Come along on a jeep ride.......

My brother Tom and his wife, Regina, are riding along on our Jeep rides.    They live in the foothills of the Sierra's  of California and Tom has a photographer's eye for the perfect shot.   And a very good camera as well.    Most every day, we have been high up on the trails despite gloomy rainy weather.    I'm sharing some of his pics and some of mine.    They headed home today.   

A delicate mariposa lily just opening up............

It's wildflower season in the high country and Mother Nature is wearing her best finery.

On Monday, five  4X4's and their Cobble Creek owners took to the trails.    Led by Randy and Gisela (in the red Jeep ) and tiny Beau (an adorable little furry mix of a dog), we headed out to explore Corkscrew and Hurricane Pass Trails.    They are rated fairly easy with enough bumps and water splashing to make it a bit exciting but no scary-close-your-eyes places.......well, except for the main road of 550  going over the Million Dollar Highway.

We climbed up to about 11,000 ft for our views of Red Mountain #1 and #2.   Always a Kodak moment.

This is a geranium........yes it is !

These trails reflect the thriving silver boom in the late 1800's with deteriorating wooden structures and large iron equipment that boggles the mind as to how they got it up to 12,000 ft.

Breathtaking (literally) at nearly 13,000 ft on Hurricane Pass.

SueEllen is a reluctant adventurer but gamely tries most things.    This was her first Jeep outing and at one point she said she wondered if Matt knew what he was doing.   He apparently did as they followed the leader admirably and even kept the white Jeep clean.
 

The other side of Red Mountain......

A tiny alpine flower aptly named Spring Beauty.

Lake Como below Hurricane Pass.....still has ice on it.

As we wound down towards Silverton we came upon Animas Forks.    A partially restored mining town, it is a popular short stop for lunch and breaks.     We opted to have a picnic in the foundation of an old building, filled with wild flowers..................and tiny biting flies.  

This tiny flower was just beginning to open up.    Our flower expert, Vera, said that the center will open up into a daisy-like flower with the fuzzy stuff mostly hidden.   I preferred it this way.     I am terrible at remembering names of all these delightful gems.     I have an excellent flower book but it's mostly just the fault of my aging brain cells.

The sun is shining again and we will be heading out for more of the intoxicating views.........maybe on foot as well.

A bouquet for a special BFF...........

Why we live here............

 AKA "tossed salad"...... and yes, I did scoop it up and we ate it !     But I DID NOT take it to the Hiking Club pot luck.    Instead, my cauliflower "wings' were gobbled up quickly and we only took home ONE bean burger.....    

( all of the pictures were taken with the iPhone and I could not  edit them or rotate in iPhoto )

This morning we headed out early to the Molas Lake trail ( part of the Colorado Trail ) as our destination.   It was 6 miles south of Silverton so about a 90 min ride.....but one of the most scenic in the entire US, so we didn't mind.  

We were at about 10,300 feet most of the hike but there were a lot of ups and downs so it felt like we were really climbing at times.     It was coolish (mid 50's ) when we started but with the sun, we were able to shed some shirts.  

This was a hike recommended for it's wild flowers.    Vera and Bonnie are the experts and altho they identified most of what we saw, I tend to forget the names so just enjoy the views.    Altho the iPhone is great for hiking, it just doesn't do close up focus really well (when I'm out of breath and grabbing a picture on the go ) and many of the flower pics are blurry and not blog worthy.

    

This is called a Death camus.....don't eat the bulb. !   We did see the Blue Columbine but it would have required  trampling tender vegetation  to take it's portrait and I have gazillions of pics of it.  

 The open fields were full of color.....

 We could hear the waterfall and rushing stream long before we saw it.....

 Our destination was this overlook, high above the Animas River and a view of the approaching Silverton-Durango steam train....note the smoke off in the distance.    The train stops down there to let off  hikers and fishermen and they can catch another train back.   There are no services....it is true wilderness. It was thrilling to hear the train whistle as it approached.   Bud estimated it was about 1800 ft below us.    I don't think I've ever been anywhere more beautiful than this spot.   It was breathtaking and serene and nature in all it's grandeur.    And we walked to get there !!