A bit more of North. Hawaii, part 05

To read previous part Limahuli Botanical Garden, Hawaii, part 04

Finally we left the botanic garden and slowly moved back to the hotel. We stopped here and there to look at the mountains and beaches...

 

Limahuli Botanical Garden, Hawaii, part 04

To read previous part North. Hawaii, part 03

We didn't make big plans when we were on Kauai. We tried to be flexible and follow the weather and our guts. We definitely had a few scenarios in mind every day but played by ear. So when we left the north beach and caught a light rain, we decided to go and see the botanic garden. There are three botanic gardens on Kauai, two official and one not. Limahuli Botanical Garden is located in the north, so it was a logical choice for us to stop by and spend some time there.

 

North. Hawaii, part 03

To read previous part The sun, blue ski, white clouds, green grass and colorful flowers... Hawaii, part 02

Spending all day outside, overwhelmed with new impressions, we slept like babies. But the next morning the roosters woke us up again. We didn't complain actually, the earlier start was in our plans as we were eager to explore more...

Do you know what is the best about Kauai island? The weather. Yes, it is not stable, but... this is incredibly rare having the same weather all around the island. So if it is raining on one end, it'll be sunny on another. All you need is to check the forecast and make a decision, where are you going today - north or south. That morning we were driving to the north end of the road, towards the sun... We planned to go all the way to the end of the road and start exploring from the far end. Once we reached there, we stopped the car and stepped outside, amazed with the view to the taro fields. Popular tropical vegetables growing on the wet fields. Honestly - we never saw anything like this before.

 

The sun, blue ski, white clouds, green grass and colorful flowers... Hawaii, part 02

To read previous part View from the window... Hawaii, part 01

The morning was just amazing, despite the early start (say thanks to roosters). The skies were deep blue... the clouds were pure white... the chicken were colorful and noisy... and we started exploring surroundings...

 

View from the window... Hawaii, part 01

Close your eyes... imagine you are on vacation... you are sleeping in your bed peacefully and... SUDDENLY you hear a loud rooster crow! You open your eyes to find out it is just 4AM and the roosters are crying outside and you cannot go to sleep anymore... Welcome to Hawaii, the place where the roosters are free to wake you up with the first rays of sun bursting from the horizon line ;)

 

Prickly beauty...

It is a Winter now. No complaints, not too much snow and the weather is not too cold either. But everything is grey-brown and not as bright compared to the Summer time. So, let's travel back, to the hot summer day, filled with colors and flowers. And first, let's go outside early in the morning and find a White Prickly Poppy, the beautiful flower so common for Colorado.

 

Saturday hike at the end of November

Some days are good for staying home and some days are good for a short hike. Sometimes you are ready to drive for hours just to find a nice place to be and sometimes you are not in the mood for going places. Or you just wake up too late and don't have time for a long trip. If so, Mount Galbraith trail is right for you.

 

Denver, city of the West

What do you answer when someone asks you - Where are you from? I am from Denver, you say, right? But what is Denver for you? What is Denver for others? What is Denver for the travelers passing by? Did you ever think about the city we are all living in?

We moved here about decade ago and we had no idea what to expect at this time. And I bet it would look differently in the eyes of someone who just arrived here today. And I heard it was way different a couple of dozen years ago... Let's take a look at the city of Denver how we found it a dozen years ago...

Denver is located in the center of the United States. Just in the middle of it. It's the capital of the state of Colorado, which traditionally positioned itself as western state and state of cattles and cows. Friend of mine, who has lived here for almost 40 years, told me he was unable to order a fish in the restaurant when he just arrived here. Steak, steak and only steak was the meal for the real man! OK, burger for everyday and steak for all other occasions. It has changed now and you can order not only well done fish, but also a suchi, which was impossible just recently...

Not only food had changed, actually. The lifestyle is not the same either. The skyscrapers and web of highways, fancy stores and technocenter, busy neighbourhoods and technological hub... Everything is different nowadays. But so many things are still the same and changed very little during hundreds of years.

 

Orchids and snow

Denver Botanic Garden is beautiful. It looks like a huge part during Spring and Summer. Thousands of flowers are blooming during this time and everyone is charmed by them. It's different in the Winter though. Not many flowers outside, but it is still a nice and gorgeous place to walk around.

But... you still can find something new there. Frozen waterfall, for example. It looks amazing, isn't it?

 

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!