This morning I watched the sun come up east of Storm Mountain. One minute the clouds were tinged with pink and a few minutes later they were ablaze with gold, red and orange. Truly magnificent.
Over breakfast and looking out at my deck, I watched hummingbirds swarm around my 3 feeders while I kept an eye on my birdfeeder. On the birdfeeder this week I've seen the brightest goldfinches I've ever seen, along with a lesser goldfinch and a black-headed grosbeak. Always an adventure.
Leaving home, I drove the 2.1 mile journey down the forest access road to county road 43 and almost ran over a great big buck mule deer standing in the roadway. He had a very large, 10 point rack covered in velvet, and he was staring into the woods across the road at another deer just as big.
Then, driving to Estes Park up Big Thompson Canyon (Hwy 34 out of Loveland) I saw a mother big horn sheep grazing alongside the highway with the smallest big horn sheep baby I've ever seen. A few miles further on I nearly wrecked the truck when I failed to see the huge bull elk standing at the edge of the highway until I was alongside. He was very large, very still, and had a gigantic, velvet covered rack towering above his head. He really did seem the same color as the beautiful ponderosa pines in the area, so he blended right in!
Finally I arrived in Estes through what I call the gateway rocks and the mountains hovered above me as I drove west on the main drag.
Later I was driving to my wife's office for lunch and the car in front of me (California tag) came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the narrow street. Good thing I usually don't tailgate. I finally figured out what the problem was – this carload of tourists had seen an elk grazing in someone's front yard next to their car, and it was special enough to them that they just stopped and looked. Well, by this time I was upset that folks drive (or don't) that way, but later as I thought about it I figured I should write about the incident, because for some reason I took all of the above incidents for granted, and I remember a time not too long ago when I would have stopped in traffic for an elk.
All these events I've described happened just as I stated. And this is a very normal day for me in this part of the Rockies. Whatever happened to my sense of awe and wonder, and just downright thankfulness that I can even be having days like this?
This reminds me of the old quote, "Familiarity breeds contempt" (or at least complacency). I am disappointed in myself. I now take for granted what so many people would call their once-a-year vacation. That's so sad!
Several days ago I emailed a sunrise photo I took from my living-room window that morning to a fellow realtor in my office. I told her I got up early looking for a silver lining, but found gold instead. She replied, "That's beautiful – there are many reasons why we live here."
I think that pretty well sums it up.
John
