• animals,  clouds,  coffee shops,  flowers,  horizons,  lake,  landscape,  Plants,  sunrises,  Travel,  writing/reading

    Update

    Fremont Lake as I arrived yesterday

    Arrived at Fremont Lake yesterday afternoon to clear skies and warm weather. I do not have wifi or cellular at my campsite, which is something I expected. Lets me know how much I use both.

    My drive was without trouble. I encountered a ton of road construction on I-80. Seems they were working on the interstate all the way from Laramie to Rock Springs, Wyoming. I would also say 70% of all traffic was semi trucks. Once I turned onto 191 the semi trucks disappeared and the traffic switched to RVs, Vans, and trailers. The interstate follows two separate railroad tracks so I saw almost continuous trains going both east and west.

    My campsite

    There are 39 campsites at the Fremont Lake Campground. All were taken except two which I didn’t expect. I chose #7 because it had shade trees while the other one was wide open but had a wonderful view of the lake. That turned out to be a good choice because of the protection by my sisters the trees and they helped isolate noise, letting me enjoy the quiet. My back was sore when I went to bed from all the driving but slept well until early morning. Camping is cheap for us seniors as it only cost me $15 for two nights.

    Yesterday afternoon at Fremont Lake

    I did some walking after setting up camp so I was able to get my steps in, and some. The area around the lake is a large boulder field and I’m talking big boulders. Wildlife is everywhere, deer, antelope, hawks and squirrels everywhere I turned. I did not remember how much boating there is on the lake. But, that was 19 years ago. I drove around yesterday evening to explore the area and took the above image while sitting on one of those large boulders. Such peace and quiet. I just may do it again this evening. The silence and quiet was a primary reason for this trip.

    The drama of storm clouds and the sun about to rise after the rain

    The wind began blowing hard about 4:39 am, followed by lightning and thunder. Then, a nice gentle rain began falling and rained for a good hour. I stayed dry. The trees protected me from the wind and some rain. So that was a good reason to choose this site. There is something magical for me to lay there warm, dry and listening to the rain. I did not sleep much after it began raining, so I’ve been up for a while. But, there’s always the afternoon power nap!

    There is something about the scent of wet sage and having an antelope checking me out.

    I drove into town with hopes to get my mocha latte fix, my internet fix and hopefully some early morning photos fix. Got all three! Now in a coffee shop call Pine Coffee Supply. It’s an old converted garage. They do their own roasting. I was here at 7:30 am when they opened and they have been busy every since I arrived. Could be because they are the only coffee shop in town. That’s the end of this update.

  • Great Sand Dunes National Park,  landscape,  sunsets

    38 Degrees

    Sunset at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument
    Sunset at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument

    I had a beautiful day for traveling yesterday, arriving at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The campgrounds at the Monument were full but the ranger at the gate told me to check with the camp host as there may be a possibility of a single tent available. He was correct as they opened up a group site and put only single tents in there.

    I did some wandering around the monument and walked a short distance out on the dunes and came back for dinner. Later on I headed to a parking lot just outside the campgrounds where I thought I could get a photo of the sunset on the dunes. That’s where I took the first image.

    Sand blowing across the dunes
    Sand blowing across the dunes as I walked to the envisioned sunset

    While walking to this parking lot for the first image, the wind started to pickup as you can see in the second image. And, it blew into the early morning. And, when you camp near the sand dunes you can expect a bit of sand when the wind blows. I broke camp about 6:30 am so I could get on the road early and everything in my tent was covered with a fine layer of sand this morning, including me. It was a cool morning. When I started my car at 7:00 am the temperature gauge said is was 38 degrees. I’m now in Alamosa at the Milagros Coffee House before my drive to Canyon de Chelly.

  • Grand Canyon National Park,  Great Sand Dunes National Park,  landscape,  Mesa Verde National Park,  National Parks

    Follow up

    Great Sand Dunes National Park
    Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

    This road trip has been good for me. I’m now in Phoenix visiting my parents for a couple days and sleeping in a real bed for a change. I’ll head back out tomorrow morning and drift back towards home. I find it inexpensive to camp in the National Parks with my senior pass while entrance fees are free. I’ve never been to any of these parks before. This is not a photographic expedition but a vacation. I’m acting like a tourist and shooting from the same locations the tourists are shooting from. I just take more time as I shoot.

    My first night was in the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Since it’s late in the season I’m not fighting large crowds. I’m able to select just about any campsite I desire. So far this park has been my most impressive and will stay on my bucket list. Clouds moved in early in the evening then rained hard for a couple hours during the night. I stayed dry but the rain cover on my tent was soaked the next morning. In the above image you can just make out a few people who have climbed to the top of the dunes.

  • Glacier National Park,  sunsets

    Relaxing Before Bed

    Lake McDonald
    Lake McDonald

    A few years ago I made a trip to the west coast and back in my car. I camped wherever I could to save on cost and be in nature. One of my favorite nights was at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. The water in this lake is crystal clear with the bottom of the lake strewn with colored rocks. It sits in a valley created by erosion and glacial activity.  This visit was made in June of 2004 just after the massive fires of 2003.  Approximately 136,000 acres burned within the park boundary. This came after 5 years of drought and the hottest summer temperatures ever recorded in the park. I had a nice campsite back among the trees and away from the lake. Because of the noise from campers and the chugging sound of RV generators I took a walk to the lake. I’m glad I did and just happen to have my camera with me. I think it’s a great way to relax before going to bed.

  • moon,  mountains,  Travel

    The Campsite

    Moon over my camp

    A sudden itch to go camping came upon me on Wednesday afternoon. So, I packed up the car and hit the road. Headed in the general direction of the Poudre Canyon looking for an open campsite in the high country. With the fall colors beginning I thought a Thursday and Friday night venture would not be as crowded. I was right on that but surprised to find very few people up there. With no one up there I pretty much had the pick of my choice. I settled on Sleeping Elephant campsite which has about 15 sites, all of them open. I selected number 12, paid my $13 and setup my tent. The birds and chipmunks were immediately talking about the intruder into their space, Not to be unfriendly I starting up a conversation with them. I told them I came up for some quiet and would do my best not to bother them. Seemed to work. The first image is my campsite and the second is an image of Elephant mountain from which they got the name for the campground.