Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday
We hung around our campground in Larkspur until we could confirm that our next campground would be open.



The soon to be notorious Waldo Canyon fire had started the day before and was spreading like (you know what) wildfire. Cheyenne Mountain State Park is located just a few miles southeast of Waldo Canyon, so during our stay we had views and smells of the smoke from this growing fire.

Our good friend, Suzanne, flew in to camp with us and meet up with our other RV buddies from Oregon, Kathie and Gary. Here is a shot of, from left to right, Kathie, Suzanne, and Jan.



Monday
Morning Hike
Upon checking with park rangers, I learned that there had been a recent bobcat sighting, so early morning Suzanne and I did a three-mile hike on Blackmer Loop and Cougar’s Shadow seeking out these cats. The only critters we saw were a doe and a fawn deer, but a nice hike nonetheless.

Royal Gorge



After a late breakfast, the five of us drove south on 115 then west on 50 through Caynon City to the Royal Gorge. Over our couple-hour stay, we drove and walked the bridge plus took the tram.









Tuesday
Zoo
Although close to the fire, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo had not been closed, and we arrived shortly after the gates opened and just in time to help feed the giraffes.





Will Rogers Memorial
Above the zoo is a winding road that leads to the Will Rogers Memorial atop the mountain. Very tastefully done, the wall murals tell the story of this area of the West, and the photographs give a visual interpretation of one of America’s most famous icons. From this vista point we had a good view of the fire as well, and we watched the planes making drops in the hope of containing this cantankerous beast.











Wednesday
Sunset View of Fire
Sitting outside we enjoyed our first powerful sunset of the week.



Canine Courtship
We were pup-sitting Charlie, the distinguished pug of the Helman family. This fun-loving bulldozer of a pug fell head over curly tail for Gary and Kathie’s elegant Madeline. Here is a shot of this canine courtship.



Thursday
A Change of Plans
Originally our plan called for spending two days in the Pike National Forest. However, the wildfire took this option off the table, and we were lucky enough to be able to extend our Cheyenne Mountain stay a couple of days. We stayed close to home, though, just in case an evacuation was called.

Friday
Old Truck Shoot
Late afternoon we drove east of Colorado Springs out into the prairies in search of old truck photo ops. We were in luck--see a few of these shots toward the end of the blog.

Saturday
Hike
Jan and I were on the trail at sunrise for a three-plus mile excursion through wooded areas, and down across Prairie Dog Towns.







Pick Up Jo



We timed our departure out of Colorado Springs to pick up Jo in BERT at the Denver airport. It worked great--we swung through the Southwest departure area just as Jo walked out the door into the sunlight. From there we got back on the interstate, and headed west to Estes Park.

Old Trucks
Here are some old truck shots from this week.

















Wonderful week.

Headlights

July 1-4: Mary’s Campground, Estes Park
July 5-7: St. Vrain State Park
July 8-12: Travel East
July 13-14: McHenry, IL
July 15: Homer Glen, IL
July 16-17: Travel
July 18-?: Traverse City, MI
???

See you next week.

Tags: Nature Photography, Wildlife photography, Waldo Canyon Fire, Cheyenne Mountain, Royal Gorge