Evergreen Lake

Got up before dawn on Saturday to drive up to Evergreen Lake for the sunrise.  I was a little surprised at how chilly it was -- literally freezing.  The sign on the bank in town read 32 degrees as I drove through.

I didn't expect to see activity at the lake house so early.  I came to a wedding rehearsal dinner here once.  Otherwise, I'm not sure exactly what goes on there when the lake's not open for skating.

The water fowl were just starting to awaken.  Not unlike people, some moved faster in the morning than others.

One duck seemed to prefer waiting for the sun on shore.  I didn't have to feel the water to sympathize.

It wasn't an especially colorful sunrise, but the sight of the glowing orb first peeking over the mountains was still magical.

Things brightened and warmed up pretty quickly, even as mist lingered over the lake itself.

I could hear elk bugling periodically in the direction of the golf course, but never did see any.

The sun created a brilliant reflection on the still waters.

Cattails are cool plants.  We get some much runoff from the neighbors behind our house that we had them planted in our backyard for years.  They thrived a little too well and we got rid of them when they started to spread to adjoining properties.  It was good to pay some a visit.

In no particular hurry, I spent a nice, quiet couple of hours here.  I didn't see any other people for a while, but by the time I left the trails were filling with joggers, bikers and folks walking their dogs.  A perfect Colorado fall morning!