June 19-20 2014 Fort Collins and Dutch George, Colorado

On our last day in Fort Collins Katie Lehaye and Katy Hales came to visit.

We went for a bike ride on the Poudre  River and then out to lunch in Old Town. The two Katie’s are going on a week long bike ride on The Katy Trail bike trail in Missouri next week. John and I  found it on our travels and told them about it.

Meanwhile we were packed up and ready to go after our visit with them. We are now about 15 miles up Poudre Canyon west from Fort Collins. Our first camp is at Dutch George Campground, right on the river. This swarm of bees we hanging from a tree by the river near our site. They spent the night and left in the morning. Across the river from us are burnt trees. A huge area in this canyon burned two years ago. You can see some of the burnt trees in the background. The river corridor was spared.

The sun shines so nice in the bus in the morning. It is wonderful to be back in our home. John cooking a scrumptious dinner on the BBQ. Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, onion blossom and some herbed zucchini.

The next day we hiked a side canyon Elk Horn Creek. The trail starts by the Poudre-you can see the campground in the far right. The trail head starts in this field of tall grass.

Elk horn creek is very, very lush. With drier fields filled with wildflowers. We hiked a total of 4 miles.  We may go back. The only reason we turned back is we had to cross the creek so many times and I had to take off my boots, wade across bare foot, put my boots back on and repeat over and over. I decided to take the high route and stay on one side, but the canyon has very, very steep sides and it was sooooo hot I wore myself out. Next time I will take my chacos for river crossings.  We went swimming in a pool and had lunch next to the creek.

The Poudre on the way back. It was in the 80’s and we were hot from the hike. We dipped in the Poudre when we got back. It was really, really cold. Here I am easing in.

I put up the hummingbird feeder on the bus. The neighbor’s had feeder had birds fighting over it. I asked them their secret and they told me they used 3 times as much sugar. I made some more for ours and put it in hot and melted the feeder, it is now deformed. The sunset on the river.

The wildflowers are incredible. What daisy,  salsify, spiderwort, yarrow, blue flax, white, yellow and pink clover.

spurge, blue vetch, white geranium, poison ivy, evening primrose, wild rose bud, flower bud, golden banner

Pink wild rose, spiderwort, pink geraniums, yellow cactus flower, white geranium, yellow aster, sulfur flower and white lupines.

columbine, blanket flower, anemone, skull flower, white flower, blue eyed grass, two columbines, purple flowers.

white lupine, fuchsia loco weed,borage, scarlet guara, fringed gromwell, early yellow flower, pink anemone

yellow sedum, white wild rose, blanket flower, anemone seed head, scorpion weed, pink clover, white flowers on a bush with a spider, yellow cactus flowers.

penstamen, blurry tiger swallow tail, lousewort, blurry deer.