Mueller State Park

 I really like the Woodland Park area (Cafe Leo has awesome coffee and terrific bagel sandwiches).  And I really like our state parks.  So I indulged both last month with my first visit to Mueller State Park.

AllTrails recommended the Rock Pond, Rock Canyon, and Outlook Ridge Trails Loop, which the ranger in the Visitor Center validated as a solid choice.  And right away, some great views presented themselves.

There were also some great smaller views, like this Edwards's Fritillary... 

...and this Lanceleaf Stonecrop.

A curious Fremont's Squirrel didn't immediately scurry off as I captured its likeness.

Wildflowers were still popping, like Fragrant Evening Primrose...

...and Prickly Wild Rose, this one also popular with pollinators.

I had been looking for lakes, but settled for several picturesque ponds.  The first was Brook Pond, where I got down on my belly to capture some wildflowers in the foreground.

The pond looks just as good in landscape view.

Some beautifully blooming Rocky Mountain Beardtongue on the way to the next pond.

Cool reflection at Rock Pond of, presumably, its namesake rock.

Geer Pond comes up third, with a nicely placed rock and wildflowers to aid in composition.

I don't mind the wind ripples breaking up the smoothness of the lake surface.  Adds some authenticity to the scene.

It's always a treat to see Columbines on hikes.  They're like the cool kids of Colorado wildflowers.

Lost Pond is the final pond, and I don't know why it has that name.  Maybe it dries up in dry seasons?

One final vista from Outlook Ridge as the clouds rolled in, then I finished up the 5.7-mile trail in a tidy 2:53.  A truly terrific hike, capped off with a stop at the aforementioned Cafe Leo for a Dirty Chai and Spicy Avo on my way home!

Baker Creek Loop

Day 2 in Great Basin had very different weather than my first day  -- warm temperatures and clear skies.  I decided to hike the Baker Creek Loop, which offered options to extend the hike if I was feeling up to it.

Great views to the east right after leaving the trailhead, all the way to the Wasatch Range.

And the continued presence of Wheeler Peak, which I would once again not be submitting.

Wildflowers were abundant and blooming, including this Desert Paintbrush.

And where you have blooming wildflowers you have butterflies, like this Common Checkered-Skipper.

I always enjoy seeing swallowtails like this Anise.  Lots of butterflies seemed attracted to these paler Aspen Bluebells...

But not the "bluer" ones, for some reason.

The creek was running vigorously with spring runoff.

I decided to pass on extending the hike, so the loop alone was 3.8 miles which I covered in about 2 hours, 17 minutes.  The perfect conditions made the time fly right by.

I popped back into town for a quick coffee and snack at the Bristlecone General Store, then took the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive back to the summit parking lot and read the afternoon away.  It was as refreshingly relaxing as it sounds.  Heading back to my cabin I stopped to capture the later afternoon sun over the Snake Range, and decided I had had a pretty awesome day. :)

Related Link: Alpine Lakes Loop

Dupont Open Space and Trail

It's been a long time since I've been on a bird walk with actual birders.  I always know I might not get great pictures, because the other folks in the group are content to see birds through their binoculars or even just hear their songs and calls.  But I also know I'm probably going to learn a lot, so it's worth it.  Today's walk in the Dupont Open Space and Trail organized by our local Wild Birds Unlimited store gave me both.

Wildflowers were my first subjects.  I can always get close enough to them, and they rarely fly away.  Silvery Lupine hadn't yet turned blue.

I didn't even know Wild Asparagus was a thing.

I'd already been eyeing this Upright Blue Beardtongue for a shot, then a Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee paid it a visit.  Two for one!

It took me a while to get any shots of the birds we were hearing and occasionally seeing.  And everything I got is at full zoom and heavily cropped.  But this Lesser Goldfinch is easily recognizable.

I got a nice education on identifying the calls of House Wrens, and was then fortunate enough to get a shot of one making that call.

This is not a wonderful shot of a Great Horned Owl.  But it is a shot of a Great Horned Owl, which is still cool.  We saw four of them in the same basic area, or we disturbed the same poor owl four times, or some combination thereof.

A Brown-headed Cowbird, possibly looking to take over the nest of some other poor unsuspecting bird.

We watched quite a little kerfuffle between a pair of male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, likely over a female.  Here one is on the lookout for his rival...

...then KAPOW! Well, not so much "kapow."  But they did buzz and circle each other a lot.
 

Wild Four o'Clock blooming under the trees.

One of our guides pointed out a Red-tailed Hawk nest they'd seen a few weeks earlier on another walk.  Then we watched its residents circle overhead for a bit.

We heard most of the birds before we actually caught sight of them, and this Yellow Warbler was no exception.

Meadow Salsify already on its way out before summer even arrives.

A great walk with some great folks, where I learned some interesting stuff and got some decent pictures.  In other words, a great morning!

The Butchart Gardens

Our last shore excursion on our Alaskan cruise wasn't actually in Alaska; it was The Butchart Gardens in Victoria.  It was the only excursion we booked through our cruise ship, so when we disembarked we immediately boarded a bus full of other wearying cruisers for the short drive.

Danelle had been once before, but enjoyed it so much she wanted to go to back.  And I've had lovely visits to botanical gardens in Arkansas, Texas, and Colorado, so I wasn't a tough sell.

I'm relying on iNaturalist for IDs on the flowers I shot because I didn't have the foresight to write them down.  Cultivated plants aren't really a strength of iNaturalist, so these might be off.  The site thinks the previous photo is a Provence Rose and this one an Apple Rose.

Here a Chinese Snowball Viburnum, which I hope is correct just because the name is so cool.

I'm confident that the ID of a Red Water Lily is accurate here.

Likewise with wild pollinators like this Pale Swallowtail...

... and this Small White, both on Purpletop Vervain.

A beautiful Garden Dahlia that seems like floral fireworks.

Scented Storksbill, perhaps?

I love the textures I was able to capture on this Royal Mallow.

Fuchsia I can pretty much always recognize.

Mophead Hydrangea is a rather homely name for a lovely flower, but an accurate name if you happen to own a purple mop.

Scented Hosta, which I don't remember actually being especially fragrant.

And lastly Tree Aeonium, which I think has an interesting metallic appearance.

The gardens are lovely, so I do recommend if you're visiting the area.  And with that our latest trip to the Pacific Northwest had come to a close!

Related Links:

• Wrangell Whale Watching
• Sitka 2023
• Ketchikan 2023