« Colorado 2009 »

We finally got to the mountains this year, so while Texas had 100+ degrees every day for a week, we were enjoying cool breezes and rain.

We landed in Denver and spent an evening with our friend, Mike Pappas. After a tour of KUVO, where he is Chief Engineer, we had dinner with Mike, his wife Theresa and their 12-year-old son. (I stole this photo from Mike's website)

Then we drove across Colorado to the Powderhorn Goldenwoods resort where we would stay for the next 5 days.

The Eisenhauer Tunnel (Oddly, that's what it's called going west. Going east, the name is the Johnson Tunnel. Don't know why.) under Loveland Pass at the Continental Divide.

We stopped in Frisco, CO for lunch. I wondered aloud if people get used to this view and stop seeing it. It would take me awhile to not be overwhelmed by the beauty of the mountains, I like to think.

We stopped again in Glenwood Canyon to get some pictures.

This train went by while we were there, as if on cue.

Then we stopped in Glenwood Springs, bought ice cream and walked around for awhile. I found this flower there. It looks like a 4th of July sparkler, except that it's alive and purple.

After we'd left Glenwood Springs, the mountains started looking like this, barren and sculpted.

This was very near where we turned to go to the resort.

The next day, I drove back down the mountain to a gig in Grand Junction, CO. This is what I saw.

One of the magnificent mesas of the Palisades, near Grand Junction.

Flora and Fauna follow.

This looks a lot like clover, but isn't. No one could tell me what it was.

The leaves on aspen trees are round and hang from the branch, and when the wind blows through them, they shimmer in the light and make a lovely whispery sound.

Aspen leaf

Blue Columbine, the state flower of Colorado. I bought some seeds and I'm going to see if I can make them grow in Texas. I love blue flowers. For example, bluebonnets (the state flower of Texas) are one of the reasons I can't let go of Austin.