Yesterday we arrived in Denver after two snowy days crossing Wyoming and into Colorado. Here it is in the 60’s during the day and freezing at night. That means great sleeping and hiking weather! Jean’s pastel workshop began this morning, so I got up and drove her to it at 7:30.
I decided the weather was too good to pass up and looked for hikes in the area of SW Denver. There are many. The suburbs here have designated lots of green spaces, open space, and parks. It’s a walking and biking paradise. I chose Dinosaur Ridge as my hike of the day. This ridge is part of a chain of ridges that front the rocky mountains. The rock is very old (hundreds of millions of years) and eroding, so ancient fossils are constantly being exposed. The trail goes up one side gradually until it gets to the top near one end, rounds the corner, and goes down the other side. Then one gets to reverse course over the same route to get back to the visitor center and the car. It was a good workout at this elevation. The fossils were interesting even though they aren’t as dramatic as seeing “clean” ones in a museum. These are in situ, so sometimes you have to use your imagination. Here are some photos to illustrate.
Paul
Travels With Picasso 