2020 Adventures

Updated: Dec 31, 2020

January

The year is off to a cold start here in Colorado. I'm really looking forward to heading to the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico to get warm again.

Ahh... this is better:

Just me, hanging out at the pool, pondering what to do next:

 

February

Another lovely day in this sweet paradise. Here's the view looking along the Puerto Morelos coastline:

The view from my hotel balcony is somewhat different than what it looks like at home in Colorado!

This silly iguana seemed to be demanding to have his picture taken, so I did:

The people in Puerto Morelos have been protesting against a local government plan to tear down the delightful little central plaza and replace it with a new 19 million peso plaza, while most locals would prefer the money be spent on more pressing matters such as a hospital, or better police security, or better schools.

It makes me sad to see what "progress" is bringing to this lovely little town. At the moment, there are none of the huge hotels or over-priced tourist shopping malls that one finds in Cancun or Playa del Carmen, and that is exactly why I enjoy being here. This little town is just a simple Mexican community, not some sort of tourist trap. But that is about to change, and this new town plaza is one step in that process.

I hate to leave this wonderful place! The beach is so full of delights. This is the splendid view as I'm having lunch at a little beach-side restaurant:

I suddenly got very sick at the start of my last week in Mexico. I suspect that it was COVID-19, although there's no way I'll ever know for certain what it was. The dry cough got so severe that my abdominal muscles ached, and caused all that coughing to be painful. I had a high fever, no energy, persistent dry cough, and I even slept all day instead of going to the beach. Whatever it was, it was certainly unlike any illness that I have ever had before. By the end of the week all that was left of the mystery illness was an occasional dry cough and sudden bouts of tiredness.

Oh my, this is not my beautiful ocean! Apparently I'm back home.

The mountains are beautiful too, in their own way, but not nearly as warm as the Yucatan beach. Lovely sunset over the snow-covered mountains, as viewed from my kitchen window:

 

March

I'm still having bouts of the dry cough and severe fatigue which I first encountered in Mexico in mid-February.

Yea! A Spring Beauty flower opening up along a hiking trail near Boulder. A splendid sign that winter is departing and spring is on it's way:

And now the Crocus flowers are popping up in my front yard. This winter is surely coming to a close:

 

April

The bouts of dry cough and sudden fatigue which I first encountered in Mexico in February are still cropping up from time to time. I don't know if it was Covid-19 or something else, but thankfully these lingering annoyances are gradually dwindling.

Here in Colorado we're in the midst of a lockdown to try to reduce the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus. Schools are closed. Many businesses are closed. I really want to hop in the car and go exploring somewhere, but if we don't cooperate to try to limit the spread of this disease, a lot of people may die. So, here I sit. At home.

Fortunately, its a little easier to hang around the house when it is cold and snowy outdoors:

It seems safe to go out hiking while trying to stay as far as possible from other people, and wearing a mask in places where significant distancing is not possible.

Yea! These are some more of my favorite spring flowers, the delightfully soft and fuzzy Pasque flowers. What delightful relief from the stay-at-home blues.

And this graceful little Sand Lily is a treat for these winter-weary eyes too:

 

May

A few blocks from my house is a nice little lake which is quite enjoyable to walk around. The scenery is magnificent. One lap around the lake is about 5 km (3 miles):

Every year I'm amazed when a few dozen pelicans return to the lake. They hang around until the weather gets hot, and then the head off to somewhere cooler:

I guess I'm just very easily amused, but nonetheless this silly sign made me laugh. Basically, its a marker which is warning that there is a natural gas pipeline somewhere, and then the sign says: But it's not here.

Oh great, so there's a dangerous high pressure natural gas pipeline somewhere, but not here! Is this supposed to be helpful information??

This little bunny has been hanging out in my yard for several days. If he doesn't do a better job of hiding, the neighborhood coyotes will likely invite him to dinner:

Hiking south of Boulder on a beautiful spring day:

And this lovely iris was joyfully blooming along the trail. What a splendid study in both symmetry and asymmetry, all at once:

Colorful Blanket Flower:

Yellow/orange Wallflowers and blue Penstemons:

The theme here today seems to be yellow!

 

June

A wide view of the countryside in Rocky Mountain National Park:

With Covid causing nearly all normal social events to be cancelled, or moved to Zoom, hiking and running are my primary sources of worldly amusement. I'm trying to go on at least one 5 to 8 mile hike in the mountains each week, and go running at least 3 times a week.

For the past 40 years, one of my favorite activities has been running. I've never been a fast runner, but I've run at least 25,000 miles on the local streets, sidewalks and trails, mostly at a leisurely pace of 9 to 10 minutes per mile.

For most of these years, running 5 miles at a 9 to 10 minute pace was very relaxing and energizing. I would run 5 miles during my lunch hour, back in the days when I was working, and I would be so refreshed after my run that it was like a meditation. My mind was clearer, and I could more effectively solve problems.

But now, in my mid 70's, this old body is starting to rebel against the running. My anaerobic threshold has plummeted, so it is now challenging to run at even a constant 12 minute per mile pace. And that slow pace hardly qualifies as "running". So I mostly run intervals. I just run a  few blocks at a 9 or 10 minute pace, and then I walk a block or two at a 15 minute pace, and then take off running again, doing those intervals over and over for 3 to 5 miles. It's the best I can do nowadays. Heavy sigh. It makes me sad to watch this body lose its vitality.

When I complained to my doctor, he simply said that birthdays were the cause. So then I told my cardiologist of my woes, and he kindly told me that he has a hundred patients who would gladly trade problems with me. Yes, I am blessed to have such a complaint!

Rocky Mountain National Park is such a beautiful place:

This area is called Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's a lovely place to hike, and rock climbers enjoy scaling the rocky formations:

Hiking south of Boulder on a another lovely day!

Encountered this butterfly as she busily probed the hundreds of tiny flowers in this Blanket Flower composite:

Hiking up the trail toward Cub Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park:

A big ol' goofy moose having a snack in Cub Lake:

A shaggy Blue Heron looking for a place to go fishing:

The North St Vrain Creek flowing over the dam at Longmont Reservoir, near Button Rock. This is such a magnificent canyon:

Western Tanager investigating who is tromping through her forest. Good looking redhead!

July

North St Vrain Creek in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park:

West Creek Falls in the Comanche Peaks Wilderness Area, just north of Rocky mountain National Park:

Hiking at Caribou Ranch Open Space, north of Nederland, Colorado:

 

August

This hawk in my backyard, seems to be wondering who is interrupting her happy hunting along the irrigation ditch. Snakes seem to be her afternoon snack of choice.

Looking across Upper Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park, from the Ute Trail:

Another view from the Ute Trail:

This was amusing! Elk wandered into Estes Park, Colorado and began munching on the flowers:

Even worse, apparently they're color-blind. Two more just walked through the intersection on a red light! No respect for the law! Naughty elk:

 

September

Goofy old man hiking on the Ypsilon Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park... yes, that's me:

Elk in Lake Estes, just outside of Estes Park, Colorado:

This hike around Button Rock Reservoir started out with splendid blue sky sunshine, but as the winds shifted the sky was filled with smoke from the Cameron Peak forest fire about 20 miles away.

These are not clouds, this is entirely a smoke plume, blotting out the sun and suddenly dropping the temperature:

At first glance, I thought it was a bird. But it's just a tree root. Very tricky, these roots. The gray sky in the background is forest fire smoke.

 

October

Miles and miles of brilliantly glowing Aspen trees along the Peak-to-Peak Highway north of Nederland:

Delightful patch of fall colors along the trail to Cub Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park:

And more colors along the Cub Lake trail:

Another lovely (but rather cold) sunset, as viewed from my backyard:

She's planning to eat something:

November

Sometimes this happens, and there are no birds in the bird bath in my back yard:

And then it melts, and this is what I see from my kitchen window:

 

Quite an unusual sunset, or perhaps a neon-outlined flying saucer hovering above the mountains, as viewed from my backyard... sadly a camera just doesn't do justice to the vivid colors, but you get the idea:

 

December

A lovely day to be out meandering about in the foothills west of Lyons, Colorado for my birthday. A beautiful blue sky, and no snow at the moment. What a wonderful place to live! Although I'm really not a fan of winter weather.

On one hand, it's wonderful to be able to have another birthday. They're available only in a limited quantity. Yet, somehow as I get older, it feels kinda like this:

This difficult year is drawing to a close tomorrow, and I certainly wish that this Covid mess was also ending tomorrow.

A chilly day here, around 34 deg (1 deg C), but nary a cloud in the pristine blue sky. A nice day for a hike:

Here I am playing King of the Mountain in the wide open countryside of Hall Ranch, west of Lyons.

 

That's it for 2020. Hopefully there will be more adventures in 2021...