Elbert-ish

I'm more than a little tardy with today's post! That's because I had a wedding to shoot today way out east and north of me, and I had to be there fairly early, which meant going to bed early last night. So! This post comes to you a little later in the day than usual. Yesterday's post was a picture taken last Friday on Elbert Highway, a couple hundred yards south of Highway 24. On Wednesday, I went to my clients' ranch to chat with them about today's wedding, and coincidentally the route took me north on Elbert Highway, the opposite direction from where I took that picture! I can't even remember the last time I drove on that road, yet in the last few days I've found myself driving on it repeatedly. What are the odds? Naturally I brought a camera with me on Wednesday's drive. Here's what you'll see if you drive to tiny Elbert and its vicinity.

Plenty of ramshackle old buildings like the one at the top of this post. And an old bridge. The road it connects is long gone, but the bridge still stands in the middle of a pasture.

Lots and lots of livestock and horses, like these two gorgeous Arabians.

And antelope. If you're on the eastern plains in the late afternoon, you'll likely find antelope. They are incredibly timid creatures. Even the act of stopping your car to look at them scares them off, consequently I've never been able to get a good picture of antelope. This isn't a great shot but it's not as bad as previous attempts. Ha! I did my best!

Skywatch Friday

This photo was a possibility for last Saturday's Theme Day, but I decided to hold onto it for Skywatch Friday. It was taken on Elbert Road, south of Highway 24. As you can see, the road is barricaded. In fact, you can only drive a couple of hundred yards from Highway 24 before you find yourself at an impasse. If you drive the opposite direction for about 20 miles or so you'll end up in the tiny village of Elbert. More on that tomorrow!

For more Skywatch Friday pictures from bloggers everywhere, click HERE. Have a great weekend!

Elbert Day

One last image from Elbert. This sign was stuck to yet another abandoned building on the town's miniscule main street. I wonder what exactly Elbert Day entails. My guess is it includes some good food!

Dilapidated house

Another image from Elbert, taken last Thursday. I couldn't get over how tiny this house was. It's sad to see it in such disrepair. If walls could talk, imagine the stories these ones would tell.

Elbert, CO

Elbert is a tiny, tiny little town a few miles to the north and east of Colorado Springs. I've lived here for almost 30 years and never been to Elbert. I just assumed it was another one of those little towns out on the prairie: few trees, lots of pickup trucks, lots of wind. I was wrong! Pat took me there on Thursday on a whim, and it was so different from what I envisioned! It sits in a more hilly area, with lots of trees. It's very charming, peaceful and picturesque. Hawks circling in the sky, kids out on the baseball field.

According to this Wikipedia article, Elbert was a bustling little burg until 1935, when a massive flood came and took out half the town. Bummer! Now it's a very quiet little place with just a handful houses and rustic old buildings. (I mean it -- it's tiny.) Most of the old buildings are more or less in a state of gentle decay, but the Gates Mercantile building, though standing empty, has been completely restored. I had to get a picture of its north side with the dilapidated old bench. I wonder how long that old bench has been sitting there.

I'll post a few more pictures of Elbert over the next few days.