close ups

This a cropped version of a shot in the slide show below.


This also a cropped version of a shot in the slide show below, just a bit less cute.


This month was on my tire this afternoon, somewhere between 2-3 inches long. We've never seen a moth this big!

First trip to RMNP in 2010!

We went hiking yesterday in RMNP for the first time this year. It was beautiful but it kicked out butts!!! It doesn't take much to tire us when starting at 9k feet, even though we're used to 5k. We didn't start until 2pm, we got home (briefly) at 830 and then went out to a very late dinner.
Other hikers apparently saw a moose on our trail (we haven't yet seen one), we were not so lucky.
We put on lots of deet bug spray, it wasn't quite enough. We each have a couple bites, much better than the 40-100 we each got last year.
We saw deer, elk, fish, spiders, Julie saw a beaver, chipmunks, birds, mysterious floating worms (hanging from silk in the middle of the trail), mosquitoes, bees.

(YOU CAN CLICK ON THE SLIDE SHOW TO MAKE IT BIGGER)

First real hike of 2010!

We wanted to go hiking in RMNP but there were 2 great reasons not to. There was still some snow and it was a free weekend which means there's no parking and attendance is tripled.
We went into the mountains above Boulder instead. It was a short drive but crazy steep! The switch backs were u-turns, almost locked the wheel. Plus, from turn in to turn out was about a 15ft elevation change! Our directions were off by a couple miles; we were lucky to find this trail. I brought the little camera because I was lazy, my mistake. It was just over 5 miles round trip with an elevation change of about 1000ft, beautiful views, no biting bugs, a stream, butterflies.
A great, much needed, warm-up for RMNP,we're both a bit sore.