin (and Jeff)

The serious cutting to keep trees from falling onto the cabin, etc. is pretty much done now and future cuts will be mostly a matter of improving the views.  Whew!

    Next morning I woke Nate up to come out front and watch a pair of moose eating. 

 Munching willows for breakfast

That's a pretty good reach

They wandered toward the river and we wandered into the kitchen 

to get this guy some breakfast too

Jeff didn't remember the stump outside the back door was fair game for the chipmunks.  He set his hot chocolate down and before I could tell him - too late.  

Chocolate face

            I’m not sure which was funnier, him climbing into the cup or taking a dirt bath to get it off his face and paws and then diving in again.  

                Jeff guys headed home with promises to come back for Labor Day weekend and to come see us soon in Hawaii. 

We needed a break.  Friends Christina and Zach were coming in for the weekend from Boulder and we wanted to just relax.  We did try to take a little evening hike but we got drenched with a surprise thunder shower so we happily just had a fire, trout on the BBQ (under the new awning) and played not only 5 Crowns but learned to play Cribbage.  Very nice.

We watched the squall come at us and the rainbow after -

felt very like Kauai

Chris & Zach

           We had seen the red fox that cruises around while Christina and Zach were here and after they left I saw an even larger animal run by the back door - WOLF!  Actually it was a dog, one that should not be in the park.  I chased it up the trail asking anyone I saw if it was theirs.  I finally caught it and brought it back down.  Gil found some line and we tied it to the stairs and gave it water.  I called the park service and they sent someone to pick him up. It turned out to be our old friend Jim Caretti - a ranger when my parents spent summers up here.

Lucky I spotted him even if he did give me a jolt

                We had a few days after they left and started wrapping things up.  Therese came up from Denver for a one nighter.  We had a nice quiet visit.

Gil & Therese

Not our first rodeo, friends for almost 50 years (no, can't be true)

            We had a nice dinner and got to play with the dishes - David's fiesta ware mixed with the knock offs we had.

New Fiesta flatware

           We felt pretty good about work here this time.  Really enjoyed the animals and the forest - nice to know life keeps moving there while we are elsewhere.

 New bench in front next to the swing

New bench in back - we can sit and look down on the cabin and trail 

or up the mountain where our friends tread

Time to close down and go to Denver.  We decided to take Trailridge again and visit Jackie on the way since we also had to return a chain saw to Chris and his sister Sondra has a new baby.  So much for best laid plans.  Due to last year’s flooding, our route was severely delayed with construction.  The devastation a year after was shocking.  When we just about reached Brighton where they live, we were actually in a cyclone.  The rain was so heavy we got lost on a country road and had to just stop while getting pelted by both rain and hail.  We had to skip the visit and just get past the storm.

Stuck in traffic, a store in Lyons 

Staying with Therese we got laundered, re-packed, turned in the truck and got acquainted with urban life again.    We did fit in a visit to the Botanical Garden between two other appointments.  It meant I didn’t even have my camera so these shots are from Gil’s phone which died before we were done.

Chihuly

                Well we may not return next year so we tried to make the most of the mountain adventure and got our big animal fix.  Aloha family and my close friends, the Rockies.  We love you.