A twenty degree mountain morning. Heavy fog. Every needle of the ponderosa pines covered with frost. The road from Manitou to the job in Woodland Park winds its way along Fountain Creek, until we break out the top of the fog into a blue-sky winter wonderland of glaring white. It is a fleeting sight, because the frost melts off in the morning sun, but in that moment: the classic winter scene.
Manitou springs
A drive south on a warm sunny day, all of a hundred miles to Colorado Springs. Stopped and set up at the Garden of the Gods Campground right outside Manitou Springs. We’ll commute to the job in Woodland Park from here. Ready for some football, we got to watch an awesome Bronco Game against the Colts. Came from behind to win the first half, 14 to 6. It was a great first half.
St Vrain State Park
Sitting at Wahoo Fish Taco, enjoying a Maui Bowl, soaking up the sun at seventy degrees, with snow drifts on the ground around us. Gotta love Colorado.
Annie
She starts out curled up, sleeping, at the foot of the bed, just like any good dog should. As the night progresses, so does Annie. She might move up to tuck in behind Judy’s knees before we fall asleep. Later, she’ll be sleeping against Judy’s back. By morning she’ll be a person, stretched out alongside Judy, head next to hers on the pillow. Sometimes during the night, Annie will loop around to my side and just plop across my pillow, providing me with the perfect dog-hat. I never really want a dog-hat in the middle of the night, so I just give her a few taps and it works every time, she moves right over…. to Judy’s pillow. Judy gets to be Davy Crockett for the rest of the night.
St Vrain State Park
The bottom fell out of the thermometer. The sky cleared, the earth radiated, and the temperature fell to twenty-one last night, but a perfect day today for a drive over the divide. Made a leisurely start; waited long enough for the sun to warm any remaining frost and ice off the roads first. A stop at the top of Vail Pass for lunch. A long downhill rollout to Denver. A bit of traffic getting through the metro area, and we’re stopped for a couple nights at St Vrain State Park east of Longmont, close to Becky’s house.