Chatfield State Park, June 2015

First full day back in Colorado wasn't mainly for taking photos: It was for catching up with dear friends. But I still managed to squeeze in a few hours at Chatfield State Park. As much rain as we've had in Texas, they've had it nearly as bad here. The reservoir hit record levels back on June 17, and has only receded a couple of feet since then.

  No parking was going on in this parking lot.  But I saw some kayakers go through.

Lupine are in bloom, and the pollen sacs on this bumblebee seemed full to bursting.

I imagine the scene provides a bit of a glimpse of what the area will look like if the planned reallocation project moves forward, and the reservoir becomes used for storage in addition to its current flood mitigation role.

Not sure exactly what type of insect this green fly is.  But it looked striking on the thistle blossom.  The bright overcast conditions did provide nice light for these types of shots.

Another thistle was covered in ladybugs -- I counted at least 20.  Nothing like Zak and I saw a few years ago at Devil's Head Lookout Tower, but still interesting.

I'd never seen Slocum Cabin before today, or this ruined wagon that rests near it.

The bridge over the Platte River is just barely above water.  But the road just west of it is still submerged.  The waters are going to have go down another several feet before normal vehicle traffic will be possible again.

A nice little photo appetizer to start the visit!