Spruce Mountain

Here are some shots from a hike around Spruce Mountain a few weeks ago.

The terrain includes classic Western buttes.

Here's another view taken from higher up.

And finally a pretty view, fairly typical on the front range of Colorado.

Our World Tuesday

Grey Skies

Here's a local butte, taken on a recent hike on a rare cloudy morning. I prefer sunny skies.

Skywatch Friday

Spruce Mountain Views

Finishing up my series of posts on Spruce Mountain, here are the views from the top on a rather cloudy day. I need to go back when the weather is better. It's hard to believe you're between Colorado's two biggest cities here!

Our World Tuesday

Spruce Mountain Rocks

I've been posting on a Spruce Mountain hike for a couple of weeks, and this week I'm focusing on the rocks.

I love the rock formations in this area.

They're like something from a painting.

They often look like they should fall off the cliffs but somehow they hang on tenaciously.

Our World Tuesday

Spruce Mountain (2)

Continuing with my series on the nearby Spruce Mountain hike, here is a shot of the trail itself.

I liked this fencepost.

And the tree made for a nice contrast against the grey sky.

From the top I could see this ranch with its own lake.

Our World Tuesday

Spruce Mountain

Just north of where I live, as you drive between the cities of Colorado Springs and Denver, there's a lot of open space.

It's a rather desolate landscape with lots of buttes and hills rising from the grasslands.

One of these hills is called Spruce Mountain, and it makes for a good winter hike; the area isn't too high so it doesn't hold a lot of snow. My next couple of Monday posts will probably be from this area.

Our World Tuesday

Colorado Springtime

On Saturday I went for a hike with Socks; it was over 70° F (21° C).

 On Monday morning I woke up to 11° F (-12° C) and several inches of fresh snow in the front yard.

There's more photos to come from the hike. Visit Skywatch Friday for more beautiful skies.