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Pika-Boo

High above timberline along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, this gentle little critter danced around, under, and between the rocks much to the delight of admiring visitors. Not a mouse, it is more closely related to rabbits and hares but has short ears and legs. Perhaps it would love a handout fromContinue reading “Pika-Boo”

Same Window, Different View

Eight days ago I awoke to find Venus and Jupiter peaking through my window (see: https://eskildoodle.com/2025/08/12/planetary-windopeakers/). This morning it was the Moon paired with Venus peeping through the oval window. Jupiter had moved higher in the sky as seen on the photo on the right, while the Moon had descended into the early twilight besideContinue reading “Same Window, Different View”

Up and Down the Lake

The day dawned crisp and clear with a gentle breeze blowing down the valley. It was perfect for a cruise around Lake Estes for a couple of hours. Our captain, Jon, carefully motored us around the rocky shore past the few kayaks, paddle boats, and fishermen. Mostly, however, we had little traffic to worry about.Continue reading “Up and Down the Lake”

Once Upon a Cable

My dad and I likely held onto this section of cable when we climbed Long’s Peak in 1963 as mentioned in yesterday’s post. The cable, now on display at the Estes Park Museum, was an inch thick and had been installed in 1925 to assist climbers up the final steep pitch of the north sideContinue reading “Once Upon a Cable”

Long Peek

The rising sun illuminated not only mountains, but also memories as I looked long and longingly at this magnificent mountain. Longs Peak, in its morning glory looked similarly to this when my dad and I emerged from the forest to the boulder field in 1963 when we climbed it together. It was very important toContinue reading “Long Peek”

Ups and Downs

The Estes Park Aerial Tramway took us 900 feet up Prospect Mountain and provided spectacular views along the way and at the top. A cement walkway wound around the store at the summit revealing a panorama of mountains high above the timberline. Longs Peak appeared majestically along the shoulder of Prospect Mountain and we lingeredContinue reading “Ups and Downs”

Dam Site

Just downstream of a small diversion dam on the Big Thompson River in Colorado lies the Dam Store, “The Best Store by a Dam Site.” It is a quaint little tourist trap that had us giggling as kids. We just had to stop there, and were pleasantly surprised with very reasonable prices. We left withContinue reading “Dam Site”

A Walk on the Wild Side

We were told not to approach the wildlife, but what do you do when the sidewalk takes you within 30 feet of them? We kept to the far side of the sidewalk and proceeded slowly past the apathetic elk, one of which was grazing on the green grass while the others lazed in the shadowContinue reading “A Walk on the Wild Side”

Picture This

A bronze statue of an old time videographer with a hand-cranked movie camera caught our attention on the way to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. I just had to get this photo, a reminder of the earlier times requiring different skills. Since I enjoy photography, I can relate, especially when I hear someoneContinue reading “Picture This”

Planetary Windopeakers

“We didn’t have to go outside,” Fairy commented while pointing to a window in our loft. There the bright Jupiter and Venus peered, next to each other, through our window. We had just come back into our condo after dressing up for the cold, Colorado air to look at them outside. Still, it was worthContinue reading “Planetary Windopeakers”