Summer in the Rockies

Springtime in the Rockies is definitely a time of extremes and this year has been no different. In the front range of Colorado, March and April are actually the snowiest months, not the typical winter months. In the past thirty days, we have had three significant snow storms and we are a little tired of the snow and would prefer rain over snow at this point. On the bright side, these spring storms are extremely necessary and make for beautiful conditions in the summer. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is Summer – Fire, two words that people in Colorado never want to hear in the same sentence. For this photo challenge we chose a few photos from previous summers that represent various images indicative of summertime in the Rocky Mountains. It is mostly beautiful, but sometimes volatile. We chose a couple of picture-perfect summer days in the mountains, a typical summertime sunset, angry storm clouds that we don’t want to see, and finally a picture from the Waldo Canyon Fire, something we would prefer to forget.

Flowers on Boulders
Summertime Sunset
Summer Storm
Waldo Canyon Fire Day Two
Aspen Tree against the Sky

 

Rugged Beauty

There are many beautiful things about the mountains of Colorado and sometimes they aren’t always the typical scenery. As you hike in the Rockies, you often come across trees that have died or fallen down due to storms. While this might seem sad at some level, there are often wonderful details in the withered wood that provides an interesting contrast to the typical, lush, vistas that surround you. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Spring – Wood, we thought that we would focus on some of the photos that we have taken of dead trees and tree stumps. All of these were from hikes here in Colorado, although not all of them were in the Spring since hiking in Colorado during the springtime can be tricky at times.

Hiking Up Pikes Peak
New Growth and Old Trees
Is It Walking?
Rugged Tree

 

The Color of Spring

Even though the calendar says that it is Spring, here in Colorado, winter is holding on a little longer. For this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge, It IS Easy Being Green!, we thought that we share a few photos that capture the essence of Spring.  The first is of a butterfly resting on a bright green bush when we were in Carrasco National Park in Bolivia. The second is from an early season hike near our home in Colorado Springs.

Butterfly in Bolivia
Gorgeous Views

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