Denver Botanic Garden

On August 9, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Photo Challenge4 Comments

There are several cities with wonderful botanical gardens, but we believe that the Denver Botanic Garden is one of the best. Between the tropical flowers, rotating art displays, and special events, there is always something interesting to see at the garden. We especially enjoyed the variety of colorful orchids that we saw during our visit there. It is a great way to spend a summer afternoon, walking the flower lined paths and seeing the gardens dedicated to different regions around the world. The Denver Botanic Garden will often create displays on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver to allow shoppers to see some of the wonderful flowers that can be found in the gardens. If you are planning a trip to Denver, we’d definitely recommend that you consider adding the Botanic Gardens to your itinerary.

Walking the Grounds of the Botanic Garden

Monument Rock Trail in Monument, Colorado

On August 6, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Hiking2 Comments

We decided to look for a trail near Colorado Springs that we hadn’t hiked previously and found the Monument Rock Extended Trail that is located in the nearby town of Monument. The trail is rated as moderate and takes you by an impressive rock feature known as Monument Rock. The trail itself goes through the woods, across meadows, and has views of the mountains. There are several intertwining trails, some of which will take you to the top of Mount Herman, which is the peak that sits above the trail. There are also some that are rated hard, so it is important to pay attention to which trail you are following as it isn’t well marked.

The Monument Rock Extended Trail is a loop that goes right next to Monument Rock, which is quite impressive. The full loop is about 2.7 miles, so it makes for a nice hike with an elevation gain that is less than 300 feet. The views are spectacular and, as is typical for this time of year, there are many wildflowers along the trail. The highlight of the hike is certainly Monument Rock, which stands out due to its size, color, and shape. It was certainly an enjoyable hike and we were able to complete it before the afternoon rain started.

Seeing Unusual Animals During Travels

On August 2, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge16 Comments

There are some places where you expect to see some unusual animals, such as when going to the jungle or desert. Some places are associated with certain animals, so they often use them as part of tourist attractions, like riding a camel or seeing a snake charmer. Other times, it is simply a random event where you just happen to see animals in their natural environment as part of a hike. We have certainly seen our fair share of different animals, some of them cute and some of them not so much. Whenever we see animals, we do our best to get a photograph of them, with varying results. Do you take photographs of animals during your travels?