Clark's Nutcracker...Mount Herman Road

Garden of the Gods RVC Outdoor Destinations
Colorado Springs, CO
July 3, 2014


After doing my homework using my new The Sibley Guide to Birds and google, I concluded that I photographed a Clark's Nutcracker. The coloring, bill, size, habitat, and loud fussing noises helped in my decision. The one confusing factor is what they eat...mainly seed.

 Even though their diet is mainly seeds, I did read they are omnivorous...flies must have been a real catch for the day!

We saw two of these beauties...actually we heard them before we spotted them...carrying on quite a conversation. When it was time for us to go, they were both in the pine tree below. I hope they resolved whatever the issue seemed to be and their day ended on a nicer note!

This was a first sighting of the Clark's Nutcracker for me.







We had stopped on Mount Herman Road...a very nice gravel off-highway road when we saw them. 




We also ordered another book...Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails by Charles A. Wells. Unlike the Moab edition, this guide covers all of Colorado. There are 16 trails listed for the Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Pikes Peak Region. Twelve of those are rated easy and moderate. Our pick for the day was Mt. Herman Road, Rampart Range...one of the easy trails about 36 miles in length.

As I was looking back in the book for a reference to post about the ride, I saw two pictures I had taken that were also in the guide. The picture below is one of them. The description under the picture in the guide states...

Mt. Herman as it climbs out of Monument.

Winding our way up Mount Herman...

The Noses

Not in the guide was a picture of rocks
we dubbed...The Noses!

This was  the stopping spot at the top of Mt. Herman where I photographed the Clark's Nutcrackers.  And below is the other picture included in the guide.

The guide stated...Mt. Herman Road is smoother at the top.
The road was smoother, but I was more interested in the rock.

There is a crack there you know...

I had read about the butterflies on Mt. Herman. We were not disappointed as they flew along with us on the trail...big and little, orange, yellow and white ones fluttering all around. They were enjoying the wildflowers and gorgeous day as much as we were! 

We did learn a valuable lesson on this trail. It is best to call BLM and check on the road conditions and closings before heading out.

When we reached the turn to enter Rampart Range Road, which would have taken us to Garden of the Gods, it was closed. The picture below shows remnants of fires from last year and the road hasn't been reopened.

Back track it was...but that didn't really matter. It all looked different anyway!

 

 

 

Until next time,

happy trails from Colorado Springs!

Pikes Peak Highway...America's Mountain

Garden of the Gods RVC Outdoor Destinations
Colorado Springs, CO
July 2, 2014

 No trip to Colorado Springs is complete without a ride on the Pikes Peak Highway. Last Wednesday  was our day to take the 19-mile trip "to the clouds" and explore America's Mountain. 

" From the gateway at an elevation of 7,400 ft., you'll encounter some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world as you wind your way through an alpine wonderland of scenic beauty."


 As we entered Pike National Forest, we were a little concerned we had chosen the wrong day. The fog was very thick and restricted our views.

Jade leads the way...

Ronnie, Carol and their daughter Shannon, who is visiting, led the way...

Larkspur, a bright purple/blue wildflower was growing all along the road in beautiful patches mixed with pink wild roses and clover.  "Stop..." and "Oh my!" were the words of the day along with many oohs and aahs. Stopping to take pictures is tricky...lucky for us, there wasn't a lot of traffic.

After mile marker 3, we began to see the sunshine peeking thru the trees...yeah!










and a few miles later, we were looking down on the clouds.

Ronnie, Shannon and Joe

Our first stop for everyone to get out and stretch came just after mile marker 6.






Looking up...

...looking down...

...we were surrounded by incredible beauty!

From this point, it was easy to recognize the dramatic changes in scenery.

The subalpine zone (between 9,000 and 11,000 ft.) with its Rocky Mountain Fir trees...






...followed by the alpine zone(above 11,500ft.)...the land of no trees. Can you believe the growing season here is between 6 to 8 weeks? There were still signs of winter...

The plants here are dwarfed to escape the harsh winds blowing just inches above them. But they sure have showy blooms.

Yellow-bellied marmots live here too.

These marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrows but are commonly seen in the early summer mornings or late afternoons enjoying a bit of sunshine.

The alpine zone is followed by boulders...nothing green at all

and then the summit!

In 1859, the earliest record found, the altitude of Pikes Peak is recorded at 14,500 ft.. In 1909, a survey reset the altitude at 14,107, again in 1951 at 14,110 ft., and in 2002, yet another measurement reset it at 14,115. As you can see, the sign still reflects the earlier measurement. Lets just say it is dang high...so high, we were all light headed and woozy. It was quite breezy and chilly at the summit too...at noon it was 52* without considering the wind chill. No wonder long johns, sweatshirts, and blankets for sale filled the store. Yummy smells of doughnuts, coffee, and warm cinnamon pecans filled the air. 

The ride down was a hoot...this twisty winding road was built in 1915 and today is maintained by the City of Colorado Springs. An earlier road up the mountain, Pikes Peak Carriage Road, dates back to 1888. Thousands of tourists traveled it to the summit until it closed in 1902.

There is a mandatory brake check right at 6 miles from the top going down. It really is steep and curvy! The Ranger uses an infra-red wand to determine how hot the front rotors are...anything 300F and over has to wait there. 


It was an exhilarating day!  Can you believe the same foggy clouds that had greeted us at Pikes Forest were there to say "Come back soon."?

Just a few post cards from our day...I took over 300 pictures, enjoying every second!

Have you traveled Pikes Peak Highway?

 

Shouldn't it be spelled Pike's Peak? In the early days it was, but in 1891, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names recommended against the use of apostrophes in geographic names.

 

Happy Birthday America!

 

Until next time...

 

 

...happy trails!