Photo report of the Sangre De Cristos

Manitou · 03-31-2007

About 1.5 hours south of here is the town of Westcliffe, Colorado. We love the area because it's a very laid back part of Colorado. Westcliffe is about 2.5 hours south of Denver so it doesn't get much in the way of Denver crowds as most of those folks head straight west to get their dose of the mountains.

We had a great day hiking, so thought I would share some photos...

Westcliffe's elevation is somewhere around 8000 feet above sea level. As we headed out of town, we headed into the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness area.

We headed up this trail toward the two avalanche chutes in this photo.

Sangre De Cristo "Blood of Christ" is a beautiful mountain range. The range covers northern New Mexico and central Colorado. There are ten peaks over 14,000 feet included in the range. The area outside of Westcliffe is home to several of those 14ers.

I had to take a photo of this sign after I read it. Didn't think too much about it until I got to the part about "hang gliders." I can't imagine anyone hang gliding through the pines or haulin' a glider up the damn mountain.

We went up for about four hours. In and out of windy weather, sometimes sweating sometimes freezing. Some parts of the mountain looked like winter and other parts showed the signs of spring.

On our return back to the car, we passed through a campground. We talked on the way down about stopping there for lunch. For the past several years we have "cooked" our lunch. In this photo you can see our little Jet Boil stove that boils water quickly. Works great for making a warm lunch from freeze dried foods. The freeze dried foods are so nice because they are light weight. And after burning calories hiking they actually don't taste too bad!

After reading so many great food trip reports lately, had to post this photo of our lunch...Backpacker's Pantry "Santa Fe Chicken." Pretty Tasty!

On our way out, one last peek toward the mountains...

The theatre in Westcliffe...

Today was like a trip back in time for us. So much has changed in our lives over the past several years. We haven't been to the Sangres in several years, but visiting there today it was like no time has passed.

BonnyW · 03-31-2007

Very nice.
As usual, your photos are great!
Thank you for the glimpse of your world.

**SunKneeMarie** · 03-31-2007

very nice pics... love the last one...

jflattracker · 03-31-2007

Beautiful pictures! Not a lot of snow left there! Thanks for sharing them.

Ginger · 03-31-2007

you made some beautiful photos as usual. I love the last one, and the one of Cheryl and the old guy. I love reading about your hikes, you guys really know how to enjoy the earth.

I also really like this one:

but that's me, always partial to the out-of-the-ordinary.

Did Cheryl take that one of you cooking? Love the milky background.

I was just logging in to post some photos of our day as well! Perhaps we need an ongoing "photos of your day trip" thread, so I don't tie up the random photo thread with a bunch of my own I like to share.

Maybe I should start one...hmmm...

jflattracker · 03-31-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginger

you made some beautiful photos as usual. I love the last one, and the one of Cheryl and the old guy. I love reading about your hikes, you guys really know how to enjoy the earth.

I also really like this one:

but that's me, always partial to the out-of-the-ordinary.

Did Cheryl take that one?

I was just logging in to post some photos of our day as well! Perhaps we need an ongoing "photos of your day trip" thread, so I don't tie up the random photo thread with a bunch of my own I like to share.

Maybe I should start one...hmmm...

Sounds good to me! I love looking at both of your photos!

cuffedlinks · 04-01-2007

Russ...

Wow...
Wonderful stuff.

Andiline · 04-01-2007

Great pics! You guys have such nices landscapes over there. I do understand why there are so many americans who never leave their country - there simply is too much to see over there.

mofi · 04-01-2007

Great photos! we have some very talented people on this board.

Jo · 04-01-2007

Russ- wonderful pics as usual!! I guess the world will never see the day that a "crappy shot" comes out of your camera!!

Also to say that it is SO wonderful to see you and Cheryl happy after all that went on a while ago!! Love, strength and a good heart (plus a partner with the same characteristics) can indeed conquer almost everything!!!

ZAEM · 04-01-2007

Thanks for sharing! What wonderful pictures-so great to read and see photos of places I've never heard of and probably will never see.
Your wife looks fabulous! Glad to see she is feeling good. It's nice to take a trip back in time once and a while.

TAPPY · 04-01-2007

Awesome photos. It is so great to see pictures of you and Cheryl.

Love the picture of your Goldie !!

Manitou · 04-01-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by BonnyW

Thank you for the glimpse of your world.

Thanks, Bonny! It's always nice to see your part of the world, too! Sorry we missed you guys at the NW Peep Meet last summer, but I know our paths will cross sometime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunKneeMarie

very nice pics... love the last one...

Thanks, SunK. Small western town!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jflattracker

Beautiful pictures! Not a lot of snow left there! Thanks for sharing them.

My pleasure. We were in Aspen area last weekend for soccer. Not much there either. I think Denver got about as much snow as the high country this winter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginger

I love reading about your hikes, you guys really know how to enjoy the earth.

Thanks, Leasa. Getting up early to pack, not doing the usual chores around the house, etc. make leaving difficult, but we have no regrets once we get started. Yesterday was so special simply because we avoided the crowds and saw a piece of slowed down Colorado.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginger

Did Cheryl take that one of you cooking? Love the milky background.

Yes she did. $100 lens/ 50mm 1.8. One of my favorites.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuffedlinks

Wow...
Wonderful stuff.

Tim, thanks much. Gotta love the west!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andiline

Great pics! You guys have such nices landscapes over there. I do understand why there are so many americans who never leave their country - there simply is too much to see over there.

Thanks Andiline. I love looking at your photos, too. One reason I really like Ginger's idea about her new thread. One thread to keep an eye on to see so many different parts of the world. As far as leaving the country, I could spend the next several years and never leave the state of Colorado. So big and so beautiful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mofi

Great photos! we have some very talented people on this board.

Yes we do! So many talents and such a wide variety of interests. Very cool place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joana

Also to say that it is SO wonderful to see you and Cheryl happy after all that went on a while ago!! Love, strength and a good heart (plus a partner with the same characteristics) can indeed conquer almost everything!!!

You're an angel. Your words, as always, mean so much!
We're back to Houston middle of June, but expecting nothing but good news. Counts have been great the last couple of checks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZAEM

Thanks for sharing! What wonderful pictures-so great to read and see photos of places I've never heard of and probably will never see.
Your wife looks fabulous! Glad to see she is feeling good. It's nice to take a trip back in time once and a while.

Thanks, Zaem. I agree about seeing places never heard of. What a great learning experience it is to see so many different parts of the world. Thanks for your kind words about Cheryl. She is doing great!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAPPY

Awesome photos. It is so great to see pictures of you and Cheryl.

Thanks, Tappy. I think we are going to just miss you in Playa this year. We arrive on June 19 -

Sometime, someday, I'm sure!

**Jesus** · 04-02-2007

Great pictures, specialy as snow is not an easy subject.

A question, Why the fork upsidedown?

Tashi · 04-03-2007

These are beautiful. You both look sooo healthy!! Thanks for sharing!!

03-31-2007	#1 (permalink)
Manitou añejo Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 2,400	Photo report of the Sangre De Cristos About 1.5 hours south of here is the town of Westcliffe, Colorado. We love the area because it's a very laid back part of Colorado. Westcliffe is about 2.5 hours south of Denver so it doesn't get much in the way of Denver crowds as most of those folks head straight west to get their dose of the mountains. We had a great day hiking, so thought I would share some photos... Westcliffe's elevation is somewhere around 8000 feet above sea level. As we headed out of town, we headed into the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness area. We headed up this trail toward the two avalanche chutes in this photo. Sangre De Cristo "Blood of Christ" is a beautiful mountain range. The range covers northern New Mexico and central Colorado. There are ten peaks over 14,000 feet included in the range. The area outside of Westcliffe is home to several of those 14ers. I had to take a photo of this sign after I read it. Didn't think too much about it until I got to the part about "hang gliders." I can't imagine anyone hang gliding through the pines or haulin' a glider up the damn mountain. We went up for about four hours. In and out of windy weather, sometimes sweating sometimes freezing. Some parts of the mountain looked like winter and other parts showed the signs of spring. On our return back to the car, we passed through a campground. We talked on the way down about stopping there for lunch. For the past several years we have "cooked" our lunch. In this photo you can see our little Jet Boil stove that boils water quickly. Works great for making a warm lunch from freeze dried foods. The freeze dried foods are so nice because they are light weight. And after burning calories hiking they actually don't taste too bad! After reading so many great food trip reports lately, had to post this photo of our lunch...Backpacker's Pantry "Santa Fe Chicken." Pretty Tasty! On our way out, one last peek toward the mountains... The theatre in Westcliffe... Today was like a trip back in time for us. So much has changed in our lives over the past several years. We haven't been to the Sangres in several years, but visiting there today it was like no time has passed. __________________ Stories with no words...

03-31-2007	#5 (permalink)
Ginger añejo Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 11,229	you made some beautiful photos as usual. I love the last one, and the one of Cheryl and the old guy. I love reading about your hikes, you guys really know how to enjoy the earth. I also really like this one: but that's me, always partial to the out-of-the-ordinary. Did Cheryl take that one of you cooking? Love the milky background. I was just logging in to post some photos of our day as well! Perhaps we need an ongoing "photos of your day trip" thread, so I don't tie up the random photo thread with a bunch of my own I like to share. Maybe I should start one...hmmm... Last edited by Ginger; 04-01-2007 at 12:12 AM..

03-31-2007	#2 (permalink)
BonnyW añejo Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Left Coast...So Cal Posts: 13,320	Very nice. As usual, your photos are great! Thank you for the glimpse of your world.

03-31-2007	#3 (permalink)
SunKneeMarie character encapsulator Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 32,808	very nice pics... love the last one...

03-31-2007	#4 (permalink)
jflattracker añejo Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Loveland,Co Posts: 12,473	Beautiful pictures! Not a lot of snow left there! Thanks for sharing them.

04-01-2007	#7 (permalink)
cuffedlinks añejo Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The City of Presidents Posts: 15,998	Russ... Wow... Wonderful stuff.

04-01-2007	#8 (permalink)
Andiline añejo Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cologne, Germany Posts: 9,871	Great pics! You guys have such nices landscapes over there. I do understand why there are so many americans who never leave their country - there simply is too much to see over there.

04-01-2007	#9 (permalink)
mofi añejo Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Now: Calgary, AB Before: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 3,332	Great photos! we have some very talented people on this board.

04-01-2007	#10 (permalink)
Jo Niiiice!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the cukoos nest.... Posts: 6,217	Russ- wonderful pics as usual!! I guess the world will never see the day that a "crappy shot" comes out of your camera!! Also to say that it is SO wonderful to see you and Cheryl happy after all that went on a while ago!! Love, strength and a good heart (plus a partner with the same characteristics) can indeed conquer almost everything!!!

04-01-2007	#11 (permalink)
ZAEM life=playa Join Date: May 2004 Location: Northern Massachusetts Posts: 662	Thanks for sharing! What wonderful pictures-so great to read and see photos of places I've never heard of and probably will never see. Your wife looks fabulous! Glad to see she is feeling good. It's nice to take a trip back in time once and a while.

04-01-2007	#12 (permalink)
TAPPY añejo Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 21,148	Awesome photos. It is so great to see pictures of you and Cheryl. Love the picture of your Goldie !!

04-02-2007	#14 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 6,017	Great pictures, specialy as snow is not an easy subject. A question, Why the fork upsidedown?

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04-03-2007	#15 (permalink)
Tashi beachaholic Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 309	These are beautiful. You both look sooo healthy!! Thanks for sharing!!