Snow, snow, snow...

Winter in Colorado... It is not like Winter in other places. Isn't it cold? It is... Isn't it snowy? It is... but... I mean BUT ;)

Right, it is cold during the Winter time, but also most of the time it is just chilly or even warm. It is snowing, but only for a couple of days following with quick melting. This is really rare if the snow is falling for more than two-three days in a row. But sometimes even one day of snowfall can bring a lot of snow. So that happened a few years ago when about two feet of snow fell overnight and transformed the city from boring to Winter fairy tale.

Next morning after the snowfall everything looked just amazing. Thick puffy snow and bright sun. What can be better to see? So we drove around, stopping here and there, taking pictures and having a good time. So let's bring the memories back and travel in the past to see the sunny snowy day in Denver...

 

Spring in October

October is an absolutely beautiful time in Colorado. Bright colors and mild weather, but some days are not as nice. So was a Sunday when the temperature dropped down to almost freezing point. It also wasn't really sunny, but still we decided to go out. We drove down to City Park.

Honestly... it was a brutal cold and we wanted to jump back into the car just after five minutes out. But... c'mon... isn't it a beautiful day? So we stepped down the slope and stopped frozen. Not because of the cold, but because of the flowers. Roses...

 

Sparkling glare of Christmas lights

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright...

What can be better than driving around the city late December to enjoy looking at Christmas decorations people put on their houses...

 

Lavender Festival at Botanic Garden at Chatfield Farms

There are thousands of flowers blooming in Colorado every year. You can find all colors and shapes, all sizes and scents... But this is one flower that attracts thousands of people in July and makes them drive all the way up to Chatfield Farms to spend a hot day in July wandering around and enjoying looking at this flower. It's a lavender... 

 

Beautiful Saint-Petersburg - The Venice of the North

Peter the Great is the most famous Russian king or Czar. Why? Cuz of many deeds of his. 

 

Golden, old cars and fresh flowers

Town of Golden is the best place to escape from Denver if you are tired and not ready to drive for hours. Clear cold water and mountain peaks are always there and I can stay on this bridge for hours looking at running water.

 

One green day

The flowers are beautiful... They are bright and colorful. But sometimes you just get tired of colors and want something not as bright... something green, perhaps. And once you go green, you find there are at least 50 shades of green (actually, fifty is underestimation, but who cares).

 

July hike, Central City

That was another toasty July day in Denver and I just needed to escape somewhere. It didn't really matter where as long as the air would be cooler and fresher. So I drove all the way up to Black Hawk and turned to Central City. But walking in the town wasn't in my plans, I wanted to be alone. And I just passed the town and dropped the car next to the cemetery gates. Got my camera and some water and started hiking up to the hill, hoping to find something interesting once I climb to the top.

 

Mountain Flowers

It becomes really hot in July in the Denver area and feels great to leave the city and find yourself somewhere above 8000 feet. Light breeze is cooling down the air and elevation makes a toasty Summer a bit more bearable. And the flowers... You always can find something nice, something you are not able to find downhill. Mariposa Lily, for example. Nice white flowers are poking through green rug here and there. 

 

July... flowers... insects...

Hot July days and flowers in full bloom. I love this small bush of the Lavender Thrift with its small but beautiful flowers.

Touch not me...

Read first part Knock on wood, it's Halloween

Once the parade exhausted itself, the spectators stopped moving around in anticipation...

 

Knock on wood, it's Halloween

We all know that the last day of October is special. It's Halloween, the celebration of... honestly, I am not sure if I know what we are celebrating this day. In fact, this is a mix of pagan and Christian traditions with some modern additions to it. But... it is a day of fun and it has its own traditions and attributes...

 

Saturday in mountains

Sometimes you just cannot stay home and need to go somewhere. Just to change the environment and to see something new. Maybe not exactly new, but something you don't see every day. And when you feel this way, nothing is better than going to the mountains. Just driving along the windy road and enjoying the views. And that was exactly what I did a couple weeks ago. Just left Denver, got out of I-70 to Evergreen and took the right turn on Squaw Pass Road. 

 

Summer, flowers, insects...

Summer and endless heat, flowers and insects... what else would you expect from June in Colorado? Have no idea. That's pretty much what I expect and, to tell you a secret, what I enjoyed.

Mostly, naturally, flowers. Purple and yellow, white and purple again. Red and blue, small and big... Not all of them I met that day in June, but you cannot expect to see all varieties every day, right?

 

Flowers of the desert

What is the desert... For most of us, the desert is a place where almost nothing can be found. It is not a very accurate description, but... it's good enough, isn't it? In fact, a lot can be found in a desert and the flowers are the most amazing things you can see there. But... honestly... this is not exactly desert pictures I am about to share with you. Just some plants and flowers growing on a small patch of the land nearby. But it still gives you an exact feeling of a desert.

 

Flowers, flowers, flowers...

You know... what can be better than flowers... right - flowers ;)

Flowers are always beautiful and no one can pass by without looking and admiring. And... they are gorgeous even when the fall is knocking on your door. Don't believe me? Look!

 

Canyonland National Park, April 2015

One of the best places to visit any time of the year. We visited the Canyonland in April 2015. It was unusually cold (just above 35 degrees) and rainy for two days. But... I guess it only made the views better and the clouds were amazing there...

Morning walk

It is always a pleasure to spend some time in the morning walking outside. Highland Ranch is a great neighborhood where you can find a nice view and beautiful flowers...

 

Short History of Highland Neighborhood in six mosaics

Highways... They are the veins of the economy and millions of cars are constantly moving people and cargo from here to there. We all know very well how everything looks like from the highway, but very little of how the highway looks from the surrounding area. And mostly they don't look really nice. Gray concrete walls, pipes and columns, dust and water... Quite often the highway needs some additional constructions like soundproof walls to separate the residential areas and noisy, dusty highways. And... as I said, these parts rarely attract our attention. 

But... sometimes it's different, like this wall in Highland Neighborhood.

 

Night walk around the lake

That was a nice warm August evening and why not to go for short walk around the lake? So we did. We made a couple of loops around Bingham Lake in Parker and... what else can I say? It was nice and really enjoyable. We even met a group of deer there and we couldn't see them before they appear just a couple feet off the trail ;) That was nice evening though...

 

May, Botanic Garden, flowers...

Right... This is no surprise and you can always find some flowers in the Botanic Garden in May. And... also... no needs for comment, because the picture of the flower is worth hundreds words about this flower. So - just look and enjoy!

 

Denver, two Art Deco buildings

Architect Temple Buell is mostly known as designer and builder of the Cherry Creek mall – the first modern shopping mall in Denver. But I think there are some more projects he was working on. Let’s see if we can find them :)

Horace Mann Middle School and Mullen Building at St. Joseph Hospital both designed and built in the 1930s and both look really unusual. But first, let's learn more about an architect.

 

Colorado colors - Kenosha and Boreas Passes, Breckenridge - Sept 2016

Our planet is quite old... A few billions years old... And all this time it is spinning around the sun and the same cycle repeats every year - Winter is starting the year, followed by Spring, that Summer and finally the Fall time is taking over the Summer. And every Fall we can go outside and enjoy the huge change in scenery, when the leaves turn yellow and red before the wind blows them away for the Winter.

 

Edgewater Celtic Harvest Festival

 Denver is a home for people from all around the World. Mix of different cultures and languages, lifestyles and habits. And the people who share the same roots are always glad to share their culture and traditions with everyone.

 

Red Rocks Trading Post loop trail

Red Rocks Amphitheater is better known as a perfect concert place. But it is not only one thing you can do here. You also can take a short and easy hike around the cliffs to enjoy fall colors.

 

Old American cars - Classic Rock Cruise-In show in Castle Rock

Old American cars - tons of chrome, lots of details... feeling like you are back in the 70s... 60s... 50s... feeling like you are a kid again and your father just brought home a new car... Maybe this is a reason because these old car shows are that popular?

 

Babi Yar Park - a living holocaust memorial

Babi Yar park is one of the most unusual park in Denver. Babi Yar Park is a 27-acre memorial landscape that provides a place of quiet contemplation to reflect upon crimes against humanity and genocide. Native vegetation and trees encourage solace, and a small grassy amphitheater is available for gatherings and dialogue. In 1969 Mayor William H. McNichols, Jr. designated the land for the purpose of creating “a place that would demonstrate a unified public protest.”

Visitors enter the park via a narrow passage between two inscribed, rough-hewn, black granite monoliths. 

 

Quiet life in Morrison

Denver on Saturday is noisy, busy and full of running people. And wouldn't it be great to escape all this buzz and enjoy some other place, preferably nice and quiet, easy and cozy, uncrowded and ... I guess you can easily find ten more words to describe Morrison, a small town in a foothill area.

 

One snow day in February...

I know, I know... this is not a good time to have this conversation. This is such a nice Fall day and Colorado colors are great and no wind today and it is still warm and nice. And tomorrow is gonna to be another of these days - nice looking and warm...

But... the Winter is coming. Do you like it or not... Do you want it or not... The days will be colder (and also shorter). The colorful leaves will leave the branches and the trees will stay naked and look unhappy. The snow occasionally will cover the surface and everything will look cold and white.

 

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Every year in October dozens of the balloons are taking off and stay in the air for hours. Wanna to see it? Go to New Mexico! Every October the Balloon Fiesta takes place in Albuquerque and this event is the biggest hot balloon festival in the World.

It starts long before dawn... Only cats can see clearly in the dark, but it doesn't stop hundreds of guests who are waiting... Waiting for the sun and colorful balloons to take off...

 

The flights in Frederick

Had you even dreamed about flying as a bird? Have you woken up in the middle of the night just to be disappointed about this being just a dream? Sure you did... But what about flying in real life? I mean flying as a bird, being touched by the wind, seeing the earth far above your feet... Is it possible? Yes it is! There are a few options for doing this and it was so interesting to look at enthusiasts paragliding in Centennial Park in Frederick, CO. 

 

Santa Fe Art District, Graffiti

The time is flying... Just yesterday we were still so young and could not believe we could meet 21 century. Year of 2000 was so far away and the future seemed so blurry blurry and smoky... And now, only a couple days later, we couldn't believe that we are living in 21 century, and have almost one fifth of it behind... Oh my... how the time is flying, how the things are changing over time...

 

Ouray - part 14 of Independence Day trip 2015

Read previous part:
Telluride - part 13 of Independence Day trip 2015

We left Telluride and headed back to Denver. But... we couldn't go straight home, without making a detour :) We love this small town so much and cannot skip it, even if we don't have time to stop by. We always have time to stop and see Ouray ;) Always!

But before we slowed down somewhere in the middle of nowhere just to look at the mountains and clouds.

 

Telluride - part 13 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
Ophir - part 12 of Independence Day trip 2015

Soon after returning back on the highway we also returned to our usual pace and were driving faster and faster and faster... Stopped only once just to take a look at the cloudy mountains and soon enough we reached Telluride - our destination.

Today Telluride is a famous ski resort in the Winter and the place that offers a lot of activities at the Summertime. But that wasn't always like this. The first gold was discovered in the area in 1858 and the first gold claim was made in the nearby mountains in 1875. The silver camp became a town in 1878 as Columbia. But due to confusion with a California town of the same name, the place was renamed to Telluride in 1887. It was named Telluride after Gold Telluride, valuable ore compounds of the chemical element tellurium which never were found in this area :) 

 

Ophir - part 12 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
From Cortez to Telluride - part 11 of Independence Day trip 2015

If you are driving Highway 145 and tired of seeing just grey asphalt in front of your car, you can slow down and make a turn to the Forest Road CR 630. You will be surprised how quickly everything around changes. In a matter of minutes just find yourself in a different world. You cannot fly low above the highway anymore and need to drive slowly... But now you can enjoy the trees that stay so close to the road you can touch the branches with your arm stretched out of the car window. You will enjoy seeing the mountain slopes running up and this winding road brings you to a tiny town completely lost between high mountains. This is the town of Ophir, a small mining place incorporated in... I don't know exactly when :) The Internet says in 1875, the sign near the town reads 1881...

 

From Cortez to Telluride - part 11 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read  previous part:
Creede - part 10 of Independence Day trip 2015

We woke up at 6AM the next morning and were ready for new adventures to find. We had breakfast in the hotel and continued on highway 145 to Telluride.  

 

Creede - part 10 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
Bachelor Loop Creede - part 9 of Independence Day trip 2015

At one point at the end of Bachelor Loop you can see the town of Creede from the bird's eye. And you see small, colorful and nice looking town. 

 

Bachelor Loop Creede - part 9 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
Underground Mining Museum in Creede - part 8 of Independence Day trip 2015

Let's talk a little bit about Creede. This is a small town (population was 290 people in 2010), lost somewhere deep in the mountains. The first mine was open in this area in 1869 but didn't last long. Silver fever helped the small town grow in a few months and became one of very important in the area. Population of 600 in1889 boomed to about 10,000 in 1891. And the town collapsed back in 1893 when the Silver Panic hit all of the silver mines in Colorado. But Creede didn't become a ghost town. After 1900, Creede stayed alive by relying increasingly on lead and zinc in the ores. Total production through 1966 was 58 million troy ounces (870 metric tons) of silver, 150 thousand ounces (4.7 metric tons) of gold, 112 thousand metric tons of lead, 34 thousand metric tons of zinc, and 2 million metric tons of copper.

But these times are gone and now this is a nice looking town well hidden in the middle of nowhere.  But the past is still here and even works in the town's advantage. There are a lot of the mines still can be found in the area and one of the attractions is to drive through the Bachelor Loop - almost off road and mostly one way road bringing you close to many historical mines and other interesting places.

 

Underground Mining Museum in Creede - part 8 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
Lakes and Waterfalls - part 7 of Independence Day trip 2015

It didn't take long for us to reach Creede, the small mining town with a rich history. It feels a bit sleepy now, but still keeps some secrets and attractions. One of them is the Underground Mine Museum. There are plenty of mines converted to museums all around the state of Colorado and they are real. Visiting them is like stepping back in time. But they all lack one thing... they don't show you how the mining was changing during the time and what tools were used. They don't teach you about life of miners. The Creede museum is different and that is why we wanted to visit it and learn more about everyday work in the mines. The Underground Mining Museum is the place, where you can see and feel what the miners did in the mines.

 

Lakes and Waterfalls - part 7 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
Lake City Parade - part 6 of Independence Day trip 2015

We enjoyed the parade and left Lake City soon after people cleared Main Street. We had a good time there but we had some more plans to see places this day. We followed highway 149, which runs up to the summits and down to the valleys. There are a couple of pearls the traveler can find hidden just out of the main road. One of these treasures is Lake San Cristobal, the second largest natural lake in the state of Colorado.

 

Lake City Parade - part 6 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous parts:
Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park Reservoir - part 1 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Lake Irwin - part 2 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Peanuts and Meridian lakes - part 3 of Independence Day trip 2015
Crested Butte - part 4 of Independence Day trip 2015
Lake City - part 5 of Independence Day trip 2015

We still were walking along the streets and enjoyed the town when we heard the bell rung. That was the time and we returned to the main street...

Lake City - part 5 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous parts:
Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park Reservoir - part 1 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Lake Irwin - part 2 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Peanuts and Meridian lakes - part 3 of Independence Day trip 2015
Crested Butte - part 4 of Independence Day trip 2015

We were so tired last night and slept like a baby. Next morning we woke up early and started from Gunnison. The next planned destination for our adventure was Lake City. Tired of the beaten paths we would like to take small and not very crowded highways. The Silver Thread Byway (Highway 149) from Gunnison to South Fork is one of the roads that doesn't really attract many travelers. That was exactly what we needed... 

But the very first stop we made was just after we turned off Highway 50. The view of Blue Mesa Reservoir was so spectacular... The reflection in the water was so enchanting... The sky was so morning-like...  

Crested Butte - part 4 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous parts:
Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park Reservoir - part 1 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Lake Irwin - part 2 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Peanuts and Meridian lakes - part 3 of Independence Day trip 2015 

We reached Crested Butte soon after we left Meridian Lake that afternoon. Unfortunately we had about an hour to walk along the streets before leaving the town.

Peanuts and Meridian lakes - part 3 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous parts:
Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park Reservoir - part 1 of Independence Day trip 2015 
Lake Irwin - part 2 of Independence Day trip 2015

We passed Crested Butte again, drove around the town and stopped near Peanut Lake. 

Lake Irwin - part 2 of Independence Day trip 2015

To read previous part:
Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park Reservoir - part 1 of Independence Day trip 2015

We left Taylor Park Reservoir and took a winding road along the Taylor River. We planned to see even more alpine lakes this day...

In about an hour we passed Crested Butte and took a county road towards Lake Irwin. We drove as long as we could and stopped only when the road became impassable for our Forester. Than we left the car and started walking along the road. We planned to hike from Lake Irwin and to see some flowers at higher altitude.

Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park Reservoir - part 1 of Independence Day trip 2015

Independence Day long weekend is a good reason for traveling somewhere. And it's an even better reason to go to the mountains where it is not as hot as downhill and enjoy a nice, quiet environment, fresh air and endless mountain ridges.

We started early in the morning and by 10AM we were already crossing the Rockies.

Flowers before snow... second part

 Just a few more pictures of the mostly the same flowers.

Is this one a hibiscus?  I am not really sure... but, probably. Anyway, it looks amazing, doesn't is?

Flowers before snow... part 1

Everything looked so sad yesterday when the show hit the Denver area. Everything looked definitely better just days before and... we can take a look at the flowers before the snow covers them... 

The wild roses are definitely go for the second round of blooming and, honestly, I like it!

Snow and flowers

We all know that weather here in Colorado is not very predictable and can easily turn to the wrong direction. How'd they say? Don't like the weather? Wait 15 minutes and it changes... By the way, yesterday I heard Iceland's version of this expression - Don't like the weather? Wait 15 minutes, it'll be even worse ;)

Anyway, it was almost 100F two days ago and it was raining and snowing yesterday. And this is not even October yet. Just early September. Just a few days ago I was enjoying looking at the flowers blooming and today they all were covered by snow. All this fragile and tender petals were struggling under an inch or two of heavy wet snow.

I guess I'd better share the pictures. No words can tell you how sad and beautiful these flowers looked today...

Boulder, empanada restaurant and funny stores

 As I said in my previous post, before we enjoyed walking in Boulder, we used to stop for quick lunch. You know, this is really easy to find a good restaurant in Boulder... All you need is to stop somewhere and you will be swamp with many options. But if you want something special, you can face a parking problem, so it took about 20 minutes circling around before we found a spot to park our car. And all these troubles because we wanted to have a couple of empanadas at Rincon Argentino :)