Tag Archives: Colorado National Monument

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Hi ho, hi ho

This is zoomed in to the Colorado National Monument in the early morning. The light and shadows are wonderfully dramatic and change by the minute.

I won’t trudge to work today. I was mildly sick the last two days and am better today, so I am happy to go. Hoorah for feeling better.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: trudge.

And two songs from The Yes Yes Boys, 2004, here.

I do just what I please:

Make it easy:

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Turtlehead

I don’t know if this monolith is named turtlehead, but it certainly looks like one to me.

I lost the trail early on and had to backtrack. There was a turn and then rock steps down that I missed. I was more careful after that. I like the way they mark the trails here: rocks and more rocks.

Here is the sign at the start.

Here is a future monolith near the top of the Corkscrew Trail.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: monolith.

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Wood grain

This is also from my hike on the Corkscrew Trail. I took a few photographs thinking of wood grain and weathering and like this the best. A tough and beautiful environment.

My mother’s birthday is May 31, so I always think of her around Memorial Day. I dreamed about her last night. She was rolling her eyes at me.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: grain.

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Cactus flower

This morning I left at 7:30 and drove to the Wildwood Trailhead in the Colorado National Monument. I hiked the Corkscrew Trail. Ok, I am not quite acclimated to the altitude and I felt it going up. This gained some altitude, and started at 4800 feet. I did it in the direction opposite the description, which meant it was gentler going up and steeper coming down. It is 3.3 miles, but I added another mile by missing a turn and having to backtrack.

Early on, the cacti were closed, either buds or partially open. Later it is warmer and they open up.

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National Monument

The word monument makes me think of a memorial or a statue, not a huge park with rock formations. That is a national monument: “a place of historic, scenic, or scientific interest set aside for preservation usually by presidential proclamation”, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary on line. The Colorado National Monument is from 1911 and by President Taft. The 23 mile Rimrock Drive is two lanes, switchbacks, tunnels and pull offs for hikes and views. It was not very crowded on Sunday but there were multiple bicycles and really little or no shoulder. We were very careful to have a stretch that we could see before we passed anyone. It certainly will put anyone in shape to ride that road!

The photograph is of window rock. There are few railings in the monument, but there is one by the window. With a sign saying “Do NOT go out on Window Rock.” I agree and we didn’t.

Right now there are 121 National Monuments in the US, according to this site. They are different from National Parks and National Forests. Let’s go visit them ALL! That would be an interesting bucket list and I would be that someone has done it.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: monument.

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Where to relax

I think this is a pinon jay. I took this up on the Colorado National Monument on Saturday. I was pretty blind in the sun, but got the shot, after I cropped it. That’s a new bird to me: here.

There were tons of junipers in the Monument and some pinon pines. The junipers look like the winters might be a bit hard, with amazing twisted trunks.

They are happily producing berries anyhow and look way healthier than the ones in town.

The pinon pines and the junipers appear to be the local armchairs for the pinon jays. There was a pair flirting, too.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: armchair.

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Serendipity

I took this zoom shot of Independence Monument in the Colorado National Monument. I was pretty much blind, but I’ve spend so much time photographing in sunlight on the beach, that I am happy with the composition. I had no idea that I captured the climbers until I looked at it at home.

This is without any zoom.

Zooming closer.

And later along the canyon, we saw the first climber on top. They are both there, but I was shooting blind again.

What an amazing and fabulous day.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: off-beat.