A Trial with a view

Bridget Strang is doing a great job of hosting sheep dog trials up on Missouri Heights. You couldn't ask for a prettier place or a prettier time of year...

Dawn at Strang Ranch.

That's Mount Sopris in the background.

Early morning still had frost on the grass.

and one of the first runs of the day with a little dawn light. It was pretty cold- around 20 F.

but that didn't stop the dogs....

Here's Bridget with Treat on her first run in the Open on Saturday.

Afternoon and things started to warm up.

Put the Nationals on your calendar for next year. 

Holiday elk

For Christmas
The Elk

Come walking

sopris buffalo

This one's a little hard to see as it's so far away ... but the saying is that Spring is on the way when you see the buffalo on Sopris. The buffalo is just starting to emerge on the far east peak (left side of picture). If that weren't enough I saw the first ground squirrel of Spring today. That little darling tunneled through 2 feet of snow to sit on the drift and chirp at me. Ginny was too tired to chase him and the other 3 don't have a clue what a ground squirrel is yet. They will soon I'm sure.....

Zhivago

We had a little mid day snowshoe today. The sun was out and the snow had a satin shine to it. We've had a day and a half of warmer temperatures and now the sun comes out and makes it sparkle, just a little.



The Hellboyz did their very best Dr. Zhivago imitation.


Ginny opted for the back of my snowshoes instead of breaking trail. By the time we'd toured the meadow everyone had decided I should break trail. Lucky me.

Sunset

Around 3:30 the shadows start getting long and clouds start to gather around Sopris.

By 5 pm the sun is behind the mountain and the moon is already up.

Cold dawn

The snow isn't quite squeaky squeak this morning- it's more of a squeaky crunch.

Good Morning Sopris

This is Mount Sopris above Carbondale. Named for "General" Sopris who "discovered" the hot springs in Glenwood.

It has a "rock glacier" and misses being a "Thirteener" by 47 feet at 12,953 feet altitude. It's one end of the Elk Mountain range- Mnt Elbert the highest mountain in Colorado is at the other end of the Elk Mountains. We're at around 7000 feet at the ranch. Although I've climbed around the Elk Mountains a bit I've never made the hike. I did "ski" up Elbert many years ago but that's another story.


It's warmer this morning (out of the minus' column)



Jinks is looking perky and Ginny is following him more and more instead of the other way 'round.

I've heard the "eep eep eep" of elk the past two nights. They normally come back through here for Christmas and New Years.