It’s that time of year again! Welcome to the glorious aspen and ground cover colors at Cottonwood Lake. It is a small lake three miles off State Highway 306, best known as home to Cottonwood Pass. We will visit there soon for amazing beauty at 12,126 ft elevation. Now, we are about 9,600 ft high along the shore of Cottonwood Lake!
Midway between the tiny town of Twin Lakes and Aspen, on Colorado Highway 82, sits Independence Pass. The second highest paved highway in Colorado, the Pass sits on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch (suh-wahch) Range of the Rockies.
Let’s explore the views and the tundra, but first we need to get there. From Twin Lakes we drive 17 miles climbing 2,718 feet, so there will be hairpin turns. At the second hairpin, what a view east at 7:30am! There’s CO-82 along Lake Creek making its way to the Twin Lakes. Yes, there are two lakes about the same size just out of view. Onward . . .
Pronghorn are a unique and amazing species. They live only in southern Saskatchewan prairies to northern Mexico deserts. They are also one of my favorite animals. We talked before about some of their unique features, but I’ve only seen them from a distance here in Colorado and miss them. So it is time to revisit some wonderful experiences shared with pronghorn during my time in Yellowstone.
On a rainy day in June, I stopped for something else, but did a double-take seeing “mommy and me” on the hill right above the road. Young are typically born in late May and June and this little one is probably three to four weeks old. Mostly I’m envious of their gorgeous eyelashes. Come on along to explore more . . .
Living anywhere in North America, you will see birds in the Corvidae family: Crows, Ravens, Magpies, Nutcrackers, and Jays. They are bold, tend to be very noisy, and are the most intelligent birds in the world. Their intelligence actually surpasses that of many mammals. Research has shown that Corvids are capable of recalling specific past events, planning for the future, using cooperative problem-solving, and creating novel tools to solve problems. Maybe we should elect a few crows to Congress!
We know Jays in the USA because most are blue, but Canada Jays (Perisoreus canadensis) wear no blue and are slightly smaller, about the size of a robin. Living in spruce/pine/fir forests, they blend in nicely. They are quieter than their cousins, but much more curious. Never hesitating to get close to humans, they may land on your head or hand. I had a unique experience hiking in the mountains near home at an elevation of 9,200 feet. Hi there!
