Rocky Mountain Wildflowers-Chasm Falls-Fall River Road RMNP

A Stream

Bubbling, gurgling little stream,

Casting nets where sunlights gleam,

Foamy lace thrown in the air,

Bubbly pearls for fairies' hair!

Murmuring secrets fairies told

Of hidden treasures of rare gold;

Mysterious pools so dark and deep,

Where hidden spell-bound fairies sleep!

You lead me on by pools of blue,

Where shafts of light come shimmering through,

On down where the bending willows weep,

And the long-fringed mosses softly creep.

Oh, rippling, rushing, little rill,

Forever may your music thrill

The hearts of other lads who dream

Of hidden treasures 'neath your stream!

Roberta Hodgson 8th grade 1937

Published in The Highland Piper

Piedmont High School- Piedmont, California

Selected by staff for publication.

RIP AR

We know now why you kept this little book all those many years.

Subalpine Larkspur at Chasm Falls

Columbine Meadow

Mountain Bluebells

Purple Fringe

Alpine Elephants Head

Dusky Beardtongue

Harebells

Elk Repose

Fall River Road is a one way dirt road approx. 8 miles long straight up to the continental divide. The higher you go, the meadows become more lush with abundant wildflowers. Near the top it is another world. A world that blooms in the blink of an eye. The road just opened. Later this month -snow will fall and the wildflowers will be gone.

Colorado Wild Flowers- Part 2 Western Slope

Fortunately, I visited the other side of the continental divide before the flooding rains and mudslides hit and managed to get a good look at a lot of wonderful wildflowers. This is the second post in the series of summer wildflowers.

Indian Paintbrush plant



Alpine Tundra at top of Continental Divide

Harebells

Pink Pussytoes Plant

Piney Woods Geranium

Tall Penstemon (snapdragon)

Red Lichen

Tufted Evening Primrose

Western Wallflower

Still more to come... on a hunt for the endangered fairy slipper.

Stag Party



At the top of the continental divide it is cool, bug free with meadows full of flowers in July. We ran into a herd of elk comprised mostly of bucks. Beautiful multi point bucks at various ages. This is a sampling.

Bonus Bucks

Alpine Wildflower



In Colorado high country, July is wildflower month, especially mid to late July. With the right conditions, a snowy winter, warm summer, lots of sunshine on south facing slopes, a wildflower cornucopia appears. This is a sampling from this last weekend, July 16th-17th.

Colorado Blue Columbine Cluster

Blanketflower

Indian Paintbrush Duo

Indian Paintbrush Plant

Indian Paintbrush Solo

Dusky Beardtongue

Musk Thistle

Pink Pussytoes

Tall Penstemon

And there is more.....











Rocky Mtn National Park at Lily Lake - Wildflower Edition

In the Colorado high country, we are now entering a spectacular time of year - the wildflower season. Because of the deep snow levels in the mountains and now abundant heat, wildflowers are popping up all over. Rivers are running high. It is time to follow the wildflower trails.

Colorado Blue Columbine

Rocky Mtn Wild Iris at Lily Lake, RMNP


Wild Orange Wallflower-- Lily Lake, RMNP Colorado

Yellow Pea -- RMNP Lily Lake

Rocky Mountain CutThroat Trout- Catch and Release RMNP Lily Lake, Colorado
Note the pearly white teeth of the young fish.

Ring Necked Duck Solo on Lily Lake -- RMNP

Mallard Drake at Lily Lake- RMNP Sunning by the shore.

Chipmunk eating greens at Lily Lake, RMNP - This girl is probably a mother out to fatten up.

Chipmunk fine dining on a dandelion. RMNP Lily Lake

Doe running across Colorado 7 to meet her male sibling who had already run. Two young does out in the summer sun crossing into a high meadow.

Grady's near death experience.

After a refreshing sleep last night, I awoke to the dulcet sounds of screaming downstairs as the discovery of foam all over the kitchen was announced. One foam filled dog named Grady had just eaten his brand new, $80 orthopedic dog bed. I am harboring not one but two PUPPIES who do things like.... eat the shoes, eat the bedding, shit up the kitchen, roll in mud, run in mud, not come when called...... the list is endless.

Upon seeing the destruction.... madness set in..... I went back upstairs and retrieved an old attache that I had purchased in Tallahassee in the 70's at one of the capitalistic hippie shops in town that made leather things. Leather sandals, leather briefcases, leather notepads.... all done in leather primitive. Hint: If you want a nice leather anything.... look to Italy.

Anyway, I retrieved the leather attache that I have kept these many years just for this moment in time. I never liked it all that much so imagine my glee as I took a pair of scissors to it to make a patch for the now destroyed dog bed.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-----

New dog bed with grapefruit crater in the orthopedic foam thanks to the sharp teeth of one Sheltie puppy named Grady. Leather attache "patch."

Note the size of the hole to be "repaired" by a not so good leather seamstress.

Leather "patch" is a 1970's attache



Two T-shirts for padding under the attache.

Is this nuts or what?

5 broken sewing needles, one bloody thumb and here is the finished product- attache all sewn in-- Grady has a new leather chew pad now.

I had a very bad morning.

Grady had a very bad morning. He spent it in a crate.

In honor of the 70's (which is where the attache came from) Grady had to listen to The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Santana, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Cream etc... until he couldn't stand it anymore and ran away to the coyotes out back with his sister.

Miraculously, he LIVES.