Coller State Wildlife Area hike

 

Beautiful day with some sun, some light clouds, and showers that held off until we got home.  This is one of a few places where we can walk over 4.5 miles and enjoy only slight elevation gains. Yet we enjoyed gazing at cliffs and watching the river flow. We'll probably do it again in the snow in a few months.

Suggested follow-up this fall:  bring a chair, a book, and binoculars.  Walk a ways along the river, find a lonely spot and spend an hour, watching for Canada geese, elk, deer, maybe an eagle or two, flickers (seen today) and who knows what else.  This may become your special place, close to home, full of memories.

It's big enough for all of us.

Thanks for the pictures, Dennis.      To Wayne and Linda, our best wishes to you in this time of grieving and hope.

 

We will try to find water on Wednesday at "Lost" Lake" another special but close to home destination (wear orange and walk gently and quietly).  9 a.m. at Visitor Center of South Fork.

 

15 hikers today

 

Sap on P. flexilis (Limber pine)

 

Official resting log

 

going down--one of a few places

 

Down by the Riverside

 

After lunch by the river

 

Rio Grande and Palisades

 

Heading out, just in time

 

Doing what fishermen do.

 

Big throne across the road

 

Coller hike 8-31-15

Doug led 14 of us down the canyon of the Coller State Wildlife Area, sometimes in the timber and sometimes out in the meadow.  We went to the lower boundary of the area and ate our lunch, after which we headed back to the vehicles, following the road up to the cars.  The trip back up was warm as the sun came out and made it quite a bit warmer.  It was 2.2 miles from lunch to the vehicles and we arrived just as it started to sprinkle.

The only wildlife I saw in the Wildlife Area was a dead prairie dog in the road back to the vehicles, guess we scared everything away......

 

Doug will be leading another hike Wednesday, come and enjoy another good time in our great country...............

 

Dennis

ATV Tuesday Sept 1

The club will be riding Shady Creek and around on Tuesday, Sept 1, 2015.  This is an easy ride and will be side by side friendly.  Plan to meet and leave from the Visitor’s Center at 9:00 am.  Hope to see you there.

Elizabeth

Monday hike

Colorful September is upon us.

Wayne has asked me to fill in for him on Monday morning, while he attends the funeral of a brother-in-law in Kansas.

I am pleased to do it. I will not make it a difficult or a long hike.

Because this is the first Monday of hunting season, I request that you wear colorful clothing. I intend to bring a small box of orange togs for those who forget.
We will walk where we will be easily seen.

I'll look for you before 9 a.m. at the South Fork Visitor Center. All adults and teens are welcome.

Doug Knudson 873-5239

moonlightouting8-28-15

 

We had another awesome night for our outing! Two months in a row for great weather (but still no brownies) to celebrate our great countries beauty.

Thanks to Kevin & Terry for providing the wood and fire for our cooking and enjoyment, thanks to all of you that brought food and fellowship to share with all of us.

We went over to the lookout (a distance that will be verified later) for a view of the valley after we had our meal and then came back to s'mores.  Rachel and Benjamin, the new Pastor and his wife for the Chapel of the South Fork, were our guests but I failed to get their pictures....will do a better job next time.

 

The sunset was very pretty and occurred at the same time as the moon coming up, so we could get pictures of both events at the same time.

 

Thanks again to everyone for making it a most enjoyable evening,

Dennis

 

Frisco lake hike 8-27-15

We started out at Blowout Pass, elevation 10700 ft. and made our way along the flank of Bennett to an elevation of 12800 ft. before working our way down near the lakes at 12500 ft.  The lower lake is at 12200 ft., 300 ft. lower than the uppermost lake.

 

The gophers/moles have had a heyday on the slopes making it difficult at times to find a firm foothold on the steep slopes.  We found a new wildflower today, an Alpine Gentian; we thought it was a paintbrush cousin at first.

 

We went back to the truck hiking along trail 850, which has been badly abused by atvs.  There are many "user trails" bypassing the rougher parts of the trail, looks like the "STAY THE TRAIL" education effort isn't getting to the right people.  If the riders don't want to ride on the rougher parts perhaps they should stay on the roads..........

 

WE WILL BE ON SHAW MESA TONIGHT TO HAVE OUR MEAL AND THEN A SHORT HIKE TO THE OVERLOOK. KEVIN IS STARTING OUR FIRE FOR US, SO COME ON UP AND JOIN IN THE FOOD, FUN AND FELLOWSHIP AROUND 630PM.

 

Dennis

Bennett Peak area and its lakes

Lookout Mtn from above Blowout Pass

 

A Paint-brush, I hope

 

One of the San Francisco ponds with cliff

 

another of the lakes

 

It's BIG country!

 

Arctic Gentian

 

False dandelion

 

Several kinds of lichens

 

Bennett Peak turned green