After our radio interview, Jennie took us to the edge of Fort Collins and up to Horse Tooth to climb and clambour. We simply didn’t have a lot of time, but Colorado was NOT found wanting and we managed to get to a good view of the valley in in under 3 hours.
Kristen climbing up on the top of Horse Tooth outside Fort Collins, CO. On top of Horse Tooth we also encountered a wee rock pile… this turned out to be the first of many of these little balanced stacks all across the west. We have yet to get anywhere that truly has no other signs of habitation – not that that’s really an OBJECTIVE – but it’d be nice to escape other people’s underwear Horsetooth Resevoir outside of Fort Collins, CO. a red-tailed hawk flying over the same… a better shot of that red-tailed hawk. It shortly dropped to the deck and snapped up something small and fuzzy. Then it hung un an updraft and unhurriedly dismembered it and ate lunch on the wing simply hovering in the sky above Horsetooth Resevoir, CO.
Our last night in Fort Collins, CO I took some time to wander Jennie’s garden after everyone had gone to bed. It was simply too idyllic to ignore, and the sweet silence of her area is gorgeous. We’re headed up on the full moon and as it rises it highlights contrails and clouds in the sky and gives plenty of light to shoot by.
October 7th – the drive to Wyoming…. – epic and amazing rocks as we exit Colorado on our way to meet up with new friends in Pinedale, WY. We haven’t done a drive along this route in about seven years and we’re truly feeling the bug of movement. Colorado we’d at least been in before, but now we were moving into terra incognita – including weird animals! Just as fascinating as the mountains in the distance, the decaying evidence of humans along the highways. Like something out of Halflife 3, weathered and textured and beautiful – but signs of dead dreams and small businesses long since fallen by the wayside. Sinclair Refinery in all its majesty. Yeah, the one with the friendly dinosaur! Mysterious ruins… a rabbit rock!!! we pulled over carefully to see if we could get some better shots of these Pronghorn Antelopes – and we got pretty close to the KING and his ladies. The antelope were on the edge of Eden – beautiful in its autumnal foliage! I was really into taking pictures of Eden, WY but Heather and Kristen new we had places to BE! a cool bird that’s been omnipresent out west – something I’d only read about but find very elegant in person : a magpie! when we finally pulled over for gas (Heather’s steed has a dainty, sipping appetite) we got to watch this bird take a very happy puddle bath. the happy bathing bird hadn’t just caught MY attention, but when he noticed me watching, this kitty slunk away.
