Trail of slow return - a photo on Flickriver

            This is the McIntosh Lake Park loop trail; the vantage is further west on the trail and on the other side of the tree line. This is shows the western end of the park loop, we are on the north-west edge of the McIntosh Lake Recreation loop. The park is a pretty sketchy over here but this is a western view south of the McIntosh/Lohr Agricultural Museum. The grassy area to the left is closed for wildlife habitat or I would cut the trail well short. I can yell at the prairie dogs to take cover as I walk by anyway. Beyond the tree line on the distance toward the hills is Hygiene, Colorado. I guess the fence is to keep folks from going over and tipping cows. I thought that I'd add this shot as a fill in. This is a great place for that extended walk you were supposed to take. Beach blanket and sandwich time at Mac under the Rockies. I had to take advantage of any good sky day around McIntosh but this is not likely to last very darn long. The day might be fleeting. The entire path loops around the lake and is 3.5 miles. There is a bench under a large cottonwood and two picnic tables also. The bonus is a maintained outhouse. I have yet to see anyone picnicking out here; it should always have one table open should you take the challenge. There are always people walking the loop but I came over to this spot for another reason. The McIntosh Agricultural Museum is accessible from the northwest side of the loop path. Lake Shore Drive is in town while this west side is just out of town. We recently, in June, walked around the museum but were curious about the path that connected the Ag Museum to the loop. We followed the lake trail toward the south-west to scope the path out and found this on the way back. I was determined to revisit the area. Boy, Longmonters sure use their parks! There was still plenty of space for the town folk to exercise and to settle in for a spell.

The mountain on the left is Copeland and right, the flat un the foothills (closer, darker hills) is Coffin Top. Right and behind is wide Mahana (its east slope was hollowed out as the Ice Age glaciers melted) on the Divide. It must have been enormous originally. It hides Isolation Peak left and behind. It's an awesome view if you are on the Divide near Tanima... but it is pretty well isolated otherwise. Moomah glacier below that if Fox melting hasn't melted it yet. Jack Moomah was the first RMNP ranger. My granny, Alice Kiteley knew him. Rocky Mountain National Park includes and is north of Copeland. Mount Lady Washington is the bump on the north slope down to the Estes Park Valley. Hard to get lost around here if you can spot the Divide. Our feet will be dry when all Florida gets wet. Thanks you fossils and your fossils.

Even though the trail down Mount Meeker is snow free, sleet and snow in the Rockies rolled in around Longs Peak and are poised to start refill the ski run/cow trail down Mount Meeker, the pointy mountain. The top of the road up Mt.Evans (off I-70) is closed for the season. Well the scientists said the weather would be more violent as the climate warmed: we have already arrived with Antarctica melting. I expect that the Fox Media advertising won't be able to do its usual job of lying, especially if the water is up around your knees, or 14 feet up as in some Detroit streets. Let's hope their believers (the denyers) get whacked first! Flood, drought, fire, hail, tornadoes, hurricanes: pick your poison but kiss your Florida goodbye. Florida will take a lot of anti-fungal for wet feet. At least we got to send another power storm out east. Keep an eye out for it. This spring arrived with Thor's hammer a-swinging and kept swinging through the summer. We had Arapahoe Basin ski area will open into June. Of course, if you want to play: drive up, find snow and play your favorite sport but if that sport involves smoking, it better not be on federal land. That's usually true though August.

Taken on: August 24, 2014

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