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!

The Paint Mines (part 5)

This is the final image from my short series on the Paint Mines. I think this one really shows all the beautiful pigments in the rocks. Gorgeous.

The Paint Mines (part 4)

Fourth in my series on the Paint Mines. This image has plenty of nice blue sky in it, so let's call it a Skywatch Friday photo. To see more Skywatch photos from bloggers all over the world, click HERE.

The Paint Mines (part 3)

Another shot from my series on the Paint Mines.

The Paint Mines (part 2)

Second of a series of shots of the Paint Mines. See yesterday's post for more information about this little known park east of Colorado Springs.

The Paint Mines

When most people think of Colorado, they probably envision mountains (thanks, John Denver). But Colorado has lots of beautiful, scenic landscape that isn't mountainous at all. Take the Paint Mines, a few miles east of Colorado Springs, outside of Calhan. It's a park that's open to everyone, but usually when we go there we're the only people to be found. It's a lonely place, and I love that. The Paint Mines offer some of the most interesting topography in eastern Colorado. The colorful minerals were mined by the original Coloradoans, the Ute Indians, for both pottery and ceremonial pigments. Archaeologists have found Indian artifacts there, as well as the remains of a homestead left behind by white settlers in the 1800s. Pretty cool!

This photo was actually taken with my back to the Paint Mines, looking northward. You can see how wide open the sky is, and how the land stretches out forever. Over the next few days I'll post more pictures of the Paint Mines, so you can see just how beautiful and interesting a place it is.