Springtime - Nathrop, Colorado

I drove to Nathrop and snapped this picture at about 11 a.m. today. Spring is definitely in the air, although none of the trees are green just yet.

Hey, check out the sunset over Buena Vista from Monday night. I think it was a good one! Also, I finished "Day 27" of my writing when I bicycled into Decatur, Texas.

Have a great day, my friends! -Steve (May 7, 2008)

On Top Of "S Mountain " In Salida

On Sunday morning, I skipped church and drove/walked up to the top of "S Mountain" in Salida. Using the timer, I captured the photo above with Mt. Princeton on the far right.

I am still very busy writing about my long six week bike trip. I just finished my page about my day in Graham, Texas an hour ago.

-Steve (May 5, 2008)

Wintery Temperatures In Early May

Yesterday we received snowfall and this morning's temperature was just 29 degrees and 16 with the windchill factor. Don't be fooled by what people might be saying on Colorado's Front Range, because it is marginally spring in Buena Vista.

I am becoming excited about Cottonwood Pass opening up. That evening won't be happening until late May or perhaps as late as mid-June. Still, I have been tinkering with my Cottonwood Pass web site to "shake the dust off" and make it look nice. :)

Oh ... I completed "Day 24", when I bicycled to the small town of Haskell, Texas. Check it out!

-Steve (May 2, 2008)

Horses Graze In Front Of Mt. Princeton

This morning's photo was taken near the south end of Chaffee County Road 319. When I saw the horses grazing in the foreground, I knew it would be a nice picture!

In other news, I created a new web site that lists my friends and acquaintences based on their altitude: www.AltitudeSnob.com. I live at 8,127 feet and I take comfort in being higher than most of my friends! :)

-Steve (April 30, 2008)

Monday Morning View Of Mt. Princeton

Last night I completed my "Day 21" trip report when I biked from Tatum, NM to Brownfield, TX. I felt good about that!

This morning's picture was taken on Chaffee County Road 323. It is quite a grand view of Mt. Princeton from this vantage point.

-Steve (April 28, 2008)

Mt. Princeton - Chaffee County Road 302

It has been awhile since my last Mt. Princeton photo. I have been consumed in my writing about my bike trip across America. Here are some of the latest pages: New Mexico Continental Divide, Ride to Socorro, NM, Central New Mexico and Carrizozo to Roswell. Oh and don't forget to check out my controversial breakfast two days ago! ;)

Today's picture was taken on Chaffee County Road 302. There is a man-made lake that I do not know too much about, other than its private property. It's a pretty picture, isn't it?

-Steve (April 26, 2008)

Saturday Evening Sunset Colors

Here was the best shot of Mt. Princeton from last night, in which I photographed the sunset. The sunset was quite a dud! In fact, the highlight of the evening was noticing the herd of elk just to the south of Chaffee County Road 326. By far, the best sunset in this vicinity I have ever captured was on March 16, 2007. Check it out: Mountain Sunset.

This morning I skipped church and drove to Loveland Pass for the heck of it. It was a nice visit!

-Steve (April 20, 2008)

One More Photo From Midland Hill

I wanted to include one more photo as I was standing on Midland Hill (altitude 9,555 feet) on Tuesday morning. It had been snowing for much of Wednesday and Thursday and Mt. Princeton wasn't visible enough anyway to photograph it. ;)

On a side note, I humbly created some content for this new web site of mine: One Room Schoolhouses.

-Steve (April 18, 2008)

Wednesday Morning Hike Atop Midland Hill

Yesterday morning Karen and I hiked to the top of Midland Hill, a small mountain east of Buena Vista. The views of the Collegiate Peaks to the west are quite stunning! There I was, sitting at the summit, for this picture. :)

If all goes well, I will be visiting the Pikes Peak Highway on either Thursday, Friday or both. We'll see.

-Steve (April 16, 2008)

Northwest of Buena Vista, Colorado

I ventured this morning northwest of Buena Vista to seek the large elk population. They were sitting way out on the edge of the forest, too far to photograph. Ah, but of course I captured a shot of Mt. Princeton for your viewing pleasure. :)

-Steve (April 13, 2008)

Herd Of Elk At Base Of Mt. Princeton

After enjoying breakfast with a friend at the Evergreen Cafe in Buena Vista, I ventured on Chaffee County Road 339 for a routine picture of Mt. Princeton. That's when I saw a herd of approximately 45 elk roaming about the valley! I spent the next 30 minutes getting as close as I could to the elk, and while I had closer shots of the elk, this is my best one that includes Mt. Princeton.

In other news, I wrote "Day 12" of my bike trip, and if all goes well, I will finish "Day 13" later this afternoon. :)

-Steve (April 12, 2008)

South Main Development - Buena Vista, Colorado

I had some chores this morning in Buena Vista and I wound up driving in the South Main Development along the Arkansas River. There is a lot of building happening over there and the project is looking good. You can visit their web site here: www.SouthMainCo.com.

As you can see it is a really bright and sunny morning, although we are still having wintery morning temperatures. My leisure plans this week include hiking with a friend to Agnes Vaille Falls and doing some bicycle riding. Oh, and do check out the wildlife I spotted along Cottonwood Pass Road yesterday! :)

-Steve (April 8, 2008)

North Side Of Buena Vista, Colorado

This photo was taken yesterday on the north side of Buena Vista.

I've been very busy with writing trip reports from my long bike journey. You can see the latest here: Day 6, Day 7, Day 8 and Day 9. Oh, I also rode my bike to Trout Creek Pass today! :)

-Steve (April 5, 2008)

A Grand View Of Mt. Princeton

Before attending church, I made the short drive on Chaffee County 304 along the old railroad grade east of Buena Vista. Ah, the view of Mt. Princeton is very impressive from up there!

Yesterday I snapped snow photos and scenes at Cottonwood Lake and I completed my recollections of Day 5 of my recent bike trip. Check 'em out! :)

-Steve (March 30, 2008)

On My Way To Cottonwood Lake

I was driving on Cottonwood Pass Road enroute to Cottonwood Lake when I captured this photo of Mt. Princeton. It's been fairly windy with occasional snow flurries coming down today. My visit to Cottonwood Lake was decent, with me capturing numerous snowy scenes. I plan to create a new page soon, but for now, this Cottonwood Lake page is probably my best.

Be advised that the road closes at the bridge at the lake; There is an enormous snow enbankment that blocks vehicles from continuing along the lake.

-Steve (March 29, 2008)

Mt. Princeton - March 28, 2008

I have been very busy writing daily trip reports from my recent bike ride across America. You are welcome to check them out: Main Trip Index, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

Today's Mt . Princeton photo was taken along one of the dirt roads off of Rodeo Road. It was a pretty morning!

-Steve (March 28, 2008)

Snowscene At Chaffee County Road 340

I met with a friend who lives in the Trail West development and I pulled over on Chaffee County Road 340 to capture this picture of myself standing out there. Notice all the snow that is still remaining this way!

-Steve (March 25, 2008)

Mt. Princeton On A Sunny Morning

My desktop has been giving me a lot of problems lately and I am coming to terms with the fact that it may be on its "last legs." Grrrrrrrr! Computer and software problems can be really frustrating sometimes, especially when you're someone like me who is dedicated to putting new things on the Internet on a regular basis.

Anyway, today's Mt. Princeton photo was taken on West Main Street just outside of the Buena Vista town line. I actually pulled over onto the shoulder of oncoming traffic (no worries, there were no cars in sight!) to take this picture. The houses in the foreground are part of the Sunset Vista neighborhood.

Lastly, I've made three pages related to my bike ride across America. None are directly about Colorado, but hey, you might find them interesting. They are: Desert Botanic Garden (Phoenix, AZ), Continental Divide (West New Mexico) and Florida's Highest Point.

-Steve (March 24, 2008)

Nine Degrees & Remaining Snowdrifts In Buena Vista

This was my first morning back home in Buena Vista. At 8 a.m., it was a mere nine degrees as I drove on a nearby country dirt road for my first Mt. Princeton photo since completing my bicycle ride across America. Although it has been generally warmer in March, there is still a lot of remaining snow throughout the area and I thought the tall snowdrift was noteworthy to show. I included my Honda Accord to help with perspective.

Oh and yes, I indeed did finish my journey from San Diego, California to Jekyll Island, Georgia on a bike. I rode approximately 2,400 miles, took 900 pictures, needed 45 days to finish, rode across eight states, had eleven flat tires and used two bikes. Extensive trip reports are coming! :)

-Steve (March 23, 2008)

The Last Mt. Princeton Photo For Quite Awhile

This will be my last Mt. Princeton photo for about two months, my friends. On early Wednesday morning (January 30), I leave San Diego where I will begin my bicycling trip across America. The plan is to stand in the Pacific Ocean with my bike on the morning of February 1 and peddle east. You can read more about my trip with answers to common questions here: www.BikeAcrossAmerica.org. Because of this upcoming adventure, I obviously won't be around to snap pictures of Mt. Princeton. My suggestion, for the months of February and March, is to visit my other web sites related to the region: Scenic Buena Vista, Cottonwood Pass, St. Elmo and my personal web site known as Colorado Guy. My projected time to return will be somewhere around early April.

Today's Mt. Princeton photo was taken while standing on Chaffee County Road 301, between Johnson Village and the Fisherman's Bridge area of the Arkansas River. It looks like snow is coming today!

-Steve (January 27, 2008)

Hecla Junction Road

This afternoon I made the drive along Hecla Junction Road (Chaffee County Road 194), a hilly dirt road off Highway 285 that leads to the Hecla Junction portage area of the Arkansas River. At one point in my drive, I captured the really pretty view above of Mt. Princeton.

-Steve (January 26, 2008)

Closer Up View Of Mt. Princeton

Yesterday I was returning from a visit to St. Elmo and pulled over somewhere on Chaffee County Road 321 ("Rodeo Road") for a nice and clear picture of Mt. Princeton.

I have been very busy finishing my tasks in preparation to bicycling across America. I leave on Wednesday, January 30 enroute to San Diego. Expect maybe one more photo update on this web site!

-Steve (January 25, 2008)

A Lovely Snow Scene With Mt. Princeton

It is a very bright and sunny day with the temperature up to 27 degrees in Buena Vista. That is really warm for this time of year!

Today's Mt. Princeton photo was taken along the road leading to the Trail West Development entrance. Ah, you gotta love all the snowy scenes I've been photographing all month!

I'm in a good mood today. I am "over the hump" with my preparations to bicycle across America and will begin peddling next week. Now my largest job is to train everyday and stay loose and happy! :)

-Steve (January 23, 2008)

The Informational Gazebo At The Overlook

I briefly visited the Collegiate Peaks Overlook, located east of Johnson Village, for today's Mt. Princeton picture. There are two gazebos there, one having signage with interesting information about the upper Arkansas River Valley and the towering Collegiate Peaks. I thought I'd include some of it in the foreground for a different kind of composition.

I attended my church's service this morning which was enjoyable. After watching both the AFC and NFC championship games this afternoon, I'll return to various tasks that need to be done before I bicycle across America beginning on February 1.

-Steve (January 20, 2008)

A Pretty View Of Mt. Princeton

I was on my way to Salida and pulled over at this one particularly pretty ranch in Nathrop. The surrounding cottonwoods contributes quite nicely to the composition of the picture!

I eventually reached Canon City to visit a bank, and I peddled on my bike a little bit knowing it would be warmer there than in the upper Arkansas River Valley. I then became in the mood to drive for awhile and reached Westcliffe (where I got some nice photos of the mountains!) before returning back. All in all, it was a nice day.

-Steve (January 19, 2008)

The Snow Is Not Going Anywhere

I had about ten extra minutes before getting to Sunday's church service and I drove out on Chaffee County Road 321 (Rodeo Road) for today's Mt. Princeton photo. It is so nice to see clear blue skies today, even if it is quite cold. There is definitely something about bright and sunny days that often lifts my spirit!

I feel a fever or illness coming on, and so I plan to rest today. I look forward to watching the Dallas vs. New York Giants playoff game this evening. Yay!

-Steve (January 13, 2008)