A birdwatcher's diary

A separate entry for the beautiful Cottonwood tree, which is fast becoming a big favourite with me. We saw a lot of these trees with leaves turned completely yellow because of the fall season.

I decided to stop sulking and get out -- and it did me a lot of good. I went with my room mate's host family to Grand Junction-about a 4 hour drive from Boulder last weekend. It was an interesting drive as we climbed 11,000 ft and then back down again. We effectively travelled through winter in the high passes to early fall in the foothills on the other side. That was fun.

Observing the changes in habitat was also interesting. The coniferous forests gave way to hills covered with sage brush(?) and then to almost arid rock. On the way was Glenwood Canyon cut through by the winding Colorado river. Also saw some of the old mining towns that had sprung up during the Colorado Gold Rush. Yes, the mountains had gold and silver and prospectors came from far away for the precious metals. Reminders that this was indeed the West of all the novels and movies.

We passed through Copper mountain and Vail, which are the top skiing destinations. Aspen is also not too far from here. Skiing looks scary because I don't think I like snow much. But it might be thrilling. People are very excited about winter here because of all the skiing opportunities. Mostly, I am just stunned by the sight of so much snow. Here are some pictures showing changes in landscape as we crossed different altitudes.




( More pictures )

 
Link to this wonderful flickr set about a meteorologist's life in Antarctica. Via the flickr blog.

Reached Boulder :)