Pool Table Road

One day, while visiting the area around Creede, Colorado, we decided to explore the back road called Pool Table Road.  I thought that was a rather unusual name for a road, but we soon discovered the reason for the name!

We started the drive on a road that was! in really good condition and offered up a beautiful view of the Rio Grande River!  We were climbing from the elevation of our campground, about 8400 feet.  As we drove, I loved how clear the air was – and kind of chilly, being up that high!!

We saw some wonderful mountain meadow views, and discovered the reason for the name of the road – there’s a mountain up there named Pool Table Mountain!  We decided that perhaps the reason for the name was the flat top of the mountain, rather like a pool table.  I guess the person who named the mountain may have had playing pool as a hobby!! Oh, and as an aside, the brownness of the pine trees didn’t seem to be from fire.  It may have been from beetles.  Colorado has been hit hard by them over the past several years.

We drove through a few stands of aspen, and I took several photos of them.  I then thought it might be nice to display them with a variety of techniques and effects.  Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the different views of these picturesque trees.

There were also a number of wildflowers that we saw along our explorations!  Dandelions, a variety of daisy (I believe) and a beautiful white bloom that I think might be called a Bear’s Breeches.  Whatever they all are, I thoroughly enjoyed them!!

What an amazing bird!!  When we first saw it, we wondered if it was a very large hawk, but then the closer we got to it, the more we could see that it looked more like a young golden eagle.  I was lucky enough to capture him perched on a tree, then taking off and flying out of my camera’s view!!

And, then the road got rough, and that’s easily the understatement of the past several years!!  We saw a sign that said “Road Damage Ahead” and we thought, ok, it may be a bit rough, like you see in this photo.  However, this was what one could call “very good shape” compared to how bad the road got!  I’m a lapsed Catholic, but I admit, I did offer up a couple of prayers as we traveled further down the road.  If we could have turned around, we would have!! 

Finally, toward the bottom of the mountain and lower portion of the road, we got a beautiful view of the area around the town of South Fork.  It is a small town, and not nearly as built up with shops as the town of Creede is.  Still, a welcome sight, after that rough road!!!

Enjoy!

Following the Tracks

Just across the road from our campground was the Rio Grande River and the old railroad tracks that ran along side it.  I imagine that at some point, the railroad brought guests to Blue Creek Lodge, altho no indication of any sort of train station exists today…..

We began to walk on the railroad tracks that followed the river.  What lovely views of the river the people who used to ride on the train would have as they traveled to the Lodge or beyond!

We didn’t believe the tracks were used today, because truly, how could these lovely blooms grow up in the midst of the metal tracks and the wooden railroad ties?  This seems like such a lovely tribute to days gone by, in some way, doesn’t it?

Across the river from where we walked, there were a number of cabins that seemed to be privately owned - because they were so well kept.  And, if you look closely in this image, you can see a wooden bridge across the river that would allow a car to cross the creek and get to those cabins.

And, yet, there were parts of the tracks that seemed to be in very good condition, as if a train could come barreling down the tracks at any moment!  Jeff was torn about what to believe about the tracks and their use or disuse…..

What I loved were some of the hidden glimpses of the river we would see as the shoreline we were walking would become rather overgrown with shrubs, bushes and trees.  It seemed to make the river even more of a hidden jewel.

I was in awe of the environment in which we found ourselves – literally nestled in the mountains!!  At time like this, it was easy to see that was the case, and yet be blown away with the reality of where we stood!

And, here was the definitive answer as to whether these tracks were in use today.  If you look closely at the bridge that the carries the tracks across the river, you can see it’s just held up by railroad ties and other pieces of wood – definitely not something today’s railroads would say meets safety standards!!  Still, it does make for a nice feel to the image….

Enjoy!!

Burrowing Owls

For today’s travel post, I didn’t have to travel very far at all – basically, to the front corner of our property!!  For days, folks had been telling me about some burrowing owls that have set up a homestead on our property line – actually on our neighbor’s side of the property line!!  So, out I went to look for them!

  

Unlike owls that I knew about growing up, burrowing owls are different because they are smaller (up to about 11”) than regular owls and they make their homes/nests by burrowing into the ground, sometimes using old prairie dog holes!  They can be found in both North and South America, altho I don’t recall seeing any when I lived in the Midwest.  Everyone told me that they had seen the owl perched on a blue post right at the end of our property, so that’s where I headed, but didn’t see him either on the pole or on the ground.  Then, a friendly neighbor out walking her dogs pointed him out to me on top of a pine tree in our neighbor’s yard.  I looked up and there he was!  I slowly made my way toward him, glad my zoom lens would allow me to keep my distance and still get a few decent shots. My neighbor said the owl always seemed nervous when she walked her dog, so she stayed to the other side of the road.  I did a bit of research and in addition to coyotes and snakes, both of which are around where we live, cats and dogs are predators of these little owls.

As I approached him, another bird began to fly around him, sort of dive bombing him.  I’m guessing their nest was in the tree he was perched on top of.  He really didn’t pay the other bird any attention.  He was focused on me, slowly approaching.

Now, I’ve seen photos of owls in books and magazines, but let me tell you, nothing is quite like having him focus on you in person!  Again, I was glad I wasn’t all that close to him, but I felt like I was getting to the outer range of his comfort zone, so I started to back away.  He then took off and flew to the corner of our garage, it seemed, so he could still keep an eye on me.  He then took off flying, circled around and landed close to (I’m assuming) the in-ground nest he and his mate made.

I turned to photograph him at his burrow, and suddenly saw Mrs. Owl standing there, too.  Generally, owls will mate for life, but there have been some occasions when a male has 2 mates.  This couple seemed to have no extra parties in their relationship, however!!  When folks have seen him (or her) perched on the blue post that’s close to their hole, they are looking for prey.  They tend to east insects and small rodents.  Sometimes this can get them killed, as they chase the rodents across roads and are unfortunately run over by cars.  They also will eat seeds and fruits.  We happen to have a bumper crop of small grasshoppers this year, and I do hope the owls are feasting on those!!  Oh, and one other note, these owls are active throughout the day, altho most of their hunting is done from dusk to dawn.

As they both now seemed to be giving me the evil eye, I decided that I’d totally back off and visit another time.  I thought they might be guarding the hole/nest due to having some little ones underground in the[NZ1]  burrow, and perhaps that accounted for their protective stance.  Burrowing owls are fairly tolerant of humans, and even dogs when they are in a more domestic setting (not running around wild, I suppose).

After a while, I did walk back out along the road, to see if I might be able to see some little ones, but if there are little ones, they are still too young to venture out much.  Instead, Dad was there being a sentry for the hole.  Welcome to the neighborhood!

Enjoy!

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