tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47286083301189167742024-03-11T10:05:34.558-07:0014er Art Photography - Mountains - Fine Art - Random Things from Colorado Artist and Photographer Aaron SpongSpong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-54493255016058771082024-03-11T08:49:00.000-07:002024-03-11T10:05:02.547-07:00Creating Art Inspired by AI<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLttMxi0IqxHIx0RYwI7gDxto6oZ7Jis7n2H53CyYDYIZC014LudO6miYxuRmFuL6FI6zD_RoohKv-Qd1bJBapwY7JInQRSnweleLNwClhdwXdBEXUBaljVw3Rt9KrVHh0tcNmJrpAkBGyuRP2BiF5moCv_jR_3jLEUoFXVxkzMxmPVRLZTVQw0Y8sx8k/s3683/AI%20THUMBNAIL.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="3683" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLttMxi0IqxHIx0RYwI7gDxto6oZ7Jis7n2H53CyYDYIZC014LudO6miYxuRmFuL6FI6zD_RoohKv-Qd1bJBapwY7JInQRSnweleLNwClhdwXdBEXUBaljVw3Rt9KrVHh0tcNmJrpAkBGyuRP2BiF5moCv_jR_3jLEUoFXVxkzMxmPVRLZTVQw0Y8sx8k/w640-h360/AI%20THUMBNAIL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>With all the buzz about AI art, I decided to do a little experiment with it to see how it could be applied to an artist or art teacher. Here's a video I made of the process along with some quick painting examples I made using an app called "Leonardo AI":</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="365" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q3_7uoBj0iA" width="487" youtube-src-id="Q3_7uoBj0iA"></iframe></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOA6RYw0fLHLEFAM46SYjWwZ6XyONb39kOJ2rrfFLIuELMXBM5bh4H13T9ShVVmD0v3_HRLQSeTx6zA5Qr2bpH3RE-ahgh-JKWL2D1lPOP8LuW-XqeRZsY5ju2AM0z-7jO02kJflkPOE57X5ADvMbQmPScoZ85164CCpDGT6TrUebJqiT6TZ9wzY-D1gA/s1024/Leonardo_Diffusion_XL_palette_knife_painting_of_a_side_profile_1%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOA6RYw0fLHLEFAM46SYjWwZ6XyONb39kOJ2rrfFLIuELMXBM5bh4H13T9ShVVmD0v3_HRLQSeTx6zA5Qr2bpH3RE-ahgh-JKWL2D1lPOP8LuW-XqeRZsY5ju2AM0z-7jO02kJflkPOE57X5ADvMbQmPScoZ85164CCpDGT6TrUebJqiT6TZ9wzY-D1gA/w640-h640/Leonardo_Diffusion_XL_palette_knife_painting_of_a_side_profile_1%20copy%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AI Generated Reference Image</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss3MsPrXiB6lQbRno-Rg6hyYMmfNT7i8ypcGRXm0aFXCzFZVRI9wsQTyNNPASdJqvmYx-r-JeV0MNZp20TRLysgXArP03j_jZzPhXUBgSICh1OjvGOUyXaafd_R4RjhL3Aa6RfRqHa4G_qtzlTA-xjHsXBVQCeBntj6MkABoWMAGx2UuL7-17tTG_xxM/s3959/Moose.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3111" data-original-width="3959" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss3MsPrXiB6lQbRno-Rg6hyYMmfNT7i8ypcGRXm0aFXCzFZVRI9wsQTyNNPASdJqvmYx-r-JeV0MNZp20TRLysgXArP03j_jZzPhXUBgSICh1OjvGOUyXaafd_R4RjhL3Aa6RfRqHa4G_qtzlTA-xjHsXBVQCeBntj6MkABoWMAGx2UuL7-17tTG_xxM/w640-h502/Moose.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdccr0gsuDfi08ZUXJ2j9BeLO3FFyucV9vbvaLgKP30WbCjt9yGZbgsTyp8d5EDkBI53F491-nrXsDLB2IimPRYXd8G-1Nx5TWBvMQNO5a91YKR2RCwHSuly6aL95fwifnoI8R7DNZbj1EyenMavQmWxI6B7EUubQTBIzhVS7XyfKNLzcOD4ZQmNNnfY/s1024/Leonardo_Diffusion_XL_palette_knife_painting_of_a_Rocky_Mounta_0%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdccr0gsuDfi08ZUXJ2j9BeLO3FFyucV9vbvaLgKP30WbCjt9yGZbgsTyp8d5EDkBI53F491-nrXsDLB2IimPRYXd8G-1Nx5TWBvMQNO5a91YKR2RCwHSuly6aL95fwifnoI8R7DNZbj1EyenMavQmWxI6B7EUubQTBIzhVS7XyfKNLzcOD4ZQmNNnfY/w640-h640/Leonardo_Diffusion_XL_palette_knife_painting_of_a_Rocky_Mounta_0%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reference #2</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsiUZ8Kt4hgt_8y7HkbeVoGhw2eaau3JzIHYWbFBav6CDHOqz-drPxXyMnppnV7nR8NChpdOMiky-rtm5qsjuY1iNjguDSrfzHfrgHJpED7fj0clqIjkcoJRjI2VsxY_jkySCweo0DLvzBGCdHKWYv-9saMh70HMH6uYXWt1v6DAs0Vb2Pck89Z32BnA/s3983/Ram%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3129" data-original-width="3983" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsiUZ8Kt4hgt_8y7HkbeVoGhw2eaau3JzIHYWbFBav6CDHOqz-drPxXyMnppnV7nR8NChpdOMiky-rtm5qsjuY1iNjguDSrfzHfrgHJpED7fj0clqIjkcoJRjI2VsxY_jkySCweo0DLvzBGCdHKWYv-9saMh70HMH6uYXWt1v6DAs0Vb2Pck89Z32BnA/w640-h502/Ram%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSemALs6kFwCGEZor6XoLc8ONvY1zb_0I6Cs7n-U9nBOp3O1HIY8SyEpXtKi96ptOwHtYaDpQxzrYBwjbfu33pp2aZD1umCdaEK8PCBcqBB-A16__Cw-gLN4rd480L0gkNiXCIQ_46C4F8Gn4-bJl3kxNFfpo6RBlrrFi17AhzKz3KWvPsYPx_E05adU/s1024/Leonardo_Diffusion_XL_palette_knife_painting_of_a_side_profile_0%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSemALs6kFwCGEZor6XoLc8ONvY1zb_0I6Cs7n-U9nBOp3O1HIY8SyEpXtKi96ptOwHtYaDpQxzrYBwjbfu33pp2aZD1umCdaEK8PCBcqBB-A16__Cw-gLN4rd480L0gkNiXCIQ_46C4F8Gn4-bJl3kxNFfpo6RBlrrFi17AhzKz3KWvPsYPx_E05adU/w640-h640/Leonardo_Diffusion_XL_palette_knife_painting_of_a_side_profile_0%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reference #3</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKFcCazT7fzRXffMn3C3HOcPa6Tdl9eg9exH-8W9HZ8f-35d6hAdijLj41VMH5x4Gxy-SsAl8FiNWvzUFtG1xeK2KZeBpmC-PZqeTlBURu3nhM4o-pkdlY2JLlHcLb_VFU6zQxql8xzPTf86Ek5f5tAf6P5i4Irrf4hHp1DtHZJSzVVd_QI6W09igoyA/s3872/Color%20Bear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3098" data-original-width="3872" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKFcCazT7fzRXffMn3C3HOcPa6Tdl9eg9exH-8W9HZ8f-35d6hAdijLj41VMH5x4Gxy-SsAl8FiNWvzUFtG1xeK2KZeBpmC-PZqeTlBURu3nhM4o-pkdlY2JLlHcLb_VFU6zQxql8xzPTf86Ek5f5tAf6P5i4Irrf4hHp1DtHZJSzVVd_QI6W09igoyA/w640-h512/Color%20Bear.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-49459305966740485452024-03-01T13:26:00.000-08:002024-03-01T13:26:45.553-08:00Family Trip to Cozumel - Winter 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3It1RJaro-TMJlohRzoXopErs_2BcVwmE8OQEwfKirxuIrLQLA74gS7TOrOQBjkTwoWPsSTOP5cQIdryW_fm8esYZTOHr7rc6yDMq2uRlFpsbvXUzlXa5WCC__395GbQ0WtEKRZxMhFuyXOCVQtUnfDle0WA9LrUd2AImbJah9G6x19g67F7dHs5F7d4/s2038/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.19.05%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1630" data-original-width="2038" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3It1RJaro-TMJlohRzoXopErs_2BcVwmE8OQEwfKirxuIrLQLA74gS7TOrOQBjkTwoWPsSTOP5cQIdryW_fm8esYZTOHr7rc6yDMq2uRlFpsbvXUzlXa5WCC__395GbQ0WtEKRZxMhFuyXOCVQtUnfDle0WA9LrUd2AImbJah9G6x19g67F7dHs5F7d4/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.19.05%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This winter, we took a family trip to Cozumel where Brian and Dive had lived for a few years in the past. We waited until the morning of the trip to tell the kids we were going. We surprised them when they woke up just to see the look on their faces! Neither of them had ever been to the ocean or on a plane or out of the country so a lot of firsts were being had! It was a great time and B & D were awesome tour guides for us! The whole time we were there, they had a "cold front" that was going through. All the locals were bundling up in jackets while we were like, wow 70 feels nice! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I did take one of my Nikon's too: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmZH1c0ebybV6I8AvyBAXsDu0kk-OVx7cXTbNyL-PDpn__xZagnhYGkcJwjeC3LDzttawbDlMmkbjEGuYjPUtUKtqBridBSZ7rTePVE1GUqa1fi0dOJlRhv4V-kone0Mv2AFwPhu7T_xkFR5P1vHVRvDsHun_zcf-qIFheu29Qmb8OgsMfzSJnSMROqY/s2348/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.19.35%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="2348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmZH1c0ebybV6I8AvyBAXsDu0kk-OVx7cXTbNyL-PDpn__xZagnhYGkcJwjeC3LDzttawbDlMmkbjEGuYjPUtUKtqBridBSZ7rTePVE1GUqa1fi0dOJlRhv4V-kone0Mv2AFwPhu7T_xkFR5P1vHVRvDsHun_zcf-qIFheu29Qmb8OgsMfzSJnSMROqY/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.19.35%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjiYzSo-BUgZHyagrh4Mcl5cBZhX88e1rkV83FggViB8Yh2aAJHPG0A-pNR8AvkP2QPIWpiJ3Ab3SdDb0M1uNshcCjYTPDAUSGKVlwPk7Gg320tTrm6hNzbgMSjmSNh05lRg8qk5daf1tl-4gqZjyYjIqNSZerRVKJSkLPj01Iw3gnjS7Eqvy7keRFTY/s1626/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.20.11%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1626" data-original-width="1084" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjiYzSo-BUgZHyagrh4Mcl5cBZhX88e1rkV83FggViB8Yh2aAJHPG0A-pNR8AvkP2QPIWpiJ3Ab3SdDb0M1uNshcCjYTPDAUSGKVlwPk7Gg320tTrm6hNzbgMSjmSNh05lRg8qk5daf1tl-4gqZjyYjIqNSZerRVKJSkLPj01Iw3gnjS7Eqvy7keRFTY/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.20.11%E2%80%AFPM.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDJN2_F31FMQNPEOV4GUPdSoIkIEz4gKqO5j78Xmrh15aLRFDgbzIxu9NpXD11wYHhWhJZpgs8vdBrVQtPxuQngWigyVDKFEQBrYHfYm9jVtEXVegKgbAGEL4zCfqg2H4ZbXYCLUcWrS0sZRDPOeLAX3OaRXWZNIWmZn7AGO4znVQlVYpPGrzATnLxiU/s2350/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.20.26%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="2350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDJN2_F31FMQNPEOV4GUPdSoIkIEz4gKqO5j78Xmrh15aLRFDgbzIxu9NpXD11wYHhWhJZpgs8vdBrVQtPxuQngWigyVDKFEQBrYHfYm9jVtEXVegKgbAGEL4zCfqg2H4ZbXYCLUcWrS0sZRDPOeLAX3OaRXWZNIWmZn7AGO4znVQlVYpPGrzATnLxiU/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.20.26%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbrIGim77YnfDicUU6xnHd6wNmBvBV6qkfQiy7okoWpRBZK1SQ7RmN-PTar_-cTV4253GShW9zB_2t5n-TL66f4juJS1H2QXQ8R4RqdCz_-wUrlLHwTg3342IpX9IaNK6JXWVjhEZkIW3YvgLyYISZKJmHLGH0IPNKXj87oqJusnYvNovxL4rAEDXBhw/s2344/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.20.53%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="2344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbrIGim77YnfDicUU6xnHd6wNmBvBV6qkfQiy7okoWpRBZK1SQ7RmN-PTar_-cTV4253GShW9zB_2t5n-TL66f4juJS1H2QXQ8R4RqdCz_-wUrlLHwTg3342IpX9IaNK6JXWVjhEZkIW3YvgLyYISZKJmHLGH0IPNKXj87oqJusnYvNovxL4rAEDXBhw/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.20.53%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NgVJk_vYHBabNJQ5Skw1o_h9SyYShOrtg6xYQ_B9QVyUPFRNX1JvI9NzmiMQ-h9JoOglMrCiDQEteE_NWf4jRt-wZao5WP8GN94dB2DNcueehmGzMqmt0iT6tDGFrcnzX2bNZq5lPjS2x-IXIU_XO-R018SGrt-JWPKfvhBZYnlzTEDqSNhyHvgMIpE/s2348/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.06%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="2348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NgVJk_vYHBabNJQ5Skw1o_h9SyYShOrtg6xYQ_B9QVyUPFRNX1JvI9NzmiMQ-h9JoOglMrCiDQEteE_NWf4jRt-wZao5WP8GN94dB2DNcueehmGzMqmt0iT6tDGFrcnzX2bNZq5lPjS2x-IXIU_XO-R018SGrt-JWPKfvhBZYnlzTEDqSNhyHvgMIpE/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.06%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Wyu0sNCxvbnu0VwSExlp9GOywPG81xo9Fpdm4Th5ulS-eyYCaKWnTdavaQInrA-ZCMPivPygq0kdGnSpqIHM-0C4OPUdSUFaMinvxnWBs09V6xHqK580-48YczDspj8lM6KGCJkld7F9NVq7f459EC_X1PtX0HjyADp99YxVqyNef7nYmrSmOi138D4/s2344/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.23%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="2344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Wyu0sNCxvbnu0VwSExlp9GOywPG81xo9Fpdm4Th5ulS-eyYCaKWnTdavaQInrA-ZCMPivPygq0kdGnSpqIHM-0C4OPUdSUFaMinvxnWBs09V6xHqK580-48YczDspj8lM6KGCJkld7F9NVq7f459EC_X1PtX0HjyADp99YxVqyNef7nYmrSmOi138D4/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.23%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUObARv_xXjHR9x_21PZhwPgBnwYTJ9Fu1SVp6ZHsa9K1MiDADvWCtXZ6BC6lec03qeYVQtNIdGivWRApwL9_EuciCXrQ6s5djiXaAybGBxFEo75lfnD1Ep2Lg57YRpuoNR5P2iPC6Pbq5f2j1d9sSrKRQmOAgGWVPNqBzmRolQI5WC1TQYxN09in_Zbc/s2342/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.36%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="2342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUObARv_xXjHR9x_21PZhwPgBnwYTJ9Fu1SVp6ZHsa9K1MiDADvWCtXZ6BC6lec03qeYVQtNIdGivWRApwL9_EuciCXrQ6s5djiXaAybGBxFEo75lfnD1Ep2Lg57YRpuoNR5P2iPC6Pbq5f2j1d9sSrKRQmOAgGWVPNqBzmRolQI5WC1TQYxN09in_Zbc/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.36%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr9M9Ncl1bxCtX3C24LKJ-m6n_P8oB0GY9yf7gKJr6vzHPxyy5rwF0vEkur2Rw-QIqLBIJGBTa-6JVLsybeFSJQKLcmqA2UfICh-0o_flwaKxIQlOLBjI-IDmnZ0t64R1_n3OA7ODHbXn93QthCzRncix1xXUMczOBx_-xEMF54ZSkIwjdIDq3IODRsM/s1560/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1042" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr9M9Ncl1bxCtX3C24LKJ-m6n_P8oB0GY9yf7gKJr6vzHPxyy5rwF0vEkur2Rw-QIqLBIJGBTa-6JVLsybeFSJQKLcmqA2UfICh-0o_flwaKxIQlOLBjI-IDmnZ0t64R1_n3OA7ODHbXn93QthCzRncix1xXUMczOBx_-xEMF54ZSkIwjdIDq3IODRsM/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr9M9Ncl1bxCtX3C24LKJ-m6n_P8oB0GY9yf7gKJr6vzHPxyy5rwF0vEkur2Rw-QIqLBIJGBTa-6JVLsybeFSJQKLcmqA2UfICh-0o_flwaKxIQlOLBjI-IDmnZ0t64R1_n3OA7ODHbXn93QthCzRncix1xXUMczOBx_-xEMF54ZSkIwjdIDq3IODRsM/s1560/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%201.21.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Definitely tough to come home from that one! Back to winter and cold.</div></div>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-73790237455405515382024-02-14T08:42:00.000-08:002024-02-14T08:42:50.096-08:00New Paintings - Winter 2023/24<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com"><img border="0" data-original-height="3397" data-original-width="4324" height="503" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gCSLtxewSC3trE13ovQ32HYzkRYkRm0JenbXMVlTbIGLSMGF8LaFqYVQVS0qFYvarFo-LFnO7VT-ohV1qL49Ip1FODkHwZIEKUYYFevqsV-UpL2H7_Es28N4zyf7V3heshEDZUtF4auAtjSYPAy_HoNe1GX5P6QBBsmE56-Sody_tKs4OcRASQJs6F0/w640-h503/Flatirons%20Winter%20GOOD%20FOR%20REAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com">Flatirons in Winter - Prints Available</a></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Embracing the cold this winter, I did a painting of the Boulder Flatirons caked in snow. Funny thing is that this photo I used for reference was take in MAY after a mid spring snowstorm a few years ago!</p><p>We also spent a weekend recently in Colorado Springs and I took a stab at doing a 1 hour plein air painting in the cold. Wow! That was revealing. I now see how slowly I normally paint. I definitely left wishing I had another hour or two. Below is a comparison of a one hour painting of Pike Peak and a 20 hour painting of the same peak done years ago:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xs0EgJcSXZ8W4SoVt6KIgLjhow_xv6Ak0WFU_JPhQaq-NI5qfb9PHq_uxrK4EmtMKi3mQMTxRzMfMtuPjNvJGmLT7bBvivivhla0ExlFagqUEKrAGEX1wWcib6_AFy2BjZIalosSsUlTXI0JmEE1yVtieRhZNQt-j14OE3io0uHZfFLYUvju-VaF09Q/s3576/Garden%20of%20the%20Gods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2809" data-original-width="3576" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xs0EgJcSXZ8W4SoVt6KIgLjhow_xv6Ak0WFU_JPhQaq-NI5qfb9PHq_uxrK4EmtMKi3mQMTxRzMfMtuPjNvJGmLT7bBvivivhla0ExlFagqUEKrAGEX1wWcib6_AFy2BjZIalosSsUlTXI0JmEE1yVtieRhZNQt-j14OE3io0uHZfFLYUvju-VaF09Q/w640-h502/Garden%20of%20the%20Gods.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pikes Peak - 1 hour plein air</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAhMLbBVx1TvA8gaCmyggu0XS-q-2Qw8V20nKCLQuolKeIYvgcl67xxLNCla7nKYEGwZVTx430NHC-56eAq-2xEeSk1-chPrvk7k7_r1T4zvqqS84VjnGU9s3cN26lesOm1ntQCtjQmbNT0QuW_etS5FkJ5WTD9xqDHlxKux4Tx9L2-xb5_5ctBfLFoU/s1332/Screenshot%202024-02-14%20at%209.35.10%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="1332" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAhMLbBVx1TvA8gaCmyggu0XS-q-2Qw8V20nKCLQuolKeIYvgcl67xxLNCla7nKYEGwZVTx430NHC-56eAq-2xEeSk1-chPrvk7k7_r1T4zvqqS84VjnGU9s3cN26lesOm1ntQCtjQmbNT0QuW_etS5FkJ5WTD9xqDHlxKux4Tx9L2-xb5_5ctBfLFoU/w640-h638/Screenshot%202024-02-14%20at%209.35.10%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5iFe3slA6UtJPCAHZ7ad-_EOqv46CAg_PGjAmyzPzAaUVkirC64_wrVFegAAccYoniueOghTZ6NeIUPzzQwaeCyq3qPem_KgjZ3dt4-3ZrSwYyi3dn3TAFchbhaCGV5BpzaECKk8d4Uq69jlBedhvxFgsiY7hDaevvZ44l3YcjASl21ioEcqs5mZRdQ/s3264/IMG_1387.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5iFe3slA6UtJPCAHZ7ad-_EOqv46CAg_PGjAmyzPzAaUVkirC64_wrVFegAAccYoniueOghTZ6NeIUPzzQwaeCyq3qPem_KgjZ3dt4-3ZrSwYyi3dn3TAFchbhaCGV5BpzaECKk8d4Uq69jlBedhvxFgsiY7hDaevvZ44l3YcjASl21ioEcqs5mZRdQ/w400-h300/IMG_1387.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 hour</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyye6HSsCqWK9-r5Iz83rKmCV9Tb6Jb2a12M8zjl9Iu5qGMcrLtD7x-l2OMcsEiP9Fyc-x8d5_WP7vZxAXecs66Z1H0HLAjNF4ngyLr3JGDLE-ql05lp8ZRE69CEMm-cAiR0Dec3HQ74TXMvL6ivKsQ7lHU6zom1fogM_cR04dehyCAPCC20sZ8DbuUvc/s3264/IMG_1378.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyye6HSsCqWK9-r5Iz83rKmCV9Tb6Jb2a12M8zjl9Iu5qGMcrLtD7x-l2OMcsEiP9Fyc-x8d5_WP7vZxAXecs66Z1H0HLAjNF4ngyLr3JGDLE-ql05lp8ZRE69CEMm-cAiR0Dec3HQ74TXMvL6ivKsQ7lHU6zom1fogM_cR04dehyCAPCC20sZ8DbuUvc/w400-h300/IMG_1378.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 hours</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-42722802476234897902023-10-31T08:41:00.000-07:002023-11-16T08:44:47.869-08:00Inktober 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidJdG2FKjbaX37G76jgyjWBdJozAEhTIQ6CbA9lXHOuGvcy29gjw3WDBf8BOlmVHHYlJJdfvprslJLSK3utCD_7zDdkli5fdGlGvcRSc_LMSW_SIpwEgKVFIM3Luj5DqLtHmIgx8eqevAYXfpmzpp0SPDywE72_3btgizt54bbaVGVgvAaRsZeUHCda6I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2074" data-original-width="2764" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidJdG2FKjbaX37G76jgyjWBdJozAEhTIQ6CbA9lXHOuGvcy29gjw3WDBf8BOlmVHHYlJJdfvprslJLSK3utCD_7zDdkli5fdGlGvcRSc_LMSW_SIpwEgKVFIM3Luj5DqLtHmIgx8eqevAYXfpmzpp0SPDywE72_3btgizt54bbaVGVgvAaRsZeUHCda6I=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My kids and I did an ink drawing each day in October for Inktober. We filmed the whole process in the YouTube video below. Check it out!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-xW7ok6qer0" width="423" youtube-src-id="-xW7ok6qer0"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-26919054066075163272023-10-04T08:26:00.000-07:002023-11-16T08:38:05.128-08:00Fall Color Trip - 2023<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/flat-tops-gold-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1660" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kaezlGmir0bpC02ttKGi12uwipcI4g3UWOckFgtdFO2RBlkXz_eDV7nrC6nJFM8NyC1aZP7unA6F6bvDYV3zkVSLD7iNfMf8Qy1luUsvtaEpUMxvWE778F4hI7LC15lVOLDtJBHkBMH5dx_Z3U_sf9-h0EeeC33heFgAxA_oLQrQiekZUNl3181uj6o/w640-h428/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.24.46%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>This year we wanted to visit a less popular part of the state. Yampa is my old hunting grounds so I knew the area well. We spent two days in the Flat Tops Wilderness and then took a detour through Steamboat and then toward Silverton/Dillon on the way back. Here are a few photos from the trip:</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgYK90VJnIPt5OO2Rz5vlVooIz52zMoIjdZoqR0o3apyTHdJhJKO8rK0VK6u_6DvGP5QtooKDS6Wnb9YJyf-_jZevm8OKSs8Am5QAMezlrJ_Qt_02ssCSno4IcvjXmPc7thtTN8_cP39TFEkHhsl270ANkN4YvfLh2UUJprYjTyrBRgox7oKAN6Nmwd4/s1904/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.24.00%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1904" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgYK90VJnIPt5OO2Rz5vlVooIz52zMoIjdZoqR0o3apyTHdJhJKO8rK0VK6u_6DvGP5QtooKDS6Wnb9YJyf-_jZevm8OKSs8Am5QAMezlrJ_Qt_02ssCSno4IcvjXmPc7thtTN8_cP39TFEkHhsl270ANkN4YvfLh2UUJprYjTyrBRgox7oKAN6Nmwd4/w640-h320/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.24.00%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH-Or2sS112yBOmv2xfdISRvkoMZNXdZ2f4ehh126zj8uyGNjq_2y2v_wz5ii4sK1Tg8Eqt9hl0rYml-54lzOm5HAMLYtlDnhz6OQRbE-cS2iL3Y8x2Jx4FuW1qf3vkggSlBlvPwC5-KMeDySJ2Miz5C1-krIhm_qno6OkM31juW_gmqDI3E8lIDgQI8/s1428/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.24.17%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1428" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH-Or2sS112yBOmv2xfdISRvkoMZNXdZ2f4ehh126zj8uyGNjq_2y2v_wz5ii4sK1Tg8Eqt9hl0rYml-54lzOm5HAMLYtlDnhz6OQRbE-cS2iL3Y8x2Jx4FuW1qf3vkggSlBlvPwC5-KMeDySJ2Miz5C1-krIhm_qno6OkM31juW_gmqDI3E8lIDgQI8/w640-h427/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.24.17%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This classic Steamboat Barn used to be out in the middle of nowhere. Now it's completely surrounded by condos and city buildings. It's very difficult to get a shot of it without newer buildings in the picture:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dpHVla_FC8Lw6l74gOYyqnOnLcNrjaoLVcSKvwowhY94kmtFwS-MvzlrSKO-jGVIsb6isQjqUQMY8_0ZKOgri0RTtoH1OlmQmNVdgpW5oIHGZsONoiW46hFAVxcutvBkPeiDCnl0Ew5owecqe6p-z0A6RRP8UH-66yjEBj3z3n9wfIGGj9Jl6c8il-Y/s1672/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.31.55%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1672" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dpHVla_FC8Lw6l74gOYyqnOnLcNrjaoLVcSKvwowhY94kmtFwS-MvzlrSKO-jGVIsb6isQjqUQMY8_0ZKOgri0RTtoH1OlmQmNVdgpW5oIHGZsONoiW46hFAVxcutvBkPeiDCnl0Ew5owecqe6p-z0A6RRP8UH-66yjEBj3z3n9wfIGGj9Jl6c8il-Y/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.31.55%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>And a few shots from on the way home. We caught a sunset at Lake Dillon:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiJJhzcu4SptF54BS1qHoJSWvjRc80tIce-CVx3Bb1QRRTEyQoN_137HbPLvowOfhqSFVmf0yXL0mzwSiZ1U9rh2Nx2cH4dD-2EJG25mxQBftXuI7wQ7vxxvvke1Bw3_juIj4LP-jt-R8pWnuV-v4TZtADTW4bUSjzbMclSMrxZc6Kv5-xaTECtN23bU/s1536/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.35.10%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1536" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiJJhzcu4SptF54BS1qHoJSWvjRc80tIce-CVx3Bb1QRRTEyQoN_137HbPLvowOfhqSFVmf0yXL0mzwSiZ1U9rh2Nx2cH4dD-2EJG25mxQBftXuI7wQ7vxxvvke1Bw3_juIj4LP-jt-R8pWnuV-v4TZtADTW4bUSjzbMclSMrxZc6Kv5-xaTECtN23bU/w640-h424/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.35.10%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagle's Nest Peak from near Kremmling</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/grays-and-torreys-autumn-sunset-aaron-spong.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1526" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvEmQKqF-5YzCujJny3OI5s-_BkUtF6a1ADF_y8iTSx8GGhu9lDglqtqMpTdQn1QNmmQlHk15lXwutHRb4DRSGNnsmFbEb04j0jOZpg1tBsZ2-MtMaSqGdHRkq1BUcz6LQ-lZYame1PJU-NjtLRVkrdP5PtzvbxOaoWVFlEB3UykjC5JtOgMejMtMSlk/w640-h478/Screenshot%202023-11-16%20at%209.25.06%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/grays-and-torreys-autumn-sunset-aaron-spong.html">Sunset over Grays and Torreys Peak from Dillon Reservoir - Prints available</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-44065667565378992682023-08-23T17:38:00.006-07:002023-08-23T17:38:53.124-07:00<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/fiery-badlands-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fiery Badlans Sunset South Dakota" border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="2358" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3pI1Va2rA1-U2vfIlnefev0cjrLgLVPtcGHe-zSnDgmvDo_ok9vW-ujgOk7WOSMHQIPYaHKPNHj6cB5N1CHe_9UTRoZ0z0Guc70n2obTilTzclLrv1CpltZTq3yaLuApKb4t9kusmSkdd2LKVeL1yaNGocpwOS5sNNw-J8cxZSrBtHbTvW9VAYfmBVM/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.08.14%20PM.png" title="Fiery Badlands" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/fiery-badlands-aaron-spong.html">Fiery Badlands - Prints available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>Our big vacation this summer wasn't our usual backpack into the Rockies, but a family trip to visit Nathan and Kameryn and the cousins in Pine Haven. We just hung out the first couple days and the kids got to play their Playstation VR, then we went for some fun in Rapid City to a water park and Reptile Gardens. We did do a couple photography outings a couple of evenings. KD and I spent an evening at Devil's Tower to shoot the sunset and some night sky photos. She was super patient waiting for dark to come that night waiting for the milky way to show. Another night we were able to get out to Badlands National Park, which I didn't even know exhisted until we were up there in the hotel and looking at some pamphlets. I'm glad we checked that one out. It was such a hidden gem out in the middle of nowhere!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37VgyOckHktVKAOi8NS7uJjFe_Y05le6lzAK9tFmUk7eLjvDRfVx6DU79aJwB97gjnHDdh84naLlTyp-j34Zw7Il9ipkXICGST2Eo-4HEgBtdvBm8ZeG1GZGpL4FgrWgFOOvBkNMxyD1AXimsKZgoBJ8IUAg48HC1wE7S-nsXTdzbfhJTsIztaFHXpAA/s1436/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.24.04%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37VgyOckHktVKAOi8NS7uJjFe_Y05le6lzAK9tFmUk7eLjvDRfVx6DU79aJwB97gjnHDdh84naLlTyp-j34Zw7Il9ipkXICGST2Eo-4HEgBtdvBm8ZeG1GZGpL4FgrWgFOOvBkNMxyD1AXimsKZgoBJ8IUAg48HC1wE7S-nsXTdzbfhJTsIztaFHXpAA/w370-h640/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.24.04%20PM.png" width="370" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/devils-tower-stars-vertical-panorama-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="784" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOEEymZo5pxlm_rkjpzmxIudf74UDxBTg4we__Ie5FUhgnRN9qLhvFNbUHAc0sx1-qQsa8GcGnz-3fajQ4Voj2Pu7q5nIyl7FlsIGVDirbDQFAEJznv-Ti_lv_Uxd-3bjsYTQj2Zwu9mD_ch4YlNS37tpZrqFXTakJGDf9D0MpLawPoJs9nfojqfqKOU/w320-h640/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.26.00%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/devils-tower-stars-vertical-panorama-aaron-spong.html">Devil's Tower Milky Way - Prints available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS_EH_ZDrXnHAzcT1lPMb3cxVsMk1uVYjm_N6653MYgj487qrTtbar3kl49h5AfxdpuFxSpTyJa6F_-hw12A0LROfNksxZEMCQYOUVyLIShQPQh50jJb6wT2QxKnBzSyl7ncLMR71F51pjmpPOm2P80lGPZQpmm_ropvdyrLdrS79jgjKyx3tk97G7mI/s2352/Screenshot%202023-08-18%20at%204.27.14%20PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="2352" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS_EH_ZDrXnHAzcT1lPMb3cxVsMk1uVYjm_N6653MYgj487qrTtbar3kl49h5AfxdpuFxSpTyJa6F_-hw12A0LROfNksxZEMCQYOUVyLIShQPQh50jJb6wT2QxKnBzSyl7ncLMR71F51pjmpPOm2P80lGPZQpmm_ropvdyrLdrS79jgjKyx3tk97G7mI/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-08-18%20at%204.27.14%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8jOTjwuhBEc71BuKjtbH6DhhyAHqCagcI_Z3HlZkgopkozz6H8w25UwOC3nKHVdpxGcjefGOniRua-F4C5kwYzS3Ipxsd-C3EDtwOdYgeBEQP7vSuWbikoWvj0H-mGiEmKYZq_48yLbkvqrbKwnAu619L09QjLqGobVEAHaML556Zefm4uNoe2KDGYM/s2862/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.26.51%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="2862" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8jOTjwuhBEc71BuKjtbH6DhhyAHqCagcI_Z3HlZkgopkozz6H8w25UwOC3nKHVdpxGcjefGOniRua-F4C5kwYzS3Ipxsd-C3EDtwOdYgeBEQP7vSuWbikoWvj0H-mGiEmKYZq_48yLbkvqrbKwnAu619L09QjLqGobVEAHaML556Zefm4uNoe2KDGYM/w640-h254/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.26.51%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl57CurtNsA-j_QTTEr3psgDscI131S-e9QfgBaoDnJcwairKphoFTQn1IMHVBCSzbqf1JTjVc631bLTbnYG9tZRiDy3NSs6Dy9NHwTfNky5-Avham0aHUxoOk_agPsrLtzA1U8vk5NxqFOQdUo0xryX4zIPJ_1F1rfJ3WZNZhO85A3NL_eZK5sfzJuNo/s2862/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.27.09%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="2862" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl57CurtNsA-j_QTTEr3psgDscI131S-e9QfgBaoDnJcwairKphoFTQn1IMHVBCSzbqf1JTjVc631bLTbnYG9tZRiDy3NSs6Dy9NHwTfNky5-Avham0aHUxoOk_agPsrLtzA1U8vk5NxqFOQdUo0xryX4zIPJ_1F1rfJ3WZNZhO85A3NL_eZK5sfzJuNo/w640-h254/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.27.09%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVV5tJx9lR9umbB5YOXSQivy6F9i_Autkl8fNBLs8yt7T6aegEwbkxl2JyO_20lcoi_hI_hHpk-uRjBSdbKD_wiErs-b3zr2NkOq4C3usvdbTX80JV6XbbAmo2aL6PXFpVNNUnE0-lX8U0aGDzDGYj-8uTuD3iJkB2FDh82B__7Dy2K9IE1W-BJjbSQTE/s2860/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.27.38%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="2860" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVV5tJx9lR9umbB5YOXSQivy6F9i_Autkl8fNBLs8yt7T6aegEwbkxl2JyO_20lcoi_hI_hHpk-uRjBSdbKD_wiErs-b3zr2NkOq4C3usvdbTX80JV6XbbAmo2aL6PXFpVNNUnE0-lX8U0aGDzDGYj-8uTuD3iJkB2FDh82B__7Dy2K9IE1W-BJjbSQTE/w640-h254/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.27.38%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75f-fgVEym7gIEnqEBr4LUDHIladFtSy-ogkfceBT4ZWV3HGNvFNPJV0dFq1RrabSfYjJrBtXBnvbPhF6XL7yPwXCe61EwL8LHYAhVLSBeqEXheFHrGDxZ9epstlFmeLdyN0csVfbE56o19KzwZijA35y1RwjhUQArVvg9MxiDXAehfhziUS2bCNG0Xg/s2858/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.28.00%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="2858" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75f-fgVEym7gIEnqEBr4LUDHIladFtSy-ogkfceBT4ZWV3HGNvFNPJV0dFq1RrabSfYjJrBtXBnvbPhF6XL7yPwXCe61EwL8LHYAhVLSBeqEXheFHrGDxZ9epstlFmeLdyN0csVfbE56o19KzwZijA35y1RwjhUQArVvg9MxiDXAehfhziUS2bCNG0Xg/w640-h256/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.28.00%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjao00GRpBIQsdcBz3ac0isd2SjKIR9R-2TkOfiQU5AXLAeRBXFesODBhT_mqODKAQTMoO93Uq4TbaZbHW-198LhvDrcJ5KcKwDbfnIj0B2qekjU9cud37LMTwmfS_l4zdPuvFHaDU3hUyohsw9XrRWtias9GNHNaB4ZdNXhLKwoOjQXYyqX-eegDbu4UQ/s2858/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.28.43%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="2858" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjao00GRpBIQsdcBz3ac0isd2SjKIR9R-2TkOfiQU5AXLAeRBXFesODBhT_mqODKAQTMoO93Uq4TbaZbHW-198LhvDrcJ5KcKwDbfnIj0B2qekjU9cud37LMTwmfS_l4zdPuvFHaDU3hUyohsw9XrRWtias9GNHNaB4ZdNXhLKwoOjQXYyqX-eegDbu4UQ/w640-h254/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.28.43%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94XVd-P7a5r0iUkytkcIu9qhyiOHIn6HpdyN-zazuS0Ognoskm7na-FSZwYLNOSgvY7K_VnV6FHI2iz8QqlvCInGKxdOdEqcYSy0wZQ83Gs-gmjYwuT82mXXP0pprdEqANn0AYNvOP4RS04VAqJB3iW_lAqarK1ZpZIVpmnA56h_96BEbnULvSHFoHoY/s2862/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.26.26%20PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="2862" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94XVd-P7a5r0iUkytkcIu9qhyiOHIn6HpdyN-zazuS0Ognoskm7na-FSZwYLNOSgvY7K_VnV6FHI2iz8QqlvCInGKxdOdEqcYSy0wZQ83Gs-gmjYwuT82mXXP0pprdEqANn0AYNvOP4RS04VAqJB3iW_lAqarK1ZpZIVpmnA56h_96BEbnULvSHFoHoY/w640-h318/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%206.26.26%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-64164190248270479392023-06-27T19:19:00.000-07:002023-06-27T19:19:37.435-07:00Snowmass Lake - June, 2023<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTWnwRBOygNGwcn1gI4hQyd9ooTNOUdxhCHLnqzjxKHdpoRqgP116h_L6SOW1HbuxL5b5HyPkNGyO_6-rhNLFjl-wMG4VuzrACNCGjr-0N8DVx-YANv23XgBp2hoUTJ0IGLigwWHcD3WLfeKzEIknjWDRj00uPuUsPY_Y4MtlCuzZia8mFomwcno6xhg/s2264/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.24.48%20PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Snowmass Mountain Peak from snowmass lake colorado" border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="2264" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTWnwRBOygNGwcn1gI4hQyd9ooTNOUdxhCHLnqzjxKHdpoRqgP116h_L6SOW1HbuxL5b5HyPkNGyO_6-rhNLFjl-wMG4VuzrACNCGjr-0N8DVx-YANv23XgBp2hoUTJ0IGLigwWHcD3WLfeKzEIknjWDRj00uPuUsPY_Y4MtlCuzZia8mFomwcno6xhg/w640-h424/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.24.48%20PM.png" title="Snowmass Mountain Evening" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p> Jimmy Brad and I had a perfect weather window where we fit in a hike to Snowmass Lake (and Snowmass Mountain for Brad) right at the summer solstice. This one had been on my list of iconic Colorado backpacks for over a decade, and it did not disappoint. This spring has been so rainy and one of the craziest weather seasons I can remember. A couple days before our hike in to this lake, it snowed a couple inches at this location. Though this was the first day of summer, it looks more like winter up there!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYPugaFdJC_zRkrryOTzi6yAb33_7BHLosm_V18_OLoUxVeQ-9eonz_jx4_AL5pYJA2kfdEAr_UhzWnL9I05S--g5t_LLqNESRXSev1HZGrK1l5NdTLZG56xBQxjRrJxkZmyJY6NA94OtrtjoHYaMBxQH2Hxu8CjNOJMz1kN-VwDTKGEDuozTnQJyorI/s4032/IMG_9678.heif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYPugaFdJC_zRkrryOTzi6yAb33_7BHLosm_V18_OLoUxVeQ-9eonz_jx4_AL5pYJA2kfdEAr_UhzWnL9I05S--g5t_LLqNESRXSev1HZGrK1l5NdTLZG56xBQxjRrJxkZmyJY6NA94OtrtjoHYaMBxQH2Hxu8CjNOJMz1kN-VwDTKGEDuozTnQJyorI/w640-h480/IMG_9678.heif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPNET0NS0AuoTN0Qm79j5RxG1UM45HOU6rqsclxkdQ3O_qu83v6IK7fJtCqGykBBdRLgdUn2QOr5Kmn0OEiTm-fK5rWsFZt2oV2bs55i66yHJJ2fZlzebcV5FTXNyre72g0UAQ9QwJuMQ8Fx37nRYhpDfS0HNnNeTZOBwAdtc8-Uty3acZkRiy20aO7c/s4032/IMG_9688.heif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPNET0NS0AuoTN0Qm79j5RxG1UM45HOU6rqsclxkdQ3O_qu83v6IK7fJtCqGykBBdRLgdUn2QOr5Kmn0OEiTm-fK5rWsFZt2oV2bs55i66yHJJ2fZlzebcV5FTXNyre72g0UAQ9QwJuMQ8Fx37nRYhpDfS0HNnNeTZOBwAdtc8-Uty3acZkRiy20aO7c/w640-h480/IMG_9688.heif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uhRabb-7NTsPQXPDbk0uiVafDgNTMHzC5u516Ba1FdNWFNMkO49wgYbeK8w7mCJ4bzeiZ9w_mpli8Z48q8fF5pvcRm7uxOpqwh5OxJ0lTjFPUJU6b-mCYnTbUqKt4YYhdTtDvgNEWtcXnk4BzyLBq7SzKLExJRlMR1kE9zE4QCFNLF-ZcF5Zjoi9oTo/s4032/IMG_9696.heif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uhRabb-7NTsPQXPDbk0uiVafDgNTMHzC5u516Ba1FdNWFNMkO49wgYbeK8w7mCJ4bzeiZ9w_mpli8Z48q8fF5pvcRm7uxOpqwh5OxJ0lTjFPUJU6b-mCYnTbUqKt4YYhdTtDvgNEWtcXnk4BzyLBq7SzKLExJRlMR1kE9zE4QCFNLF-ZcF5Zjoi9oTo/w640-h480/IMG_9696.heif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKztNerVKUvr1v8A22OHCaozG8YMqpOBU7Dxxgi2tEFq57iL6NmibhTMNrdpia8YE35JtPxwxeAd7w9MV6k-p5CnTkMUGn53LcIdyIFZdy0URYnZ7BJpzX0vqhSvVR8QF82DyR-LkPNLT-0qsFSNisLqhtv9AZVKPQeve25mI1yhYAbNqCHaqcA9JNia4/s4096/IMG_20230619_141627520_HDR(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKztNerVKUvr1v8A22OHCaozG8YMqpOBU7Dxxgi2tEFq57iL6NmibhTMNrdpia8YE35JtPxwxeAd7w9MV6k-p5CnTkMUGn53LcIdyIFZdy0URYnZ7BJpzX0vqhSvVR8QF82DyR-LkPNLT-0qsFSNisLqhtv9AZVKPQeve25mI1yhYAbNqCHaqcA9JNia4/w480-h640/IMG_20230619_141627520_HDR(1).jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR0rSCEK34o0hW8A4dA2_r3SJ6PES47Wit_kgl3jxOBHSsoIToFA9FqXz6wsW969z_q1SSynD5gFH4-E0yb38Nkz-K2FSoYQKUW4W95q-wHDQDErJ37R7FsGnt8A0vjwGa2odIjdax76RxJlnDH2H2ydWq2M0DaFoyJWI_LDcwL1rfscHTKeFVzVD1j8/s1508/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.26.15%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="1002" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR0rSCEK34o0hW8A4dA2_r3SJ6PES47Wit_kgl3jxOBHSsoIToFA9FqXz6wsW969z_q1SSynD5gFH4-E0yb38Nkz-K2FSoYQKUW4W95q-wHDQDErJ37R7FsGnt8A0vjwGa2odIjdax76RxJlnDH2H2ydWq2M0DaFoyJWI_LDcwL1rfscHTKeFVzVD1j8/w426-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.26.15%20PM.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg_82nA-F8nzzjg0nEzzqdo0w7-vIEb1EgrQ4C51Qg22pa2iAYBluUF8TGHZO1ubhA6uw05WcmEYuupeHa1YtNKLR7W1hZ3hbjcnyyv1F0s9R1VQKQGXACxf746u9p7gEkWLl9Uj5-yXcTTU9TYrGQkCjTrpWUxL0Tauisq6rvXzlTONluuih5c7lOKE/s1502/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.26.47%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="1002" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg_82nA-F8nzzjg0nEzzqdo0w7-vIEb1EgrQ4C51Qg22pa2iAYBluUF8TGHZO1ubhA6uw05WcmEYuupeHa1YtNKLR7W1hZ3hbjcnyyv1F0s9R1VQKQGXACxf746u9p7gEkWLl9Uj5-yXcTTU9TYrGQkCjTrpWUxL0Tauisq6rvXzlTONluuih5c7lOKE/w426-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.26.47%20PM.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4UUFOlMOW3SCPMtEaQrE3u27RrccNMgKPzP5Hpwlo54TH1KZGSlS27hw2XwHn4IO-zFrOjISP18gpNM-Pq_8_i4EewLZwakdwxBKg5QEdIB6HOQ0G2aRULG2-C-8hBp9MbzC8TiCxl-uUJ4eU2iMH050Ts7mOchtCjOFn5OuNESDz469_oHXcPX439o/s2262/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.25.16%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2262" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4UUFOlMOW3SCPMtEaQrE3u27RrccNMgKPzP5Hpwlo54TH1KZGSlS27hw2XwHn4IO-zFrOjISP18gpNM-Pq_8_i4EewLZwakdwxBKg5QEdIB6HOQ0G2aRULG2-C-8hBp9MbzC8TiCxl-uUJ4eU2iMH050Ts7mOchtCjOFn5OuNESDz469_oHXcPX439o/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.25.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>When we arrived at the lake, there was only one area that was snow free for campers to set up tents. We had to get close with a few other groups, but everybody was friendly with no problems. That night sleeping was miserable, being right next to the lake with the wind blasting over it all night was restless. Brad woke and left for the Snowmass summit at 1:30 AM. From about then until dawn, there were various parties getting up and getting ready to hike not too quietly so, again, sleep was not good. Jimmy and I got up to watch a fantastic sunrise over the lake. The clouds made cool shapes that contoured the edge of the peaks. Though we didn't know it, right at about that time Brad was standing on the summit. After having breakfast, we attempted to hike out and find the trail toward Buckskin Pass hoping to hike Buckskin Benchmark. Unfortunately, the snow was continuous and became a post-holing slog. After a few miles of this, combined with a trail we couldn't find, we decided to turn back to camp. We arrived back there at 9AM just after Brad returned. We all decided we had accomplished our goals for the trip, so we packed up and headed home instead of staying for a second night. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/2-snowmass-mountain-sunrise-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="2008" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9FY8lr51wT4y79yJsTc8iwci-faUxauFpvML_u9e-KY3IHSyz_GDK8VBnzn5vDbm1UP4uTel4EFri0nVxfaqq5z1B1rAWUZkMm69_NfrUhg40YbCZXz-q9IrZYzOnN6MC0dNuRxR0S-WiDehCA3rNR6RzPEZ-MQUIOl--iGWXhEFsE5LWtHvS1PP_Co/w640-h476/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%205.17.27%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/2-snowmass-mountain-sunrise-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise on Snowmass - Prints available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4an_hz8e8Vi8XzO6B8FrHUArdQzdBlyLpK59xeJ9EniLGtasr9X3p7Hj2evZNJUFtgrMcArsh8zt-1DDX8SLUpvQBWjpC-aLbNIxdgp1hYBuznIB4pnRKTEabYWIec5JBwE5F3shjGcd2rvtIk31XHflIbkps0zGNYeLfLg4TDoKWvyzQszgam7Ap8c/s1674/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.24.08%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1674" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4an_hz8e8Vi8XzO6B8FrHUArdQzdBlyLpK59xeJ9EniLGtasr9X3p7Hj2evZNJUFtgrMcArsh8zt-1DDX8SLUpvQBWjpC-aLbNIxdgp1hYBuznIB4pnRKTEabYWIec5JBwE5F3shjGcd2rvtIk31XHflIbkps0zGNYeLfLg4TDoKWvyzQszgam7Ap8c/w640-h574/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.24.08%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_vFLCmjcNARb1np1uxvIjvaatF7rB5gQiJxXNEOlphGiCpjIeVot_p60MzXFjMXp3TwwZ0Q32UIkwBM6I2j70LFmSnWMij5w3fek21CesAzPEMT15cPPSDlWKUVnHvGmDidBDhpGXupywrVv1UvJinPpXDy1YO0JpDN4mOpc2kEkYRFXCKm-LDLRqTw/s2258/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%205.37.34%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="2258" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_vFLCmjcNARb1np1uxvIjvaatF7rB5gQiJxXNEOlphGiCpjIeVot_p60MzXFjMXp3TwwZ0Q32UIkwBM6I2j70LFmSnWMij5w3fek21CesAzPEMT15cPPSDlWKUVnHvGmDidBDhpGXupywrVv1UvJinPpXDy1YO0JpDN4mOpc2kEkYRFXCKm-LDLRqTw/w640-h424/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%205.37.34%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely, you can see people climbing up the snowfield<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga93F0lMqYgaXANprH2G9BDCs_0WYM4cu9iY-KcNS6y0vF9GIuogglkLpjdQ6PsnWLzFk05Ge0fvqKcRwRl6g9Y-Lk6sxee_ARnJbjDuqFxi84_mrR-UIe1vVNs3kDdWM6FWH2oG_npzh4DoBEkZcrPS1zt2PhYAB2lhqMqubSd0q8r6smPLmffP5LkKw/s4096/IMG_20230620_081757169_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga93F0lMqYgaXANprH2G9BDCs_0WYM4cu9iY-KcNS6y0vF9GIuogglkLpjdQ6PsnWLzFk05Ge0fvqKcRwRl6g9Y-Lk6sxee_ARnJbjDuqFxi84_mrR-UIe1vVNs3kDdWM6FWH2oG_npzh4DoBEkZcrPS1zt2PhYAB2lhqMqubSd0q8r6smPLmffP5LkKw/w480-h640/IMG_20230620_081757169_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW0dvjSieFNuqghVy0rcpMuq0GRfs4RUQqLXqJBTY54tJLSUTIKpFcyofhVtzKWxCKmTWJVOkqpCa2lxKamNlBAsftb3CV7R0bJuzssypikBa3ZPPQQElOGK2KlzSySoi_3CkwjUBsiwBxCyQyPzJ9rjH3d97_pEkXbKFmS0BEiOMvGLzB8i3h0gRl-E/s1506/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.25.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="1004" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW0dvjSieFNuqghVy0rcpMuq0GRfs4RUQqLXqJBTY54tJLSUTIKpFcyofhVtzKWxCKmTWJVOkqpCa2lxKamNlBAsftb3CV7R0bJuzssypikBa3ZPPQQElOGK2KlzSySoi_3CkwjUBsiwBxCyQyPzJ9rjH3d97_pEkXbKFmS0BEiOMvGLzB8i3h0gRl-E/w426-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-27%20at%204.25.59%20PM.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p>And some of Brad's pictures from his 14er hike:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaR9R6o5NxR_0rayYg6-r5WYWXcVrMTVcAmPA06XYJV-b2WyEWQE4AjJi4X5Esyp5QFpt8KZe5RFWL9FnmRjw6vdut6A3euUw7uQksWvygjsI-p9_NQEPwvKGiT6-qPkJLNt7iICdKVBpTdIANihyutxqumlIqa64omjDoggAniSq0G7l0WfT-NZXSJU/s5472/DSC00846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaR9R6o5NxR_0rayYg6-r5WYWXcVrMTVcAmPA06XYJV-b2WyEWQE4AjJi4X5Esyp5QFpt8KZe5RFWL9FnmRjw6vdut6A3euUw7uQksWvygjsI-p9_NQEPwvKGiT6-qPkJLNt7iICdKVBpTdIANihyutxqumlIqa64omjDoggAniSq0G7l0WfT-NZXSJU/w640-h426/DSC00846.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItS_cOhO0spMJMAf7EpsWfrPFy7u84UjlpeuL6_dorEgfdWhgSGZjHKHik2UZAS2_4tZTmmBkbZ6DOS2ntPIIQtu4Vy4YTwRwTR5tojzKsKbwOs6fNLPkd8h4H7etzLZ-rdulV0gNH9rdUP-nS83b3NpK-F1-lK2rPM6U8LypPWivT36iDOXNY1SfKkQ/s5472/DSC00855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItS_cOhO0spMJMAf7EpsWfrPFy7u84UjlpeuL6_dorEgfdWhgSGZjHKHik2UZAS2_4tZTmmBkbZ6DOS2ntPIIQtu4Vy4YTwRwTR5tojzKsKbwOs6fNLPkd8h4H7etzLZ-rdulV0gNH9rdUP-nS83b3NpK-F1-lK2rPM6U8LypPWivT36iDOXNY1SfKkQ/w640-h426/DSC00855.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtJMr2KlxQjrfUZwN1tjYMw2OOaM7L_RIvjqZkV0dNFVAVSYMBE3TUvgWLy_vNe3883FYg3wJg6xxElhKUrI5Ft8ASoa4CcPO9JxXOqlBLq9Vod8cOOB5Za8hXuHqoBqwJznEhGlJwKR9GlHxxe4b0D39kTYCJl5bICReEQ-xdIVQ8_21b9K4YgWCQtw/s5472/DSC00871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtJMr2KlxQjrfUZwN1tjYMw2OOaM7L_RIvjqZkV0dNFVAVSYMBE3TUvgWLy_vNe3883FYg3wJg6xxElhKUrI5Ft8ASoa4CcPO9JxXOqlBLq9Vod8cOOB5Za8hXuHqoBqwJznEhGlJwKR9GlHxxe4b0D39kTYCJl5bICReEQ-xdIVQ8_21b9K4YgWCQtw/w640-h426/DSC00871.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyETaXX06i151SuTH-EM8q-V630KMNQ2AtoSdUckEGxljlU72V2iAeN6-cycQ8YVJ5e2C52OEtUk7ENLey4xEDIeHLNsyUVlReVYxywOg3y7GmsdyQi-TTlIvencw80m2v1S6hJldt974-K1aIBNAvkAGMASfRwjlU41HhE49ZPQkT9cDPEYobANy0rI/s5472/DSC00874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyETaXX06i151SuTH-EM8q-V630KMNQ2AtoSdUckEGxljlU72V2iAeN6-cycQ8YVJ5e2C52OEtUk7ENLey4xEDIeHLNsyUVlReVYxywOg3y7GmsdyQi-TTlIvencw80m2v1S6hJldt974-K1aIBNAvkAGMASfRwjlU41HhE49ZPQkT9cDPEYobANy0rI/w640-h426/DSC00874.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-84793245535155007782023-06-14T16:13:00.007-07:002023-06-14T16:13:53.765-07:00Twin Sisters - June, 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxJV386tdKa9_JzqML46GltHkwI-gKeiICsMdRC8BWEjgcXeCJyYrM2pqUesFLOufDw9fZwg96mrJq_1ASoD6moWxd3SkSrNHq5zWoBRXAyN1F98PBI1ILK3nr-Hd_H6VpwinRJ5KKwYYDoQmIM0-s5q0aYgGf3RB13_fYqeG9ZwQ2SHkV3flifyA/s2262/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.55.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="2262" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxJV386tdKa9_JzqML46GltHkwI-gKeiICsMdRC8BWEjgcXeCJyYrM2pqUesFLOufDw9fZwg96mrJq_1ASoD6moWxd3SkSrNHq5zWoBRXAyN1F98PBI1ILK3nr-Hd_H6VpwinRJ5KKwYYDoQmIM0-s5q0aYgGf3RB13_fYqeG9ZwQ2SHkV3flifyA/w640-h424/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.55.59%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Needed a warmup hike before our backpack to Snowmass Lake next week so I did a quick hike up 11er Twin Sisters Peak. Tried out a new backpack and got some elevation in. I took hwy 7 (peak to peak) on the way up:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3GYHKt19i47HXJCpfps6OR8sWP7WOvWcySvH1jAfuVKVUTpOIVSPaw0szbJROfnGUOYsLdLIqtavj3hmnYi1OfV2fSrNOejhOw1j8-h3RvkoCCpICgCqBdY8XvTeKvZ_Wr73S-SlRCeS5d1C0026LsdC8OAKbUgmdCYyJsK2oKR6NHWJf4XtEY1H/s4000/IMG_20230614_074246162_PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3GYHKt19i47HXJCpfps6OR8sWP7WOvWcySvH1jAfuVKVUTpOIVSPaw0szbJROfnGUOYsLdLIqtavj3hmnYi1OfV2fSrNOejhOw1j8-h3RvkoCCpICgCqBdY8XvTeKvZ_Wr73S-SlRCeS5d1C0026LsdC8OAKbUgmdCYyJsK2oKR6NHWJf4XtEY1H/w480-h640/IMG_20230614_074246162_PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>Well... Road closed. (photo taken with Cami's camera that I don't know how to use). I took 36 instead. Here's another photo of the rock slide from CBS news later that day:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/rock-slide-allenspark-highway-7-closed/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="2162" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4x0NYOccZ0mjqLsaqvg9-c1K5zF9tHZI5FqXlqo6QkR3nOTSUhgIjI24Ti9JQUp4xmKRrR9ZNlr1WRX-3rgiGGC0cIK4Kiy9mseJix7bLq5ddZE9yjhFICk_wVEBtZ-4YsYJfAgYX3yOlY621DRm45h7MehZw-v8u-e3lcqP7JmX20Eeb_mTZve1T/w640-h360/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%205.11.00%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Photo dump from the rest of the hike:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc-vr3v8ZEMBNiLbTfFTj5fX3j3pblYHUxx57qQKw1Mi2fiKI5SBgZhTGrkcAPHFdzdJ5rMaASh5vAH3LXpndD1QCnegtaa2H2iXCyUDx7k_yHxml5Wu3R1DvjEuSBOvPhy6caOiFMCwUsrB_2Gu92hNK-cWhea3-XNzv9dmls4Hjlsadilqs8XcD/s2864/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.54.18%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="2864" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc-vr3v8ZEMBNiLbTfFTj5fX3j3pblYHUxx57qQKw1Mi2fiKI5SBgZhTGrkcAPHFdzdJ5rMaASh5vAH3LXpndD1QCnegtaa2H2iXCyUDx7k_yHxml5Wu3R1DvjEuSBOvPhy6caOiFMCwUsrB_2Gu92hNK-cWhea3-XNzv9dmls4Hjlsadilqs8XcD/w640-h316/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.54.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs, Meeker and Mt. Lady Washington<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc26vAHfHxd2gIw-JBgDQWPCX3ztVn_uI4Xt-iutbl3ELVnCj3-_jenrBZmTlLYme0MxUkgLegllXQGVKuT8Ebk6uSbGNlGSNY-tkBPfR7glcJU8G0hm373Hi7t-lzrU3wG-DsfrAevVr4FdLDpwd_hGOd4iOUNdANAoHeYE9AlgRVbmk4uA9FZZ-/s2928/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.55.13%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="2928" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc26vAHfHxd2gIw-JBgDQWPCX3ztVn_uI4Xt-iutbl3ELVnCj3-_jenrBZmTlLYme0MxUkgLegllXQGVKuT8Ebk6uSbGNlGSNY-tkBPfR7glcJU8G0hm373Hi7t-lzrU3wG-DsfrAevVr4FdLDpwd_hGOd4iOUNdANAoHeYE9AlgRVbmk4uA9FZZ-/w640-h212/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.55.13%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mummy Range<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA87cF5HAT0ZYAXSGLisIQAbayk1mkPdrIOry7xws84iNdU6K_cqF7zZ2yM9JKshfwerLMJGJVjHLF-O3mZyR9matVkvhRnYiADfqrZ27RArbkly_Y7Vv4dGZRP1buGOy0ox3nV2BoSp5iBLGq9XLF8aBWrtg19kOU1B8uLK39w-kERRNnHzSm2dlv/s2352/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.54.40%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="2352" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA87cF5HAT0ZYAXSGLisIQAbayk1mkPdrIOry7xws84iNdU6K_cqF7zZ2yM9JKshfwerLMJGJVjHLF-O3mZyR9matVkvhRnYiADfqrZ27RArbkly_Y7Vv4dGZRP1buGOy0ox3nV2BoSp5iBLGq9XLF8aBWrtg19kOU1B8uLK39w-kERRNnHzSm2dlv/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.54.40%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Estes<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUN4HozxhVUX-qCToaC9_R6spru2jEL06H5pInOC2K_r7w9bblwNu0yeYjHX3XDZtNbsOkWFMckdDGLf_b6-wndHrv_bMyWd_JByhcGmU8QSvZ3unMzxAR7UMe8ko-wTjJsJRUoeDrIhyZp0uXs7_8SE0xnk9P0YfcI3dkFwd0o_M9cxUw1WFb04Z/s2182/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.56.28%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="2182" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUN4HozxhVUX-qCToaC9_R6spru2jEL06H5pInOC2K_r7w9bblwNu0yeYjHX3XDZtNbsOkWFMckdDGLf_b6-wndHrv_bMyWd_JByhcGmU8QSvZ3unMzxAR7UMe8ko-wTjJsJRUoeDrIhyZp0uXs7_8SE0xnk9P0YfcI3dkFwd0o_M9cxUw1WFb04Z/w640-h450/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.56.28%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freeloaders</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYckapjMHtGpJBoonsH7oanvBIUcxckB3dD38PPn-UeMOTi6ihNEdPz7KR5PXrjf6p_p8RROAnOALiHTIpprkZ1A-Oc3jQ47_yioA1tzyXEKMXs_bDNbbgixGt9euqnIF2ivxY4ZHHgTdhMUJwagq_3PRL3m0Ech2-4IgV444b0OwVNsXz8poPSTm/s1566/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.55.40%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="1042" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYckapjMHtGpJBoonsH7oanvBIUcxckB3dD38PPn-UeMOTi6ihNEdPz7KR5PXrjf6p_p8RROAnOALiHTIpprkZ1A-Oc3jQ47_yioA1tzyXEKMXs_bDNbbgixGt9euqnIF2ivxY4ZHHgTdhMUJwagq_3PRL3m0Ech2-4IgV444b0OwVNsXz8poPSTm/w426-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.55.40%20PM.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDeHpWBQE2nmThwmriv6dZPSfXqsylOnPEgM8kgl67piPeoAgt4_-C2v8NaZEub5djhRsRTcSihJU1ondLnKk8aHSIeR5fWAGWd39Watm1i5zs9YuPZmnEbcCCNky1QKLoxY_N0LuI1wuoONwR7OtPPzaUp3fGyx0A519RYp7pBBh5sFe-apRYw5W/s2354/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.56.53%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="2354" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDeHpWBQE2nmThwmriv6dZPSfXqsylOnPEgM8kgl67piPeoAgt4_-C2v8NaZEub5djhRsRTcSihJU1ondLnKk8aHSIeR5fWAGWd39Watm1i5zs9YuPZmnEbcCCNky1QKLoxY_N0LuI1wuoONwR7OtPPzaUp3fGyx0A519RYp7pBBh5sFe-apRYw5W/w640-h424/Screenshot%202023-06-14%20at%204.56.53%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twins Sisters from back at the trailhead<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-20184558491277505462023-06-13T13:30:00.000-07:002023-06-13T13:30:04.645-07:00Return to the Sand Dunes - Spring 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbjBpFYTrkGsKKACFR74sC8WkrmY1lPJemiUakpWKoVazHDNR8Y4GaPkMSZeMAKza8vmB8Ek5YhGh1WBEvEmulw94s_w4MPaGam8zz7s8XdbsySsueIJQ3-13cLay9C36tJxIhdVnx5xhlQsznrou8EcqtwmoWtfK2jTslyNe5Bjf6pRSFK1--5xl/s4096/IMG_20230507_163734655_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbjBpFYTrkGsKKACFR74sC8WkrmY1lPJemiUakpWKoVazHDNR8Y4GaPkMSZeMAKza8vmB8Ek5YhGh1WBEvEmulw94s_w4MPaGam8zz7s8XdbsySsueIJQ3-13cLay9C36tJxIhdVnx5xhlQsznrou8EcqtwmoWtfK2jTslyNe5Bjf6pRSFK1--5xl/w640-h480/IMG_20230507_163734655_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> The Great Sand Dunes are a special place. It's a super unique national park that is in the middle of nowhere southern Colorado. 360 Sangre de Cristo mountain views and hundreds of miles of sand with no trails. To get to the dunes, we started at the parking area and walked across Mediano Creek, which was cold on the first day and warm on the second day based on whether or not the sun was out. <p></p><p>The kids have been to the dunes before, but Kolby was only a toddler and KD didn't even remember the experience being a 3 year old. This time, we drove down there and didn't tell our kids that our family friends were going to meet us there. It was a fun surprise when they showed up to our camping spot the first night. The look on their face when they saw them was priceless. We had a great time with the Coffins as we stayed at our parents "cabin" in the Spanish Peaks area the first night and then rented a cabin near the dunes on the second night. The kids (and adults) got to play in the creek and, believe it or not, all of the older kids made it to the top of High Dune, which was not an easy task! The wind up there was intense.<br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexAOweYkYSh1s2lqn4u2TipEt1S2goD1pT2Oc7SOxmgpCXFbOY_yUH2o7gN_K8MzLFJW7b4L9ugMFBexNOmahPb6tF7jXSn4Z6Juf30NYZ_wlxrcmdk6WjvH_S_yP2HDx3q3sACAZu-KWFhOabenyTbc-YRKeNG1kMcxlDU4tmWfOEsw8ewHV85MK/s1568/Mediano%20Creek%20Small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexAOweYkYSh1s2lqn4u2TipEt1S2goD1pT2Oc7SOxmgpCXFbOY_yUH2o7gN_K8MzLFJW7b4L9ugMFBexNOmahPb6tF7jXSn4Z6Juf30NYZ_wlxrcmdk6WjvH_S_yP2HDx3q3sACAZu-KWFhOabenyTbc-YRKeNG1kMcxlDU4tmWfOEsw8ewHV85MK/w426-h640/Mediano%20Creek%20Small.png" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mediano Creek<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTRZpb7vog0QvqP0xZTgBAoV4b1m4BT-DqzJlLgRlfY-KpkO2jSdiOwInmuoMh3IpZdTdQzozLlSeZyV0-QjXDelDpKWjUjGF9cgJ2uqtmZz7Qg1r-PPqTn-RgJsvbA26LiOZAX6LbXrGYgsGy0chHx5s2FNcUopyWFSjtYI5Yli3mTQ_vYjuXRe-/s2924/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.01.44%20PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="2924" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTRZpb7vog0QvqP0xZTgBAoV4b1m4BT-DqzJlLgRlfY-KpkO2jSdiOwInmuoMh3IpZdTdQzozLlSeZyV0-QjXDelDpKWjUjGF9cgJ2uqtmZz7Qg1r-PPqTn-RgJsvbA26LiOZAX6LbXrGYgsGy0chHx5s2FNcUopyWFSjtYI5Yli3mTQ_vYjuXRe-/w640-h342/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.01.44%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlqNBhDr6WrLg6mfrfxPp2W0lJpWQKs6XgUSrucj2jcDHpUC1WDsQsmRO9UrD0Eohei5PuauKQ_yTVdjbYVPIgP1Y1ekp4K5CrNvmAaQ7BlngXDGXMKnEtAXk0oNPUrR15vW_7Lz1TKVeoeZwFGSLZYvDaj-vum76SOh8A3Bhg1xiT9dGq53DDW8u/s2358/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.03.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="2358" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlqNBhDr6WrLg6mfrfxPp2W0lJpWQKs6XgUSrucj2jcDHpUC1WDsQsmRO9UrD0Eohei5PuauKQ_yTVdjbYVPIgP1Y1ekp4K5CrNvmAaQ7BlngXDGXMKnEtAXk0oNPUrR15vW_7Lz1TKVeoeZwFGSLZYvDaj-vum76SOh8A3Bhg1xiT9dGq53DDW8u/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.03.59%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4G2FefSk2eC1OgVqpJbLNEl5JSXOJOynViQuf4Zs43m5GAp4sSZVDBTGAmfsaEbVsf4rI2IvUIQPEg_S4T8_ymxIjllHxGSuYEwVHHEgpMgYWD4l_ejkocFsYMnKWlDhX1qqB0bV-OD1c-TvRQ3-qbhYrlWhsRKiJussJP8OPYtx_-NlJVGPhs_-X/s2358/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.03.28%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='481' height='399' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxqGQtR63fOUY5QKIowBHMeR1Ys3Px_o_zC46k4de97VtJio7lKFE5STMQjQI-pcYubcgTDESzvuKRNgzyMEg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55FHXfqv5gafTVqvYLQ20AaUc3fjpeb7yazQjYv4WIDbMUNbRQ9WsqXC4Z5OfvOXbFk6_4HMNZPsJ6IkNb6_zTeq8ZVe8fRjh6sWYun6Pi3GzOaGGlrHJ9aeFe7nXeO4D3WiBBl8W1tmAnHRpCufVRPjFBrUUqwuR1bAc0WgZpfB_0nhlleTAkQGf/s1568/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.02.15%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1210" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55FHXfqv5gafTVqvYLQ20AaUc3fjpeb7yazQjYv4WIDbMUNbRQ9WsqXC4Z5OfvOXbFk6_4HMNZPsJ6IkNb6_zTeq8ZVe8fRjh6sWYun6Pi3GzOaGGlrHJ9aeFe7nXeO4D3WiBBl8W1tmAnHRpCufVRPjFBrUUqwuR1bAc0WgZpfB_0nhlleTAkQGf/w494-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-13%20at%202.02.15%20PM.png" width="494" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gh2TMzX98P_Gw_avBg-i3Ea1-XizizraROufCwivv_7HTnWoq5JAQw-4OQtOVL9gdiSRcRe9lmLoPC51Dv7_i7GOMreGwc4jXqgPeGJ_hN5FV2U9cfB7mzqVZzcD-zEmDEBTen8jwayjG7SFiyFyGrfZBZtsitAkzWWgofyF0A2r2Ey0DWT4D2cm/s2000/Dunes%20Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gh2TMzX98P_Gw_avBg-i3Ea1-XizizraROufCwivv_7HTnWoq5JAQw-4OQtOVL9gdiSRcRe9lmLoPC51Dv7_i7GOMreGwc4jXqgPeGJ_hN5FV2U9cfB7mzqVZzcD-zEmDEBTen8jwayjG7SFiyFyGrfZBZtsitAkzWWgofyF0A2r2Ey0DWT4D2cm/w640-h320/Dunes%20Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the Dunes <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-53542342302168864842023-03-04T19:20:00.007-08:002023-05-03T19:58:05.019-07:00Snowshoeing Lake Isabelle - Winter 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0a4MliuL1zsE7jdE55GTb4kAIvLe6Q9jLp4FBZ1qZtiKFHd3W3kIe_QC08awiEHmpQMVvMVnZ5s28rwXiu76sXlhOv8nHGEez9c_x6g8ml8s8ECM6LjZcnwYJghVYhDXeWBU1-lIvepY5_NONhctXkVvOy0GyjoxZ0ggUSqREj91Rp6ivs26xD8sb/s2372/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.06.18%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="2372" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0a4MliuL1zsE7jdE55GTb4kAIvLe6Q9jLp4FBZ1qZtiKFHd3W3kIe_QC08awiEHmpQMVvMVnZ5s28rwXiu76sXlhOv8nHGEez9c_x6g8ml8s8ECM6LjZcnwYJghVYhDXeWBU1-lIvepY5_NONhctXkVvOy0GyjoxZ0ggUSqREj91Rp6ivs26xD8sb/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.06.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Tim and I went on a snowshoe up to one of our favorite local winter spots. The Brainard Lake portal is closed in winter so you have to park a few miles away at the Gateway Trail. I'd done this same hike about a decade ago, but I'd forgotten how far it was. I was thinking about 8 miles round trip, but with the whole thing including a few detours, we ended up snowshoeing over 13 miles or something like that. I always like hiking with Tim as he, being an electrical engineer, naturally takes detailed stats of our hikes including time spent hiking, average pace, distance traveled, calories burned, and years added to our lives due to exercise. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwXvGRPqs3bqU1p9CsdY6qqhRug93U__x1DQQz2mUAFUSjPS-huXSuLMm43ap1kiZpckiPlsALoHPtjQbRHTJmyu094QqDune52R4nmHJen5z4NYUPIYYWzhBRP-yjc2dCHSzSmh_8QGaY-a-U0cM5SJzJml8hG39Z6bugKmElRnJ_peNUrCgMTo1/s2240/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.09.38%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="2240" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwXvGRPqs3bqU1p9CsdY6qqhRug93U__x1DQQz2mUAFUSjPS-huXSuLMm43ap1kiZpckiPlsALoHPtjQbRHTJmyu094QqDune52R4nmHJen5z4NYUPIYYWzhBRP-yjc2dCHSzSmh_8QGaY-a-U0cM5SJzJml8hG39Z6bugKmElRnJ_peNUrCgMTo1/w640-h342/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.09.38%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise on the Indian Peaks on the drive in<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrllkB22go5yLn_BsiG2T4tT_NHyKCwHxiOD_1ZxNwQI6dut9eIHPVbzsZk3KJrxis_rZcvTe_VOstcdXMi7u9KYCBzLoUfIlYS40VndgyeEJZ2Q5o5zqyhCiGRL4NFn6C-UMVPA6OF3WbkKjYQG_b8IzHFz8UoovnimmAvwo15QAzAsPq7DW4EnrN/s2914/Pano.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="2914" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrllkB22go5yLn_BsiG2T4tT_NHyKCwHxiOD_1ZxNwQI6dut9eIHPVbzsZk3KJrxis_rZcvTe_VOstcdXMi7u9KYCBzLoUfIlYS40VndgyeEJZ2Q5o5zqyhCiGRL4NFn6C-UMVPA6OF3WbkKjYQG_b8IzHFz8UoovnimmAvwo15QAzAsPq7DW4EnrN/w640-h212/Pano.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brainard Lake<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucbMCafGn7cPHCVOSVp2Nf2c9m-sE0uLiDnehdftocOR45gpn6h7281M7kxAw8fPQ0nWN8XY6JCKN903XcY95woBuq1QrnlSXxZzmtYksxFnHl9s6BM6CyAm1OsuLgkd_pMDrggHJKcScIEGgIZXNMBdutvNlfu2q-ntXMmoPzf5N67ThUXe6avnY/s1770/Blue%20Jay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1770" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucbMCafGn7cPHCVOSVp2Nf2c9m-sE0uLiDnehdftocOR45gpn6h7281M7kxAw8fPQ0nWN8XY6JCKN903XcY95woBuq1QrnlSXxZzmtYksxFnHl9s6BM6CyAm1OsuLgkd_pMDrggHJKcScIEGgIZXNMBdutvNlfu2q-ntXMmoPzf5N67ThUXe6avnY/w640-h426/Blue%20Jay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The hike to Brainard is all on a snow packed road and pretty eventless. Once we reached Brainard we decided to skip Isabelle and go hike up a ridge and hike a 12er called Niwot Ridge. It didn't look too far from where we were anyway. So we left the trail around Long Lake and started ascending up the hill. Soon the trail disappeared and we started trudging through thick powder. Woah! This was taking a lot of time and energy. Oh also I forgot to mention that I forgot ALL my food. I left it in the fridge back at home. Tim is such an amazing guy that he just shared his rations with me throughout the day. So as we're halfway up the hill toward the ridge, we realized we didn't have enough food or energy or time to attempt this summit. We'd bitten off more than we could chew. See what I did there? Back to plan A... head to Lake Isabelle. No problem there. This is one of the most scenic lakes in the Indian Peaks wilderness and a worthy destination. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCTm00jkU6Vlo_wBZ6msFo08kranmxtEqo__XHF_UnO-VpyMZ9tPxQ-ImWLm7JP_XBTzZd2Qk_wIlrDWVoeYz3sqMop22BHl9SZFycveJu5zPzeWvMme9UUOlAaIq8KJ3vA3rv_bahJaa_GCsJxTvgYG4wUvvQxd6vpotBclJKamguA9AkDzg-jQV/s4096/IMG_20230211_113158792_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCTm00jkU6Vlo_wBZ6msFo08kranmxtEqo__XHF_UnO-VpyMZ9tPxQ-ImWLm7JP_XBTzZd2Qk_wIlrDWVoeYz3sqMop22BHl9SZFycveJu5zPzeWvMme9UUOlAaIq8KJ3vA3rv_bahJaa_GCsJxTvgYG4wUvvQxd6vpotBclJKamguA9AkDzg-jQV/w480-h640/IMG_20230211_113158792_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post holing</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VUNWQC0FOOcIFxbLws3vVEKRhr7ByQw6U0bgtgZpY3ezSRfc510v-qKHXeo7ELYf-QGlAqVxqmcPGJPWqYV0NNdfqkgTTMmDM9YXFjJ-HghadKfWGBBvSm1UaMhmgtP4yfoLH4U0-vESRNESXkeO5Syj6eKUcT8wuVKBoqDRiwjvs2jfTERmVdLi/s2350/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.06.44%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="2350" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VUNWQC0FOOcIFxbLws3vVEKRhr7ByQw6U0bgtgZpY3ezSRfc510v-qKHXeo7ELYf-QGlAqVxqmcPGJPWqYV0NNdfqkgTTMmDM9YXFjJ-HghadKfWGBBvSm1UaMhmgtP4yfoLH4U0-vESRNESXkeO5Syj6eKUcT8wuVKBoqDRiwjvs2jfTERmVdLi/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.06.44%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSE59MNx8XX2D7x_2McxBfyNZPM-w_msr33_ANAHU8FcwhrG2DIYj6bJN_34wu-oAeCt2p2k9YIWh7Isg5VrYjdfkTE5R8K6PAMpQbRVCAjazRvTLUEf5kOAO_3zc8fUe8I9qdP7KgzxkghE9sMq3YPEwmmW2-1fuWEFuL9_I4m0ZGk7wwYiVUfa4g/s2258/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.09.04%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2258" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSE59MNx8XX2D7x_2McxBfyNZPM-w_msr33_ANAHU8FcwhrG2DIYj6bJN_34wu-oAeCt2p2k9YIWh7Isg5VrYjdfkTE5R8K6PAMpQbRVCAjazRvTLUEf5kOAO_3zc8fUe8I9qdP7KgzxkghE9sMq3YPEwmmW2-1fuWEFuL9_I4m0ZGk7wwYiVUfa4g/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-05-03%20at%206.09.04%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/lake-isabelle-winter-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2264" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWFn2GlRIzE7zHlvKdcNkINABeCrlwFPVTuu68JNc0EYYM0MwNM7Z7FYjkpr5pPI4Vo7psBfNsiiJvrBokpbFguzoQLvLvGPBtKWg9tdxBOnLWL9_1fiSP4Tl8bC438BMtlDoD7D9C7lJPlDeCseQz2XOws9vlsPNTHhQ1LZaDU0MMJhmjDI_Fihy/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-05-02%20at%202.48.50%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/lake-isabelle-winter-aaron-spong.html">Lake Isabelle - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn0NsWDznkhvGPfXH9zOAHrnuO8A6EUP71a9gi__cS1Ll6KW4z5PK6JUyZrTK2-jPHIWrsCfxQbqqKBfdDd8_isIekqpKq185K0JIDUML-UU5aUj2jyG8NMzyAq1Nr4xu-dffTIi0BQHL5BOEkHb_FEvF_Q1GlrHwfkWEbj3GYhkRen17H2PF3GBD/s1570/Screenshot%202023-05-02%20at%202.49.05%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1254" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn0NsWDznkhvGPfXH9zOAHrnuO8A6EUP71a9gi__cS1Ll6KW4z5PK6JUyZrTK2-jPHIWrsCfxQbqqKBfdDd8_isIekqpKq185K0JIDUML-UU5aUj2jyG8NMzyAq1Nr4xu-dffTIi0BQHL5BOEkHb_FEvF_Q1GlrHwfkWEbj3GYhkRen17H2PF3GBD/w512-h640/Screenshot%202023-05-02%20at%202.49.05%20PM.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sastrugi </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>There were a number of parties that day that brought ice fishing equipment up there. One of the groups made it as far as Long Lake and were actually catching some trout. That is definitely being added to my to-do list in the future!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3aNY1j8ajHJaYWcQSgkx9k0ZYTf1Gg5Zixf1MWt3BRUamBN7Xj90LVadr3mp0IrLM_nWoI1YIvKsWbRx9R-xmPRJ4rBmCcKkgh2eHR_cXnARSRSgCyKPmXS7mmTk9zGRE5sME4s8DqhI8csZlc9b8vxaKLoZEk6khTGVmujlTJKaE7cQuSwJde7G/s4096/IMG_20230211_134609204_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3aNY1j8ajHJaYWcQSgkx9k0ZYTf1Gg5Zixf1MWt3BRUamBN7Xj90LVadr3mp0IrLM_nWoI1YIvKsWbRx9R-xmPRJ4rBmCcKkgh2eHR_cXnARSRSgCyKPmXS7mmTk9zGRE5sME4s8DqhI8csZlc9b8vxaKLoZEk6khTGVmujlTJKaE7cQuSwJde7G/w640-h480/IMG_20230211_134609204_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-418819092888803072023-01-22T20:10:00.000-08:002023-01-22T20:10:03.261-08:00New Painting - Indian Peaks Wilderness<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/indian-peaks-wilderness-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Painting Indian peaks wilderness colorado lake isabelle art" border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="2200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvOJBDZT76EdCw4p5S9qxQrC1C9x51nyG-zvecW4Q93gosxLBHehuu8ZNhd8ZCAVMPtDafXiS9qITuzVczzImuy4KmHv-Bh5IX4ouuQFWzLT5fPJtePTYfhwsawRiAhjL_MWi5npBXvcOTvLs5bT6DpsH5KZK3SWp8TU9IM18z5-mWB6G1xzYSU3J/w640-h424/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.56.46%20PM.png" title="Painting of the Indian Peaks Wilderness in Colorado" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Just finished a brand new painting titled "Indian Peaks Wilderness". Boy does it feel good to finish a painting that takes so long to complete! This one is of a sunrise scene I capture years ago at Lake Isabelle in the front range of Colorado. I remember this morning well. It was very cold and windy and overcast. Daryl and I woke up and hiked here way before dawn and were sure the clouds would block the sun from hitting the mountains for sunrise. To our surprise, they lifted just as the sun came up and illuminated the peaks with a bright orange. It was breathtaking! </p><p>Below are some progress photos and the actual photo of the reference shot used to make this artwork:</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrjwvgHcvEavwssNA4RC641R8WtPR12du6OKW7cVZxbxdsrhf8AIU9LChb2gyG2UOnE3sHQUKYgleHSHdzW2C1rpfAOEsGOhvHH1SM1Tk76jsvHMXfN--nwcIj3T8W2Q_Ww7unZ6-os0eRBkJRCaGRcfWQ8gNyaOdk7ZTFQMIlt03Z4eNFqS1W2xi/s1554/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.57.42%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1554" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrjwvgHcvEavwssNA4RC641R8WtPR12du6OKW7cVZxbxdsrhf8AIU9LChb2gyG2UOnE3sHQUKYgleHSHdzW2C1rpfAOEsGOhvHH1SM1Tk76jsvHMXfN--nwcIj3T8W2Q_Ww7unZ6-os0eRBkJRCaGRcfWQ8gNyaOdk7ZTFQMIlt03Z4eNFqS1W2xi/w640-h476/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.57.42%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reference photograph of the scene<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWlYI0yjm7ubJWTJNGFaO5qxT5aanLV4sDO9wWnf5sc0YbR6XcljaaqH8VNSsFxrOogNbM_eOnlJjJh1kNtf0c9CEyafIlNO4HTn-wcKbMPIxdlI5uYs5lGbKY7rB275bdeYeN3odZWZIslbNqMY71MeH1UzrmiQwoxWr6zYpw3VveDFsDxUigmIc/s1608/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.52.31%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1608" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWlYI0yjm7ubJWTJNGFaO5qxT5aanLV4sDO9wWnf5sc0YbR6XcljaaqH8VNSsFxrOogNbM_eOnlJjJh1kNtf0c9CEyafIlNO4HTn-wcKbMPIxdlI5uYs5lGbKY7rB275bdeYeN3odZWZIslbNqMY71MeH1UzrmiQwoxWr6zYpw3VveDFsDxUigmIc/w640-h472/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.52.31%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkmQ3bAk7o1cqbgvDruoPJVGFrV11yOliJD2OtkZYSNc3nhq2wFDnP0KDFRG37Mz6f5gwAosqOOx19j99S-kA6g9A2EbTC8_Sh7Z4Yh2jXvJXxE8XPjzhO8tydZCLV13GeC83Zr1FiHElPhIRI7t59aSpvm53SL6OGAMH81zaVfoalcz0F2_upamV/s1462/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.53.10%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1462" data-original-width="1098" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkmQ3bAk7o1cqbgvDruoPJVGFrV11yOliJD2OtkZYSNc3nhq2wFDnP0KDFRG37Mz6f5gwAosqOOx19j99S-kA6g9A2EbTC8_Sh7Z4Yh2jXvJXxE8XPjzhO8tydZCLV13GeC83Zr1FiHElPhIRI7t59aSpvm53SL6OGAMH81zaVfoalcz0F2_upamV/w480-h640/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.53.10%20PM.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-74038474232372373862022-10-08T19:20:00.060-07:002023-01-22T19:42:59.932-08:00Fall Colors Photography Trip 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpM_fjHeONt_pcrHbiqfHBDa_9Sy1uOme33Z0P-ldiud998LiYqgJyKw8Eu8n1181BHO8jtTc6NU6v6fCiWW7jj0zCNoGiWCH0W06M2Jhnc5eqH51HwGLphjcFQ09xa-M8jZ8f35KwPcT0Hb3q-8hD-4jRahBFRkafiKTcTzvBvZxjHlZv-aLmXLN/s2192/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.17.32%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photography of Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO" border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2192" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpM_fjHeONt_pcrHbiqfHBDa_9Sy1uOme33Z0P-ldiud998LiYqgJyKw8Eu8n1181BHO8jtTc6NU6v6fCiWW7jj0zCNoGiWCH0W06M2Jhnc5eqH51HwGLphjcFQ09xa-M8jZ8f35KwPcT0Hb3q-8hD-4jRahBFRkafiKTcTzvBvZxjHlZv-aLmXLN/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.17.32%20PM.png" title="Photographer at Sprague Lake" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>This year our church family celebrated the opening of our new auditorium during the prime fall colors season. We decided to be a part of that instead of taking a fall colors photography trip. We did, however get out for one clear morning. I took off a day of school (and pulled KD out as well) mid-week to head up to Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park to shoot the sunrise. A good friend Janice joined us too. The colors lit up the scene and then the clouds lifted and the wind calmed to make a crystal clear mirrored image. We later took a quick hike up to a little hidden gem then had breakfast at a local diner. We had a great time!</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/sprague-lake-autumn-sunrise-panorama-aaron-spong.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunrise over Sprague Lake RMNP Autumn Fall Mountains Landscape" border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="2800" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW42sFzr7QcCuQFNB9s3aYYYbiDtivreESSN7qt9TuEMNVFWmDfUQvTQbCehe2PMEHhabxwaoQJjAdHB_Cu6KL-DI39SJ_pk5eJeaKBto7G18MgeaUHAfuk6yHVz7_u29bmwrw-RK74ebxobbrRVQK6FpyaXAD4bNQ607Y6kVTRtJhCMYOY3OhDgsj/w640-h252/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.16.25%20PM.png" title="Sprague Lake Autumn Sunrise" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/sprague-lake-autumn-sunrise-panorama-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise over Sprague Lake Panorama<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p> Here are a few shots that my daughter took. She's getting pretty good with her Nikon!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sprague-lake-reflection-kendall-spong.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2182" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi040Z4md9ghsgFgiDYThqFfVAH7FT0AvOZBb_RymxIcA-ciaOUd4IloHIXIWsgGh2uZ731ce-cLgIDmx8tYKy8DE-S4J6Qm106y73212JBP7ciUk3yv9QQ_TxsvBS-I66YvVEILbdlOPanufXovc94zS4vZX5btZVvKU5336UWAyg3EamcXWBTy2j1/w640-h424/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.18.53%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fineartamerica.com/featured/sprague-lake-reflection-kendall-spong.html">Mirrored Sprague<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4M3g40fGlBfVguV8TwRQMOgFxTbh7JPWHsW5pJrPvRwGC5XSDYrysBfFfwUsCoUN6RA1bbcONbFK07kZcCtzfxY0bkIHpWWwBeL8evxUsE7TpWa0ruEJp2FGjSosxxnsy71xzhsb74OxKh7u_M58NNSf9QQT_iBD9RJALLxskl9r2O8JzOyqpv3dh/s1450/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.19.28%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1450" data-original-width="976" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4M3g40fGlBfVguV8TwRQMOgFxTbh7JPWHsW5pJrPvRwGC5XSDYrysBfFfwUsCoUN6RA1bbcONbFK07kZcCtzfxY0bkIHpWWwBeL8evxUsE7TpWa0ruEJp2FGjSosxxnsy71xzhsb74OxKh7u_M58NNSf9QQT_iBD9RJALLxskl9r2O8JzOyqpv3dh/w430-h640/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.19.28%20PM.png" width="430" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> Little did we know that our best shot of the day would come on the drive home. We looked out the window along the road and had to pull over as a scene was developing right before our eyes. The clouds rolled in and it began to snow directly over Longs Peak while the sun came out and lit up the foreground of aspen trees. WOW! <br /> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/longs-peak-autumn-snow-dusting-aaron-spong.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Longs Peak Aspens fall autumn Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado landscape 14ers snow" border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2196" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyYn0N1_n1MZyfhRbR6cx_S4NPKfAvxEak4EYVfm0zNV2co3MafkK6V_qsW4emVScJrnXHUW9XhQZb4DV_Yo6hMXJKrbtbYSpbO26c5at5ndXNjK931kX7vZTBSzOr8Qgg-1WBQurqLcBIc7MkrQJ0MqF2sntbATLT9wUXzeetjrmUMAguVa6VQMi/w640-h424/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%208.16.06%20PM.png" title="Dramatic Longs Peak" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/longs-peak-autumn-snow-dusting-aaron-spong.html">Longs Peak drama<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-490425814279640422022-08-12T00:07:00.000-07:002022-08-12T00:07:02.781-07:00New Paintings - Summer 2022<p> <span style="font-size: small;">This was the first summer we've had that Cami has been working while I stay home and play Mr. Mom. It's been an adjustment, but we found our groove. We all spent a few hours in the mornings painting and jamming out to <a href="https://www.skillet.com/">Skillet</a> in the studio before we went on to chores and the rest of our day. I was able to finish a couple paintings during these sessions with the kids. The first one features an awesome sunset I shot a couple summers ago from up high on the rock cut formation along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9HSr0lqyfJ4Cyz1wQrUtmKdCGorJ9KpNKbeMJJLiFvtyisTdf80rVJEGu6JR-qgECuyq3zee3KgI0MgiScoxNMWefXNght_5qgYgA7uS5pqRbGWmH-u9j31bbpSmAoKYCnAjwXSvlWIjMsN4GCHun8Ex-jd3x81H60qt9tHkCXZpAclOBCgv8CXx/s1230/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-12%20at%2012.50.10%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9HSr0lqyfJ4Cyz1wQrUtmKdCGorJ9KpNKbeMJJLiFvtyisTdf80rVJEGu6JR-qgECuyq3zee3KgI0MgiScoxNMWefXNght_5qgYgA7uS5pqRbGWmH-u9j31bbpSmAoKYCnAjwXSvlWIjMsN4GCHun8Ex-jd3x81H60qt9tHkCXZpAclOBCgv8CXx/w634-h640/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-12%20at%2012.50.10%20AM.png" width="634" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blocking in color<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5m7OojWqs4TpFBA7kaUxH-36oN2Mb2FzSgv8ggmf1D_6CTZhpJXbB9rc576tpowszKPMYMFoe3RmL5dEZV5TCh6FUUPtM7dwII2UKveNQszv5FuLSj9AcJSZ53oiA5rEdCt7yk5Aw2Q07uw_g1RyxYSR-jS-YjxZpw0bFLpuNypJqyIWEpMC6ZvZz/s1024/52115301519_dfc701dd9d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5m7OojWqs4TpFBA7kaUxH-36oN2Mb2FzSgv8ggmf1D_6CTZhpJXbB9rc576tpowszKPMYMFoe3RmL5dEZV5TCh6FUUPtM7dwII2UKveNQszv5FuLSj9AcJSZ53oiA5rEdCt7yk5Aw2Q07uw_g1RyxYSR-jS-YjxZpw0bFLpuNypJqyIWEpMC6ZvZz/w640-h320/52115301519_dfc701dd9d_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishied acrylic painting - <a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/painting-longs-peak-and-rock-cut-sunset-aaron-spong.html">Prints Available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: small;">The second is of a peaceful waterfall inspired by an off the path discovery in the Bighorn Mountains of Northeasterrn Wyoming. This one took a bit longer with all the flower details. I've learned that I enjoy rocks. I could paint rocks for days. Grass? Not so much!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nL1aQJXh-s0" width="320" youtube-src-id="nL1aQJXh-s0"></iframe></div><p></p><p></p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz_1GqlNuvw5bnIBzS94zFEcLkN_Wq4Akyo0BPVg3h7y9mFOC69676eAImleqToLEpXOZk4x0WGXiX0yIADwTw8ub7S0iGD8hzaxPjGweD1O9fSrxnXR9MBMH0mBWwNdCvA0iIyufLy3FMC_BDD1K3xl-Qlw2CTZYLcdUVOfqDWkvRjBNxyOU2b2W/s1024/52230177284_02c3698c85_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz_1GqlNuvw5bnIBzS94zFEcLkN_Wq4Akyo0BPVg3h7y9mFOC69676eAImleqToLEpXOZk4x0WGXiX0yIADwTw8ub7S0iGD8hzaxPjGweD1O9fSrxnXR9MBMH0mBWwNdCvA0iIyufLy3FMC_BDD1K3xl-Qlw2CTZYLcdUVOfqDWkvRjBNxyOU2b2W/s16000/52230177284_02c3698c85_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowing - <a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/1-flowing-aaron-spong.html">Prints Available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-80911523655930540972022-07-25T14:35:00.004-07:002022-07-25T14:35:42.430-07:00Family Backpack to Mohawk Lakes - July, 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN4B4nBVtVCnH8XBH0VjrlqBge92bO-4wkoMdRyOm8QNfTWjEKY9joQ2uCBxw26M4o23egeqHJOJGefzaUmgZoY0kse2g7M1hE_RO3vBTwhdW8_Jdif3iiXiSoqGZmYoOj004nolNq7VdFApqo7rCuR84gf-H1_Y9GGyENP-L6PigoAMEhluDaHQm/s4096/IMG_20220707_144246817_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN4B4nBVtVCnH8XBH0VjrlqBge92bO-4wkoMdRyOm8QNfTWjEKY9joQ2uCBxw26M4o23egeqHJOJGefzaUmgZoY0kse2g7M1hE_RO3vBTwhdW8_Jdif3iiXiSoqGZmYoOj004nolNq7VdFApqo7rCuR84gf-H1_Y9GGyENP-L6PigoAMEhluDaHQm/w480-h640/IMG_20220707_144246817_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> We took the kids on what is becoming our yearly backpacking adventure to what I thought would be an easy hike up to Mohawk Lakes near Breckenridge. They both brought their new children's cameras and had a great time taking pictures of all the mountains, wildflowers, ruins and waterfalls along the way. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6JTMkC04mLk7dAodGUvzUA5dDS08UTltwHKodLBh-eSei7NPjjSJERTCviTYRx4x8tUy-_EjeqKHJdph0DwJ3Mn5NlFTWJ7EFYZllC8gIapkVT5fGvT5Zfl6D4iLKfYSTO7ugLex3GpufMs-yNya3VvnCu3ea8fytUyXblks-8l3ZcAsy4S-cEIR/s3264/IMG_20220708_101008356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6JTMkC04mLk7dAodGUvzUA5dDS08UTltwHKodLBh-eSei7NPjjSJERTCviTYRx4x8tUy-_EjeqKHJdph0DwJ3Mn5NlFTWJ7EFYZllC8gIapkVT5fGvT5Zfl6D4iLKfYSTO7ugLex3GpufMs-yNya3VvnCu3ea8fytUyXblks-8l3ZcAsy4S-cEIR/w640-h480/IMG_20220708_101008356.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Part way up, we had to take shelter from a rainstorm in the trees. As the rain was dying down and the sun peaking through, KD guessed that there might be a rainbow nearby. Sure enough, we looked behind us to see an awesome full rainbow below us in the valley. I only had a few moments to grab a cell phone shot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC143BdQwdlnWPt7pHZ6vQPSAW_7hMjovQBhC9LYDmoeL9Ga4qTxu_d1UFURQHXPeReEfI-xKjLOC7Yu16F-GGUPkbQ4ZLz4GKW5vnn4OrS6S099v9xvooNH5KsHtObCMQLfKHy4XD_V2_R2SbAEAhkEhngld96NwMNiPBrgBkBV9PPbhSAYhShNKk/s4096/Rainbow%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC143BdQwdlnWPt7pHZ6vQPSAW_7hMjovQBhC9LYDmoeL9Ga4qTxu_d1UFURQHXPeReEfI-xKjLOC7Yu16F-GGUPkbQ4ZLz4GKW5vnn4OrS6S099v9xvooNH5KsHtObCMQLfKHy4XD_V2_R2SbAEAhkEhngld96NwMNiPBrgBkBV9PPbhSAYhShNKk/w640-h480/Rainbow%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGLtmtH_SkENlalugy4mQNOfzzs-xHTfLsbqpTOaoVJP2CQGEml5xVD4Yuub5ibSkAfv2wM7qUTST-Ck0dsC41PPQt6dG9-Sz9Ey1kmcfLZUpXNq-bOxJ-mBwiTw6y7dbuFVyDMgJw6y-aYDU0CdwRwVVWAbhemtRhe3Ma3qWRG2GmYx7MYCs3vEn/s1800/DSC_6034%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGLtmtH_SkENlalugy4mQNOfzzs-xHTfLsbqpTOaoVJP2CQGEml5xVD4Yuub5ibSkAfv2wM7qUTST-Ck0dsC41PPQt6dG9-Sz9Ey1kmcfLZUpXNq-bOxJ-mBwiTw6y7dbuFVyDMgJw6y-aYDU0CdwRwVVWAbhemtRhe3Ma3qWRG2GmYx7MYCs3vEn/w640-h426/DSC_6034%20small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It took us a while to actually reach our camp at mayflower lake as we
hiked up some steep switchbacks for a while. This wore the kids out pretty
well and they both had about nothing left by the time we reached the
lake. We set up camp quickly and made dinner. There were trout everywhere in this lake. I tried to catch something, but they were not interested in lures. A few people were catching them on flies. I'm 100% positive I would have caught dozens of fish with a handheld net. I tried to sneak up on a few to see if I could grab them with my bare hands, but Tootsie kept scaring them away. I think she wanted to try it too! After sleeping very little due to a dog that wanted to play fetch at 1am, I rose before dawn to hike up to the upper Mohawk Lakes to catch a bright and beautiful sunrise.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_8-K6grNIZXtGLNtv7VCc8BLRqB1x_IJZ6LJywU_i0caleh8kp2f_VKmW-Vg6K6_YmaU0bAQ8eQASP352SmW3mSI7Y8B2qaoRJgoQy6UIjcSemagyYaKTambDIEYvUmDi1bCnGlRwJzzsRTCbBvVntgjrspcTyEJs9pLVBs1nzE47YJHmZWBjByN/s1800/Cami%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_8-K6grNIZXtGLNtv7VCc8BLRqB1x_IJZ6LJywU_i0caleh8kp2f_VKmW-Vg6K6_YmaU0bAQ8eQASP352SmW3mSI7Y8B2qaoRJgoQy6UIjcSemagyYaKTambDIEYvUmDi1bCnGlRwJzzsRTCbBvVntgjrspcTyEJs9pLVBs1nzE47YJHmZWBjByN/w640-h426/Cami%20small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD5-DPzUjIvEmzF9GpICWxzE0dPXvB-aJ3QhoKi7wz0GwTJpvtE-eP9nNnaCG6lH8EMX6MhWDAYmdN4hpQkxHVrXsjoG1GH2Eo47qzKUD7hGW7jn7SV0xf4szhPUQUAfMLwLwJrHdEY8Y5eoRplxDNEXYYhhS1myKQn2lXNv6OaYx4NHtkrcz3PtA/s3072/IMG_20220708_073656271__exported_1199_1657321463043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="3072" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD5-DPzUjIvEmzF9GpICWxzE0dPXvB-aJ3QhoKi7wz0GwTJpvtE-eP9nNnaCG6lH8EMX6MhWDAYmdN4hpQkxHVrXsjoG1GH2Eo47qzKUD7hGW7jn7SV0xf4szhPUQUAfMLwLwJrHdEY8Y5eoRplxDNEXYYhhS1myKQn2lXNv6OaYx4NHtkrcz3PtA/w640-h426/IMG_20220708_073656271__exported_1199_1657321463043.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSR5L9qEu3gTZAEEo-RGU5yP0z7xiOiFDRrgGHzm3afo8Y9xKIUXvvsz3uDkim-FFl8PhTh-HfDO2Koj_EyepYm-4dL6aBafnH7Kwj7yqQQxduBb4_iMMPNkXNc0UkCSXy5F-gV_D45k6SPQxOjNW7oymHoHkFCC0xkuxF0SzR-vElgvnGyrd7dmt/s1800/Boreas%20and%20Bald%20Mountain%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSR5L9qEu3gTZAEEo-RGU5yP0z7xiOiFDRrgGHzm3afo8Y9xKIUXvvsz3uDkim-FFl8PhTh-HfDO2Koj_EyepYm-4dL6aBafnH7Kwj7yqQQxduBb4_iMMPNkXNc0UkCSXy5F-gV_D45k6SPQxOjNW7oymHoHkFCC0xkuxF0SzR-vElgvnGyrd7dmt/w640-h320/Boreas%20and%20Bald%20Mountain%20small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-KmwyiOYELpVrO_9rgsCc0nRcWbXGvQVaye_KS094dgoFgGP5MHtTgI6fLEcA4YXr4f3ccQBpdSJ2QMWOnw54uaV2ViY3KRGkQs_xuFb54QiEuMt96OFA2hHJ48n_5DjWSgC6auvoFpb6qfX5c9J-md74z_Q4-yJD9L9byvWPqKSwucv-rOYlla0/s1800/Mowhawk%20VERT%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-KmwyiOYELpVrO_9rgsCc0nRcWbXGvQVaye_KS094dgoFgGP5MHtTgI6fLEcA4YXr4f3ccQBpdSJ2QMWOnw54uaV2ViY3KRGkQs_xuFb54QiEuMt96OFA2hHJ48n_5DjWSgC6auvoFpb6qfX5c9J-md74z_Q4-yJD9L9byvWPqKSwucv-rOYlla0/w480-h640/Mowhawk%20VERT%20small.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohawk Lakes Sunrise - <a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/sunrise-on-pacific-peak-aaron-spong.html">Prints Available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwElJf9ljpLK96M_8mpnAB4qwcqWuvR7efzd4R9Z5cwb5IYCF68r7omwcviCQ2jr-BEsmvvBEliOYZrsGzswJ3nDpcxsboemSLyHMkWh5-azRCr1ZwYyVlUqFmPuVXdGnyFM5ZJBVky-jtdoWmeg3u-lISBVOt-Ttk2cuBvqfO-5xddXoz0QfcNoYZ/s1800/Pacific%20Peak%202%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwElJf9ljpLK96M_8mpnAB4qwcqWuvR7efzd4R9Z5cwb5IYCF68r7omwcviCQ2jr-BEsmvvBEliOYZrsGzswJ3nDpcxsboemSLyHMkWh5-azRCr1ZwYyVlUqFmPuVXdGnyFM5ZJBVky-jtdoWmeg3u-lISBVOt-Ttk2cuBvqfO-5xddXoz0QfcNoYZ/w640-h426/Pacific%20Peak%202%20small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Peak Reflection - <a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/pacific-peak-reflection-2-aaron-spong.html">Prints Available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZc7oARFsaIEFjlk7XAE7gvmQ3dpIxBSZnefQt3GaqbXD8g0sJXirOHpMVoIBUlUSDtzSkL69LepIlDTy5mnyjonIPCzAbN6k50RvJ6owwCHRrweUVazK_O58oMCFNoA1tSN4tmPBazUDxYthN8971DhKEWCqaismX3yvAYupd2QldjiHMwriHR4V1/s1800/DSC_6381%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZc7oARFsaIEFjlk7XAE7gvmQ3dpIxBSZnefQt3GaqbXD8g0sJXirOHpMVoIBUlUSDtzSkL69LepIlDTy5mnyjonIPCzAbN6k50RvJ6owwCHRrweUVazK_O58oMCFNoA1tSN4tmPBazUDxYthN8971DhKEWCqaismX3yvAYupd2QldjiHMwriHR4V1/w640-h426/DSC_6381%20small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4T1zfycp4EWFdxBmDPAPYr0iGHqNcmKCgOhyzwOLBMYiTXyshPC34VubR8ojbPc0zYaz2yDoMaeb_3xaDVrw4fBVYLZ_Wc6-WHIZN0jUsYhjNxZ94DViFRHt6PWpBlLbl7PHsL0BygZoqVeCV8gYp8445ZI6SDylK5gM4ZQje7QTbf4exGenuUksE/s2400/DSC_6359%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4T1zfycp4EWFdxBmDPAPYr0iGHqNcmKCgOhyzwOLBMYiTXyshPC34VubR8ojbPc0zYaz2yDoMaeb_3xaDVrw4fBVYLZ_Wc6-WHIZN0jUsYhjNxZ94DViFRHt6PWpBlLbl7PHsL0BygZoqVeCV8gYp8445ZI6SDylK5gM4ZQje7QTbf4exGenuUksE/w426-h640/DSC_6359%20small.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSqVPg_M9sYEsEBSO-ulx5xosppFO6OM16uGWyI8V_smidJ4vGfSI4pbYY-KRXhI-jTsydUn_m7iFAxuAIGkINC2TYBlyLA9b7nbnCc4eo4EqbjfYwVj9SHfVy5jwollII7kjozXkXutrFUyzBvM3_i47gIbmnL5JiMKrrbVyZaeh07fYxBP2Aajv/s1800/DSC_6346%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSqVPg_M9sYEsEBSO-ulx5xosppFO6OM16uGWyI8V_smidJ4vGfSI4pbYY-KRXhI-jTsydUn_m7iFAxuAIGkINC2TYBlyLA9b7nbnCc4eo4EqbjfYwVj9SHfVy5jwollII7kjozXkXutrFUyzBvM3_i47gIbmnL5JiMKrrbVyZaeh07fYxBP2Aajv/w640-h426/DSC_6346%20small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-24638511766505450932022-07-03T19:26:00.001-07:002022-07-03T20:59:08.883-07:00Taylor Peak B - July 2022<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9R6AOUWstKvj0vx-yBq5oR2DVT9k8MLv9_lxJ1OKzZwWf_3JWp2hNLnCi2b5BBUWkUyqAVt3-vU4UUEzZ5is7keWAeoU5iCb7e0YsL_yM9-CRaA2e8yIprILhejn-pCb5wYBiDGwVjlJMnzJ07fft7AGtSbvJOO_EaQS_rTuwReJ6Rt8vNXdeXhk/s1800/Taylor%20Peak.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="1800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9R6AOUWstKvj0vx-yBq5oR2DVT9k8MLv9_lxJ1OKzZwWf_3JWp2hNLnCi2b5BBUWkUyqAVt3-vU4UUEzZ5is7keWAeoU5iCb7e0YsL_yM9-CRaA2e8yIprILhejn-pCb5wYBiDGwVjlJMnzJ07fft7AGtSbvJOO_EaQS_rTuwReJ6Rt8vNXdeXhk/w640-h482/Taylor%20Peak.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor Peak B viewed from Sky Pond<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> July 4th weekend usually gets pretty crowded in Estes. So, to avoid the crowds, Brad and I started dark and early to do a hike of 13er Taylor Peak B. I lay in bed all night trying to sleep unsuccessfully before a 2:50 wake up. This is only the 3rd all nighter I've ever done, and I wasn't happy to be hiking my first mountain of the year on no sleep. Even when we arrived at the trailhead at 4:30 am, the Glacier Gorge parking lot was half full. It was good to catch up with Brad who I've probably hiked more mountains with than anyone else, but haven't seen for a couple years. The hike in was beautiful with a sunrise near the Loch. <p></p><p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YKfveI8Pu2ZQO44vgZw1PJtTSmhYzazrqdyUIO2llqcEWRn8IDJev_KxNDvVqn_sQnCLhVeDtLA23VbJOulyCTiuOGY3OEAghLuTKiPsFpQYm1c6QdQFFscm70DCD0yTxyYD0Pd5Et2MtZsQx2AFFTMbP9d1UYUXZIBJSG4bM1VlvdSPZRmoGQAM/s5472/DSC09910.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YKfveI8Pu2ZQO44vgZw1PJtTSmhYzazrqdyUIO2llqcEWRn8IDJev_KxNDvVqn_sQnCLhVeDtLA23VbJOulyCTiuOGY3OEAghLuTKiPsFpQYm1c6QdQFFscm70DCD0yTxyYD0Pd5Et2MtZsQx2AFFTMbP9d1UYUXZIBJSG4bM1VlvdSPZRmoGQAM/w640-h426/DSC09910.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOjNHIZuzadU9zjIy_5q8P9UKsQBHhERz8IVZw4hp1OK78XH2hsnuod0q_mgMikZNUQn7L4iVu_Jw4KfvQRZV9-SE1LfN0E6zrV43CxmB9fZHtUZBqHipJYcrOzTorojg4MAqZlfcmRayMB0jiX2a6kecG0foGvAFDqvx4Snc-cP4qohcc4u_A3gb/s5472/DSC09916.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOjNHIZuzadU9zjIy_5q8P9UKsQBHhERz8IVZw4hp1OK78XH2hsnuod0q_mgMikZNUQn7L4iVu_Jw4KfvQRZV9-SE1LfN0E6zrV43CxmB9fZHtUZBqHipJYcrOzTorojg4MAqZlfcmRayMB0jiX2a6kecG0foGvAFDqvx4Snc-cP4qohcc4u_A3gb/w640-h426/DSC09916.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Loch<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One of the coolest parts of this hike was an ascent up Andrew's Glacier. The snow angle was just steep enough to make it exciting, but not too dangerous. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRamv_taSwobHOySRMZdUYEqmzWFhI7eg9aYJx2TLDY51rYDnP5_YHRjEvaQZoPzHcTEt98AlXejBPFa868GqzoEsh2bO7_jX3SImg5D4JDawRJroYuokpa7qb5XKehulHFm7bmn1dTJW2SrkXB9pmFiBTbEhxM646pcCpxso3hFcUjwvPbEKs2II7/s5472/DSC09934.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRamv_taSwobHOySRMZdUYEqmzWFhI7eg9aYJx2TLDY51rYDnP5_YHRjEvaQZoPzHcTEt98AlXejBPFa868GqzoEsh2bO7_jX3SImg5D4JDawRJroYuokpa7qb5XKehulHFm7bmn1dTJW2SrkXB9pmFiBTbEhxM646pcCpxso3hFcUjwvPbEKs2II7/w426-h640/DSC09934.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_5_jNvwcNUf-VELMHuvE94c9hI4I1Q-_tLZ0-hdc_atFQ_lcAEQQoTzuVHsfHyY6ZhV01GcsKrNPyNajWnDBiqZuDKHFy-Vp-WFlfA04xPbyjznT8VIl5E0KI-zQ2xh2VkJGLlje4p85K_e-heVEI-m644XBlWC-mMeHUNogzWMDtpY4CAH0Ek6r/s5472/DSC09943.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_5_jNvwcNUf-VELMHuvE94c9hI4I1Q-_tLZ0-hdc_atFQ_lcAEQQoTzuVHsfHyY6ZhV01GcsKrNPyNajWnDBiqZuDKHFy-Vp-WFlfA04xPbyjznT8VIl5E0KI-zQ2xh2VkJGLlje4p85K_e-heVEI-m644XBlWC-mMeHUNogzWMDtpY4CAH0Ek6r/w640-h426/DSC09943.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew's Glacier<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtcR8DzxJpyqbnC5_UZYhKWAObesNECTb6ggq0z_mHvKt5B8UAOMCziU6vG662SSNow_m3r090pybw8Q9S8rUXVy6g3_vQk1WjP4aNxujPkiKqwiMxxXQC2LF8qEe7arEfKp-tJ2vPmR8ndeNQukDLMpm2ZZfIuktfC1Y7wXQvHAPAU6MEwWloK9M/s5472/DSC09955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtcR8DzxJpyqbnC5_UZYhKWAObesNECTb6ggq0z_mHvKt5B8UAOMCziU6vG662SSNow_m3r090pybw8Q9S8rUXVy6g3_vQk1WjP4aNxujPkiKqwiMxxXQC2LF8qEe7arEfKp-tJ2vPmR8ndeNQukDLMpm2ZZfIuktfC1Y7wXQvHAPAU6MEwWloK9M/w640-h426/DSC09955.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrwoRmMGgvq5gIO3EnKNZ9FG5o1nf34oVaM2Wo2DJBUvxg7lgJYyImIMKQY_56pYUdDsvfskN9BDv1mliqr9SwQyWZkjEoKi9wHLcuPUy3ACktWRFqVL4UWbPfroSu2l-rMz1KuJouGiu2nT1bQw-jqVhx_f9roOxdocfNQ4RpW3tcadKcOdzusFU/s5472/DSC09973.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrwoRmMGgvq5gIO3EnKNZ9FG5o1nf34oVaM2Wo2DJBUvxg7lgJYyImIMKQY_56pYUdDsvfskN9BDv1mliqr9SwQyWZkjEoKi9wHLcuPUy3ACktWRFqVL4UWbPfroSu2l-rMz1KuJouGiu2nT1bQw-jqVhx_f9roOxdocfNQ4RpW3tcadKcOdzusFU/w640-h426/DSC09973.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Once at the top, the remaining route to the summit of Taylor is straightforward, but tedious on tundra and talus. The unique views of Longs from the top were awesome! It was cool to peer down to Sky Pond and the cool Sharks Tooth rock formations from above. We hung out on the summit for a while, then Brad continued on to bag Powell Peak while I tried my best to take a nap while bugs tried their best to eat my legs. We had a great glissade down the glacier and long trek back to Estes for a good ole man handler at Smokin' Daves and some much needed sleep!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XpA2LADmwjKhKfi2sWvs4ybNVBbFCd8zlvqohTK3lQ2UpjXyriXc20Ugtk_mJTvXBvU5F6kVFhlyFb6Bsx7nfsNoOa_YY5Ad1bAA8b7Q5tXIiqrllYCYteukxx5yPtHVkH7J5GK2I8FQKoMYC7oWDSMz6Uwe60Di5MgCVsrMfg9qXh4GFhQQEvAk/s5472/DSC09999.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XpA2LADmwjKhKfi2sWvs4ybNVBbFCd8zlvqohTK3lQ2UpjXyriXc20Ugtk_mJTvXBvU5F6kVFhlyFb6Bsx7nfsNoOa_YY5Ad1bAA8b7Q5tXIiqrllYCYteukxx5yPtHVkH7J5GK2I8FQKoMYC7oWDSMz6Uwe60Di5MgCVsrMfg9qXh4GFhQQEvAk/w640-h426/DSC09999.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAQElnahqSG-TXFhPAoCc7zj5pGSGnxZ8h2n9Cn2MOl1MExCIRihMpWPlw7GPJWr0dFTaJjjzzyt5qy09I3ptiX0ekywpkvC_rOAs5vnc779sbgmx2soh0OeuEBbPdnh4nUkFwgJ8D1Z9uRtm9wXGR0k8mIT4ACVoZwVwVsod2AyX-kj93EhtXM9S/s5472/DSC09978.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAQElnahqSG-TXFhPAoCc7zj5pGSGnxZ8h2n9Cn2MOl1MExCIRihMpWPlw7GPJWr0dFTaJjjzzyt5qy09I3ptiX0ekywpkvC_rOAs5vnc779sbgmx2soh0OeuEBbPdnh4nUkFwgJ8D1Z9uRtm9wXGR0k8mIT4ACVoZwVwVsod2AyX-kj93EhtXM9S/w640-h426/DSC09978.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky Pond and Lake of Glass<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp2I-pxdJpYutBXEJShC8T6nYhm1kA-GL-Nx5ZjchEmF0p0zKLh5oDfuHiEbpIH-uBJlcD8OAhMt2coaEKWVd30goo0hdx8G8Bp9WOlsaHHumXRrWQW_qHsNBbq0JlsTYTuOO6NaRETOHqUdo1Ai2lHraBQLXCM3yEZi7RUuvqsfV0oSsNUgliUDu/s8110/Taylor%20Pano.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3334" data-original-width="8110" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp2I-pxdJpYutBXEJShC8T6nYhm1kA-GL-Nx5ZjchEmF0p0zKLh5oDfuHiEbpIH-uBJlcD8OAhMt2coaEKWVd30goo0hdx8G8Bp9WOlsaHHumXRrWQW_qHsNBbq0JlsTYTuOO6NaRETOHqUdo1Ai2lHraBQLXCM3yEZi7RUuvqsfV0oSsNUgliUDu/w640-h264/Taylor%20Pano.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Longs, Pagoda, McHenrys, Powell, Chiefs Head, Alice<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCpYUhvbdljnpi0ZIu48-1QkV3LJOBvVm3DNLDBc6SfKeem2ef1xMv4EC7ZgSK6QcmICr9ce2AW8yXz8dw_a0aLLSgfg3rPB0To_Zyfes_4mG8Q1McNUsH5MYEbXicRNeNv5O0H6jG9gmnkA77_S_bc-cIhF0_x-f6BZH1IIa6-nUOvwA_2voHYRr/s5472/Longs%20from%20Taylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCpYUhvbdljnpi0ZIu48-1QkV3LJOBvVm3DNLDBc6SfKeem2ef1xMv4EC7ZgSK6QcmICr9ce2AW8yXz8dw_a0aLLSgfg3rPB0To_Zyfes_4mG8Q1McNUsH5MYEbXicRNeNv5O0H6jG9gmnkA77_S_bc-cIhF0_x-f6BZH1IIa6-nUOvwA_2voHYRr/w640-h426/Longs%20from%20Taylor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">All photos credit to Brad<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-40302087167479823542021-10-04T15:48:00.010-07:002022-05-28T10:27:59.824-07:00Fall Colors Trip 2021<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/uncompahgre-sunburst-panorama-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Uncompahgre Autumn Sunset with Wetterhorn" border="0" data-original-height="3899" data-original-width="6498" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FGO14ebuVYFmRX0UPJfPz0Eoh0zi_SNS2CUUzsA6cdCvRp8ODOnhsnP3da8cja5FqP4fwpnVG9AAlFMJ2zn-AkxMSLzfTRvuZXpIXOI0birmoPJLya5HgCCQUnZCyaUOMCc6hqjkUfoO3LfMmhp6ZY84pYPqvi3vT8ZIF6TJjv-Fcm_ii9-OyEoN/w640-h384/Sunburst%20Uncompahgre%20Pano%20Signed.jpg" title="Lake City Colorado Uncompahgre wilderness sunset in fall colors" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>This fall we took a quick trip to Lake City and Crested Butte to catch some golden aspens. This area has been on my list for a few years and finally the smoke cleared from all the summer wildfires. We had some stunning scenes. Even the kids brought their Ipads with them to take some shots too!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/uncompahgre-autumn-sunrise-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Uncompahgre Sunrise" border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydm5Xvwv-bIkTMg4K5dZlMiYhisstWL70gpdKXCNMjt5I1KwP4saCfNG-_jmePhzs2jyq7k2Uq8HvEi7ZuhPnLCgLj3YTjV3_9jty21blNtWkJ0DhoS1UuBvIYRS8UpB2NulBANclul4U_dpk9Ul20zjlA6UBDg9ZDbnhJp4QpoBw9k8JwYB-Lwso/w640-h426/Uncompahgre%20Sunrise%20small.jpg" title="Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn Sunrise Colorado 14ers" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX1lY_SkyDoWT_1YHim-AC3ZgzXk5tL9V8rAFr3L042_Fb1kCVI5GaTzuWwtN36ocfTAyZoFVePoC9rDFGwVj6UaIqBKrbTqb9RtgC1JmHd-qlvTBTOidL29JR-LTXOrKIT_CVIGHBjIpEDZ5HTrYY0GI4nhIL9Zrhz2iwCp9Y9tP0-0udiftLJqI/s1700/Lake%20City%20Barn%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lake City Barn" border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1133" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX1lY_SkyDoWT_1YHim-AC3ZgzXk5tL9V8rAFr3L042_Fb1kCVI5GaTzuWwtN36ocfTAyZoFVePoC9rDFGwVj6UaIqBKrbTqb9RtgC1JmHd-qlvTBTOidL29JR-LTXOrKIT_CVIGHBjIpEDZ5HTrYY0GI4nhIL9Zrhz2iwCp9Y9tP0-0udiftLJqI/w426-h640/Lake%20City%20Barn%20small.jpg" title="Colorado Barn in the Autumn with aspen reflection" width="426" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Xq3Xu5PnWe4GUUR1-rlPdeFfd0RXDMicv7yKAqqqJGiG7BbNox3QDgGsa-f154nAz8RHBJalEb84YoZg_TSYrhBrPDsGtbt9pa2FJ0rTJVjCaevPB3I5tZ5ZEQ8emNbslvE6keRjPccpr-Zrhb6v4pOvkwx5E3lumL1ouDfLgB5cbK3syQcma3zS/s2667/Lost%20Lake%20Sunset%202.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beckwith Mountains sunset" border="0" data-original-height="2134" data-original-width="2667" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Xq3Xu5PnWe4GUUR1-rlPdeFfd0RXDMicv7yKAqqqJGiG7BbNox3QDgGsa-f154nAz8RHBJalEb84YoZg_TSYrhBrPDsGtbt9pa2FJ0rTJVjCaevPB3I5tZ5ZEQ8emNbslvE6keRjPccpr-Zrhb6v4pOvkwx5E3lumL1ouDfLgB5cbK3syQcma3zS/w640-h512/Lost%20Lake%20Sunset%202.1.jpg" title="Sunset over Beckwith mountains from Lost Lake Crested Butte Colorado Autumn" width="640" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsRUQHSOQVdkZQFaYEpEmKFdagsT1xtsMUh-AXfzB7xVcwe6Er0d1agUAmn5H0Qvfhfk3Aqqinx7w0MFZoxlPEEquUanrAq9hAtUIAqbOQYJduB3qPOhCr2xdvLIjYa750LwHS3GtH0RW5DPV5JmD09-NWfz3z-fXMUuPcs_RnI1IkdK5Q2J7ZLJF/s1700/Chair%20Vert%20small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chair Mountain Autumn" border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1133" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsRUQHSOQVdkZQFaYEpEmKFdagsT1xtsMUh-AXfzB7xVcwe6Er0d1agUAmn5H0Qvfhfk3Aqqinx7w0MFZoxlPEEquUanrAq9hAtUIAqbOQYJduB3qPOhCr2xdvLIjYa750LwHS3GtH0RW5DPV5JmD09-NWfz3z-fXMUuPcs_RnI1IkdK5Q2J7ZLJF/w426-h640/Chair%20Vert%20small.jpg" title="Chair Mountain in the Autumn Splendor near Carbondale, Colorado" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-20362767370090340272021-07-30T07:54:00.001-07:002021-08-28T10:59:01.723-07:00Family Trip 2021 - Utah<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLPLCZagI_mkJTOsekqKc1Jb_LAsE3iqUtwfg9MHUI5cn4y5l69bUBuPvC5R89SlvGMy68o8KBkkve20-iIdv4c3yNK5OaqU7Mk7uOhYP9LdrPAzJB1x-cTm-wMASB5pizHFeKLTeXIU/s1700/Calf+Creek+Falls+Kids+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLPLCZagI_mkJTOsekqKc1Jb_LAsE3iqUtwfg9MHUI5cn4y5l69bUBuPvC5R89SlvGMy68o8KBkkve20-iIdv4c3yNK5OaqU7Mk7uOhYP9LdrPAzJB1x-cTm-wMASB5pizHFeKLTeXIU/w640-h426/Calf+Creek+Falls+Kids+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> This year's big trip was to visit some of the national parks in Utah that we'd never seen before. We told friends we'd be gone anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks and had the time off in preparation. The plan was to go until either Cami and I or the kids had reached that point where we'd had enough traveling. As expected, the trip went closer to the 1 week mark than the 3 week mark. I think it was 9 days total. Utah is such an amazing place were every different area has its own unique landscape. All the canyons and deserts and rock formations make it look like you're on an alien world!<p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Arches NP and Moab<br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">We spend the first 3 nights in Moab with Grandma & Grandpa. They stayed in their camper and we stayed in a tent and it was HOT. None of us got much sleep at all the first night even with the tent uncovered and sleeping out in the open. The temps were just too high even at night. Luckily, the campground where we stayed had a pool. We'd been to arches before, and forgot how cool it was. We spent a couple evenings here exploring and shooting the sunsets and the stars at night. One of the mornings, Dad and I took the ATVs to Gemini Bridges, another cool set of arches off the beaten path a little.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG_pqudSxyuFb4VgjoGBnD81L4Z0ajfvwRcLWgpgIOKGl7Y9EErHeJaDrwOftFSrle9BuBRWZHDwGW8BmnmQwwYrC2dcg-p1Zz94pNVf6CRTYIwPa6fso1JwmbqsGTPX4_4bTnPyt0t8/s2048/4wheeling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG_pqudSxyuFb4VgjoGBnD81L4Z0ajfvwRcLWgpgIOKGl7Y9EErHeJaDrwOftFSrle9BuBRWZHDwGW8BmnmQwwYrC2dcg-p1Zz94pNVf6CRTYIwPa6fso1JwmbqsGTPX4_4bTnPyt0t8/w640-h480/4wheeling.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI0qMch_d3doX-XvPxRurdM76knG3SAQfcPcTWO_KN742Z9SDB4bn5kiIWJaw3JoLonvWQkQ-9xmcj7IEQTKaJQrUctQYws9ZRRNaspViHltVvQCWnQtTGiWFNB41pKNI3DvHFRBeKnI/s1700/Gemini+Bridges+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI0qMch_d3doX-XvPxRurdM76knG3SAQfcPcTWO_KN742Z9SDB4bn5kiIWJaw3JoLonvWQkQ-9xmcj7IEQTKaJQrUctQYws9ZRRNaspViHltVvQCWnQtTGiWFNB41pKNI3DvHFRBeKnI/w640-h426/Gemini+Bridges+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2f1HK7bGHDuA7y41Sm4u-iq-VNI14Zsys4Dk_3miqYnXzYkZmOgkiCpF-D65uROeAtNsuBnWfKhQN0YzuMERI6oyiYjMN8UWt7adFUOPJAvSlnxh1jQjPoEPznrGZUXjZv4w4trl3-8/s1700/Gemini+Bridges+2+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2f1HK7bGHDuA7y41Sm4u-iq-VNI14Zsys4Dk_3miqYnXzYkZmOgkiCpF-D65uROeAtNsuBnWfKhQN0YzuMERI6oyiYjMN8UWt7adFUOPJAvSlnxh1jQjPoEPznrGZUXjZv4w4trl3-8/w640-h426/Gemini+Bridges+2+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p6gbUiY5v5sgmhNf54heb3O8nrno5Y0AS4AFN02PSeEKKIQz7-wSo3wQaznpomjKz4k-FjEQj6w3Vmdv6H0p2iODiIoAHApTE7tai1Lx9dMvjD6XR-R9OUsWjzwwo9lrEd4iogd_G0o/s960/Family+Arches+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p6gbUiY5v5sgmhNf54heb3O8nrno5Y0AS4AFN02PSeEKKIQz7-wSo3wQaznpomjKz4k-FjEQj6w3Vmdv6H0p2iODiIoAHApTE7tai1Lx9dMvjD6XR-R9OUsWjzwwo9lrEd4iogd_G0o/w640-h480/Family+Arches+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/fiery-furnace-sunset-panorama-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1900" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJDYCTOAux59j6hLvrkQ-0CdmUCoNJS_tHfTHfZPyzkeRWLUzmQPUZ203L_0aRFH7j9Q0E4gpaRetv-SnudEQ8N5Psi931I5_Synp6vvqrnCMskNE_JB_ZXIkKDgowqRJjiYkcXC_WjA/w640-h256/Fiery+Furnace+Panorama+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/fiery-furnace-sunset-panorama-aaron-spong.html">Sunset over the Fiery Furnace - </a><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/fiery-furnace-sunset-panorama-aaron-spong.html">Prints available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/starry-sky-at-skyline-arch-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0z3KQhMLOMvMywvBr9tDHLKj8VeBgxaenyBjBpir8H4rMC3aNTsT-mJIOOraEQ2nA4kiqZ1w-5g5VcG008pCqaYfuuDP4dOrxSnSj7wpyapesziJUj_37j_vm_YT5OZU8o01SyeIqD_8/w426-h640/Skyline+Arch+Small.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/starry-sky-at-skyline-arch-aaron-spong.html">Starry sky over Skyline Arch - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Goblin Valley <br /></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mom and Dad left for home and we continued on toward a few cool locations that we thought would be fun for the kids. Goblin Valley was simply awesome! The whole place is like a jungle gym with cool tunnels and mushroom shaped rocks to climb on. We spent hours just running through the area and exploring all the fun "hoodoo" rock formations with the kids. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQNi3LLylyPX8FtG9S4vGh-K4jVCZ4_85w_jH5-rtv05hlUVyExzgRcD7Zc73nZMnXA5GIoJQ1sNgjIlwP90-3d_t2SP5lEcrYHiKWH_0I1KKTxeinHu9aqJqju260G6DDH0dG-z0pKk/s2000/GV+Pano+1+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="2000" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQNi3LLylyPX8FtG9S4vGh-K4jVCZ4_85w_jH5-rtv05hlUVyExzgRcD7Zc73nZMnXA5GIoJQ1sNgjIlwP90-3d_t2SP5lEcrYHiKWH_0I1KKTxeinHu9aqJqju260G6DDH0dG-z0pKk/w640-h290/GV+Pano+1+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_NH4_-E7ovwFGwK42oPWrLTs2D9_N0LQzTUjLRjP30bAR269NprshVkZMe26cwbiLSVYQhMSjWCIakNyFOIiN0KMKBOjtZEcBcl7vE3NiMYFFYBtNO5EMjtAtC8Z3oxckkBT7iZftV0/s1700/Goblin+Valley+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_NH4_-E7ovwFGwK42oPWrLTs2D9_N0LQzTUjLRjP30bAR269NprshVkZMe26cwbiLSVYQhMSjWCIakNyFOIiN0KMKBOjtZEcBcl7vE3NiMYFFYBtNO5EMjtAtC8Z3oxckkBT7iZftV0/w640-h426/Goblin+Valley+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4gUWk2h4d6HGvFJiQPfNkO-tfAzqFuFMaNFEEvNDH5biGL6s-1cLrgJRuWe9tO7gEH8kSZ2Z96SFOC1Hd37Qytj56yXfJwPemzXsRtX_rjdNbEm9Cg9HSP1L4ISaIzSTmoDj-_Ykjnc/s1700/GV+Family+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4gUWk2h4d6HGvFJiQPfNkO-tfAzqFuFMaNFEEvNDH5biGL6s-1cLrgJRuWe9tO7gEH8kSZ2Z96SFOC1Hd37Qytj56yXfJwPemzXsRtX_rjdNbEm9Cg9HSP1L4ISaIzSTmoDj-_Ykjnc/w640-h426/GV+Family+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0f1bW_nzpyEJ2ncqPUkrR2IJOJqw9DYAL9byaFOQhyphenhyphenrqVpDbQmUwPLRP8OviJ_LaPHTXK-Mv3nw3RN09KPmRysqMyKMmYN1zA8K5tUyzshQSS4XE8qvQ-srvSla8cfKJCWhbbpCaeGk/s1700/GV+Kolby+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0f1bW_nzpyEJ2ncqPUkrR2IJOJqw9DYAL9byaFOQhyphenhyphenrqVpDbQmUwPLRP8OviJ_LaPHTXK-Mv3nw3RN09KPmRysqMyKMmYN1zA8K5tUyzshQSS4XE8qvQ-srvSla8cfKJCWhbbpCaeGk/w640-h426/GV+Kolby+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Capitol Reef NP</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Capitol Reef was maybe not as dramatic as far as the landscape features as these other places, but would probably be one of the places I'd like to spend the most time. There were very few people here for a National Park, which was surprising to me. I left the family at the hotel (they needed a break for this evening) so I only got one afternoon/evening here. If I did it again, I'd definately spend more time here as there were so many cool trails to explore. I ended up doing a hike up Cohab Canyon and then to Sunset point for...uh...sunset. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0HslDkpDBuSts92ZGuOydyOCiBTrWpvCt0TW9ow7-TUNpQHK-MmuCZwY07TLD064neDR89lmzANAoVuiAwh0WwyLecUi1bdK813jieKVYQV8ZTCNcQQ-NtYoCDTfda6olVrObZ_EdA0/s1700/Capitol+Reef+Barn+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0HslDkpDBuSts92ZGuOydyOCiBTrWpvCt0TW9ow7-TUNpQHK-MmuCZwY07TLD064neDR89lmzANAoVuiAwh0WwyLecUi1bdK813jieKVYQV8ZTCNcQQ-NtYoCDTfda6olVrObZ_EdA0/w640-h426/Capitol+Reef+Barn+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXKppzC9qJwQNtJk8z1PXM09jq6DqgF-YvEyUvInDUwvmPlNwnhjT5AZghbPbrTKTPWQbPtTcOsDMgTMT1R1wxWUtINTzGlZq828mHv-RUxo6NCMK8-fWGkjBvvBYHEBIxCGr54hs2k8/s2000/Capitol+Reef+Domes+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="2000" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXKppzC9qJwQNtJk8z1PXM09jq6DqgF-YvEyUvInDUwvmPlNwnhjT5AZghbPbrTKTPWQbPtTcOsDMgTMT1R1wxWUtINTzGlZq828mHv-RUxo6NCMK8-fWGkjBvvBYHEBIxCGr54hs2k8/w640-h256/Capitol+Reef+Domes+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Q_I7KvIJey9ELvmSYqJ9WgZNW9uwKmZp1a-7o2LpPs7HUxRFjVVzhRXQVmyKalRwRPOswEJIIBpE6hL5WnGIYf9JlhkDL_pJ3jUj-L1U3fBNNMeai5Mkq2ihyphenhyphenYBjUrte2h_yJ6PA6U/s1700/Capitol+Abstract+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Q_I7KvIJey9ELvmSYqJ9WgZNW9uwKmZp1a-7o2LpPs7HUxRFjVVzhRXQVmyKalRwRPOswEJIIBpE6hL5WnGIYf9JlhkDL_pJ3jUj-L1U3fBNNMeai5Mkq2ihyphenhyphenYBjUrte2h_yJ6PA6U/w640-h426/Capitol+Abstract+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyutjYULSTa7nseWxhLUts5dDVb-cz4JjSf_Z03agEN-9Sg6JgxyBI7ZFPsb7kJd6VNJ_i3UZTjd7yRt9j154uAMfMCO6fe3s9268nfTwO1CWSoJ34VlpL0_EI537AdhyTrzSnbDhYkpQ/s1700/Capitol+Reef+Sunset+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyutjYULSTa7nseWxhLUts5dDVb-cz4JjSf_Z03agEN-9Sg6JgxyBI7ZFPsb7kJd6VNJ_i3UZTjd7yRt9j154uAMfMCO6fe3s9268nfTwO1CWSoJ34VlpL0_EI537AdhyTrzSnbDhYkpQ/w640-h426/Capitol+Reef+Sunset+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/sunset-on-capitol-reef-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPsFiD6N1Gp-NKI7reqS6PAVALOBYGq2UyqVIbXNeAR4W0mWg78-HNZ7k7c5ZbLUxT2wF42R7X3BMn92FdbLPIYJo3fARmEJuDPEnuaTEGGvspw2EF3QVStK5bwvnrakPZ5xyMYjW6Rw/w640-h426/Capitol+Reef+Susnet+2+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/sunset-on-capitol-reef-aaron-spong.html">Sunset on Capitol Reef - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Calf Creek Falls</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">This hike was 6 miles round trip through the desert, so a bit long for Kolby's little 4 year old legs. They were both troopers though and made it (at least one way) all by themselves. The end of the hike is this crazy little oasis in the form of a giant waterfall with an ice cold pool tucked into a canyon. It was like something you'd see in a tropical island. These falls are apparently becoming very popular for tourists, but we didn't see too many other hikers here at least compared to what we're used to in our front range mountains. The kids went for a swim and had a blast before the long hot hike back to the car. When we reached the car again, Kolby must have had 2 lbs. of sand that he dumped out of each of his shoes. We were cranky after this hike and ready again for the pool at the hotel. Good times!</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/calf-creek-falls-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY-v4miyBDf2Jj66yTAvp2WEA_mtk3t_EC7QRJ_a6qf6OcCepidWEv8UkeiPPHytmrKcEQWTK0VItzM7bcstNMGhcf2YVDxw4X0p26SElKTyG0Zp5OXyQADBV7SLbISKGwZjzViscPYw/w640-h426/Calf+Creek+Falls+2.1+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/calf-creek-falls-aaron-spong.html">Calf Creek Falls - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bryce Canyon NP</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bryce was way cooler than expected. What an interesting area with red, white and orange spires sticking up all over the place. You can hike down through them too. This was also a nice spot because this national park is at a little higher elevation so it wasn't so hot here. Sunrise with the Thor's Hammer rock formation was the highlight.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/1-bryce-canyon-sunrise-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1700" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3GVtYoNZm0_uEjMDcfTpv7r9RQac285gR2g1IohcwA9VDsMHvVXu7-aZmvHCuf97CXONgBwbin_uBHjrwGH9brD3k3NMBFUeJTDN-lVWvSL7Z23yG6WNI2j4RhOgyh0NUnrsAcRyVkA/w640-h480/Bryce+Sunrise+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/1-bryce-canyon-sunrise-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise with Thor's Hammer - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjF6n5oZroERMIgwWK6_ccWoIoaL81sH0rVgzNqQekDu-LoG1ayIaQesNyRH05THjrpu-T29T6wvny-4NRvfGdAholCzuJ8GNAoNKH8AqWsojcldytsWk-22CJi455jmDk2rQCUFj8lE/s1700/Bryce+Sunburst+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjF6n5oZroERMIgwWK6_ccWoIoaL81sH0rVgzNqQekDu-LoG1ayIaQesNyRH05THjrpu-T29T6wvny-4NRvfGdAholCzuJ8GNAoNKH8AqWsojcldytsWk-22CJi455jmDk2rQCUFj8lE/w640-h426/Bryce+Sunburst+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_FHbjbiDmZITH1MnXsdtyOzwzuOvUdwoT7itJI-038jw-IH_uz78ccHKSEvvAoEq9G1Xr4hg2TzHi37rCx0_yhYAtnhvykdwK0SritsMVA158RL_psXHccbl3LANPu_csEI2dMfma4w/s1700/Bryce+Tree+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHHOtOWvNlsMYNtlx-c1O76WAM4ajZq6ENyA_YodrZVGJEWDYnV3Roffb5iI93JRHi3Ck9hJGezD-OjByRAw-HKApSIqGEFFjQtHz0HWvRAC6Beo4O-YdsrRDQfXatKl0hpP4HG5Gni4/s2000/Bryce+Panorama+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHHOtOWvNlsMYNtlx-c1O76WAM4ajZq6ENyA_YodrZVGJEWDYnV3Roffb5iI93JRHi3Ck9hJGezD-OjByRAw-HKApSIqGEFFjQtHz0HWvRAC6Beo4O-YdsrRDQfXatKl0hpP4HG5Gni4/w640-h240/Bryce+Panorama+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxt-EdOSp21n3UDOJt6w80jYPgVfLdFsgTC_0HpblqnMzcDn3S3m_JAe5be-aGQ2m2HMt_Vgu4eQGdinM0ZRrsCWJIiCkBMiWvs7ceMYIdpa9Od9akngXb4DBnMGI89AZtxxfaVky2S0/s1700/Bryce+Wildflowers+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxt-EdOSp21n3UDOJt6w80jYPgVfLdFsgTC_0HpblqnMzcDn3S3m_JAe5be-aGQ2m2HMt_Vgu4eQGdinM0ZRrsCWJIiCkBMiWvs7ceMYIdpa9Od9akngXb4DBnMGI89AZtxxfaVky2S0/w640-h426/Bryce+Wildflowers+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><b> </b><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-83154916729639691902021-05-18T15:29:00.009-07:002021-05-18T15:34:29.101-07:00<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/crystal-mill-aaron-spong.html?product=framed-print" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Crystal Mill Acrylic Painting" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CKOR29mTa1ki74_w5JYVfwB7mvonogNAOVbuYRihZmZ6u_NWP4DV3ANKcqoo2gCubFUgBDTeAQBlVNv1pE8ktsqz-RDcT0ENBWUL7KZMs_6QvO9JbgZu-IZjU3fPf2ZaO5pnW8cpphs/w640-h512/Crystal+Mill+small.jpg" title="Acrlyic Painting Crystal Mill Colorado" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paitning - Crystal Mill - <a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/crystal-mill-aaron-spong.html?product=framed-print">Prints Available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>I just finished up a painting of a Colorado classic, the Crystal Mill. I've been in the Aspen area many times, but have never actually made the drive to see the old ruined ghost town of Marble and this beautiful scene. It's such an iconic spot I had to paint it! I'm sure I'll make it up there in person sometime. </p><p>The painting itself took about 20 hours. I actually have been staying after school each day with my daughter and we work on our "art projects" for about an hour before we go home. That way, we make sure to make progress toward the final product, be it ever so slowly. This type of painting is very tedious and requires a lot of attention to detail. It felt good to finish this one! This might be my last painting until the fall. I'm excited to switch from painting to drawing mode in the near future and start some projects I've been wanting to do for a while.<br /></p><p> </p><p> </p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-62121657122104001692021-01-08T12:55:00.002-08:002021-01-08T12:55:07.244-08:005 Colorado Photography Locations You Can Drive To (No Hiking Required)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi058M1WCSDA1vRzZV9nJXow3CThf0f8i3HptB60AVPz5HfAexCutMTBhOh-Wtc8I6s9q9nx4xnIDyBgPplCZiXUOoE4lYND_s7FSJIUIP7APw_HHd6RBvGtskF7bD2NPbSLKad-AJ7n0/s2048/Drive+Locations.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi058M1WCSDA1vRzZV9nJXow3CThf0f8i3HptB60AVPz5HfAexCutMTBhOh-Wtc8I6s9q9nx4xnIDyBgPplCZiXUOoE4lYND_s7FSJIUIP7APw_HHd6RBvGtskF7bD2NPbSLKad-AJ7n0/w426-h640/Drive+Locations.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">If you're photographing the high mountains of Colorado and don't really feel like going on a strenuous hike, you might want to look into a few locations that have easy access for your low clearance 2 wheel drive vehicle. This might especially be true if you are visiting from near sea level. Altitude sickness is a thing! Here are of few of my favorite spots that you can shoot just by getting out of your car:</div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowIwk5WJSmPMIVSr07g8HQ1qhyhgCAEkpc0qOtbJzXSW-Ang3j61fWJSIMg6nOue4jrqtRFn7K1bX_Zh1GqQMJ4qgxOMHS517SxTI1csPhtcsFImCw1SFVZFMDcSQUADIyKptkRK9AmI/s1700/TRR+Blog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowIwk5WJSmPMIVSr07g8HQ1qhyhgCAEkpc0qOtbJzXSW-Ang3j61fWJSIMg6nOue4jrqtRFn7K1bX_Zh1GqQMJ4qgxOMHS517SxTI1csPhtcsFImCw1SFVZFMDcSQUADIyKptkRK9AmI/w640-h640/TRR+Blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">Rocky Mountain National Park is a great place to visit. If you want a true alpine experience above treeline, take the drive along trail ridge road. Enjoy alpine wildflowers, unique rock formations and stunning views of Longs Peak and the Continental Divide. All of this can be had from pull-offs along the road. Keep in mind, there is a National Park fee and this place can get crowded on summer weekends. </p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Chautauqua Park, Boulder</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/-lilac-flowers-boulder-colorado-aaron-spong.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZO20VVk63ldoyDzN9QrUqpceHaCju4fJ-apjwrnQbXNYsbPMf_bBe65j44p-Pf_34HOljDYfAOsYORJWaNex_8U8mGgqexFOH160a3tDVyIQzTjjpsY54MKEGmanEFPpg5OFDYL1ZL0/w640-h424/14241513435_21c1dc6eca_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </span> </div><div style="text-align: left;">The city of Boulder sits along the base of the Front Range foothills a short drive from Denver. The most iconic features here are the Flatirons - huge rocky crags that shoot out from the landscape. Great views can be seen from the entrance. In fact, the above picture was taken standing in the parking lot!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Crested Butte</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/mt-crested-butte-wildflowers-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPozRGoMaDsxFGYh-jSEnUayO1GeezPI-Tei75deUilDhdvrk4PFRikKrfMIpn3PnAajtSxNMyECx966nd1_Y5nR0o5qVOqUTxvDaCSDIvLkgDfkVZu9ByiP_JxRAoRi3xjXF0SwuWOSc/w640-h426/19726893141_ed38b1c255_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Crested Butte is called the "Wildflower Capitol of Colorado". A super neat town with abundant foliage and aspen groves all around it. From here, you can literally just pick any road to drive down and see great views. Kebler pass is a great spot in the fall. It boasts the largest aspen grove in the country...err...world!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Dallas Divide</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/colorado-gold-dallas-divide-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq7wn_kgj-R1Z28K9H-nL1AYvuntzqVfI87r7l8cidLIq55DiHmpPpUONNz9IBPzCn_euBtfz2CCnwYzOWQjnznvD3NJnRobJ3g0plTUz6mv1ravaiQ7pvIT64qunwqw5fW0NhZ4VKnE/w640-h320/15220499920_b05e82c98e_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The Sneffels Range near the historic town of Ouray is known as "Switzerland of America". The mountains here are unique and jagged rising abruptly from the landscape below. Taking Hwy 62 from Ridgway to Telluride goes along the Dallas Divide. Prime country here. You can't trespass onto this pasture land that is own by Ralph Lauren, but the best views are along the road anyway. Once when standing here, I could hear elk bugling and cattle mooing at the same time. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Great Sand Dunes National Park</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaron-spong.pixels.com/featured/sunset-over-star-dune-and-the-crestone-group-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCc7BPhqpeRGCv4N3LIwBG7SlkNmdyiHrfDxBCRR8NBNLj79JfRoZzwdhMpwYlm8pAivtGIxPbydLQcbMDoatnbm0UDH2BXwVnPH8LjfIcQTj_7igpYcqZeBtgY2wxv-uNpIw0uKagX1E/w640-h426/33673152194_b4eaf6def1_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Want to go to an ocean-less beach in the middle of the mountains? The Great Sand Dunes are a true natural wonder. The highest ones rise up to an elevation of 9,000 ft. They are super fun to play in with kids, (or adults) but are a bit of a workout if you want to climb to the top. No worries though, the prime photography spots are near the entrance to the park. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Got any other easy access photography spots? Let me know what else could be added to the list!<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-55191366854942923572020-09-08T14:24:00.001-07:002020-09-08T14:36:32.376-07:00Backpacking in the Wind Rivers - August 2020<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kUKjYv9uXR9netgLSlIBFR24gpIKgbXrDIDSJPZtrN5Z58iuOP828TFoVgBDrAIW43zIXMRqV8nmLSm9k6NxPkY4FFvupfC7CKvJsFRpwaCnLWDN1UmT6CP3I4OXf6Ks5lpX2YLm8TA/s1600/Zach+Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kUKjYv9uXR9netgLSlIBFR24gpIKgbXrDIDSJPZtrN5Z58iuOP828TFoVgBDrAIW43zIXMRqV8nmLSm9k6NxPkY4FFvupfC7CKvJsFRpwaCnLWDN1UmT6CP3I4OXf6Ks5lpX2YLm8TA/w640-h426/Zach+Small.jpg" title="Zach and Tootsie along the trail to Shadow Lake" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The last week of summer we spent 3 days backpacking in the Wind River mountains of northwestern Wyoming. This was my first trek into this stunning area. Zach had visited this location multiple times before and always spoke about its beauty. Well...it didn't disappoint. I was told that these mountains have always been a best kept secret of the locals in the area. Apparently, some people are letting the secret out because the trailheads were totally full with vehicles parked a mile down along the road. In all his years coming up here, Zach had never seen so many visitors to the area. I know that our Colorado mountains are getting overpopulated, but this was kind of sad to see a spot that's in the middle of nowhere in the least populated state have such traffic. The silver lining is that it's likely the Corona-virus is the cause of so many people going to the mountains. With everything else shut down, there's not much for people to do. Outdoor activities are one of the only "safe" suggestions given to us from the government. Hopefully, once the virus induced madness has subsided, the mountains will belong to the regulars again. </p><p>This was also my first venture into grizzly country. I slept very little the night before we went on this trip. It wasn't because I was afraid of grizzly bears, but because I was afraid of not being able to sleep at night in the tent because of the thoughts about grizzly bears. </p><p>"There's nothing to fear but fear itself" </p><p>This is a true statement. Fortunately, I was so exhausted by the time we reached Dads Lake due to lack of sleep that I slept like a baby that night. No bear problems, just lots of people. <br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/dads-lake-wyoming-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dads Lake Wind River Wyoming" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHGGi7UgWqiXOnWsZ2qQoiMP9xoI52pfGyQm3rxULf7FkcXSq41meViOc5mW6C0L_mDqRSdWOik4u6MrgveJdO4omJX4tSr8P78q3_kiPoKWHHqiUG3b2g0uAI2-0FXbLBwVcz_uNQZE/w640-h426/Dads+Lake+WY+small.jpg" title="Dad's Lake Wyoming" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/dads-lake-wyoming-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true">Dads Lake - </a><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/dads-lake-wyoming-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true">Prints Available</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzxdoB-fQKdKRwBO7e0PzU1nZxLIzqPCY5coBTCAn7WpBpWKUPC2UguQfV3jS-7q3l5SfTn5wo16ANGoGUQDq4EtjVSI5_ovjowVeWMUZgVuIhYomR68QvgLSA4h74CAKrq62z0TL1og/s1500/Mirror+Lake+Small.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzxdoB-fQKdKRwBO7e0PzU1nZxLIzqPCY5coBTCAn7WpBpWKUPC2UguQfV3jS-7q3l5SfTn5wo16ANGoGUQDq4EtjVSI5_ovjowVeWMUZgVuIhYomR68QvgLSA4h74CAKrq62z0TL1og/w640-h426/Mirror+Lake+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Lake <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The next day we planned on heading to Pyramid Lake, then on the third day hit Shadow Lake near the Cirque de Towers. We quickly realized that we were not in great backpacking shape. So, we decided to do one or the other. Zach was partial to Shadow, so there we went. The views on the backside of the cirque are stunning: <br /></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipaBuLgPWty6QbEaB20L60gD-0xcogZo36C8FAFUh9VZB4YqExhkKD8QwcAvSOvIE7wgUZ5halix4EdwWGKgy5Z_C_CcwmRmQEmcuwwtSatU9oUMU9ALEcyQkCe-6roe7P7tgCZl68Nis/s1600/Winds+Pond+small.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipaBuLgPWty6QbEaB20L60gD-0xcogZo36C8FAFUh9VZB4YqExhkKD8QwcAvSOvIE7wgUZ5halix4EdwWGKgy5Z_C_CcwmRmQEmcuwwtSatU9oUMU9ALEcyQkCe-6roe7P7tgCZl68Nis/w640-h426/Winds+Pond+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small pond with views of the Mt. Hooker group<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div><p></p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s5bbzfEZqzJFHxZAJECJvkIB7qKZop3-lyt9mE69JfdykenRAugPd_qbuQErQMpYAzz4XbAhy8OO4aTCMHese__Kj7s-suixtrDgUREoccvVkKqImai2qg6i7T7biOPy2tPiCLMqTeE/s1500/River+small.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s5bbzfEZqzJFHxZAJECJvkIB7qKZop3-lyt9mE69JfdykenRAugPd_qbuQErQMpYAzz4XbAhy8OO4aTCMHese__Kj7s-suixtrDgUREoccvVkKqImai2qg6i7T7biOPy2tPiCLMqTeE/w426-h640/River+small.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First views of the Cirque<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpqfaq8LcbizlYxKSMb57cNO4vLkgMdM966gdS_YU4kRxUnFZPo78OxwCdKksXIbGudHhqBmXmUJkN0LK5K3Di4ZnulhDSYTNS25APS5rliap8tNP3_XawAnyx5mxkGORIFaLUXUeemo/s1800/View+small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpqfaq8LcbizlYxKSMb57cNO4vLkgMdM966gdS_YU4kRxUnFZPo78OxwCdKksXIbGudHhqBmXmUJkN0LK5K3Di4ZnulhDSYTNS25APS5rliap8tNP3_XawAnyx5mxkGORIFaLUXUeemo/w640-h320/View+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p> </p><p>As we sat at our camp that afternoon, a young girl only 21 years old came by and visited with us. She was doing the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico....on foot....by herself. Wow! You could tell that she was a little starved for any type of connection with real people as she lingered around our camp for a good hour or so talking about all her adventures so far and her plans for the next few months. Finally, we offered her some of our extra snacks from our packs which she gladly accepted. It's crazy to think about someone so vulnerable just walking across the wilderness by herself. This is not a thing I would ever support my own daughter doing. In our minds, the biggest danger for someone in her situation is not the animals or elements, but the crazy people she might happen upon. Still, we were amazed at her bravery and dedication toward accomplishing such a lofty goal. </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/shadow-lake-aaron-spong.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-dUkwskNvKMzOFX-sE4NStCk7XtVjxABRC-2LSr_VqAzKKqL0JxDQtJj-3sWeK9XHkyjaisqLsqSz2ZW802bmwAkd0M_-pqOk0QqZCeYYU-4oHhiQzH7m9XitY3M8ASaLXwnKFq6NxY/w640-h320/Shadow+Sunset+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/shadow-lake-aaron-spong.html">Sunset on Shadow Lake - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/sunrise-with-the-cirque-de-towers-aaron-spong.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Shadow Lake Cirque De Towers Sunrise Wind River Range Wyoming" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAST5GB3yB2kCG85PP8Eid5cK_VdRPp3PhWoxjnDOa_gHNijJnbJ1Rw-XJ5AT65wbHndCPkJ0GZuVIwWmSxIcDD1KDrGJ5_W5r32CTOCJlJ3Ka63vak7sHu6dQLUgey_y1wBEGkWVa89s/w640-h384/Shadow+Sunrise+Pano+small.jpg" title="Sunrise on Shadow Lake Wind River Rang Wyoming Cirque De Towers" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/sunrise-with-the-cirque-de-towers-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise on Shadow Lake - Prints Available<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-8400956435793998322020-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:002020-07-21T10:40:09.978-07:00Sunrise from Handies Peak - July, 2020<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/sunrise-from-handies-peak-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Colorado 14er Handies Peak with American Peak in the San Juan Mountain Range" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ4QqdYkT0u1PYBsw4jHcP1E33VcQ4kOIEsO3VPcud9OiBJMwuStCgp_IjJKVJeKlpuazU1f5pECQx0T3HEKNrP_NhIEZlW9pztjxd8wzv32gOW0e03ld7xnnvDADH6Gj_8xOAOu5CdA/s640/Hanies+Sunrise+small.jpg" title="Sunrise From Handies Peak" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/sunrise-from-handies-peak-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise from Colorado 14er Handies Peak - Prints available</a></td></tr>
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This weekend, was kind of a cool 14er reunion for James, Brad and I. The three of us used to hike 14ers together often when we were in our 20's. So it was cool to catch up and relive a little of those experiences. Jimmy and Lindsey joined us this time for a hike in the dark to catch the sunrise from the top. We started at 2AM on the trail. Yes... waking up is the hardest part. In the dark, we lost the trail a couple times near Sloan Lake and had to backtrack using our GPS, but had just enough time to reach the ideal height to see the show. The sunrise was cloudless, but the sky turned all colorful. We were wondering if we'd be able to see the NEOWISE comet, but I think it was on the horizon behind the mountains while we were on our way up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYsNdVb8DpBOFiznvPPezapWX04XOshbJiIyLxFO9Y3xi1SPkc1rlO5kn0n57GuS_W2Cx6K_gkKkYxWlKgSvElLsPT05Jp0GIwHWEm7yv_boOSpDmqAe0MEdfX7cZaNe1UoKeBEx3Aas/s1600/Sneffels+in+the+distance+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYsNdVb8DpBOFiznvPPezapWX04XOshbJiIyLxFO9Y3xi1SPkc1rlO5kn0n57GuS_W2Cx6K_gkKkYxWlKgSvElLsPT05Jp0GIwHWEm7yv_boOSpDmqAe0MEdfX7cZaNe1UoKeBEx3Aas/s640/Sneffels+in+the+distance+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Sneffels in the distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vermilion Group in the distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half Peak left of center (I think)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn</td></tr>
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Surprisingly, there were a few other parties up there for the sunrise. I suppose even the more remote 14ers are gaining popularity. The hike down was leisurely and we got to "frolic" in the wildflowers which American Basin is known for. The flowers weren't as lush this year as I've seen in the past, but still good. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sloan Lake</td></tr>
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Jimmy decided that he's not a fan of heights on this hike, especially as we drove along the shelf road with hoards of 4-wheelers passing us along the way. We stopped in Lake City for the best burger ever at the <a href="https://americanelkgrillandinn.com/restaurant-menu">American Elk Grill and Inn</a> before our long drive back home. It was a lot of driving and hiking and not a lot of sleeping. Man, that seemed like it was a lot easier on your body a decade ago. <br />
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<br />Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-69827248273183182262020-07-15T09:57:00.000-07:002024-03-02T10:35:00.431-08:00Lost Twin Lakes, Bighorn Mountains - July, 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKu1vYvT6C_gWOJUTzvGLvhmjf7Nf4H9_j7Ams_1_s0NmpiYp5lxKgs8g3f6kSDuvZDqfZMNMMEHOfsTnFds9JkwAERAkYXInrabNq2o-SMWx4WebANJSOBR2IMbhYckoBoFXllgZrJG4/s1600/Lost+Twin+BW+small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKu1vYvT6C_gWOJUTzvGLvhmjf7Nf4H9_j7Ams_1_s0NmpiYp5lxKgs8g3f6kSDuvZDqfZMNMMEHOfsTnFds9JkwAERAkYXInrabNq2o-SMWx4WebANJSOBR2IMbhYckoBoFXllgZrJG4/s640/Lost+Twin+BW+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We spent a week in Wyoming at Nathan and Kameryn's place which sits on a foresty hill. Wow! They have built a beautiful house in a beautiful place! All the in-laws joined us up there with all the kids which was chaotic... and... fun. On the weekend, we went backpacking into the Bighorns for one night to Lost Twin Lakes from the Tensleep trailhead. It was a moderate hike, though it kicked our butts cause we're getting old. The fishing was really good, the veiws were good, and we saw some bull moose on the way out. It was also nice to get to know Nathan and Kameryn a little better.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/lost-twin-sunset-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Spotlight hits the peaks in the Bighorn Mountains Wyoming at sunset" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kjXUw_jWNYBRjuKjyRn1c6qDnd6FabVSbz0_5A3Oc7s9vu-RZ9oMvUkWhT6zLF_sW7QBVY9N0RDzO51NhuLrKLEs4boSxLb2LeJpVqBCkS_2xm91HvxBDDzeZmjf47ig-BKF3ixJoFs/s640/Lost+Twin+Sunset+small.jpg" title="Lost Twin Lakes Sunset" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/lost-twin-sunset-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true">Sunset - Lost Twin Lakes - Prints available</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMHUzL4zv7F4wVTd8XkZxGZsV_HuGGfYtv9ONMeIiUVlvbj1zobp37Cr1JzZJcdkngOlD_6MhxkrKqWVW2f9O4cHQrHQhuDcNk1yBs8A2oxCKHHuHAWxebMTLTTFQlXu3mY_JLKkabPY/s1600/Waterfall+2+small.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bighorn Mountains with twin waterfalls in the Bighorn Mountains Wyoming" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMHUzL4zv7F4wVTd8XkZxGZsV_HuGGfYtv9ONMeIiUVlvbj1zobp37Cr1JzZJcdkngOlD_6MhxkrKqWVW2f9O4cHQrHQhuDcNk1yBs8A2oxCKHHuHAWxebMTLTTFQlXu3mY_JLKkabPY/s640/Waterfall+2+small.jpg" title="Waterfall Sunrise" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost Twin Waterfalls :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/lost-twin-sunrise-aaron-spong.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunrise at Lost Twin Lakes in the Bighorn Mountains Wyoming" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpt5HSaYYJthbIMGnL423emLZdgLf1lWD8ZMGpdxVk7EmixOYEL2cEN3FHgrk-AfrlTJDer0MnvwWn2iRsQbkxNxDONpFzAXSxWzA3BTpHTEKLpU6suMzUKriNRHDWTNmJ3iAv3y65Xo/s640/Lost+Twin+Sunrise+small.jpg" title="Lost Twin Lakes Sunrise" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/lost-twin-sunrise-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise - Lost Twin Lakes - Prints available</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuOdvkhQLEkykCBh6T_tR5V9QTWPIAIBmRjrgRYYK7aQ74lur38OPnkS3mefcnEOf89kh7brAMtSsI6PhkT0L7wk2J2vWNLLlPj5rMb7FV4iTPYr7WwG0YKi-HiYN3PVRDBPg5EknYus/s1600/Moose+Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuOdvkhQLEkykCBh6T_tR5V9QTWPIAIBmRjrgRYYK7aQ74lur38OPnkS3mefcnEOf89kh7brAMtSsI6PhkT0L7wk2J2vWNLLlPj5rMb7FV4iTPYr7WwG0YKi-HiYN3PVRDBPg5EknYus/s640/Moose+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-54932072964738608502020-07-08T09:21:00.000-07:002020-07-08T10:59:06.112-07:00Shoshoni Peak - July, 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvSpPhWlKxWLlaHEBOdeZuz_YYAWBfnvgzBnL3t3yrJzZ9qyE45qaN0YTPLvdCuSf_vigsoqs5bzsgqBxec4mUQ6UL4Kssay3fa2Ib_WbHCwYogx56sUmno7ypsQ5SoK7cGvrPsp_qbg/s1600/Cami+Summit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shoshoni Peak Summit Indian Peaks Wilderness Colorado" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvSpPhWlKxWLlaHEBOdeZuz_YYAWBfnvgzBnL3t3yrJzZ9qyE45qaN0YTPLvdCuSf_vigsoqs5bzsgqBxec4mUQ6UL4Kssay3fa2Ib_WbHCwYogx56sUmno7ypsQ5SoK7cGvrPsp_qbg/s640/Cami+Summit.jpg" title="Cami on top of Shoshoni Peak" width="640" /></a></div>
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Before heading to Wyoming, we got to get out and do a quick hike of Shoshoni peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. This is such a cool place with awesome scenery so close to home. The Brainard Lake Area was only allowing a certain number of vehicles into the parking lot to mitigate impact of COVID so we made sure to get there super early. This was Tootsie's first mountain and she did great. By the time we got back to the car, she was pretty spent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo8iq9qiqJWuaXO2eGm_z6g8g-VMdzCqhpYT83xJKmTletemo-UJCEjjDBQ14xw8dHInwqEy_JbraEpCILpJ2L31beu_bU9twJkXdcBpVBmjD8kpmTLVWCBZQw3rFkjN8oE2iF9tMil8/s1600/Long+Lake+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunrise at Long Lake Indian Peaks Wilderness" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo8iq9qiqJWuaXO2eGm_z6g8g-VMdzCqhpYT83xJKmTletemo-UJCEjjDBQ14xw8dHInwqEy_JbraEpCILpJ2L31beu_bU9twJkXdcBpVBmjD8kpmTLVWCBZQw3rFkjN8oE2iF9tMil8/s640/Long+Lake+Small.jpg" title="Sunrise at Long Lake" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise at Long Lake</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pixels.com/featured/apache-and-navajo-peak-panorama-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtoDc-GJ_AcONXrEgCZla83XjekUqNIgmDV0mZE0hOW76b8dweth5p7Yi0LPPU65Z1ZbuuiRlOTfDzr_HzfGWLg0krPAb5O3t2tNqB83H0Szp0wc3VBQYNrev7RbtCeM77VYntB75hig/s640/Apache+Pano+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pixels.com/featured/apache-and-navajo-peak-panorama-aaron-spong.html?newartwork=true">Apache and Navajo from the Summit of Shoshoni - Prints available</a></td></tr>
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<br />Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-4831542111522005402020-06-19T10:48:00.000-07:002020-06-19T10:52:00.651-07:00Hiking Sky Pond, RMNP - June, 2020<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/sky-pond-panorama-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rocky Mountain National Park Sky Pond Panorama Prints Photography panoramic" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorQ6rFUCuVCLKRGTAv0cKWA-Bu8WfkEFxDNg79oBOM9vznu9sCxYcqWxOVNoswZbub0HKdlwNN6VhbpVwxxLuLYNk0qflTAFNA2L-nCLy5SIQO93vEUMVife-xsTXTHuARM1yNtM45ig/s640/Sky+Pond+small.jpg" title="Sky Pond" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/sky-pond-panorama-aaron-spong.html">Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park - Prints available</a></td></tr>
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This past weekend we did a "warm up" hike to Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain National Park. This has got to be one of the best hikes in the whole Estes Park area. The lake sits at the base of rugged spires known as the Sharkstooth and 13,000 ft. Taylor Peak. In early June, there was plenty of snow to cross with an exciting scramble up a waterfall to reach this high glacial lake. Marmots and other critters weren't afraid of people up here. One even walked right up to our feet! A good day with great friends and a "manhandler" at Smokin' Daves for lunch is always a worthy prize for such a workout.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit74vtlF5NHjtpuRIB2NV06QtSXQfa9UfBSAqqYIJGIGSIirUoFPN4n-PbmcSm7Q9qEaKDPP3_DG_nsyYYgmk6qJqdlliQ2Mpp78EHr1oRX__3kyaUEq2luSqPCBjLVs4IPR3Y-Pfap7Y/s1600/The+loch+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit74vtlF5NHjtpuRIB2NV06QtSXQfa9UfBSAqqYIJGIGSIirUoFPN4n-PbmcSm7Q9qEaKDPP3_DG_nsyYYgmk6qJqdlliQ2Mpp78EHr1oRX__3kyaUEq2luSqPCBjLVs4IPR3Y-Pfap7Y/s640/The+loch+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Loch</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPY2lpoaGVCPdRbE8aGSdquxQaCQ4Q6drCzwKVmteVMynkb_u2JPAm-Epimxd1cgX-iGFk-uGcD7BGy9LuBdgtL0dKQDInbyyVWtY5VQ6_yQ7_lPy_3b4Q_BaLHFi0OBfmgBtSGbNfF8/s1600/Lake+of+Glass+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPY2lpoaGVCPdRbE8aGSdquxQaCQ4Q6drCzwKVmteVMynkb_u2JPAm-Epimxd1cgX-iGFk-uGcD7BGy9LuBdgtL0dKQDInbyyVWtY5VQ6_yQ7_lPy_3b4Q_BaLHFi0OBfmgBtSGbNfF8/s640/Lake+of+Glass+small.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake of Glass </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq0TfhxbDlsyqegcxg22iyLLqKCVbXxPtVzye4YEvxWwSIhjaaY7fSTPe1tQ0DM0UMxJ7LeWfKLsTInAZYJ84Ow-rFTMZtFE3ppOO4zTP1W5cRC3ky6aDd_gQfcZAcvmfx5kx4K5pMrg/s1600/The+Sharkstooth+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq0TfhxbDlsyqegcxg22iyLLqKCVbXxPtVzye4YEvxWwSIhjaaY7fSTPe1tQ0DM0UMxJ7LeWfKLsTInAZYJ84Ow-rFTMZtFE3ppOO4zTP1W5cRC3ky6aDd_gQfcZAcvmfx5kx4K5pMrg/s640/The+Sharkstooth+small.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sharkstooth</td></tr>
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...And here's a relaxing set of video clips from the hike:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DzhbSLceR5Q/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DzhbSLceR5Q?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<br />Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728608330118916774.post-87711269581522739072020-06-08T14:34:00.000-07:002020-06-08T14:34:54.916-07:00Backpacking Boulder Lake with the Kids - June 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGj2zrD80WHN6wSZbXhv91r3ZOyxc_6M1a2jHjFl1KMh2a3V2lzWxxsz97p3htxQRV7uKHNcHEIho27zmnTfaTGwZ6pL_BpRSWwI4N6aAaoZa4YNgEo5iDzitYe2s1boH1Cq9O7jZWuEk/s1600/102378096_10157600048820889_767056072335818855_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGj2zrD80WHN6wSZbXhv91r3ZOyxc_6M1a2jHjFl1KMh2a3V2lzWxxsz97p3htxQRV7uKHNcHEIho27zmnTfaTGwZ6pL_BpRSWwI4N6aAaoZa4YNgEo5iDzitYe2s1boH1Cq9O7jZWuEk/s640/102378096_10157600048820889_767056072335818855_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Coronavirus has kept us all home for months. National Parks are beginning to open and outdoor recreation is considered a good social distancing activity. We chose a more secluded area in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness to take the kids on their first backpacking trip. The route was 3 miles one way and 1,500 ft. of elevation gain with lots of ups and downs along the way. We had doubts on how the kids would do especially Kolby with his little almost 4 year old legs. Well...the two of them were troopers! We just had to keep playing games and taking snack breaks to keep them entertained. They made it all the way to the lake and I didn't even have to carry them (much). By the way, sunrise at the lake was stunning!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_uywaCIYIy5GWcDxNmlD2BnF6jD4yrMWM5TmYEJ-pHdc7MJ2sWJpPp684w9ANTdT8B5BuMEK9lIePBEYQMW0agppeT3HiqzNJw72qVDlp6yCK1P1tyrEomwtIYE6BwP3jp8hmcq8mZs/s1600/Boulder+Lake+BW+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_uywaCIYIy5GWcDxNmlD2BnF6jD4yrMWM5TmYEJ-pHdc7MJ2sWJpPp684w9ANTdT8B5BuMEK9lIePBEYQMW0agppeT3HiqzNJw72qVDlp6yCK1P1tyrEomwtIYE6BwP3jp8hmcq8mZs/s640/Boulder+Lake+BW+Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boulder Lake Black and White</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yXxTppuRPqpx8uRmqVm5A0PhYRpMo8KW6oFzyFhAf8dh4PGY7XXhxR86ZEb_IGDA6F9DbfEAot3Rb9e_kYT1cn1-R_PvYAZ-HeTeSjcV1q9xeE6-DOWmaj4dpIkwzcekzGKGXrzzsPw/s1600/Boulder+Lake+Vertical+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yXxTppuRPqpx8uRmqVm5A0PhYRpMo8KW6oFzyFhAf8dh4PGY7XXhxR86ZEb_IGDA6F9DbfEAot3Rb9e_kYT1cn1-R_PvYAZ-HeTeSjcV1q9xeE6-DOWmaj4dpIkwzcekzGKGXrzzsPw/s640/Boulder+Lake+Vertical+small.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boulder Lake Sunrise - Vertical</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/boulder-lake-sunrise-aaron-spong.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunrise in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness Silverthorne Colorado Gore Range Boulder Lake lakes" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkJM-rOFLTVxil9qfEhPDEkrGOu_z8VvwMdyp1-Pdn0-hJhM8Hm54FTCf8l5VxQEbKOGAPpwOUA4Uv3m5zPmuwjMndgpJbxQ7JmP9XKMYq71Cit3c81uSF1QeuzZOf4tfiNOwibwf_5k/s640/Boulder+Lakes+3+Small.jpg" title="Boulder Lake in the Gore Range at Sunrise" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aaronspong.com/featured/boulder-lake-sunrise-aaron-spong.html">Sunrise at Boulder Lake - Prints Available</a></td></tr>
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<br />Spong0949http://www.blogger.com/profile/08676735260594924017noreply@blogger.com0