Hummingbird Moths in Colorado

On June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado8 Comments

Generally speaking, we are not a fan of moths as they are not usually as colorful or pretty as butterflies. That doesn’t mean that we haven’t seen some that are quite interesting, even if still a little disturbing. Perhaps it is because moths often fly out of dark places when disturbed that make them even more freaky in addition to their furry bodies. We did, however, have a visitor come to our patio this past week that was both a little creepy and yet interesting, it was a hummingbird moth. We had never heard of such a thing until we saw one in our yard and looked it up on the internet.

After a long day of working on our yard, we sat out on our patio to relax at the end of the day. We have a couple of honeysuckle plants at the edge of our patio that will often attract hummingbirds to our yard. As it had gotten dark, we were preparing to go inside when we saw what looked like a hummingbird buzzing around one of the honeysuckle plants, but we knew that a hummingbird wouldn’t be at out in the dark. We took our phones a took a couple of photographs, but the pictures weren’t able to capture any detail. It was clear that it was a moth, but that was all that we could discern.

Photograph from Our Phone. It Looks Like an Alien and You Can See How Long the Tongue Is.

Later in the week, we had a couple more hummingbird moths show up and drink nectar from the honeysuckle plants, so we grabbed our actual camera. We were able to capture the moths and actually see their colorful wings. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t still a little creepy when you see them buzzing around in the dark, but at least we know that they aren’t as ugly as we had first thought when all we had were shadowy images. Have you ever seen a hummingbird moth before and, if so, what did it look like?

It Looks Like It Is Going to Give the Flower a Hug

Hiking Barr Trail to the Top of Pikes Peak in Colorado

On April 30, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn ColoradoLeave a comment

Barr trail starts in the town of Manitou Springs, which is located just outside of Colorado Springs, and quickly ascends into the Pike National Forest. Many people will hike or jog up the “Incline”, which is a steep trail that connects to Barr trail, so for the initial part of the hike, you will likely have many people running down as you hike up. The runners aren’t always in complete control of themselves, so you will find yourself stepping out of their way quite often. We have hiked the lower portion of Barr trail many times, but we only hiked the full trail that ends at the summit of Pikes Peak once. It was definitely one of the most difficult hikes that we’ve ever done due to both the length of the hike as well as the elevation gain.

Early in the Hike

Sign on Barr Trail, about 3 miles into the hike

The entire hike is over twelve miles and has an elevation gain of over 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) to the peak, which is at 14,114 (4,301 meters). It certainly is not a hike for novices and was very much a challenge for us and we hike on a routine basis. Even if you are an experienced hiker, it is important to acclimate to the altitude of Colorado Springs for at least a couple of days before attempting to do the hike. Choosing the time of year to do the hike is important because even in the middle of summer it can snow on the top of Pikes Peak, so we hiked in August on a day when we knew that the temperatures would be fine at the base as well as the summit. Depending on the day, you may find yourself starting out in light weight clothing at the base and then layering up as you near the summit. It is also extremely important to be sure to stay hydrated with a combination of plain water and sports drinks.

View from Barr Trail, Garden of the Gods at the Base of the Mountain

The hardest part of the trail was when we reached the tree line at 11,000 feet (3,350 meters) and the air thins out. The Summit House sits on top of Pikes Peak and is a restaurant and souvenir shop, which is visible from the base on a clear day. Once you reach the tree line, the point where the air is too thin for plants to grow, the Summit House seems like it should be close, but it is still a couple of hours away. Although we originally intended to hike up and then back down, it took longer to reach the summit that we anticipated, so we took the Cog Railway back down. The total hike to the summit took us about 8 hours, although we took our time and paced ourselves.

We Were Exhausted When We Reached the Summit

Celebrating Key Milestones Through Travel

On April 21, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Egypt, Florida, Hungary, Uncategorized9 Comments

We have always enjoyed linking travel to key milestones in our lives. By celebrating a significant event in a special location not only enhances the memory of it, but also makes recalling that memory easier. One of the most common milestones that we usually celebrate during a trip is our wedding anniversary. We were supposed to be in Turkey this week, which was on anniversary, but obviously that didn’t happen. Our last two major milestones were celebrated completely differently. We celebrated our 20th anniversary by visiting Walt Disney World, which was certainly a wonderful trip, especially since it was just the two of us. Five years ago was our 25th anniversary and we decided to go to Aspen, Colorado for a long weekend. Two years ago, we spent it in Egypt and last year we visited Hungary. We will likely celebrate our anniversary later this year once we’re able to travel once again. Do you like to travel on birthdays and anniversaries or do you prefer to celebrate them at home?