First few weeks in Colorado

Daytime view of Castle Rock from the Rec Center parking lot, through the windshield, zoomed in due to the cold.

In our first few weeks out west we have both been exposed to Colorado's unique weather extremes.
One of the greatest things about living out here (for us outdoors folks) is the close proximity to the mountains, prairie, forests, grasslands and deserts.  My goal is to try to get out each week, if only for a short drive, a hike or a snowshoe into the wild.
Weather can be a problem, and I'm not going to get in trouble being stranded in the snow and ice.  If it is too bad to get out, then I'll stay inside and keep my toes toasty by the fire.  And I will plan future trips.
Today's quick walk was along the Bowl walkway in the Meadows development of Castle Rock, across from the Rec Center.  We chose this paved urban area trail due to wanting to avoid Colorado's mud.  Castle Rocks trail descriptions and maps can be located HERE with more information about the community HERE.

The paved walkway winds up the hill and into some trees.  Note the snow clouds above.

It was 37 degrees and overcast when we started, and we were both under-dressed for the wind.  Snow was falling in Perry Park to the west, and you couldn't see the mountains for the snow falling in the north also.
The trail follows a drainage up the hill toward Founders Parkway.  It climbs to the top of the ridge going through and around a few housing developments.  There was some scrub oak and tall grass around, all in various browns.  Portions of grass poked through the snow on the ground, some of it was still green.  The pine trees were the tallest trees around and a few were specially placed by nature around stones and rocks.  The trail builders had provided tot-lot toys for children and a nice covered picnic area with built-in grills, a staircase and a volley ball area.  A squirrel dashed across the grass to a new hiding place.  Birds darted among the trees.  Houses didn't intrude on the trail and it was peaceful.  And cold.

A Bluebird house along the trail.

Both of us got too cold too quickly, and we beat a hasty retreat back to the warmth of the car.
While my upper body was warm enough, my hands and legs were freezing.  (Note to self - Silly man, jeans provide little to no warmth in windy, snowy weather).
Wearing the proper clothing is so important here, and we will have to invest in the proper outwear and water-proof boots.

Picnic Shelter.

My phone was cold and it's camera wouldn't focus or use the correct exposure settings.  I grabbed a couple shots along the walk, but had to give up on that also.
Not a relaxing walk today due to the lack of being prepared on our part, but I do remember smelling a pine tree as we passed it, the smell was so strong and pronounced.  I remember that smell from hiking in the mountain forests out here.  Special smells like that stay with you, for years after that first encounter.

I went west

Castle Rock, Colorado from Plum Creek.

I moved back home to Colorado.  If I didn't get to tell you before I left, my sincere apologies.  Living in Florida had run its course, my contract job had ended and I just wanted to go back home and start over, so I did.
Actually, we did.  My wife moved with me, driving her loaded car behind mine.  Our goal is to both find jobs and work, rebuilding our lives, doing things we enjoy.
We came across some cool things along the route to here.  A new suspension bridge across the Mississippi river in St. Louis was a great surprise.  The windmills, towering 200 feet above the Kansas hills were an awesome sight.  Those along with the miles of tall windmills in eastern Colorado are the future, creating electricity from the constant winds.
Castle Rock was our home for 13 years where we raised our children and were involved in the community.  I loved the outdoors and the life along the front range of the rocky mountains and the prairie.  I had wanted to return here since I left over 10 years ago, and we finally did.
We arrived in Castle Rock a few nights ago and are acclimating to the shift change, dry weather, DST change, time zone change, and elevation increase (sea level to 6000 feet).  I actually breathe deeper here.
Today we walked along the Plum Creek Trail in town.

The late afternoon sun colored everything gold.

The late fall foliage was beautiful.

I don't know the name of this grass, but in the late fall it looks like back-lit snow.

The mile-long south bound coal train rolled by.

Plum Creek is dammed in a few places by beavers.

The returning engines from an earlier coal train, heading back north for more loaded rail cars.

The Russian Olive tree in an invasive species here.

Old rock work under the rail road line.

Big Sky Country.  A change in the weather is coming tonight.

The trail returning to the parking lot with the setting sun. 

Repairing My Knee

Somewhere on the Florida Trail

Here's an update on my injured knee.
After a week of walking a little then hobbling a lot, I am now hobbling very little and walking much better.  While waiting on car work today I walked around a wholesale store for over an hour, looking at everything.  I even went down rows where there was nothing to interest me.  It felt good to just walk.  Not that my knee is perfectly healed, but at least I can maneuver around shoppers and carts and not have to grab for something every time I turn.  This healing is real improvement, and though it is slow I am very pleased with it.
I had been planning a backpacking trip for November, but will have to put that off until I am comfortable with walking again.  My goal is to backpack at least 10-15 miles at a time, before stopping to camp, and doing the same miles again the next day. I am concerned about uneven surfaces, balance and big steps, like going over logs and fallen trees.
Getting out won't be easy for me next week either, all my time is already scheduled.  Maybe I can go for a morning walk outdoors enjoying the cool temps.  At least the Florida weather will cool down over the weekend with lows in the 50's and highs in the low 70's.  The weather here will be nice.  If you can get outside, this is the time to do it here.  Enjoy!

Inspiring Colorado Trips

It is that autumn time of the year when I really miss hiking in the Colorado Mountains!  The snow is (mostly) gone from mountain trails, the days are cool and the stars are awesome on moonless nights.
My family would travel to Rocky Mountain National Park often to enjoy Trail Ridge Road with views of the Never Summer Mountains.
The Great Sand Dunes National Park was another favorite, along with summer road trips throughout the region to the Western Slope, Steamboat Springs, and Mesa Verde near Durango.  Also riding the narrow gauge railroads and learning about the local history was awesome!  The backwoods drives were beautiful with so much to see, my wife often reminded me to keep my eyes on the road.
Check out these 5 inspiring Colorado trails and trips to get a taste of what it is like there.

Cruger-dePeyster Sugar Mill Ruins

The coquina walls that remain of the sugar mill

Ah, those little diversions along the way.  Like the time I turned right to follow a brown sign saying Sugar Mill Ruins, then right again onto a one lane sand road and once I turned the curve, there they were.

Where the steam engine was mounted

Just behind a shopping center, off of busy highway 44 and Mission Drive in New Smyrna Beach, are the coquina remains of the sugar mill, burned by Seminole Indians in 1835.  Coquina in this case was mined locally, kind of like digging up the rock under your feet.  It was hauled here and used with masonry to build the mill.  Coquina can also be made my mixing sand, shells and mortar in a framework like they did at St. Simons Island in Georgia.

Another view

The mill only lasted for 5 years, built by Henry Cruger and William dePeyster on the 600 acres of land they purchased near New Smyrna.  Northern investers financed it, equipment was purchased in New York and local slave labor was used to clear the land, build the mill and grow and harvest the sugar cane crop.  Using slaves for free labor came back to haunt the men in a twist of irony when their own slaves joined with the indians to burn the mill and pillage other farms in the region.

The iron pots remain in place

The ruins were painted in 1843 by John Rogers Vinten with a Seminole Warrior watching it burn.
I suggest you drop by there on your next trip to New Smyrna beach.  The small park has lots of information signs, a couple small mills to extract the sugar solution from sugar cane, and some of the old iron pots where the solution was cooked down to crystals.  There is an old arm that was part of the steam engine that ran the plant and also powered a sawmill.  Artwork explains how the factory worked.

The mill to squeeze the sugar liquid from the sugar cane

The arm used to drive a saw blade

There are a few benches if you wish to sit and think about the harsh working conditions of the mid-1800's.  It is also interesting to find tree stumps over 100 years old growing inside the building walls.

Note how large the tree stump is, this is the area where they dried the sugar in barrels before shipment

To get there take I-4 north from Orlando.  Go east on SR 44.  After you pass under I-95, watch for the brown Sugar Mill Ruin sign at Mission Drive.  Turn right and take another quick right into the single lane sandy road leading you into the park.  Note that the mosquitos are hungry there.

Fine Fall Weather!

Looking north along the Atlantic Ocean.  Notice the hotels?  Nope.

Finally the fall weather has arrived in central Florida!
Last Sunday it was 62 degrees when I got going.  There was a cool breeze and the sky was crystal clear.  It even sounded different, like it does when the weather first changes temperature.
I drove to meet my friend Walt who cooked both of us a delicious breakfast with lots of hot coffee. Then we headed east to New Smyrna Beach where we raised a drink to the surf before driving south to Canaveral National Seashore.  Walt had just turned 62 this year and got us into the park for free with his new pass.  We drove in free and cruised along the coastal dune to the turnaround at the end of 6 paved miles.

And looking south, no hotels here either!

The car windows were open and we sat enjoying the cool wind waiting on a parking space, listening to the waves crash below.  After a few minutes waiting we drove back north to the next available parking space and walked down to the beach on the boardwalk.  Just watching the waves rush in and out was fine for me.  We waved at the Park Rangers and the people walking by, watched the surf fishermen cast lines about and followed the gulls as they flew overhead in the breeze.  This was nice.  No bugs, no heat and actually the wind was a bit chilly without a second shirt on.  I could stand here all day, leaning against the dry wooden rails and just stare out to sea.

The State House

Comfortable rockers!

An explosion of plant life above with Resurrection Ferns in the Live Oaks

The view from the rocking chairs.

Coral Honeysuckle, a Florida variety.  It doesn't smell as strong as northern varieties.

We drove up to the restored State House where we sat in the porch rockers watching the boat traffic and fishing people along the Intracoastal Waterway in Mosquito Lagoon.  Crowds came and went.  More birds flew by.  I noticed our conversation had gone quiet as we contemplated life's details.  I could also sit here, rocking all day, quietly.  It was nice to get peaceful.   One of the neatest things about using the free entrance pass is you don't feel you have to spend your every moment living to the fullest anymore.  You don't have to hike all the trails or get a line in the water to fish or see all the museums and displays.  You can slow down and just enjoy a short drive in a cool place that you probably wouldn't take before.

Intracoastal Waterway looking north from JB's

After a couple hours, a couple conversations and talking about a couple of dreams, we left and drove north to have lunch at JB's, a favorite eating stop along the barrier island. We waited a while after lunch on the dock, again just watching and listening.  There are some days I need to do just that and nothing else and today was that day.  I celebrated the end of summer's heat and bugs by leaning back and doing very little.  To end today with a quote, that made all the difference.

Rain, Rain, Rain

Thanks to Weather Underground for this forecast

It has rained in central Florida almost every day the past 2 weeks, and is forecast to pour off and on for another week or two.  Some of this rain comes down in a deluge, flooding streets, homes and businesses.  The winds are strong, the lightning is fierce and you get soaked just stepping out of the carport to get into your car.  The weather is reminiscent of a hurricane, although it is not tropical in nature.
It looks like we may get a (short) reprieve this Friday, Sunday and Monday.  If so, I'll be out there somewhere.
So hiking and bicycling during these mini-monsoons is not going to be very dry, much less very safe.
The wet weather has also affected trail maintenance of the Florida Trail, forcing cancellations of some of the (very needed) annual trail clearing work due to too much water still on the ground.
However the main difference is with the temperatures.  The daily highs have dropped by 10 - 15 degrees, even 20 degrees before and after a heavy rainfall.  It is now warm, instead of hot, with some lows in the (gasp) mid-50's!  I can do warm, all day.
For those who like to hike in a gentle rain, please be safe and avoid the daily thunderstorms.
As soon as this rainy spell ends, I'll be hiking again.  And I will be writing about it and the wonderful Florida fall weather.  I hope to see you out there!