Taking the High Road

Trail Ridge Road has been open for about a week now so Wayne and I decided to drive up to the Visitors' Center this afternoon. We discovered that this was not the best day we could have chosen. The highway is undergoing resurfacing so was quite rutted and bumpy. Being a Sunday and a "free entrance" day, it was also quite crowded. But we enjoyed the awesome views, as always. The high elevations still have a heavy snowpack and the warm weather the past few days has caused the creeks and rivers to run very high. There has been some minor flooding in town including the post office parking lot and the nine-hole golf course. Wayne tells me that two fairways are under water so it will be closed until the Big Thompson River subsides. I hear thunder rumbling in the distance and the sky is darkening so we'll be getting rain within the hour - not good for the already swollen rivers.

Potting Geraniums

We couldn't hold out any longer ... we bought some flowers today and planted some of them (the deep red geraniums) this evening. The four hanging baskets look beautiful on the porch. We also bought a flat of pansies in all their typical colors but will wait to plant them until we return from Omaha. Mom has offered to come over and water them while we're gone. It feels like summer has finally arrived. Wayne knocked down a wasp nest in a recessed area of the porch roof. We don't want them bothering us or any guests. I spend a lot of time on our porch and deck - I'm sitting out here as I write this post.

I took Mom and a friend to see the owl nest last evening. We had good views of the babies but didn't spot the mother. She was probably napping on a hidden tree branch. She must spend all night finding food for them. They are big babies and did a lot of stretching and wing flapping on the edge of the nest while we watched.

Owls, Beavers, Fire

Part 1: OWLS

Yesterday was one of the more exciting days of wildlife viewing for Wayne and me. After dinner with friends at a local barbecue restaurant, we drove to a spot where we knew there was a great horned owl nest. We had good views of the nest with its two owlets' fuzzy heads as well as the mother keeping watch from a nearby branch. These are big owls with hearty appetites. They take prey including rabbits, mice, squirrels, skunks, birds, fish and small pets (dogs and cats.) Several years ago one of my friends let her dog outside at night and it was carried off by a great horned owl who dropped it, probably because it was a little too heavy for the owl. With its leg broken, the dog made its way back to their front porch where my friend found it, bloody and quivering with fright, the next morning. The vet showed my friend the talon wounds on its back. The dog recovered but declined to go outside voluntarily afterwards.

Part 2: BEAVERS

After leaving the owl nest we drove to observe any beaver activity at the ponds on Fish Creek. The female was swimming in the pond around the lodge while the male, downstream a bit, was busy gnawing on a fair sized aspen. He seemed unconcerned by the audience and took occasional breaks to swim in the creek and eat bark and twig snacks. It was a lovely evening so we stayed on the roadside taking photos and chatting with other observers for over an hour. There was speculation about which way the tree would fall when, suddenly, the male beaver dived into the creek and a split second later the tree toppled onto the power lines along the road.

Part 3: FIRE
There were several loud booms accompanied by fire, smoke and showers of sparks as we scrambled away from the tree and power lines. The tree continued to burn where it rested on the wires. I called 911 and we stayed until several fire, electric company, and sheriff responders arrived. I plan to go over there today and see what has become of the tree.

beaver lodge and pond

Unpatriotic Elk

We've had a herd of about twenty-five bull elk hanging around our yard for the past couple of days. They are quite handsome with their sleek summer coats and antlers in velvet. When I hung the flag out again this morning they were nowhere in sight, but when I glanced out the window an hour later they were browsing very close to the house. I kept a close watch on them so I could shoo them away if they got too close to our fenced aspen and maple trees. (The elk are the very reason for the fences!) I saw one bull start rubbing his velvet clad antlers on the fence and hurried out, armed only with a walking stick to chase him away. He bolted and so did the elk yanking on the flag. He dropped the flag to the ground (not very tasty, I guess) but he'd already bent the metal pole and bracket. In the future, I plan to keep my flag inside while those unpatriotic elk are in the neighborhood. Here are a few photos.