9/15/23

Central Taylor Park Trail

Good morning, my friends. Well, the stormy weather arrived as expected yesterday afternoon. It rained most of the night, and we expect it will rain all of today. Oh well...into each life, you know. We don't mind. We got in a short ride yesterday morning before the raindrops began to fall.

As we were getting our ATV's and our bodies ready for the ride, we had some bold visitors to our campsite. First, these birds. I've looked at the Colorado bird identification websites, but I don't see anything similar. I've put it out to my birding Facebook friends. Possibly one of them will answer before I publish this post. I believe I'm picturing a male and female of the same bird, but I really don't know for sure. First, the supposed male:


And then, this one, the supposed female. Her head seemed more tan as I looked at her with my eyes.



And then, the guy below stuck his head above ground. This was another I tried to identify. Eventually I tagged my very smart friend, Carol, and she correctly identified it as a Wyoming Ground Squirrel. He's a little larger than a chipmunk, and he has a tail about two inches long.


Okay. Well, that was entertaining. 

From there, we took off. I wanted to ride down a little closer to the reservoir. Looking left, we saw this:


Here, I zoomed in so you can see the dam...close to the middle of the image.


Looking right, we saw this. The mountains are so beautiful here.


And then, we rode on in a different direction. In the image below, we were riding the trail on the left. On the right side of the image, you can see the trail we took on our first ride. It leads to Tin Cup.


We rode on for a bit. The sky was looking threatening, and it looked like rain off in the distance. We had a brief discussion about whether to go on or return to the RV. 


In this case, common sense ruled out, and we turned and headed back to the RV. Looking to the right a little, we could see the RV dump station below. 


See the greenish-blue ponds there? Here...let me zoom in a little.


Those are probably wastewater treatment. Yeah...not the most scenic thing to take in, but I didn't want anyone sitting there wondering about it.

So those are my only pictures from yesterday. We came back to the RV, had some lunch, took naps, and then rented the Barbie movie from Amazon Prime. We enjoyed it very much. It's quite a production and very entertaining. I was given my first Barbie in 1963. Mine had the bubble hairstyle...there she is:


Also, I had the original Midge.


To complete the family, I had two Ken dolls. Alan was never a part of my Barbie family. I only bring this up because the movie revealed some surprising information about Midge that occurred long after my Barbie days were over. We enjoyed the movie very much, and I can recommend it. It was quite a production, a lot like a musical. And while I don't think it's intended to be a comedy, we found ourselves laughing out loud several times.

I love that we were able to see this recent movie release so quickly as a rental on Amazon. When I said yesterday we hadn't been in a theater since before COVID, it really had nothing to do with the pandemic. We just really don't enjoy sitting in theaters these days. It's uncomfortable to sit for so long. I need to be able to stretch out my legs and theater seating doesn't allow for that very well. Also, I like having the option to pause the movie so I can get up and move around. If it were up to me, all new movies would be released both in theaters and online for crabby theater-goers like me. As you might guess, no one has consulted me about my preferences. Maybe they will after the strike is over. Whaddaya think?

Okay, so we're looking at more rain for the whole live-long day. The sun is forecast to return tomorrow, and we'll still have two days to ride. Frankly, I'm happy for the break. I'll get in a lot of slow-stitching today, and maybe we'll take in another movie. It's all up for grabs as I finish up here. 

Hmmm...I should check in and see if anyone has identified the birds before I go...wait a minute...I'll be right back. Well, yes, as a matter of fact, my friend Linda has identified them as juvenile yellow-headed blackbirds. They kind of reminded me of yellow-headed blackbirds, but I didn't think about them being juveniles. 

All right...time for breakfast. Have a good day, everybody. We'll be hunkering down here in Colorado.

8 comments:

Barbara said...

The Rainy Day

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Terri in BC said...

New movie theatres are much more comfortable than the old. We have one that has reclining seats, and even concession-service to your chair! the problem for me is once i recline, I fall asleep so I'm not paying for a nap. thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out

have fun, Terri in BC

Anne-Marie said...

Is it a yellow headed blackbird? That was Google's recommendation, though my Merln app struggled to id it.

dgs said...

Sounds like even with the rain, you found ways to continue to have fun. Interesting wildlife. Not sure if you use the Merlin app from Cornell, but I've certainly enjoyed using it when I travel to ID birds by sound or picture. The lake is quite beautiful, but I'm wondering if it is lower in water than usual? Seems that there is enough area to hold more water, but I have no idea. Still a lovely lake. And thanks for sharing your perspective about Barbie, the movie. I never had a Barbie, Midge, Ken, or other doll. I had a cousin who had them all, plus houses, cars, clothes, and more.

Carol in Texas said...

Barbara, according to my Field Guide of American Birds, I think you saw a Yellow Headed Blackbird. Their habitat is fresh water marshes throughout the West. The female has a ‘dirty yellow breast.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Its spotted chest, golden breast and brown (not yellow) head leads more to a Cape May Warbler, or a Palm Warbler. Good luck figuring it out!!

Kate said...

Sorry the rain interrupted your plans, but a day of relaxation between riding excursions seems like a wise thing. I never liked Barbie, it just wasn't my thing. I preferred making dresses for my sister's collection. Enjoy your slow stitching and your lap kitties.

Joni said...

I had the same barbie that you did, only she took a ride on the back of my dad's truck tailgate. Oh how I mourned her! The same Christmas I received the "Sunshine Family" dolls. The hippie version of barbie. Mom, Dad, little brother and baby. I also received the horse, dog and cat. They are still up in the attic somewhere, tucked in with their doll quilts!
The more colorful one most likely a juvenile yellow headed blackbird. The beak gives it away. The more drab one might be a mother bird or sibling.