On this day it is good to remind ourselves of how truly special a home planet we live on, how totally and thoroughly we are dependent on Mother Earth who daily showers us with myriad gifts. When I saw our first pasqueflowers of the season only this past week, with the buds and flowers emerging … Continue reading Earth Day 2024
Skyline Drive
My return trip to Colorado Springs from the Sandhill Cranes in the San Luis Valley follows US 50. After the happy encounter with a pair of nest-building American Dippers along the Arkansas, the highway ascends away from the river to a plateau that abuts the world-famous Royal Gorge, before descending back into Cañon City. Known … Continue reading Skyline Drive
Could it be?
After bidding adieu to the Sandhill Cranes and the San Luis Valley, I return to Colorado Springs via Salida and Cañon City along US Highway 50 . This segment of highway parallels the Arkansas River which originates in the mountains near Leadville and streams toward its destiny with the Mississippi. For the first 50 miles … Continue reading Could it be?
Journey to the Cranes
Last week’s post was a love song to the spectacular Sandhill Cranes who migrate through Colorado's San Luis Valley twice a year. This week’s is a tribute to the no less spectacular setting where the cranes congregate each spring and autumn. Multiple routes lead to the San Luis Valley from Colorado Springs, but the most … Continue reading Journey to the Cranes
Among the Cranes . . .
Among the cranes of southwestern Colorado's Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, there is escape to be had. From all the human-caused cacophony and heartbreak; from the terrible news that assault us whenever we turn on the radio, television, or electronic gadgets. In the spectacular setting of this high mountain valley, the western population of one … Continue reading Among the Cranes . . .