A Symphony of Blossoms

As the grip of colder days tightens, my thoughts invariably drift toward the enchanting realm of spring — a time when warmth and radiant sunlight stir the slumbering cherry and apple trees from their wintry repose.

 

Gold in Golden...

In the quiet embrace of this morning, I found myself reluctant to leave the warmth of my bed. Winter's chill lingered in the air, and the world outside seemed unwelcoming, adorned in faded hues. Even the reluctant sun, making a subtle appearance, couldn't quite lift the somber atmosphere. In that moment, a yearning stirred within me for a return to a truly golden fall — a season of warmth and joy.

 

Even more wild flowers. Rustler Gulch trail, Crested Butte

The next morning after hiking Beckwith Pass (click here to see it - In search of wild beauty...) we returned, circled around Crested Butte and drove towards Gothic, a truly beautiful ghost town where we again didn't stop :) We headed to the Rustler Gulch trailhead. 

 

In search of wild beauty. Beckwith Pass trail, Crested Butte

We traveled to Crested Butte for Independence Day and explored the area and it was stunning....  We started our trip with a hike to Lake Irwin (click here to see - Lake Irwin and continued here - Peanuts and Meridian lakes). Crested Butte is Wildflower Capital of Colorado and we expected to see the flowers in full bloom. But, despite the abundance of rain and warm days that year, the peak of blooming still was a couple of weeks away, so we decided to return there again. And three weeks later we were back there and started with Beckwith Pass trail.

 

Yellow, red, green and blue - it's autumn!

As the demands of a bustling week gradually fade, there emerges an undeniable need for respite, a moment to distance oneself from the urban clamor. And what better time than October, where the transition from summer's verdant green to autumn's gilded embrace beckons us into nature's soothing arms.

 

The night in Breckenridge. Budweiser Snow Sculpture Festival 2019

Breckenridge is a great place to relax... It's especially beautiful in the fall (don't believe me? click here to check it out - Fall colors). Summer is good too... but winter is truly the best time... Especially two weekends in late January when the Budweiser Snow Sculpture Festival attracts teams from all over the world to carve blocks of snow and create some beauty (click here - Snowflake plus snowflake... finally we can make a snow sculpture, can't we? or here - Breckenridge Snow Sculptures Festival 2015 to see some of them).

 

June flowers

What do you like most about June? The weather, I think... It is still not as hot as next month and the sun hasn't had enough time to burn down all the greenery... And... the flowers are already in full bloom!

 

Table Mountain, late November hike...

North Table Mountain is a cool place to hike in May, especially after a heavy snowfall (click here to look at it - Table Mountain, light hike one Saturday in May). It transforms into a winter wonderland in January, offering a serene landscape beneath the cold embrace of snow (click here to check it out - Table Mountain or Oh, deer...). But it is also a beautiful place to explore on warm November day so let's try it, shall we?

 

Taos and on the way back to Denver

It was a nice but short escape to New Mexico to watch the eclipse and eat some spicy food (click here for previous part - Somewhere between here and there... Town of Los Cerillos)... but we needed to get back to Denver. We woke up early and left Las Vegas (New Mexico, not Nevada ;) ). We only made one short detour to see Montezuma Castle. United World College - USA uses the building now so we could only look at it from some distance (and, unfortunately, couldn't see much) ;)

 

Somewhere between here and there... Town of Los Cerillos

We drove along Highway of Legend and enjoyed the vibrant fall colors (click here to see - Vibrant colors of Highway of Legends) and ended up in Las Vegas (don't get me wrong, it's not Las Vegas, Nevada, but Las Vegas, New Mexico ;) ). This is a great place to stay (click here to see - Las Vegas, the small town with a big history) but we weren't planning on doing it this time. We had some other plans... It may not be as big and bright as its sister town in Nevada (click here to see - Las Vegas - Sin City) but... we loved it a lot! 

The next morning we left while it was still dark outside and headed towards Madrid (not Madrid, Spain but Madrid, New Mexico, yes I know it's very confusing, during this trip we were always not where the names were suggested), where we planned to stop on the side of the road and look around...

 

Back to August...

Back in August is a good time to look at some flowers ;) Yes, let's make another trip back in time and admire the August flowers...

 

Some beautiful flowers...

The flowers are such beautiful creatures, aren't they? But we don't see many these days.. Fall is not a time when the flowers are everywhere and bring joy, but... we have a time machine called "images", so why not use it? Let's jump back a few months and look at something bright, how about blooming Cholla?

 

Fall flowers...

Everybody knows that spring is the time of flowers... Or perhaps summer...  But... are we truly certain about that?

 

Vibrant colors of Highway of Legends

It's just unbelievable how the snowfall in October changes everything. Overnight, the colorful fall gave way to a peaceful and white winter. The temperature dropped and... immediately we realized how beautiful this fall was... with its warm days and vibrant colors... And although we only have to wait a couple of days before the warm weather returns, today I want to travel back in time (not very far) and refresh the memory with the bright colors of the Highway of Legends, along which we passed just a couple weeks ago.

 

Golden Gate Canyon - pure gold canyon ;)

That's what we all do in the fall time - chasing the fall colors. And the Golden Gate Canyon is a perfect place for it... There are a lot of aspen trees, and their foliage turns from green to pure gold in a matter of days, and if you find the right moment, you'll be rewarded with some gold...

 

Light morning hike

Last year I discovered a hidden gem for hiking, especially during the summer, but, regrettably,  didn't find a time to return there. And since last Saturday I was looking for something really light, I decided to revisit this enchanting place. I was also secretly hoping to catch some vibrant fall colors if I was lucky (uh... not really, but I did spot a few hints of color here and there).

The trail starts in a dense, shadowy forest and ascends rapidly from the very start.  It's a rather steep beginning, to be honest... 

 

Fall colors

Fall is an enchanting season in Colorado. The scorching summer heat has bid us farewell, but the biting winter cold hasn't yet arrived. In this transitional period, we are blessed with a few weeks of delightful mild weather, and an extra-special treat – the breathtaking Fall colors.

 

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain

I was talking to a friend of mine one day and he said that I probably have pictures of flowers of all colors. I wasn't sure that I had them, so... I looked through my collection and found flowers, if not all colors, but at least all the colors of the rainbow;) Thus the idea for this post was born...

 

Trinidad, CO, still on the way to New Mexico ;)

It was a long day... We started it in Pueblo (click here to see - The most boring city in Colorado... Really?), continued along the Highway of Legends (click here to see - Highway of Legends - La Veta and Stonewall...) and an hour before sunset we were not only still on the road, but made one more stop. This time in Trinidad... Yeap, almost all day and we haven't even left Colorado yet!

 

Highway of Legends - La Veta and Stonewall...

We enjoyed wandering around Pueblo (click here to see - The most boring city in Colorado... Really?), but had many miles and hours ahead of us before we could call it a day and stay the night in Las Vegas, NM. So we turned back onto I-25 and headed into the sun...

 

The most boring city in Colorado... Really?

What is the best way to spend a warm and sunny weekend in October? Right! Visiting New Mexico! What can be better?

 

Mabel Dodge Luhan house, Taos

We had a really good time discovering the treasures of La Loma Plaza (click here to see - Taos, a place you will never forget ;)) but ended up going elsewhere to see another Taos landmark.

 

Taos, a place you will never forget ;)

As you may remember, we caught the very last shuttle bus at Bandelier National Monument (click here if you want to refresh your memory - Bandelier National Monument) and drove back to Taos, where we planned to spend the night. The next morning we woke up full of energy and ideas about what we wanted to see...

 

Rose day...

Right... this is a real one flower show, and feel free to skip it if you are not fond of roses...

 

Bandelier National Monument

There was a lot to see in Chimayo (click here if you are interested in - El Santuario de Chimayó) but in the end we left this beautiful town and continued on to Santa Fe. But... we couldn't go straight there (surprise-surprise) and made another turn... We turned towards the Bandelier National Monument to see the place where no one has lived for the last 500 years :-)

 

El Santuario de Chimayó

We said goodbye to Irwin (click here to meet him - Back to Golden Fall from snow...) and moved to the main attraction of Chimayo. This town is famous not only as a weaver's paradise, but also well known for its pilgrimage place - El Santuario de Chimayó. Many years ago I found a website where I learnt about the history of this place. The site no longer exists ;( But... thanks to the Wayback machine I was able to recover the content... So let me just paste it below so you can read it if you are interested ;)

 

Back to Golden Fall from snow...

You know how it is... The days get shorter, the leaves turn from green to yellow and then fly away... in a few days it snows and the temperature drops by a good 20 degrees... Yeah, we usually call it Fall ;) And that's exactly what happened in 2012, when we had snow most of the day on Friday, October the 5th. And (as you might have guessed) there were no leaves left on the trees by this moment. But we had some plans for that weekend, so we loaded up the car and headed down Highway 285 towards New Mexico. At first, we moved slowly, not only because of the snowy and slippery roads, but also because of the thick fog... But after about an hour... the clouds were left behind and we enjoyed a blue sky and nicer weather... The trees were mostly barren and looked miserable when we stopped for a second at Kenosha Pass...

 

Close look at flowers...

What are we going to see today... Not much, actually, but some nice varieties (I hope). And I think some of them are not uncommon, but we just don't look down on them and completely miss them as we pass by. Let's start with this red lily... Daylily, actually, but who cares!

 

A Gray Day's Charm

Amidst the relentless blaze of the sun, a welcome respite arrived in the form of a delightful gray-ish day last Saturday. Seeking refuge from the scorching heat, I embarked on a journey to Central City, a picturesque haven nestled in the mountains. The air felt fresher, the colors softer - nature's own canvas muted in soothing tones. As I ventured on a short hike, the atmosphere felt more tranquil, and I couldn't help but appreciate the change in scenery.

 

Beware of DRAGONfly!

DISCLAIMER - Don't even think of looking at these pictures if you don't like dragonflies! It's dangerous! They can change your mind ;)

 

Flowers, just flowers

Nothing special today... just a couple of Summer flowers...

 

Mountains...

What could be better than driving to the mountains and having a light hike there... I think this is the best way to spend Saturday morning, when it's toasting hot down in Denver and nice and breezy up in the mountains...

 

Deep in the Woods: A Summer Escape...

What could be more invigorating than a mountain retreat to escape the relentless summer heat? Well, I'll tell you - venturing into the woods with a camera in hand! That's precisely what I did last Saturday, as the mercury climbed relentlessly, attempting to beat the early morning chill. Stepping out of the car, my day was instantly graced by the delightful presence of a hummingbird - a truly blissful beginning to my mountain sojourn.

 

Breckenridge Snow Sculptures Festival 2015

Do you know what is the best day to visit Breckenridge to see the snow sculptures? I can say... Super Bowl Day ;) Why? Because most people sit at home watching TV and leave the roads empty... And at the Breckenridge Snow Sculpture Festival, it's not crowded at all and you can walk between huge snow sculptures and admire them ;)

 

Escaping the Heat

Disclaimer - the text below was generated by ChatGPT and... somehow the AI was able to capture my unspoken idea and verbalized it quite well ;) 

As the scorching sun beats down relentlessly, and temperatures soar past the 100°F mark, it's natural to yearn for relief from the exhausting and sweltering weather. Oh, how we long for a change, a respite from the relentless heat! Perhaps, just for a moment, we can transport ourselves to a world blanketed in pristine, glistening white, where the air is crisp and invigorating—a winter wonderland, if you will.

 

A few birds I found in the City Park

City Park is a cool place to walk in the morning. There are still not too many people on the trails and the birds are everywhere. Do you remember the Common Merganser family? Yep, the funny one ;) So, I was really interested to check on them and I found they still live in the same small lake and the Merganser-mom is still watching for any danger...

 

Some small gems...

A couple weeks ago I was hiking in the Central City area and found many small gems there. Not real gems but some colorful and beautiful flowers. Wildflowers... simple and nice...

 

Redstone, a small town in the middle of nowhere... Independence Day 2019 trip, part 13.

I know, the pictures of the road from Cedarage to Redstone are not as impressive as the road itself (but feel free to click here to see them - From Cedaredge to Redstone. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 12). You need to drive it to see all the beauty of this winding mountain road... But the town of Redstone. Oh, we fell in love with this place the first time we visited it in 2010. It lies off the beaten path and we don't have an option to get there often, but every time we do, love flares up and we don't want to leave this small and time-lost town.... The town, only 92 people call home...

 

From Cedaredge to Redstone. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 12.

Of course we didn't want to leave these amazing wildflowers (Another wildflowers trail in Crested Butte. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 11) we admired the day before, but we needed to drive back to Denver. So we started the next morning by discussing which route to take. And we had tons of options...

 

 

Another wildflowers trail in Crested Butte. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 11

We ended the second day of our trip exploring the North Rim of the Black Canyon (click here to see - Black Canyon, North Rim. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 10). The next day we planned to drive back home, but before telling this story let's go back to day two, to Crested Butte and wildflowers.

 

Black Canyon, North Rim. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 10

We crossed the Kebler Pass (click here to look at the road - Kebler Pass Road. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 9) and soon after reached the point of no return, where we had to decide if we were going straight to a hotel or another adventure was waiting for us. And, it shouldn't come as a surprise to you, we turned left and moved forward to see one more place.

 

Kebler Pass Road. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 9

We really enjoyed hiking the Snodgrass trail, but wanted to see more of the wildflowers, so we soon turned back and returned to the car. But let's skip our next destination for now, jump ahead and see something different we experienced that day. We had to decide how to get to the hotel and we had tons of options...

 

Crested Butte - wildflower's capital of the USA - Snodgrass trail. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 8

Crested Butte is the wildflower capital of the USA. You can hear it here and there, so that day we wanted to make sure it was true and drove from Gunnison to see it with our own eyes (click here to see - Town of Gunnison. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 7 )...

 

Town of Gunnison. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 7

While we traveled back in time to see Black Canyon (click here for this story - Black Canyon - the most beautiful canyon... part 6), the car took us down a beautiful road. This road ran through planes and jumped up and down hills. From time to time it zigzagged like a rabbit running from the fox. Probably the best part of this road is running along the Blue Mesa reservoir. 

 

Morrison to Mount Falcon Trail - A Wildflower Wonderland!

Believe it or not, you don't have to embark on long drives to witness the beauty of wildflowers in the Colorado mountains. There are plenty of accessible locations where you can hop in your car and, in just 45 minutes or less, find yourself surrounded by fragrant scents and vibrant colors.

 

Black Canyon - the most beautiful canyon... part 6

We left friendly Montrose (click here for a tour of downtown Montrose - Montrose. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 5) and hit the road. But before we reach our next destination, let's make a turn and see a place we missed on this trip - South Rim of the Black Canyon of Gunnison ;) We probably need to time travel, but who cares, huh?

 

Montrose. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 5.

We enjoyed the sunset (click here to see - Sunset on the Black Canyon of Gunnison. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 4) and drove to Montrose, where we spent the night. And in the morning, we woke up, had breakfast and... just walked down the streets of Montrose ;)

 

Three Sisters - Elephant Butte: A Delightful Summer Hike

Alderfer / Three Sisters Park, located near Evergreen, is an extraordinary destination that I had the pleasure of discovering last year. Its proximity to Denver and the abundance of captivating trails make it a must-visit location. While the vistas may not be as awe-inspiring as those found higher up in the mountains, they are still incredibly pleasant. This park stands out as one of the finest options for a quick hiking excursion. Take a look at what I explored during my first visit to the park - Saturday, visiting Three Sisters ;).

 

Sunset in the Black Canyon of Gunnison. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 4

 You will surely ask why we were in such a hurry to leave this sweet, cool and pleasant place (click here to see what I mean - Pine Creek Trail. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 3). And the answer may be unexpected;). Actually we wanted to see the canyon. That's right, we came out of the canyon to see the canyon, but let's start it again...

 

Pine Creek Trail. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 3

 Click here to take a look at the previous stop - Buena Vista. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 2.

You know, always following the paved roads is boring and that's not exactly what we do. Taking the side roads and making unexpected turns is more our style and we planned to cross the Rockies using Cottonwood Pass, a nice and cool alternative to Monarch Pass, but to our surprise the pass was closed for some reasons. We were disappointed, of course, but we had a backup option, so we turned back, drove through Buena Vista in the opposite direction and took the Monarch Pass instead. This is the more common route but it is also a pleasant and nice way to cross the mountains so we had no complaints.