So many colors, so many shapes... mushroom's portraits ;)

We rarely look down and register the small objects that surround us. But once you look at ones that usually don't really attract our attention you can find some fascinating details. Let's do it today, should we? Let's go to the woods and collect some... mushroom pictures (or, I'd like to call them mushroom's portraits).

 

Irises

Irises... Amazingly beautiful and immensely attractive. Small and big, bright and dull...

 

Lunch pictures...

Oh, I guess the title is a bit confusing, isn't it? Actually this is not about the pictures of my lunch, but about the pictures I had taken during my lunch walk around the block ;) Just a few images captured while I was strolling under the hot sun and looking for something nice to photograph :) Flowers, for example...

 

Grizzly Peak hike

It was a nice but a bit cloudy Saturday day in July. We drove up to the Loveland pass and planned to have a nice hike. This is the best place to do that. We felt like we were in the fairy tail - go left and you find a mountain peak... go right and you find a few more... By the way, some hikers just do that - go to the left first and to the right next (or vice versa) ;) We decided for the right turn, because there were the easiest 14ers - Torreys Peak and Grays Peak... But we weren't sure if we were up to that, but here is Grizzly Peak (13,500 feet) just before those two so we could try it first and decide later if we want to do more...

The weather was really good for such a hike - cloudy with little sun. Chilly but not really cold. The clouds were hitting Torreys Peak all the time, but the chances for the rain were slim. So we decided to start with concurring Grizzly Peak first... So we started from the parking lot (11,900 feet) and did the first stretch - climbing 1000 feet to the ridge... It wasn't that difficult and as a reward we were looking at Highway 6 meandering towards Dilon from the birds eye.

 

Yeah, that's mushrooms again ;)

Honestly, I didn't really plan to go hiking that Saturday. My intention was more practical - to go to the mountains and look for some mushrooms. But the road I intended to use was closed until 9AM and I had about an hour to kill, so I decided to look for the mushrooms around Three Sisters park, because I was close to this place. So I turned my wheels and soon parked my car and was walking in the forest, hiking and looking under my feet in hope to find something edible. And... cuz I didn't plan on hiking, the only device to register surroundings was my cell, so don't be disappointed with the pictures ;)

 

Zoo lights

There are two big events that happen every year just before Christmas time... The competition where the lights are brighter and more colorful... At the Botanic Garden or in the Zoo... How the Botanic Garden lights look like you can see here Christmas Lights in Botanic Garden. But let's look at what the Zoo can offer...

 

Fall colors, Guanella Pass

We all have some reasons to wait impatiently for Fall time. The biggest one is that the hot Summer is finally giving up and the cooler season is rolling towards Winter. It is especially true after the toasty Summer like we had back in 2018... Even if we don't need to wait for a long time, still, let's turn on the time machine and jump a month ahead and enjoy Fall colors...

 

Are there any mushrooms to collect?

I was having my breakfast when the idea struck me - why not go to the mountain and hunt for some mushrooms? Really, why not? ;)

 

Rocky Mountain National Park lakes

It was a nice and warm weekend in November and we decided to take advantage of warm weather and spend some time up in the mountains. We have chosen Rocky Mountain National Park as our destination and specifically wanted to look at the lakes. Probably the last time before the snow would cover the slopes with white blanket and change the landscape until Spring time.

 

Herman Gulch hike - out and back...

To read the first part click here Herman Gulch hike - what happens in the morning... 

I climbed on the rock and stayed there and took pictures of the lake. It looked just beautiful. Surrounded by rough cliffs and sitting at the basin, green-ish water looked well aligned with green slopes. I liked it and didn't rush myself to walk down...

 

Herman Gulch hike - what happens in the morning...

Actually... nothing happened ;) I mean it was a nice Saturday morning and I drove up to the mountains to enjoy a hike. Thanks to my friend, who told me about Herman Gulch trail, cuz I never heard about this one before. Anyway, shortly after I started, I reached the trailhead and was ready to begin. Departing from 10,300 feet above sea level is always exciting...

 

Saturday, visiting Three Sisters ;)

You know I am always looking for some place nearby but nice to hike on Saturdays. Something just in the distance of the stretched hand and where one can walk and enjoy nice views (and... I like to find some Mariposa Lilies there, one of my weaknesses).

 

Evergreen Lake, hot August day

There are a lot of places where you can escape the summer heat. And one of them is Evergreen. Small town close to Denver located in the mouth of the narrow canyon at the elevation of 7200 feet. And Evergreen Lake is the most popular place to spend a few hours on weekends...

 

Farewell, San Francisco, still the second day ;)

To read the previous part click here -> San Francisco, day two, Chinatown and more

While we  continued to walk along Market St we were looking here and there to find interesting places to see. We were already tired, because that was the second day we were non-stop exploring Frisco and we walked a lot... I mean it, A LOT... Finally we came to Civic Center plaza and San Francisco City Hall. Nice place and we stopped for a few minutes to have some rest and look around.

 

San Francisco, day two, Chinatown and more

To read previous part click here -> San Francisco, day second, the morning...

We left Coit Tower and walked down the streets to return back to downtown. It took just a few minutes and we found ourselves in Chinatown.

 

San Francisco, day second, the morning...

To read previous part click here -> Streets of San Francisco, end of the first day

We are all tired when we are traveling. especially if we are walking a lot... But let's see the bright side of it - we all also sleep really well because of the tiredness ;) So we woke up next morning well rested and ready for some adventures. But first we needed breakfast. What is the best place for breakfast in San Francisco? We didn't know that, but we thought of the old piers, where you can find a small nice place where they serve you some hot coffee, maybe an omelet made from fresh eggs and a nice view to the bay and Alcatraz island is included :-) What can be better?

 

South Valley Park hike

Another Saturday and another new park to explore. Thanks to my friend who brought to my attention this amazing place to roam. It is not really easy to find a place like that and surprisingly this is a free park, located at foothills, literally at the outskirts of Denver.

 

Streets of San Francisco, end of the first day

To read previous part click here -> San Francisco, same day, hotel...

Have any desire to continue walking on San Francisco streets? We had! And so once we unpacked we left the San Remo hotel and almost ran towards downtown. The night was coming and we wanted to see some of the city while we still had time. And we decided we will walk and discover the city treasures until we drop dead ;)

 

San Francisco, same day, hotel...

To read the previous part click here -> Streets of San Francisco, day one, the beginning...

I wouldn't say that we weren't tired after a few hours walking the streets. So we decided to go and leave our stuff at the hotel and stay motionless for a while. Actually finding a hotel room in August in San Francisco is a quest you don't want to do. So many people are traveling for business or pleasure and not as many hotels there. The prices are high and the rooms are scarce. And also we were picky about location as we didn't plan on renting a car, so we needed something close to downtown that made our search for a hotel even more difficult. But... I was lucky and found one that we liked very much.

 

Streets of San Francisco, day one, the beginning...

Over a decade ago we made a quick trip to San Francisco. And it was really quick (actually just one day) so we didn't have a chance to see much... We landed in the airport in the morning and took a train downtown.

 

One day in April...

Yeah, I know, today is mid of July (and April at all). And the days are hot and sweaty... But you know what? It just means today is a good day to look at the snowy pictures, don't you agree? So, let's turn on our time machine and travel back to the 28th of April. And everything looks just right! Green grass and blooming irises... Nice sunny and warm April day!

 

The new old art

The history of rock art goes back like... dozens of thousand years. I guess it is the oldest art in the world (at least the surviving art that we can see today). Nobody knows when, where and why people started carving the petroglyphs on the rocks and in most cases the meaning also remains a mystery. Anyway, no one practiced it today (what's a pity, by the way). New forms replaced rock art and, probably, the closest is graffiti art (some might not agree with me). But one day we discovered another way to express ourselves... the one we had no idea existed at all :)

 

Maxwell Falls hike on Saturday

What would be the best option if one wants to escape from the city when forecasts promise 90+ degrees? This question has no easy answer, right? And we all ask this question every week (and sometimes even on weekdays). The simple answer would be - go to the mountains. But where exactly? Even going up the mountains (somewhere above 10,000-12,000 feet) is not really helping. The temperature there is much more comfortable, but... the sun is even hotter and shining brighter. If you think harder, you find another answer - go somewhere shady and close to the water. Sounds better and, probably, one can stay closer to the city too. And, believe it or not, I just found a hidden gem I missed before - Maxwell Falls trail.

 

Not time travel ;(

I know, I know... time machine does not really exist. But, are you sure? Cuz I guess I know where to find if not a time machine but at least a time traveling trip. And it's not as far away as you might think. If you drive up on highway 70 soon you pass by two small towns close to each other - Georgetown and Silver Plum. They are both old... more than 150 years old and have a rich history. And this history is related to silver mines, many of them that can be found between these two towns. The towns are just two miles apart and this is not a problem. The problem is Silver Plum is 600 feet higher. And many miners were living there but working at the mines in between and they needed to get there and also the rocks from the mines needed to be delivered to the enrichment factories... And the only way to do it was to build a railway. A looong one. So they did it! And it is working now and even has one station...

 

Time travel

I know, I know... time machine does not really exist. But, are you sure? Cuz I guess I know where to find if not a time machine but at least a time traveling trip. And it's not as far away as you might think. If you drive up on highway 70 soon you pass by two small towns close to each other - Georgetown and Silver Plum. They are both old... more than 150 years old and have a rich history. And this history is related to silver mines, many of them that can be found between these two towns. The towns are just two miles apart and this is not a problem. The problem is Silver Plum is 600 feet higher. And many miners were living there but working at the mines in between and they needed to get there and also the rocks from the mines needed to be delivered to the enrichment factories... And the only way to do it was to build a railway. A looong one. So they did it! And it is working now and even has one station...