Sunday, August 23, 2009

ATV ride

Paul and I went on an ATV poker run yesterday in DeBeque, Co. We rode about 30 miles of dusty back roads and ATV trails. Our poker hands were never in any danger of being winners, but it was fun. Some views from the ride:


As we were driving back to GJ on I70, which in that spot runs along the Colorado River, it occurred to me that even though I've lived all my life within an hour's drive of it, I don't think I've ever stuck so much as a toe into the water. I mentioned this to Paul, and we decided we'd stop at Corn Lake State Park, which is within a few miles of our house. We walked part way around the lake and down to the bank of the river, and we both waded in up to our ankles. There were people floating by on rafts and inner tubes. I saw tiny fish in the shallow water and tried to catch some, but they're way too fast for me. Then I saw what I thought at first was a cricket, but it was a tiny baby toad. Walking back to the truck, we saw this beauty:

A blue heron. He's actually on the lake, and flew across it soon after I snapped this. We could tell by his body language that he wasn't too comfortable with us watching him, and we weren't as close as this picture appears; I used the zoom. They are over 3 feet tall, and really impressive when they fly, as their wing span is probably more than 3 feet. Their feathers are more blue as they fly. Click on the picture for a close up.

2 comments:

Judy S. said...

Sounds like a fun day, Janet! I love blue herons; they remind me of pteradactyls actually. Our birdbook says their wingspan is 6 feet, but I love the way their legs trail along after them when they fly. BTW, the purse is on its way to GJ, finally!

Cathy said...

Janet, it sounds like you and Paul had a lovely day! That picture of the blue heron is a treasure - what a lovely stitched motif it would make! Hugs, Cathy