Kansas Dragonflies

Until I began paying attention to Dragonflies I didn't realize that there are many different species. I found out that there are 80 species in Kansas alone, and there can be as many as a half dozen species on a small pond. Taking photos of them makes me appreciate them more, seeing the wings up close is simply amazing. You can click on each of these pictures to enlarge them, and see much more detail.

Butterflies

Tiger Swallowtail (in Golden Privet)

Red Admiral

Black Swallowtail (on Purple Coneflower)

Eastern Comma

Monarch

Here are some of the butterflies I have taken photos of this Summer.

Scenes in Glenwood Springs

Historic Train Station (1904)

Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge and Hotel Colorado

Boarding the California Zephyr

When we got to Glenwood Springs we had time before I boarded the California Zephyr to look around and have lunch. The train came into town a little early, but didn't leave until the scheduled time. There were several Amish that got on the train, you can see them in the last picture. I rode much of the time in the observation car, which is the one with the curved glass. The train follows the Colorado River for around half the route between Glenwood Springs and Denver, passing through beautiful Glenwood Canyon and other canyons. When we reached Denver I got off and walked around the downtown area for a little while, the train pulled out of Union Station just after sunset. I got back to Lincoln at 4:30 a.m. the next morning, got a cab to my pickup and then on home. I had a great time in Colorado and the train adventure on the California Zephyr was a very enjoyable and relaxing way to travel. The top picture is of the historic train station built in 1904, the second picture shows both the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge in the foreground and the Hotel Colorado (beyond the Lodge and higher up), the hotel was built in 1893, patterned after the Villa de Medici in Rome.

Glenwood Canyon

When my short stay was over my friend drove me to Glenwood Springs to board the California Zephyr for my return trip to Lincoln. We stopped off in Glenwood Canyon on the way to do some hiking. There was light rain falling that morning and also a little light fog in the canyon.

Colorado Rockies from Wildernest

Poppies at Wildernest near Silverthorne

Flowers do well in the mountains of Colorado.

Gray Jay

One morning, on our hike back from Lily Pad Lake, we saw several Gray Jays.

Lily Pad Lake, Arapaho National Forest

When we hiked from the condos into Arapaho National Forest, our destination and turnaround point was Lily Pad Lake.

Meadows between the Condo and Arapaho National Forest

These pictures are of the area between the condos and Arapaho National Forest. My friend saw a Moose one morning last August feeding on the meadow.

Steller's Jay

When we returned to the condo that afternoon there were Steller's Jays feeding at the tube feeder.