It's all about the flowers.........

I figured you'd seen enough of the mountain trails on a day to day basis, so I'm just giving you a compilation of a couple of trips.     We did an easy group trip one day up to Chalk Mountain.   Beautiful views of the nearby peaks and of Leadville.    As we climbed higher, we came to the 

 area of alpine tundra.   It is a crumbly surface with low scrubby growth and few flowers.   You can see your footsteps

 if you should walk on it.    There are various organizations that protect the trails and local Jeep clubs promote  good trail use.    Environmental groups monitor the use of the trails and some have been closed due to abuse.

I had to halt the parade this day to jump out to get a pic of the Mariposa Lily.    The root was used for food by the Ute Indians and the Mormon pioneers.    The bees were too busy to fly away.

A bluebell.......

 Isn't this pretty......pretty typical along this particular trail.

 Larkspur.........

 A mountain stream above treeline.....

We arrived at Slide Lake.....in order to see it, we walked about a half mile each way.   It was a gentle climb but at 12,000 ft, nothing uphill is particularly gentle.  

 It was a small lake and not brilliant blue like so many alpine lakes, but it was crystal clear.

 Along the edge, nearly in the water, was this flower called Elephant Head.  Note the fern- like leaves. Only very specific bees can pollinate it.

 Fleabane and Queen's Crown.

 On Friday, after wandering thru Vendor Day, just the 3 of us wandered off in Mike's Jeep.  We headed up Weston Pass, very easy and mild but it brought us to the historic town of Alma which is the beginning of the trail to Mosquito Pass, which was our real destination.

 This area was a rich mining area and many structures still exist in various forms.

 But the highlight of the entire day was finding an area filled with Columbines.    This is the state flower and it is illegal to pick the unusual blooms.   In it's natural state it is mostly varied shades of purpley blue....     Altho it was very breezy, I was able to crawl around and get some pretty good pictures.   I could have posted about 25 but not sure you were up for that today.......!

 I didn't notice the bee at work until I viewed this on the computer.

 There was a guy poking around the mine tailings looking for a nugget or two.    The shafts go down 1000 ft....and there were several around this one.    Because the shafts are partially buried or in precarious states, they are very dangerous for the curious or children to be around.

 We started the climb to the top.....this side wasn't too bad , just rocky and narrow...

 At the top is this reminder of just how high you are.....and why you can't jog too fast.

 But then, you read this plaque, dedicated to a minister who went over the pass in the winter on a regular basis to deliver the mail to Leadville from South Park....on snowshoes.  

 The ride down was more intense, a bit tippy, narrow and very rocky.....some of the curves required backing up to make the turn.  

In the "It's always something" category.....yesterday, we were doing nothing and enjoying it, when we heard a strange noise.   I put my tin ear to work and thought I heard water running : (    I narrowed it down to the front bathroom....but altho I definitely heard rushing water, there was none visible anywhere.....and then, I looked under the sink and found a real gusher pouring out of a line that had come disconnected from the pipe.     Most of it managed to find it's way outside but the wastebasket managed to catch some of it.     My on-board Mr Fix-it.....he has a T-shirt that confirms that title.....managed to get the water turned off pronto and then fixed it for a part that cost UNDER a dollar....unheard of in a vital RV part. !!     Makes us want to turn off the water whenever we leave ..... and also concerned that there is enough of an opening that most of it went on the ground.