Bluebird Lake

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The trail from the Wild Basin Trailhead [at left on the map view which looks from north to south, and at right in the elevation profile] rises from 2589 m [8,494 ft] to 3340 m [10,958 ft] over a length of about 6.4 miles to Bluebird Lake [at right on the map].

First stop of the morning at Calypso Cascades, 1.9 miles up the trail.

The Calypso Cascades from another perspective.

Blue Columbine, Aquilegia caerulea, state flower of Colorado.

Blue Columbine, Aquilegia caerulea, state flower of Colorado.

Ouzel Falls, 2.7 miles in.  The trail crosses Ouzel Creek just below the falls, but the wooden bridge was carried away in the deluge of September 2013.

New i-beams and decking planks positioned for a rebuild of the bridge to cross Ouzel Creek.

Isolation peak in the distance.  Below it lies Bluebird Lake.

Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja integra.

Copeland Mountain, whose smooth brow yields to a very rugged northwest face.

Dead giant.

Five Stamened Mitrewort, Mitella pentandra.  Saxifrage family.

Five Stamened Mitrewort, Mitella pentandra.  Saxifrage family.

Spring Beauty, Montia chamissoi.

American Globeflower [buttercup family], Trollius laxus.

Lots of Glacier Lilies in bloom at around 10,000 feet.

Glacier Lilies, Erythronium grandiflorum.

American Globeflower, Trollius laxus.

The head of St. Vrain Creek as it emerges from a snow bank below Bluebird Lake.

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A cascade disappears beneath the snow.

Bluebird Lake, elevation 10,978 ft.

Back in the Park

Headwaters of the Big Thompson River.  Seventy-eightmiles to go til it reaches the South Platte River.  The South Platte empties into the Missouri River, which in turn empties into the Mississippi River. 

Looking west across Moraine Park, with the river flowing towards the camera.

The Big Thompson descends out of Moraine Park.

Winter

"Last Light" remix

I added a bit more video footage and did an audio remix of my "Last Light" video.  I really like the way music and imagery can work together to convey how I feel when I look at the majestic scenery of the Rockies.

Sonoran Desert, southern Arizona

The beautiful Sonoran Desert - the lushest desert in the world, with 12 inches of rainfall annually.

Down in the canyons, cool water flows.

The massive Saguaro cactus, whose seed is so small it is difficult to see with the naked eye, can grow to 60 feet tall, weigh 2 tons, and live well over 100 years.  Their pleated trunks expand and contract as they store and lose water.

An agave with a view.

The Grey Hawk, Buteo plagiatus, is found only in the most southern areas of the United States, and migrate further south in Winter.

The Harris Hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus, hunts in pairs or larger family groups.