Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Rocky Mountain High in Colorado

Loch Vale, RMNP


Today I'm joining Wanda Ann of "Memories By the Mile" and her "Tuesday Trivia - Colorado". 

It's been almost three years since I first moved to Estes Park, Colorado with my new husband, and I've been blogging about life at high altitude almost that long. One of the best things that has happened to me here is discovering the joy of photography. My husband gave me his spare camera after seeing the poor images I captured with my little cell phone (I didn't own an iphone), and I've been pointing and clicking ever since. Blogging gives me the opportunity to pair photography with my other creative outlet: writing. 

Since we live just 10 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park, I thought I'd give you a tour of this magnificent place through my camera lens.
Endo Valley
Rocky Mountain National Park is visited annually by over 3 million people. And it's no wonder, when you consider the natural beauty of its 415 square miles.





An abundance of wildflowers and native plants can be seen in the park from early spring to the first snow. 


Wild Rose



Choke Cherry



Indian Paint Brush


Fireweed


Bush Sunflower

RMNP boasts over 300 miles of hiking trails. I've only been on a few of them, but each one has left me in awe of what God has created.





Bear Lake



Moraine Park


Endo Valley Picnic Area



Hallett's Peak



Sprague Lake


Alberta Falls
Upper Beaver Meadows


Fern Lake Trailhead




Fire Trail to Loch Vale



Meadow just off Old Fall River Road

Glacier Creek


Upper Beaver Meadows (Longs Peak in the distance)
Chasm Falls

Longs Peak is a well-known landmark in RMNP.
At 14,259 feet, Longs Peak is the highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park and Boulder County, and the 15th highest peak in Colorado. People from all over the world come to climb it.


I never tire of photographing the wildlife inhabitants of Rocky Mountain National Park.


From the large


Bull Elk



Elk Cows at the Watering Hole




Bull Elk Resting in the Tundra



Bull Elk in Sprague Lake


Bull Moose
Buck



to the small



Doe and Fawn - Endo Valley




Coyote



Myna Bird



to the tiny


"Chippy"
and the tiniest.
Hoary Comma

Because we live in a protected area, I'm blessed to have wildlife photo ops in town and our homestead. 


Yard Bunny


Chillin' downtown



Uh-oh, there she is with her camera again.


Lazin' on a sunny afternoon.



Baby Elk don't care where they nurse. This is near downtown Estes.

Twin Fawns in our side yard.





Mama Doe and her twins crossing the street in front of our homestead.



Bull Elk downtown Estes.


Elk Cow in our side yard.


A herd of deer in our yard.


Gentle bunny in our yard.





Doe seen from my kitchen window.






Nuthatch in one of our ponderosa pines.




A hummer stopping for a treat.


A sweet fawn peeks around the back of our barn studio.


These sweethearts hung around our homestead all summer.


The deer especially can be very tame and easy to capture with my camera. But there are some animals I prefer to photograph from a very safe distance.


Driving through the canyon we spotted this bear trying to get into a trash bin. We pulled over to get some photographs. No humans were harmed in capturing this image. (Translated to "I never got out of the car.')


Well, that's it. Too many photos, maybe? I hope I didn't bore you. 

Enjoy your Tuesday, and stop by Memories by the Mile to see Wanda Ann's post on Colorado. She's got some great shots.



Linking to:
Memories by the Mile


18 comments:

  1. holy smokes, you packed a huge bunch into this post! beautiful scenes - loved the reflection shot! great wildlife. great area! and you've got john denver stuck in my head now... thanks.

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    1. LOL. You're not alone, Theresa. John's song is stuck in my head, too.

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  2. Gee Wizz, and i thought I had it good with the scenery. You really do live in an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. Heres to many more blog entries of the Rockies. !!!

    Excellent captures.

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    1. Thank you, Shaun. You're very kind. You do have beautiful scenery in South Wales. And you photograph it well. Cheers.

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  3. OMG! Your pictures are amazing, no I mean AMAZING. Thank you for sharing, a little birdie told me to tell you to come back Thursday because you will be featured. ;-)
    Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile

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    1. Thank you so much, Wanda Ann. I will return on Thursday with pleasure.

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  4. Thank you Nancy. Your beautiful pictures gave me big smiles and sweet remembrance. I can almost hear Burton singing " Rocky Mountain High" at the top of his lungs! Bless his heart - he truly thought he could sing! What a hoot! Love to you and to Dennis. I am so thankful that you are part of my heart. God is good. Renee

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    1. Yes, He is, Renee. We love you and we're glad you're in our hearts too. I lifted up a big prayer for you yesterday. Take care sweet friend.

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  5. Nancy these are wonderful photos. I starting thinking oh, I like this one, then oh I like this one, then just gave up because I love them all...the mountains, the reflections, the wildflowers, and the wildlife. What a beautiful area you live in!
    Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Aw, you're so nice, Barb. Hope your week is going well. Blessings.:)

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  6. WOWOWOW!!! I am so jealous of where you live. Colorado is so beautiful! I recently made camping reservations for June. We will be driving up Peak to Peak to get to RMNP! I need to follow your blog so that I can take in more of beautiful Colorado!

    I found you over at Wanda's blog. I am visiting all the link ups that are about Colorado. I am link #31. It just put the post up of a trip in 1996 today!

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    1. Peak to Peak is a wonderful drive, and will be beautiful in June. You'll enjoy it. I'm on my way to your blog. :)

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    2. You live in such a beautiful place, Nancy! Thanks for the amazing tour.

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    3. My pleasure, Connie. Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment. :)

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  7. Unbelievable! SO many gorgeous shots! The mountains reflecting in the water, the moose, the mama and baby deer, the elk. ALL fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing!

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    1. You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by. Hope your week is going really well, Jori. Hugs.

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  8. I am going back and trying to leave comments to friends who visited me.
    I am late, I know it's been a tough year.
    Hubby and I were in Estes Park 3 summers ago and just loved it!
    Wonderful, wonderful pics, thanks for sharing...
    Cindy

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    1. My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. If you get back this way, let us know you're coming. We'd love to show you our place. Blessings.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment.