Yesterday was a banner day… I got my Colorado license and went fishing for the first time in months. St. Vrain State Park has several lakes, and I didn’t do too badly for the first day out in unfamiliar waters and no local knowledge. (That’s an experienced fisherman’s excuse for not catching many…) I landed one small trout, had two toss the hook before I could get my hands around their throats (sorry, I meant to say “before I could gently release them”), and one enormous lunker that broke my line. It was probably a walleye, judging by the relatively vicious hit and fight he put up. Trout aren’t nearly as mean. I was using small spinners for the trout on an ultralight spinning rod and reel with 4 lb. test Stren line and a larger jig with a yellow tail (that’s what the suspected walleye took) on an 8 lb. test line. This is what the walleye that got away would look like. If I had landed him… Sigh. 
When walking back to The Bus, I met Matt, a Fish and Wildlife Volunteer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera or phone, because he was a neat guy. He asked how I would rate my day (actually only an hour) fishing. I gave it a 5 of 5 because of the birds (particularly these white pelicans, who must have eaten all the good fish before I arrived) and beautiful weather. Matt’s parents live in Florida now, but he loves Colorado for the myriad outdoor activities. We talked about the outdoor life, and I mentioned that if it weren’t for the snowy, frigid winters, I could live here. He assured me that winters weren’t that bad. (Yeah, it snowed just two weeks ago! I think Matt may be Terri’s distant cousin.) 
Friday wasn’t going to be a snow day, though. I held early reveille on the hounds, so that I could get a run in before solar heating raised the temps to an expected 90F. I trotted through gently rolling hills at mile high altitude. My route took me past open fields with hay stubble and hundreds of prairie dog holes, with their owners popping up every now and then to see if this human interloper was going to be a threat. Fortunately, prairie dogs don’t sound very appetizing, so after my run I found a coffee shop and a cinnamon roll. (Being able to pamper one’s person in proscribed pastries is the only advantage to your wife being two time zones distant.) 
Speaking of My Lovely Bride, she is keeping in touch, and having a wonderful time at the Edgar Cayce Conference in Virginia Beach. Last night she had dinner (flounder stuffed with crab meat) with Elizabeth Magee from The Villages; these partners in crime are rooming together, and I have alerted the Virginia Beach Police about two tourists getting wild and crazy while visiting their fair city. Here is Elizabeth at breakfast, making a face over the quality of her grits… now I ask you, what does a gal from south Joisey know from grits? (Maybe they should have eaten at Waffle House.) 
Suzanne is seen here today at the display of her books in the A.R.E. bookstore. (She appears much happier about her book table than Elizabeth did with her breakfast!) Today she is a conference attendee; tomorrow afternoon she will be presenting. 
While the girls were being spiritual at a beachfront conference, the Colorado contingent of our group was touring on our combined ten feet around Estes Park. A family driving by saw us and pulled over to say hello. Rudy and Gretchen got to meet one of their distant cousins, Oscar, another long-haired miniature Dachshund who looked much like Gretchen but with darker tan accents. The three Doxies got along famously. Oscar lives with his family in Wyoming, and is as affectionate as our puppies. 
Estes Park itself is a contradiction; there are beautiful sights such as the vintage Stanley Steamer in the historic Stanley Hotel, and then there is…
… the Estes Ark… one local I spoke to called it an eyesore. I will refrain from making a judgment. (Gag…) I wonder if Noah realizes he built this thing at 7,300 feet above sea level?) 
Estes Park is the Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The view from the visitor center is beautiful. The peaks are still snow-covered, and several of the trails are closed until Memorial Day. There were signs posted of extreme avalanche danger in the back country, but we didn’t have that on our to-do list today.
We hiked a short National Forest trail outside RMNP, since fierce canines like our Rudy and Gretchen aren’t allowed on NP trails. They might be a threat to the 500 lb. elk that roam the park. By the way, we saw these cow elk in downtown Estes Park. (I think the one with the green jewelry might be looking at me with more affection than I care to think about… she must know that I’m a member of an Elks Lodge… Hey, I’m spoken for!)
1 Comment
Jennifer
Ty, that last photo of the Elk is quite interesting!
Nice snow capped mountains and a nice display of Suzanne's books.