Camping in Southern Colorado

CharlaCharla Registered Users Posts: 238 Major grins
edited September 27, 2006 in Journeys
I wouldn't really call this a journey but more of a mis-mash of photos I took on our 4 day camping trip this weekend. :D

My family and I live in Denver, and a couple years ago my husband and I invested in some raw land (approximately 40 acres) just west of the little town of Walsenburg. We call it "The Ranch".

The Ranch is about 3 hours from our home and we spend several weekends a year camping and goofing off.

When we arrived on Thursday it was a bright beautiful day but a bit on the windy side. The first thing that caught my eye was this caterpillar. This was a tough shot to get since the wind was gusting 20-30mph and this little bush was bouncing all aver the place!
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I showed Patrick how cool this guy was.
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I wondered over to the tool shed and found this little guy. There were actually at least 5 lizards living in the shed. At least that's how many I counted scurrying under the wall!
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Thursdays sunset was not very colorful but the wind caused some interesting cloud formations.
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Friday began with another bright day but the winds were up to about 40mph. We didn't let that stop all of our fun though. Here is a shot of the view from my "driveway"
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I was wandering down my driveway and I saw this wierd bee type bug. They don't have these in the city!
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Some flowers at the end of the driveway.
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A quick little rain shower left this nice rainbow.
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The wind was even worse on Saturday, up to at least 50mph so we all tried to lay low. I did take a quick drive up the road to revisit one of my favorite photo locations. I don't know any history on this church, but is sure is old!
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The wind abruptly died around dinner time and we were very excited to be able to have a camp fire that night. Sunday morning was still and cool. It was nearing time to pack up but we decided to go for a quick hike around the property before we left.

Look at the bones!!! Cain found this jawbone that he thought was pretty cool. Probably a cow.
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Ben and Patrick taking a rest (more like waiting for Mom and Cain to catch up :D ) This is a lava rock wall at the edge of the property.
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Tracking deer up the ridge. I'm pretty sure we're trespassing here!
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Annie dog posing for the camera. We've nick-named her Paris Hilton because she's not real smart but she gets by on her looks :rofl
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A cool twisted Juniper. Need to do a B&W conversion on this one.
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Well that's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed your visit to The Ranch! Comments and Critique are not just welcome but very much appreciated!

Charla

Comments

  • marlofmarlof Registered Users Posts: 1,833 Major grins
    edited September 19, 2006
    That's an amazing Ranch! I esp. liked the shot with the church overlooking the land.
    enjoy being here while getting there
  • CharlaCharla Registered Users Posts: 238 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2006
    marlof wrote:
    That's an amazing Ranch! I esp. liked the shot with the church overlooking the land.

    I appreciate the comments :D This is one of the few areas in the Colorado mountains that is still affordable and we have so much fun when we get to go there.

    I wanted to spend more time at the old church but the wind was so terrible I only spent about 5 minutes there. All the remaining shingles on the roof were at high risk of blowing off!
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited September 20, 2006
    Great sunset shot and that old chapel can be a study in itself. Thanks for the trip to CO.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • quarkquark Registered Users Posts: 510 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2006
    Lizard is my favorite. good colors and tone for that one.
    heather dillon photography - Pacific Northwest Portraits and Places
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    Quarks are one of the two basic constituents of matter in the Standard Model of particle physics.
  • Michael AllenMichael Allen Registered Users Posts: 196 Major grins
    edited September 21, 2006
    I loved Colorado when I was there, Liked the sunset. Thanks for posting
    -Mike
  • stephiewilliamsstephiewilliams Registered Users Posts: 168 Major grins
    edited September 21, 2006
    Charla, there is that beautiful Colorado mountain skyline, would recognize it anywhere! I am from Colorado as well. Great shots, really love the lizard pics!
    Stephie
    "AMATEURS try till they get it right, PROS try till they cannot possibly get it wrong."

    Gallery - http://stephaniewilliams.smugmug.com
  • CharlaCharla Registered Users Posts: 238 Major grins
    edited September 23, 2006
    Charla, there is that beautiful Colorado mountain skyline, would recognize it anywhere! I am from Colorado as well. Great shots, really love the lizard pics!

    Thanks Stephie!
    :D
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,904 moderator
    edited September 27, 2006
    I spent some time in Buena Vista this summer. The area is a beautiful
    slice of Colorado.

    Thanks for sharing!
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • CharlaCharla Registered Users Posts: 238 Major grins
    edited September 27, 2006
    ian408 wrote:
    I spent some time in Buena Vista this summer. The area is a beautiful
    slice of Colorado.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Thanks for looking and commenting! :D
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