Hiking at Loveland Pass

When the Eisenhower Tunnel was completed it took much of the traffic away from Loveland Pass, however trucks carrying cargo not considered safe for the tunnel still climb over the Continental Divide at the pass. Loveland Pass is an excellent place to hike and explore the alpine world above the timberline, which is what my friend and I did one afternoon.

Small stream coming down from Buffalo Mountain

Cassin's Finch

There were many birds around the condo that sat at nearly 9500 feet in elevation. This is a Cassin's Finch in the parking lot.

Colorado Wildflowers

Chipmunk being fed at Dillon Reservoir

We hiked the trail above Dillon Reservoir and when we reached the overlook there were lots of Chipmunks. Many people were feeding them and one was brave enough to eat out of a man's hand!

Rocky Mountains, Summit County, Colorado

This is a view looking east from near Dillon Reservoir toward the Continental Divide.

Pine Squirrel

We would hike each morning on the trail above the condos in Arapho National Forest where we saw many birds and animals. This is a Pine Squirrel enjoying it's breakfast!

Hummingbird at feeder

The day before I arrived my friend filled a Hummingbird feeder, it immediately attracted several Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, we enjoyed watching them during my stay.

Buffalo Mountain, near Silverthorne, Colorado

This is the condo complex near Silverthorne where I stayed, Buffalo Mountain is in the background. My friend called it "Suburbia in the Wilderness." There is a Borders Bookstore, two Starbucks, lots of resturants and just about anything else you could think of in Silverthorne and nearby Dillon.

Scenes in Frisco, Colorado

We stopped to eat lunch in the little town of Frisco.

Berthoud Pass, Colorado

Last week I boarded Amtrak's California Zephyr in Lincoln, Nebraska on my way to Winter Park, Colorado. I had rode trains many times before in Europe but had only been on a train in the United States once before, as a sophomore in High School I went on a school trip to Chicago. It was after midnight when the train pulled out of Lincoln traveling at night through Nebraska and eastern Colorado, arriving in Denver at 8:00 a.m. After leaving Denver's Union Station it began to climb into the mountains, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery the rest of the way to Winter Park. The train passed through many tunnels including the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel that was completed in 1928 and goes under the Continental Divide. On arriving in Winter Park I was met by my friend, he lives in Lincoln and rents a condo at Silverthorne for a week each August. We went to the condo in his car passing through spectacular mountain scenery. I took this picture from the summit of Berthoud Pass looking down at the switchbacks, the tall mountains in the distance are mostly in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Blogging

I have just began a blog, I am not sure how to proceed but it does seem very much like Facebook, I guess I can learn on the go.