Scofflaws

I was in Divide today for a celebration of life gathering, for a person that I had been very fond of. Funerals are hard. On the one hand, I was sad to have lost an old friend, but on the other hand I was happy to reconnect with many people whom I hadn't seen in years. The turnout was large; our mutual friend had been very loved indeed.

Divide is about 30 minutes west of Colorado Springs, up Ute Pass, beyond Woodland Park. So it's a nice drive. I took advantage of that on the way home, stopping in Green Mountain Falls for a few minutes to enjoy the pond, which is still somewhat frozen over. As you can see, the (evil) Canada geese take no heed of commonsense warnings, in fact they obey no laws. Scofflaws, all of them!

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The north side of the mountain as viewed from Woodland Park on April 4, 2021, from the passenger seat of Pat's car.

Ah, Fall

Fall is nearly finished here, and I'm not looking forward to brown everything for the next six months. Here's a photo I took in Woodland Park on October 3rd. I wish autumn would last just a bit longer. It's my favorite season. So beautiful.

Green and Gold

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my last wedding of the year was in Woodland Park a couple of weekends ago. Here's the view from the venue with the aspens in full color. Spectacular!

Sunday Style!

I shot my last wedding of the year a couple of weekends ago in Woodland Park, at a bed and breakfast called Pikes Peak Paradise. The view from there was spectacular (more on that in another post). Meanwhile, an employee there had on the cutest boots! She was kind enough to let me get a quick snap of her feet. Her whole outfit was great, but I'm a sucker for girly details like bows, so her boots are what really caught my eye.

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One last pretty moment from our drive on Rampart Range Road. This section isn't far from Woodland Park. Lucky us for having places like this to enjoy, only minutes away.

Garden of the Gods in Miniature

My friend Liz lives near the Painted Rocks Campground, north of Woodland Park. She's been telling me about it for months but I've never been able to find it. Finally I just asked her for directions, and it turned out to be laughably easy to locate. Very pretty place and I can't wait to explore it more (this is just a sampling). Do these pretty rock formations remind you of another place?

Which Way?

Pat and I went for a long drive in the mountains last week. First we wanted to check out the Painted Rocks Campground in the Pike National Forest, north of Woodland Park. After you drive past the rock formations (I'll show you those tomorrow), you find yourself in a neighborhood of sorts, but the homes are on large lots and most aren't visible from the road because of all the trees. What a beautiful, secluded place to live, even if it does require you to have a reliable 4x4 and you may still get snowed in from time to time! Here's a sign post pointing the way to all the neighbors' homes. You can't go any farther than this -- it's all private roads, and strangers aren't welcome.

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After Sunday's Black Lives Matter protest, Pat and I decided to take a drive up the pass to clear our heads. We found these mammatus clouds over a wooded area somewhere northwest of Woodland Park.

Red Retiree

This retired car from the Cog Railway can be found in Woodland Park, right next to the rest stop on Highway 24 in the middle of town.

The Cowhand

I've always loved this horse! It's a landmark in Woodland Park. Whenever I drive through there, I look for it. The Cowhand is a western wear shop that's been in business since 1965. If you're ever visiting the area, it's a good place to stop in and pick yourself up a pair of boots and a hat so you can look like a real Coloradoan!

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Pat and I drove to Denver the "back way" a few days ago. That is, we drove west through Woodland Park then north up to Conifer and Highway 285, rather than taking the more traveled interstate route. It's a pretty drive. There's a scenic spot to pull the car over past Deckers, and we always stop there for a picture or a breather. This is the view.

The way home

One last photo from Sunday's jaunt to the mountains. This was taken on the way home. That mountain you see in the distance is the western flank of Pikes Peak.

Another side of the mountain

Whenever you see pictures of Pikes Peak, it's always the famous view we have from the city. Have you ever wondered what it looks like from a different angle? Yesterday I was in Woodland Park, about 18 miles west of Colorado Springs, "up the pass", as we say (Ute Pass, that is). It's a pretty little mountain town with lots of cabins, fresh air and natural beauty. I was there to chat with the owners of the Edgewood Inn, a gorgeous bed and breakfast where I will be doing a shoot next month. This is the view from their back deck: the north slope of Pikes Peak. Breathtaking! I want to book a room at the Edgewood Inn just so I can have this view with my morning coffee!

Beware of the natives!

Native fauna, that is. Here's Pat standing by a sign in front of Manitou Lake, a few miles north of Woodland Park. The sign reads, "ATTENTION RESIDENTS! Mountain Lion Activity In This Area!" It also gives instructions in case you do happen to come across one, including, "Stop. Do not run. Stay calm." Ummm, stay calm? I think that would be a little difficult! Thank goodness I had my hunky boyfriend there to protect me from mountain lions!

(P.S. Sorry I've been away from the blog for a few days, gentle readers. It's wedding season and things are a bit crazy. I've got a few more nice pictures from Manitou Lake to share with you over the next few days.)