Day 103 - Colorado Evenings

I can't begin to accept how much the Jeep has affected our lives...and in a positive way! We've only been in Steamboat for a little over two weeks and we've done more than in the entire month we stayed last year. Beside just the extra protection from the elements, and the ability to go almost anywhere without fear, and the awesome LED headlamps, it's just plain fun to drive.

Last night we headed into town for a free Friday night concert featuring The Wood Brothers. While not exactly our cup-o-tea, the band was very talented and the evening was very enjoyable. The crowd was huge and so every possible street, alley and parking place was full. We managed to make our way there and enjoyed both sights and sounds that were from another planet. I mean, folks in Steamboat define the term, "laid back."

Very casual affair

I hate selfies, but..believe it or not...some folks mentioned we never show pictures of us having fun...so...

People everywhere having fun!

Can you guess where the concert was held?

Today was a laid-back kinda day. We walked into town early for a quick breakfast at Johnny Be Good's before heading to the Saturday Farmer's Market downtown.  Later we headed up to Strawberry Hot Springs and then generally just laid low.

Tonight, however, we noticed that the clouds might be making just the right moves to perform some evening magic. Ever curious, I have been doing research on predicting superlative sunsets. While there's no guarantee, there are several fairly trustworthy indicators which include, but are not limited to:

• High clouds and limited or no low (cumulus or cumulonimbus) clouds
• 30 to 70% cloud cover
• Clean air
• An afternoon breeze
• all such stats can be found at intellicast.com on an "hourly" forecast

Turns out the conditions were just right so we headed 15 miles out of town on Elk Run Rd (CR-129) to test my new found knowledge. Now...you tell me if the predictions were accurate. All the following images were taken from one spot between 8:20 and 8:40 PM.

8:15 - The stage is setting...

8:17 - Off axis to the northwest - Lizzy's favorite view

8:20 sinking sun

 8:25 big wide angle of western sky

 Wider still

 8:30 - clouds shifting

8:40 - the final curtain call.

The Jeep's LEDs led us safely home. We decide tonight was better than the concert the night before!

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!!

Goodnight from "the Boat!"

Day 102 - Channeling My Inner Wildlife Willie

Well...it goes without saying that you can't spend 72 hours with the world's one and only Wildlife Willie and not find yourself jealously inspired. Certainly, at my age and stage, I'll never be as well-equipped as Wildlife Willie (see his stuff below), but I can still get out and give it the old college try!

Click the pic for the true telephoto experience

Told you he had impressive stuff!

So...I picked his brain without him knowing it. He shared that he frequented "wildlife reserves." I think that's where he acquired the moniker, "Wildlife Willie." A little research revealed that there is one of them thar reserves a mere 40 miles northeast east of "The Boat" on the way to Walden Colorado. Nuff said...Lizzy pack 'em up; here we go! We thought we were troopers heading out at 5:00 AM, but the sun was already coming up. Imagine that!! How on earth can Wildlife Willie rise and shine in time to beat the sun up? Oh, well...on we go.

The GPS instructions suggested the we turn on CR-34. As we do, we're convinced we're turning into some farmer's back yard, so we get back on 14 and keep heading toward Walden. The morning was beautiful, especially with all the low hanging fog in the valleys between the mountains. Reminded us a lot of Carrollton back home, dontchsee?

Along the way our first encounter was some elk cows...

...and then a couple of Mule Deer bucks...

We waited while he made his decision...

...decision made! I use-ta could jump a fence like that!

My equipment, unlike Wildlife Willie's, is a bit old and slow for pre-dawn shots of any quality. Well...maybe that better describes me!

Finally, we found one of the 432 entrances into the Arapaho National Wildlife Reserve...whew! The rest is history. I almost ran out of film...and my camera is digital! Imagine that!!

Here goes, folks; it's all in a day's work play!

Pronghorn were everywhere...this is a mom and her offspring

By far the most abundant wildlife...Prairie Dogs

These rascals even built their towns/holes in the middle of the dirt road!

Is it the barn? Or is it the setting?? Who cares!!! It's gorgeous!

Rare sighting...a Sage Grouse. Take that, Wildlife Willie!

Not sure what this is, but I could swear I heard the other critters refer to him as, "Jack."

We spent the entire morning in the reserve and the hits just kept on coming!

Lots of Canada Geese. They're most beautiful in their natural habitat rather than on the golf course.

Sorry! I dig colorful mountain meadows, too.

Goose Flats

Walden Colorado is the moose capital of Colorado. That said, in almost a dozen trips there, we might have seen 3 meese. The next photo probably explains why; they're incredibly lazy! We watched his majesty for over an hour and he refused to move anything but his ears.

Lazy, lousy moose...we never got closer than 300 yards and he wouldn't budge.

Pronghorn in their element.

Well, either I ran out of film or Lizzy got hungry....hmmm. But, we had to skeedadle. On the way out, we managed to grab a few more memories of this glorious morning, in cool, colorful, Colorado!

Hay there!

I can't grow flowers, but I love to look at 'em!

What's not to like about a farmer hard at work? He's a man out standing in his field. (get it?)

Parting shot!

Hope you enjoyed our morning in Arapaho National Wildlife Reserve. A huge shout out to Wildlife Willie for his inspiration! Have a great day, folks!

Sunsets - Brought to you by "The Boat"

Steamboat Sunset Series

Click the pic for a more scintillating sunset...

Bulls n Bands Part Deux

To conclude a fun-filled day with Pete and Willie, we partook of another visit to Bulls and Bands. This was the final night and Willie and I were fully equipped with cameras and lenses. You really can't describe this event; you just have to be there amongst the rowdiness and insanity. Nonetheless, here's a feeble attempt to capture some memories of the moment.

The stage is set...

...one contestant (ask Pete for his name, she met his mom and dad).

...another contestant...a winner I might add...

...a spectator...

THE ACTION...

...the night sky...

...all's well that ends well!

Till next time...