Walk On

Since my last post, I have enjoyed a nice hike at Meyer Ranch Park, a Rapids' soccer game at their brand new stadium, a nice drive in the mountains, and a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. For this post I will write about the Rocky Mountain National Park trip. For the other adventures, check out my pictures on Mike's Photos on Picasa. There are also additional photos of the Rocky Mountain National Park trip. They are under the April 2007 set.

Sunday, I decided to check out the Trailhead for Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. I wanted to see what was there. I hadn't been before. I didn't really have a plan, but I brought gear to go hiking. I got there a little after noon. The weather was sunny, but there were clouds in the area. It was short sleeve weather, for me anyway. I decided I would go up the trail. I wasn't sure how far I would go since I was getting a late start and was not sure what the trail conditions would be like. The elevation at the trailhead is around 9,400 ft. Anyway; I started hiking and felt good. I was hiking on snow, but it was hard and not icy. Off the trail, some the drifts looked like they were waist deep at least. With the trail conditions good and with myself feeling good, I decided I would shoot for tree line and make another decision there.

Here is my view as I approach tree line. That's Longs Peak (14,255 ft.) in the middle.

I made tree line with no problems. I still felt good, so I decided to keep going. My next goal was the trail junction for Chasm Lake at the base of Mt. Lady Washington. Along the way the clouds rolled in obscuring my view of Longs Peak.

This is my last view of Longs Peak as the clouds surround it.

I made it to the trail junction in good shape. I was starting to feel the altitude, but overall I was good. The view was fantastic despite not being able to see Longs Peak anymore.

Looking down on Peacock Pool and Columbine Falls. Both frozen.

Here again, I was faced with decision of whether I should keep going. I have the option of going 0.7 miles to Chasm Lake or 4 miles to Longs Peak. Well obviously it is the wrong time of the season and too late in the day for hiker like myself to attempt Longs Peak. (Most people start before daylight during the late summer when attempting Longs Peak.) So it was either Chasm Lake or go back. I could see most of the trail, it contoured the side of a mountain most of the way there. It looked like there was a short up at the end. So I walked on. I was starting tire a little bit, but I had a finally destination to reach. I got to see some sheep along the way. They were too far away and blended in with the rocks to get a good picture. The last uphill was probably only 0.1 mile, but it was tough. I was getting tired and the altitude was getting to me. There was also a little bit of sleet coming down. I made it though. According to the map, my elevation was just below 12,000 ft.

That's me standing on Chasm Lake. The base of Longs Peak is behind me.





Now all I had to do was get back to my car. On the way back, the sheep crossed the trail in front of me. I was able to get a decent picture this time.

Sheep checking me out as I take their picture.














I made it back to the car at 5:45 PM. There was the occasional snow flurry in the air at the trailhead. It had cooled off a bit since noon. Anyway the round trip was 8.4 miles. Not a bad afternoon hike for old man like myself.

Walk On,

-M

Watch More TV

Old Man Winter woke up after taking March off. It appears that most places east of the Rockies was a little a chilly. It has been freezing rain and light snow most of the weekend at my place. Nothing major, just unpleasant weather. I've been spoiled by the great weather we had in March. So this was one of those TV weekends. Sorry, I didn't take a picture of the TV.

The Colorado Rapids opened up the MLS season Saturday with 2-1 victory over D.C. United. They looked good doing it. The new soccer stadium was sold out, although there were a few fans dressed as empty seats. Below freezing temperatures scared some people off. If it hadn't been sold out, I would have gone:-) Actually, I am looking forward to seeing the new stadium, just not in freezing temperatures. The MLS is a lot more entertaining when you have a team to root for. Go Rapids!!!

It appears I am bad luck on NHL hockey teams. While I was living in Atlanta, the Thrashers could never make the playoffs. They made the playoffs now that I'm gone. The Avalanche had made the playoffs every year since they have been in Colorado. They didn't make it this year. No wonder I haven't become a hockey fan.

The Braves are off to a good start. They swept the Phillies and took 2 of 3 from the Mets. The Jones Boys haven't started hitting yet either. I've tried watching the Rockies a few times. I don't know the players, and there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for them.

Anyway I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and remember to enjoy discount Chocolate Week responsibly.

-M

Foolin'

Another wonderful weekend to be foolin' around in Colorado. On Sunday, I went for a hike at White Ranch Park. It is another one of those Jefferson County Open Space Parks. Lots of trails at this park, and there were not too many people out. This surprised me because it was a nice day. There were clouds and it could be windy in some places, but temperate was pleasant. The terrain was not all the tough on the section of trail that I hiked. There were lots of pretty meadows and stuff. Anyway, here are some pictures.
That's me on the right. I didn't notice the animal in the background when I was setting up the shot.

One of the few small patches of snow in White Ranch Park.

I had the pleasure of eating some home cooking Saturday evening thanks to my friends Mark & Kathy. They even sent leftovers home with me, which are all gone. My stomach is very happy. No fooling!!!

Hey Carter, how was Martinsville? I hope you had a good time. I'm sad I missed it.

later,

-M

Three is a Magic Number

No new pictures this weekend. Saturday was a raining day in town. It pretty much rained all day. It didn’t feel all that cold, but the snow line was just above 6,000 ft. After the rain lighten up, I could see that the foothills had gotten some fresh snow. It didn’t last long though, I went out Sunday morning for some breakfast burritos around 9:00 am and most of the new snow in the foothills was already gone. The rest of Sunday morning was spent watching the soccer friendly between US vs. Ecuador. US won 3-1. Hat-Trick by Landon Donovan. Excellent goals too. I think Carter would agree. I hope that is the Donovan that shows up in 2010. It looked like a good crowd was on hand in Tampa. The pitch didn’t look too good. That surprised me considering that the Bucs hadn’t played in a while.

After the game, I did go for a hike. Even though I had time, I didn’t drive anywhere. I figured most of the trails would either have snow or mud. So I just walked out the back of my apartments and hiked over to Bear Creek Lake Park. There were some muddy spots here and there. But the day was beautiful though. It was probably around 70° here.

Happy Trails,
-M

Like Sands Through The Hourglass

With the weather being extremely nice, I decided to adventure out of the Denver area this past weekend. The Great Sand Dunes National Park has been calling to me for a while. I had been there before in a past life, but I figure I could make it different by climbing a different dune. It took about three and a half hours to get there. After setting up camp, I made my way into the Dunes. Destination High Dune, approximately 8,691 ft. It is the highest dune visible from the Visitor Center. The hike got pretty steep about 3 quarters the way up. One step forward, half a step back. The extra effort with a little altitude was rough on the lungs. However, once I got past the real steep part, I was able to catch my breath, and I was fine.













Me on top of High Dune. Mt. Herald (13,297') in the background.



The ever-changing terminus of Medano Creek








Medano Creek after sunset.














Sunday morning started off quite chilly in the morning. By 9:00 A.M., I was comfortably hiking in shorts & a t-shirt.














View from the Dunes Overlook Side-Trail. High Dune is the high point in the picture. The San Juan Mountains are visible on the horizon on the other side of the San Luis Valley.














Medano Creek about a mile and half from its terminus. Mt. Herald in the background.

After making my way across the snow & ice of Medano Creek, it was time to kick off the boots and enjoy the sand.

For additional pictures click here.

Good Day Sunshine

A nice sunny day in Denver, Colorado. The temperatures were in the 60's today. Shorts & T-shirt weather out here. It was in the 60's for most of last week. It has been quite nice, but I have been warned. March is supposed to be the snowiest month of the year in Denver. The weather people are quite perplexed by this heat. Anyway, today I went back to Mt. Falcon to do some hiking. The plan was to hike some the trails that I have not been on yet. I didn't get to far on those. Not too many people hike the trails that I had planned to go on. The snow was quite soft because of this. I was sinking up to my thighs in some places. While the snow was soft, it was rough. It would scrape my legs on the snow if I were not careful when I sank. Investment in snowshoes is a must for next winter. I did get far enough from the crowds on Mt. Falcon to spook some Elk.

The snow covered meadows of Mt. Falcon. The snow-capped mountains on the horizon in the right of the picture are the Indian Peaks. At least that is what I think they are.

Chapter 26

Good Day, Eh! I didn't do too much this weekend. So I am just going throw a couple of pictures up and call it a post.

This a view from the Columbine Trail in the Ken-Caryl Ranch Foundation.

Some red rocks along the trails in South Valley Park. This another one of Jefferson County's Open Space Parks.

Tossed Salad And Scrambled Eggs

I had a long and fun weekend. Eric, a friend of mine from Atlanta, flew in for a ski weekend on Friday. We went to Winter Park on both Saturday and Sunday. There was fresh snow on both days. On Saturday, we also met up with Devon, a mutual friend of ours who has been living in Denver since 2000.













Eric, Devon, & myself taking a break at Lunch Rock (11,200 ft.) And no, I have not dyed my hair color is orange. I'm standing under a light that is giving it that effect.



Me and Eric waving goodbye before we take the Stagecoach down. The Stagecoach was a tough run for us. Devon was quite patient with our poor skiing skills. However, we probably ran him off since he didn't join us for Sunday's ski adventures.




On Sunday, Eric & I took the Ski Train to Winter Park. The Ski Train goes from Downtown Denver (5,280 ft.) to the Winter Park Base (9,000 ft.) about 100 yards from the ski lifts. The train goes through 29 tunnels. The last tunnel (Moffat Tunnel) is 6.2 miles long and goes under the continental divide. It is a very scenic train ride. Well worth it.

View from the Ski Train. It was sunny skies on the eastern side of the Continental Divide.



Eric showing that he is home on the slopes. It snowed all day on the western side of the Divide. The 24 hour total for Winter Park for Sunday was 10".


















The Entrance to Moffat Tunnel from the Winter Park side. The green pipe is a water pipe that helps supply the Front Range cities with water.

I took the day off from work on Monday. Eric had a late afternoon flight back to Atlanta. We went to Red Rocks in the morning. After that we went to Golden and visited the birthplace of Coors Beer. The Brewery tour takes around 40 minutes. You get three free beers of your choice at the end of the tour. The tour is also free. After lunch in Golden, I dropped the punk off at the airport.


The Silver Bullet going by. 70% of the beer produced at the brewery is Coors Light.












In my "Beautiful Day" Post, I got several comments from people who were wondering what the formation on the side of the mountain was in one of my pictures. I am not positive, but I believe it was some type of rock quarry. I tried not to pay too much attention to it because it was a bit of an eyesore. Anyway, I will get back over there in the future and take a better look. There are a few more trails to hike in that park.

Cheers,

-M

Beautiful Day

Plymouth Creek Trail. The snow is 2-3 feet deep here. Fortunately the trail is hard and easy to walk on.

Great Weather this weekend. I got to hike in shorts & t-shirt. I went to Deer Creek Canyon Park, which is apart of the Jefferson County Open Space Park System. The park is southwest of town about 15-20 minutes away from my place. The main trail takes you through a small canyon. The vegetation and terrain is quite interesting in this canyon. The south-facing slopes had arid environment with little or no snow. The north-facing slopes had Douglas-firs and a three-foot snow pack. The trail went up the snowy side of this transition zone. I hiked about 9 miles Sunday. I'll have to come back another time to hike the rest of the park.

Me at the end of the Golden Eagle Trail.

Denver Skyline by the way of the Meadowlark Trail. The skyline has a brown haze to it. I suspect that is from all dirt and junk that is on the roads. One of those dots in the parking lot below is my car.

Should we talk about the weather?

It got pretty cold here Thursday and Friday. For those who check out the Denver temps on the news, remember the temperature they give you is for the airport. The airport is out on the plains, and it is a lot colder there. On the local weather reports, they give a temperature for the airport and a temp at the news studio. I've seen as much as an 18 degree difference between downtown and the airport. So if you saw a report of record low of -18°F, it was not that bad where I live. My beer bottle was probably more accurate for my location. Granted that is still pretty frigid.

The Chinook winds have been blowing the past couple of days. I would be surprised if it made up to 50°F today at my place. There has been a good bit of snowmelt locally. It was still cold and windy in the foothills. I did a short hike today at Alderfer/Three Sisters Open Space Park near Evergreen. The hiking was a little tough. I should have rented some snowshoes. Do'ah! Maybe next time.




Looking towards Mt. Evans
Congratulations to Tony Dungy! Hey Tampa, I guess he can coach in the big games. I was not a supporter of the Tampa's decision to fire Dungy. I am glad to see the myth that he can't coach a team to a championship come to an end. I am also glad to see Manning win the big one as well. Being a Dolphin fan, it pains me to see Marino doing the pre-game. I couldn't wish Manning the same fate.

Cheers,

-M

Under A Bright Blue Sky

I went wandering around Red Rocks today. The amphitheater was closed, but the trails around the grounds were open. It was a pretty setting with the snow. Although on some portions of the trail, the snow had melted, and the trail was mudding.












To whoever asked if I was going to Tampa for the soccer game in March, I don't have any plans to go at this time. I must admit when I saw where they were playing I took a look at plane tickets. It is a little expensive for a trip that would require a quick turnaround. I don't have any vacation time at the moment. I'm guessing Spring Break is not a good time to find good deals to Florida. Anyway, Take Care!

-M

P.S. Welcome to my blog Big Joe.

Pleasant Snowy Sunday

Guess what! Snow again. I'm getting a good initiation to winter weather. There was blizzard warning east of town out in the Plains, but it was just snow where I live. The snow did foil my hiking plans Sunday. So I just went for a walk in the park instead.













Soccer Ramblings
US Men's Soccer was finally back in action this weekend for the first time since the World Cup. A new era has begun under Interim Coach Bob Bradley. US beat Denmark 3-1. Difficult game to evaluate the good play though. Denmark brought a young team. You can evaluate the bad play, and I'm a little disappointed in some of the vets. Landon Donovan and Eddie Johnson need to wake up. The next game is Feb. 7th vs. Mexico. That game should be telling. I also watched an entertaining match between Arsenal and Manchester United this morning. Arsenal won, but it was great match.

Until next time,
-M

Winter Park

With the weather being so frigid, it can be tempting to sit on the couch and wait for it to thaw out. I had been resigned to doing that with the temperatures hovering around O° F. Then I was presented another option. I got invited to go skiing on Sunday. I gladly accepted. The Ski Destination was Winter Park. To get to Winter Park you have to take US 40 over Berthoud Pass (11,307'). Yep, that is the same road that the weekend before had an avalanche that made the national news. (No one was killed or critically hurt in the avalanche if you hadn't heard.) You got to figure it is much safer go up there after the avalanche has already happened. We saw the spot where it came across the road. It was pretty close to the bottom of the mountain. Anyway we made it across the Pass without any problems as expected. Skiing at Winter Park was a lot of fun. It didn't seem as crowded or as commercialized as Breckenridge. There were a few runs where I didn't have to worry about other people. That made it easier for me to work on my skiing skills. The weather wasn't too bad. It got a little chilly on the lifts, but overall it was not too bad. We were prepared for it. On the way back we stopped off at Tommy Knocker in Idaho Springs for some food and spirits. I enjoyed a Maple Nut Brown Ale and a Buffalo Roadhouse Red Chili Burger. Mighty good!!! Here are a couple of ski pictures.








Mark















Me

Winter Pays For Summer

Cold Days Indeed!!! Single Digit High's, Below Zero Low's. BURRRRR!!! I must admit that it is a little colder than I would prefer. However, I do like this better than spending the summers in Georgia or Florida. I'm looking forward to summer in Colorado. Winter is a small price to pay for that.




When I told my friends I was moving to Colorado. They were all excited for me. They said I needed to go out and find a Snow Bunny. Well I found one. Not quite what I had envisioned.





This has been an exciting week for Soccer Fans. Soccer has been all over the news. I was real happy to hear about it. U.S. National Team Player Clint Dempsey was issued a UK work permit so that he can play for Fulham of the English Premier League. He will be joining fellow American's Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride at Fulham. Plus there is still the possibility of Oguchi Onyewu joining Fulham as well. Three Americans on the same team in England's top flight is pretty impressive, four would just be incredible. The other soccer news that the American public might have actually heard is that David Beckham is coming to America. The publicity is going to be good for the MLS. Hopefully they can figure how to sustain it.

Happy Snow Storms,

-M

Back Home Again

I made it back home without any problems after spending a week in North Carolina. I was fortunate that I was not scheduled to fly during either of the blizzards. Everything pretty much looks the same as it did before I left. Lots of snow. The trip to North Carolina was fun. It was good to see family again. We went hiking, bowling, and even ice-skating. I ate way too much, but I got a whole year of hiking in Colorado to try and work that off before the next Holiday season.

Some of the family that hiked up Hanging Rock in North Carolina





How about them Dawgs! Great comeback in the bowl formerly known as the Peach Bowl. I hope everybody had a great New Year's/College Football Day.

Have a great Year!
-M

This is the Christmas Part of the Blog

Merry Christmas Hosers!
Here are some pictures from the Saturday after the Holiday Blizzard of 2006 

I think some cross-country skiers horked the Beer in a Tree

Mt. Morrison & Red Rocks from a golf course.

Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Happy New Year, Eh!

-M

Hoth

Season Greetings from Colorado. I am surviving the Holiday Blizzard of 2006. 24" of Snow and 6 foot snow drifts in my neighborhood. I lost power for several hours this morning. I didn't mind, it gave me an excuse to go outside and play. Here are some pictures from the morning adventure.

Parked Cars

Time for a 2° Below

Snow Drift

Plowing through the snow

I noticed in my last post that I got anonymous comment saying I looked miserable. A strange comment to say the least. I'm guessing it was done out of jealousy. It got me thinking though, have I ever been miserable since I moved to Colorado? Well I hurt my leg from a ski boot. I was pretty miserable for several days after that, but I had so much fun creating that misery. Disaster did happen last week, I spilled half of my Fat Tire. That was pretty miserable, but then I realized that there are unfortunate people back East who can't even buy Fat Tire. So I quickly feel blessed to live where I do. All I can say is, life is good in Colorado
Merry Christmas
-m

Carter

Hello again from Colorado! Didn’t do too much outside this weekend. The beautiful weather we were having during the week turned chilly by this weekend. I had a few home projects I was working on anyway. I did get out Saturday for a little bit. I went up above Red Rocks where I discovered they are celebrating Carter’s Birthday out here. So I just want to finish up this post by shouting out to my favorite nephew, Happy Birthday!!!

-M

29

I went back to Roxborough State Park this weekend. I took the Fountain Valley Trail this time. An easy but beautiful trail. It wanders through a valley of red rocks similar to the rock formations of the actual Red Rocks Park.

Northern view

One of three Bucks that I saw on this hike.

Big soccer news this past week, Bob Bradley was named interim head coach for the Men's US National Soccer Team. This was after a deal could not be worked out with Juergen Klinsmann. It would have been interesting to see what Klingsmann would have done with the team. Who knows how it would have worked out. Who knows how Bradley will work out. Hope for the best. Go Nats!

Last but not least, I want to say Happy Birthday to my favorite sister!

Wile E.

I took easy this weekend. My leg is still a little sore from the ski boot on Thanksgiving, but it is getting better. It snowed on Wednesday and Saturday this week. I think that was the first measurable snow in Lakewood since the blizzard that made national news. We got ten inches at my place on Wednesday; I'm not sure about Saturday. Wednesday's snow was still around. Anyway I went for a short walk along Bear Creek. The coyotes have been more active lately. I've noticed them running around a lot more. Their howling actually woke me up one night.



Can you find the Coyote?







I have updated my FlickR site with my November pictures. So if you want see to additional pictures of hiking and skiing, Click Here.

Turkey Skiing

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I spent Turkey Day on the ski slopes. I went to Breckenridge with my friends Mark and Kathy. Lots of fun, despite not having any skiing skills. The adrenaline rush allowed me to ignore the pain of my ski boot and socks digging into my left leg. I sure could feel it after we finished skiing. I'm hoping it is just a deep contusion. I've been out of action the rest of the weekend. D'oh! TV has been my friend. Lots of good football, both versions.
Mark & Kathy on the Chair in front of me.











Me

Mansion On The Hill

Saturday's hike took me back to Mt. Falcon Park. I went to the park's east entrance this time. It took a lot longer to get to the park than I thought. It must have taken eight minutes. I was only expecting five. I headed up the Turkey Trot Trail. It is a hiker only trail that has some beautiful views of Bear Creek Canyon. The trail is well used, but it is in descent shape. The Turkey Trot Trail connects up with the Castle Trail, which goes the rest of the way up the mountain. The Castle trail is like a major highway up the mountain. It is a Horse/Mountain Bike/Hiker trail. The terrain was beautiful, but the trail was wide and worn down. It will be interesting to see how long they allow mountains bikes on this trail. There is just too much traffic in a significant park. Anyway I took the Castle Trail to the Walker's Dream Trail, which took me to the ruins of the Summer White House. The previous owner (John Brisben Walker) of the land had plans to build the summer home of the President of the United States on a peak across from his own home. The project came to an end when Walker's home burned down in 1918. The foundation of the Summer White House was the only thing that got built. It would have had great views of Mt. Evans and Denver.













This picture is looking northeast towards Red Rocks. It was taken from the peak that has the Summer White House Ruins.














This picture is taken from the same peak. Denver is to the left of me. Bear Creek Lake is to the right of me. I have walked to that lake from my apartment. I believe I picked out my apartment while I was up there.

On Sunday, I went for a hike at Mount Galbraith Park. Like Mount Falcon Park, Mount Galbraith Park is apart of the Jefferson County Open Space Park System. The trails in this park are hiker only, and they are in great shape. The only issue I have with trails here is that they don't have a trail that goes to the top of Mt. Galbraith. I'm not sure why, it would be easy to put a trail to the top. Anyway the trail loops around the mountain and gets close to the top. There are some great views of Golden, Colorado from this trail.

There is some beer being born down there.

Retrospective

Good Day, eh? Unfortunately, I didn't take any new pictures this weekend. However, I've created a photo site that contains some of the pictures from my past adventures that did not make this blog. Click Here, if you want to check them out.

I did go for a hike Saturday after watching a great football game. I started at my apartment and walked over to Bear Creek Lake Park. It turned into one of those hikes that became longer than you really wanted. I didn't have a map of the trails in the park, and there wasn't a trail where I thought there would be. Rather than backtrack, I took a trail that I knew would loop me back, but it would taken a little longer than I wanted. The Sun sets behind the foothills at about 4:30 pm. I didn't get back to my apartment till a little after 5:00 pm. That last half hour was a little chilly. It's amazing what powerful source of energy the Sun is. Hmmmm... Anyway I made it back to my apartment and enjoyed a hot shower and a cold beer. Sunday was a cloudy, cold, snow flurry kind of day. I stayed home and watched the world's favorite sport.

-M

Feeling Gravitys Pull

Had a bit of a lazy weekend. I didn't have much energy. I think I came down from my after Halloween Chocolate High. Oh well, I did manage to get out Saturday and enjoy the sights. I went for a drive and a short hike. I found myself back at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I did a short snow hike on the Raccoon Trail. It was a pretty hike through the woods.













My sports teams let me down this weekend. The Dawgs are continuing a dismal season. They weren't on TV, which was probably a good thing. I would have required a lot of Lifebuoy if I had watched. The Colorado Rapids also failed to advance to the MLS Cup. The Houston Dynamo beat them soundly today by the score of 3-1. Oh well, at least I was drinking some good beer while I watched. Next year should be fun; they get to play in a brand soccer specific stadium.
The Dolphins did win one for the 1972 team by knocking off the undefeated Bears. Somebody needs to beat Indy. The Dolphins will have the last shot, but I hope it doesn't come to that. I have been following the Broncos while living out here. It is kind of hard not too. I'm not a true fan yet. I have gone hiking while they've played. Enough sports ramblings.

Take Care,

-M