Unexpected Adventures

  Thinking about past adventures lately reminded me of one really cool time when we were just out for a drive. Every now and then, when life is coming at you from so many directions, you just need to get away.

   For us, that means a mountain fix. It doesn't really matter what the destination is, just head west and get up in the mountains to reboot the brain. That is the beauty of living here in Colorado. You sure don't have to go far to find that mountain experience.

   One of the easiest trips for us is to just hop on I-70 westbound. Afterall, hasn't adventure for 200 years meant "Go west young man"? Heading up on a busy but well maintained highway, it is more about the views. You pass by mountain towns filled with charm. Old, abandoned gold and silver mines scar the surrounding hillsides. Look up high to see the tailings left behind from forgotten dreams of wealth beyond description. Rusting remains of mining buildings along with the broken, decrepit piles of timbers that once formed a flume to get water where they needed it. Depending on the time of year, snow capped peaks come into view. In the winter, you can see the frozen run off near the highway building into a thicker blue-ish mass of ice desperately clinging to the rock wall. An occasional waterfall frozen in time, or at least for the winter months, hangs over the edge.

    Just a get way.

    One particular day, we had driven up past the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels, explored around Lake Dillion, then headed home again. Just a day trip. A few hours of thinking about nothing but God's creation. Mountains. Ah.......

   We got past the Loveland Ski area. I was just gazing over at the rocks on the west bound side. They were more interesting than the dead trees on my side. Suddenly I saw them. Well, whenever you see wildlife in Colorado, you usually see their butts first, since they are usually lighter in color and more noticable. Lots of butts. A nice size herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep were perched here and there on the rocks. I, of course, screamed, scaring my husband Ron again, and pointed. He forgave me soon enough when he saw what I was screaming about. So we took the next exit, and headed back west.

   As we neared, he pulled off as far as we could off the highway, thankful there wasn't a highway patrolman around. I think they frown on this sort of thing. But these animals were so beautiful. Where we pulled off, had me twisting around with the camera to get the photos I so desperately wanted. Turned out to be quite a photographic jackpot. I was able to get one of the best photos I've ever taken out here.

   It topped off our day of a get away adventure. My mother always told me a poem and when she gave me a gift of an oil painting kit one year, she had the poem attached inside. The title of it was, "Take Time to See". I have never forgotten it and I will always take the time to really see what is around me. It's worth it.

Lucky shot!