• animals,  Avian,  clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  poetry,  Soapstone Prairie Natural Area,  writing/reading

    Experiencing Nature’s Touch

    Storm clouds were on the eastern horizon enticing me to head out of town to find open areas for an image or two. Before I knew it I was on a course heading north to the Soapstone Natural Area. I did get a few cloud images but I also was gifted with a few unexpected images of this beautiful landscape and a few bison images.

    This natural area is the biggest one the City of Fort Collins maintains. It is 48 square miles of wide open vistas, nearly pristine grasslands, miles of trails and cultural resources. The trails are a mix for hiking, biking and horses. Thankfully they have restricted access to some areas to keep them free of man’s destructive tendencies. During excavations in the 1930s by the Smithsonian and Colorado Museum of Natural History they conclusively dated human habitation in in this area to at least 10,000 years. You can go online and find many stories about the early homesteaders, mostly ranchers and sheepherders, in this area as well as the American Indians.

    In November of 2015 they introduced a herd of bison on over 1,000 acres of pasture land which is inaccessible to the public. However, the main entrance road, Rawhide Flats Road, and Cheyenne Rim Trail, follow along the edge of this pasture which gives an opportunity to observe them and even get a few photographs, if they are close enough. I find these animals so intriguing.

    And of course this area is a haven for my favorite bird the meadowlark. It is also a place for many other birds, such as red-tailed hawks. The Fort Collins Audubon has a bird checklist that’s two pages long. You will find coyotes, fox, rabbits, prairie dogs, deer, antelope, and elk and of course a few snakes. I don’t go there often enough and it is always an uplifting experience for my soul when I go. It’s nice to come home with a few images but just spending time there, listening to the silence, transforms me in some wonderful way. Experiencing nature’s touch.

    ominous storm clouds in the east
    rain, hail and wind hidden within
    we watch in silence, the hawk and I

    ms
  • landscape,  National Parks

    The Falls

    Niagara Falls

    Last week we had a long overnight in Buffalo, New York. We arrived just before midnight but did not have to show until 5:00 PM, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy the area. Since none of the four of us had been to Niagara Falls, we did some investigating and discovered a $4.00 bus ride from the airport was available. What a wonderful natural wonder the falls are! Such power and beauty in once place. We walked all over the place and checked out all the different views we could on the American side. If I ever get back up there I will look into the Canadian side. This image was taken near Prospect Point. We avoided all the souvenir shops but did eat lunch at the Top of the Falls restaurant overlooking the falls. Buffalo wings! It made for a nice day trip.