August in the Mountains of Colorado

For this post, I’m simply going to share a few shots from the month of August. Sadly I didn’t get in very many hikes during the summer of 2017, partly because I was too tired after standing on my feet for eight hours at work, and partly because Rocky Mountain National Park was just overrun with people (and I was too tired to get up at 5:00 AM to get into the park by 7:00 AM to ensure a parking spot), and also because it was a very wet summer. In fact, I think the monsoon season lasted through about 70% of the very short summer we have in the mountain town of Estes Park, CO.

I did get in a few hikes, and I was visited by bears (the mother bear walked right up to my van and peered in at me through the open sliding side door). I spent time watching birds at Coffee on the Rocks and Lake Estes, and of course all the other wildlife in and around Estes Park, and then there was the eclipse. I can’t take credit for the perfect shot of the solar eclipse shown below, and I’m afraid I forgot where I stole it from, but I can take credit for the shots outside of my workplace. Yup, I did see the eclipse happen, but sadly clouds rolled in just as it was at it’s fullest (which was about 95% in Colorado). It was truly an incredible experience, and I’m glad my boss let us outside to see it. As you can see the street lights came on as though it was dusk.

One of the saddest moments of the summer was when two bears were shot right in town. The one in the picture below died in my friends front yard. She heard it in the middle of the night but when it went quiet she figured it had left. Imagine her surprise in the morning to find a dead bear in her yard. Another one was shot the next day. It had been up a tree, and the next morning it was found at the base of the tree, dead. The poacher (or poachers) have still not been found, despite the neighbors hearing gunshots in the area on those nights. This was right IN town, in a neighborhood with pets and kids and very close neighbors. I find some people to be abhorrent and to think they live just a street or two away from where I have spent many nights sleeping peacefully in the past. A reward is available through Crime Stoppers for any information leading to the arrest of this bear killer.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these images. They aren’t my best shots ever, but a few of my friends and family don’t have Facebook (where I share most of my images and travels) so they don’t get to see what I’m up to until I do a blog post about it.

If you’d like to follow me on Facebook you can find a link on the HOME page of this blog. If you’ve never visited my blog (and only seen the emails) please pay it a visit, I have tons of articles for you to peruse.

Roxy ~ A Nomad for Nature

LIKE THIS CONTENT? ENJOYING MY POSTS? HERE ARE A COUPLE OF WAYS YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS BLOG:

*You can purchase an image, card, tote bag, t-shirt or other items from my photography store at Tranquil Light Photography.com (or share the web page on your favorite social platform).

*You can buy me a cup or two of Ko-fi for just $3.00 each. It’s super easy, all you need is a credit card. Click the image below to see how easy it is, and thank you for your support. I put a lot of hours into my posts and my YouTube Channel, and all support is greatly appreciated.