Rocky Mtn High CO again

Rocky Mountain High Colorado trip again

Fountain
Colorado Springs aka The Springs
Denver
Ft Collins
Manitou Springs

*note: first post from Galaxy S iii so not a clue yet what I'm doing nor how it'll look...

Airport Dallas - art guide

AA plane window view Colorado Springs

Worst airplane coffee ever







link to Dallas Airport - Art Program...
http://www.dfwairport.com/art/index.php


note: Ok back to the PC...on the cell phone you cannot size or move the photos, say from the center to the left--which is what I need for my layout to work on this template...sigh...either that or again I don't know what all the new Galaxy S iii or a Droid phone app for Blogger can do...

love when old looking new

or could it be new looking old

a clock tower in downtown Colorado Springs

after we've had lunch at the Paris Creperie across the street, about

(plus--do you remember your Roman Numerals...then a good way to at least go from 1 to 12?!)

special salad of the day - spring greens with walnuts, pears
and a lovely vinagrette

link to Paris Crepe - Facebook page...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paris-Crepe/191872844196316

link to Paris Crepe - Yelp...
http://www.yelp.com/biz/paris-crepe-colorado-springs

link to Paris Crepe - Trip Advisor...
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33364-d2104856-Reviews-Paris_Crepe_Euro_Cafe-Colorado_Springs_El_Paso_County_Colorado.html













art sculpture at the downtown Colorado Springs park

Yes, it is a zipper...there's a graffiti zipper too on a wall remember passing, but no photo this trip

(also did not see a plaque for the artist, but maybe if had looked all around the backside, which I didn't...could of been there or elsewhere in the park posted, didn't see if there were other sculptures/art elsewhere there--again not this trip)



below...Hungry Bear Restaurant

next to/nearby Dinosaur Resource Center
in Woodland Park, CO

link to restaurant...
http://www.hungrybearcolorado.com/
(note: do not expect exceptional food, kinda like a diner...it's great place for the kids after the museum, only it's packed with stuffed bears & all else bear related--not dino's...)


link to resource center link...
http://www.colorado.com/familygroups/dinosaur-resource-center
(note: it wants you to log onto Word Press...I didn't do that, you shouldn't have to do that--they must be working on their webpage...go back, look again--later...)

Wiki link...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Dinosaur_Resource_Center





Ft Collins, old historic town





Ft Collins CO Reservoir Dam/Road

to the right, to the middle, to the left, to the sky...

no matter it looks as solid as the Rocky Mountains

I would 'not' live below a Dam

how much water above me? no way!





Day of Ft Collins done

we'd talked about going, our niece went to college there, we'd never been, we thought we should at least once...as there's continual talk of where we might buy property, if ever, now we know for sure only that it will not be beside a national park or a forest (as in CO of late, or last year & now again this year, they're tending to burn down?!)

but so much more could have done in town, but only had hours with a drive back to Fountain & the weather/clouds not looking too FAB either--like there is a Univ there for one thing & even a regular downtown, but we only had time for old downtown...

earlier even drove thru the town park, see a kid's water park in the middle of it

wonder why the kids/grands/cousins/their kids went to Denver for that

when there's a water park up here in the mtns (but maybe Pirates Cove was better)

link to Visit Ft Collins...

http://www.visitftcollins.com/

link to official city webpage...

http://www.fcgov.com/

link to Artists Transforming Electric Boxes...

http://www.fcgov.com/news/index.php?id=4909

(note: see above, where I spotted the pink bubble painted one in old town square)

link to Art in Public Places: City of Ft. Collins...

http://www.fcgov.com/artspublic/

or more about those painted pianos, which I took a photo again of one in old town square...

see above where I took a photo of one, but there were 2 more we saw in the streets--plus a store front which you could see inside the windows, lined up with painted pianos (am guessing they'll be next to take a turn in the streets)

Drove thru Erie, CO after Ft. Collins, CO on the way back down to Fountain, CO because niece from CO now in CA said it was worth checking out for property...we saw sad old downtown street, if that, then some new subdivision looking area & poof outta town & well not impressed...so far as we can tell will 'not' be buying investment property up there (besides I am not the Mountain Momma, will prob never be, so Give Me The Beach...a cottage at/on/near/with a view of the beach & I'll be good to go?!) If folks want to commute out to Boulder or Denver--well then let them have at it...we couldn't hardly believe the traffic in the summertime during the hours we were on the highway from Denver to Ft. Collins (wouldn't want to do that everyday of the week)

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo...

Feed the Giraffes...lettuce at the hour we were there

other hours get crackers--they mix up the day

baby giraffe is 'not' interested at all

Totem Pole, black & white, cracked me up

as about that time I was probably cracking up how much time we'd been at the zoo

place is huge & a lot of it up/downhill - don't let the skyride fool you

somewhere in that tree brush there are begging chipmunks

they also scuttle in/out of animal confines with I'm sure whatever Purina kibbles there are to be got

from our group of kids they got kettle corn

only tile/art work I found all day...the hippos...

link to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo webpage...

http://cmzoo.org/

link to Rock the Zoo...it's a fab fun family way to donate to the zoo...

http://cmzoo.org/supportZoo/donationProgram/rockTheZoo.asp

(note: we'll have a family rock up on the wall soon?! after we all decide what to put on it...)

Will Rogers Shrine to the Sun

Cheyenne Mountain

up above the Zoo 

 link to more about the history of the shrine on Cheyenne Mountain Zoo webpage...

 http://www.cmzoo.org/aboutZoo/history/willRogersShrine.asp

 link to Wiki - Will Rogers Shrine...

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_Shrine_of_the_Sun

North Cheyenne Mountain Trails

Mount Cutler Trail



link to Trail Guides Catalog - North Cheyenne Canyon/Broadmoor Trails...

http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGR114-337

(note: sorry think you have to pay or register to see these...)

link to North Cheyenne Canon/Helen Hunt Falls/Trail...

http://www.discover-colorado-springs.com/north-cheyenne-canon-colorado-springs.html

link to REI - North Cheyenne Canyon/Broadmoor Trails...

http://www.rei.com/guidepost/detail/colorado/hiking/north-cheyenne-canyon/11535

link to REI - Mount Cutler Trail...

http://www.rei.com/guidepost/detail/colorado/hiking/mt-cutler-trail/11610

Easy

2 miles

I read 1 mile on the sign & thought it was for both the up & down

so really now I can brag I did 2 miles in the Rocky Mountain High

as we'd come from like below sea level only days before I thought I couldn't do it but I did - yay!

we did also see a deer, a big one, I was surprised

by the time we realized it was a deer & maybe someone should take a photo of it, poof it was gone?!

then of course we didn't see another

not a deer but a butterfly, that posed, am not sure that made up for it but it was something

more sights on the trail...

dog legged tree roots

lightning struck/streaked tree trunk

link to Swallow tail Butterfly--think this one is a yellow tiger tail swallow butterfly...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallowtail_butterfly

(note: on the Mt Cutler Hiking Trail--even before saw these butterflies, then this one sits on this flower & poses for the longest time...OK, know it was eating on the flower/seedpod/purple thistle but for me it was posing?!)

tiny fuzzy brown caterpillar on the trail

not sure if a yellow bear caterpillar that's brown

or an orange caterpillar gone brown

or a young caterpillar, so the size/color may grow to be different

ants were after this one so may have been curled up a bit

didn't pick it up, as I've found as a girl picking up a cute small fuzzy brown caterpillar in Florida - maybe even one or two off the big bushes behind a girl friends house nearer the fields...that later, when you least expect it you've found out the lil bugger has stung you--only you didn't feel it at first, so then there are stinging welts in your hand...Oh the lessons we learn as children that won't go away, no matter how many things you read that say not all caterpillars will sting you... (when I look up caterpillars like this in Florida, closest I see is the Puss caterpillars--but the ones we kids saw/picked up were a lot smaller & not furry looking like the photos...so I'll just stick with 'not' picking up caterpillars in my hand anymore?!) 

OK, now I've totally creeped myself out--after that beautiful poser yellow tiger swallow tail butterfly going on to look at too many ugly as well as cute stinging caterpillars...

link to Miami FL Poison Center - regarding stinging caterpillars...

http://miamipoisoncenter.org/x54.xml

link to Cutest Toxic Caterpillars...

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/8-of-the-cutest-toxic-caterpillars

(note: included on both lists is the puss caterpillar)