At The Base Of Mt. Princeton

I drove south as far as I could until Chaffee County Road 339 ended at two residences. I enjoyed the view above of Mt. Princeton, and thought the open clearing made it a very pretty spot.

Not much of anything new to say. I have completed more writing in the past two days. I am nowhere close to being finished with a completed book about my bicycle trip across America, but my hope is renewed that I just might pull it off. One day at a time!

-Steve (July 21, 2008)

1964 Cadillac Sedan

Inspired to include it in the foreground of a Mt. Princeton photo, I drove my 1964 Cadillac a short distance this morning. The Cadillac is a "second car" that I hope someday to fix up real nice. Maybe someday I will have it in local car shows too.

I spent Friday evening in Manitou Springs and taste tested all of the mineral springs with a friend. Lots of fun! Also, a spectacular rainbow hovered over Buena Vista yesterday afternoon.

-Steve (July 20, 2008)

Rio Vista Road - Buena Vista, Colorado

The dirt road in the photo above in Rio Vista Road, located about two miles north of the center of Buena Vista.

Yesterday new friends took me to Swinging Rock, an interesting spot in the Turret Ghost Town. I have been busy with socializing of late!

-Steve (July 17, 2008)

Standing On Mt. Elbert And Facing South

Yesterday I stood on the summit of Mt. Elbert after a long hike. Facing south, I looked out among the Sawatch Mountains and spotted the faint outline of Mt. Princeton. Mt. Oxford, Mt. Belford, Mt. Columbia, Missouri Mountain and Mt. Yale (all 14ers) can be seen as well.

-Steve (July 16, 2008)

Working Away On A Saturday Summer Day

I will admit the title "Working Away On A Saturday Summer Day" sounds depressing and abounding in self-pity. It is by choice, however. I am interviewing two people from my ride through Phoenix, AZ in February to recall some of the discussions and events of those days.

Today's Mt. Princeton photo is another boring one. I was standing just outside of the artless new subdivision known as Sunset Vista. It is an ordinary and unsightly suburban neighborhod with cheap "cookie cutter" and manufactured types of homes.

-Steve (July 13, 2008)

Maxwell Park Schoolhouse

I have noticed with high gas prices and a slow down of summer cashflow, I have been driving much less. Thus, many of this summer's Mt. Princeton photos are coming generally from the town of Buena Vista. In past years, I have driven quite a bit more toward Nathrop, Salida and in the mountains themselves. It got me thinking: Yes, I have good reason to live prudently right now, but I really need to get into the mountains more. I am considering hiking some 14ers in the near future. Stay tuned!

Today's photo includes the historic Maxwell Park Schoolhouse. It would be a very pretty picture if it was not for the silver powerlines going across and the unsightly fence surrounding the structure.

-Steve (July 12, 2008)

Rock Outcropping In The Foreground

I drove on the old railroad grade (Chaffee County Road 304) for this morning's Mt. Princeton photo. I really wanted to include something in the foreground to enhance the picture composition. I think I succeeded with the rock outcropping on the left. This web site is dedicated to Mt. Princeton, of course, but let us not forget Mt. Antero - that is the pointed peak just left of Mt. Princeton.

I have more writing work to do today. Bye for now!

-Steve (July 11, 2008)

A Photo With More Green Scenery

I glanced through some of my recent Mt. Princeton pictures and desired something that had more green in it. The composition of the photo above is not the greatest (it really needs something in the foreground), but it will do.

I am working hard these days at compiling a book from my recent bicycle ride across America. It has been very hard work, and honestly, I do not know if I will reach the ultimate goal of a well-designed and well-marketed published book. My resolution for the month of July has been to take my "best stab" at writing this book and let the chips fall where they may.

-Steve (July 10, 2008)

Summer Continues In Colorado

I drove on Chaffee County Road 300 near Sugarloaf Mountain for this morning's photo above. Shortly after, I gave a lift to a guy who works for one of the rafting companies in Johnson Village. There are many summer rafting workers who camp at the north base of Sugarloaf Mountain in what some locals call "Cogan's Pit."

It has been five days since my last Mt. Princeton photo, and I attribute the gap to having a lot going on in my life right now. I bought a plane ticket to travel to New Jersey for early August and have felt overwhelmed with the demands of writing a book.

Ah well, at least I went for a short drive in my Cadillac yesterday and check out my pictures from the Buena Vista car show this weekend! ;)

-Steve (July 9, 2008)

Fourth of July In Colorado

I was on my way back to Buena Vista after a morning hike to Grizzly Lake near St. Elmo, when I pulled over on Chaffee County Road 321 to snap the picture above. It's a sloppy picture, but I really don't care! :p)

-Steve (July 4, 2008)

A Nice Summer Day In The Mountains

I have been busy and in front of my computer for much of today. Just now, I ventured outside and to capture today's Mt. Princeton photo.

I finished two recent bike trip articles: Planning Stages and My Route. I also made a tribute to the remaining snow at Cottonwood Pass yesterday. Lastly, I reminisced about experiences with yaks and llamas while I refurbished their respective pages.

-Steve (July 2, 2008)

Game Trail Development - Mt. Princeton, Colorado

Above is a morning photo from the northernmost entrance to the Game Trail Development in Buena Vista. I consider this a fairly boring photo, but it will do.

I have completed a few pages lately: Timberline Wandering, Bike Trip Planning Stages and Colorado Sunset. I also updated a page created in 2003 about an interesting hike in Manitou Springs: Manitou Railroad Tunnels.

-Steve (June 29, 2008)

Photo From Chaffee County Road 327

I made a quick drive this morning and ventured west of Chaffee County Road 327 for today's Mt. Princeton photo. I have seen numerous questions on forums regarding the snow status of Mt. Princeton, and as you can see above, the snow is no longer much of an issue.

I photographed the sunset at Cottonwood Pass last night and am continuing my writing work six days per week. I usually work about 3-4 hours in the afternoon when I am at my best. Oh and lastly, inspired by my hike of Poplar Gulch, tomorrow the plan is to reach Grizzly Lake inside Grizzly Gulch. That is another hike that begins in St. Elmo, Colorado.

-Steve (June 27, 2008)

Thursday Morning - Buena Vista, Colorado

This morning I obtained an oil change for my car at M&J Auto Repair (a place I highly recommend in Buena Vista), and I captured this shot of Mt. Princeton from their grounds. Just your standard view of Mt. Princeton I guess.

The stress continues to mount. My father's health is not the greatest and I might be heading to New Jersey for a significant period of time. Not sure on the details of this just yet.

By the way, I have been refurbishing older Colorado pages of mine. Here are a few of them: Eleven Mile Reservoir, Yellow Jacket, CO, Carved Wooden Bears, 2001 Denver Nuggets, Indoor Garden and Prayer Shrine. If you are bored, check them out.

-Steve (June 26, 2008)

Cattle With A Nice View Of Mt. Princeton

My hiking partners and I were headed to Poplar Gulch near St. Elmo this morning when I pulled out the camera to capture the above photo of Mt. Princeton. We were cruising on Chaffee County Road 321 ("Rodeo Road") and got a nice shot of some cattle in the foreground.

-Steve (June 25, 2008)

Parcel For Sale In Buena Vista, Colorado

I had a short window of time to get out of my office and drove west of Buena Vista for today's Mt. Princeton photo. I entered into a new subdivision named Falcon Ranch, a new road that intersects Chaffee County Road 339 near the drive-in theater. I drove to the end of the cul de sac and captured the beautiful view of Mt. Princeton from the edge of Lot #5 at 16607 Talons Way. I do not engage in much direct promotion of real estate on this web site, but oh heck, I guess I was feeling generous and included the sign of the realtors.

I have been somewhat stuck with my ongoing writings. I did finish a short article about what I brought with me on my bike trip. Oh ... tomorrow two friends and I will be hiking the Poplar Gulch Trail in St. Elmo. It should be fun! :)

-Steve (June 24, 2008)

The Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado

This morning I had a couple of small chores in town and I visited the Arkansas River area in Buena Vista. The Arkansas River is running hard and fast right now!

Also, last evening I photographed the sunset once again at Cottonwood Pass, and I met a bicyclist who is participating in the Ride The Rockies bicycling event that will be coming through town tomorrow.

Lastly, I am working on various pages in between my real work: I tinkered with the Butterfly Pavilion page, redid my "about page" for my bike web site, and sketched out a fairly long outline about the planning stages of my bike across America trip. I think it will be a decent article when it's done!

-Steve (June 19, 2008)

Hiking Along The Denny Creek Trail

After getting some work done early in the morning, I had a window of free time and hiked up the Denny Creek Trail toward Hartenstein Lake. I did not quite reach the lake today, but it was nice to be out and get a workout in.

Along one portion of trail was this grand view of Mt. Princeton with lots of mountain green all around. Very nice!

-Steve (June 18, 2008)

Driving Along At 33 Miles Per Hour

I went on a short drive this afternoon to photograph the dashboard of my car for an article I just finished: 2008 Honda Civic Advantages & Disadvantages. After snapping a few shots, I did my best to include Mt. Princeton in some more. So there you have it ... kind of a creative picture! :)

Last night's sunset at Cottonwood Pass was a pretty one, and tonight I will be watching Game 6 of the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers game.

-Steve (June 17, 2008)

Happy Father's Day From The Arkansas River Valley!

I have so many Mt. Princeton photos to choose from on this Sunday and Father's Day. I hiked along the Davis Meadow Trail located in the Four Mile area northeast of Buena Vista and captured many good shots including the one above.

-Steve (June 15, 2008)

Pretty Scenery With Mt. Princeton

I was driving south to Salida this morning and pulled over to capture the old barn in front of Mt. Princeton. It has been a really beautiful day with the temperatures in the 70's!

My writing about my bike trip continues: Jekyll Island, GA and Thank You Page. Oh and lastly, I sold the Honda Accord and put the money toward a 1964 Cadillac! :)

-Steve (June 14, 2008)

Cottonwood Pass Opened Today - June 12, 2008

Cottonwood Pass finally opened today and within hours I was at the top taking pictures of all the snow and snowy mountains. I seem to enjoy sending photos of Colorado's snow in the high country to shock my friends who live in the Southwest or Southeast. :)

Along one segment of road on Chaffee County Road 306 (east of the pass), one can see Mt. Princeton's summit. It was too cloudy and gray to capture a good picture, but hey, it will do!

-Steve (June 12, 2008)

The Daytime Ends In Colorado

Some colorful clouds hovered over Mt. Princeton as the daylight went away for good this evening. I sat out there in my car, enjoying the view after a somewhat stressful day. I did get a lot of work done today and refurbished some older pages I have about the Manitou Incline, Mt. Herman Road and Garden of the Gods. You'll note all of those are in the Colorado Springs area, which is where I lived from 1997-2005.

By the way, I finished writing about "Day 44" when I rode into Waycross, Georgia. I only have one last day to the ocean! :)

-Steve (June 11, 2008)

The View Atop Sugarloaf Mountain In Nathrop

I was standing on the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain (alt. 8,406), a mountain that stands prominently to the northeast of Nathrop, and I captured the photo above of Mt. Princeton and Mt. Yale. Ahhhhhhh ... what a beautiful view!

-Steve (June 10, 2008)

Traveling Toward Raspberry Gulch

This photo was taken yesterday morning as we traveled west towards Raspberry Gulch on the eastern slope of Mt. Antero. There is a wide open area along Chaffee County Road 272 with decent views of the mountains. Local friends and I mountain biked in the forested area on a beautiful day!

-Steve (June 8, 2008)

Balloona Vista - Hot Air Balloons In Buena Vista

The Balloona Vista weekend event is happening in town, and this morning eight hot air balloon took off into the sky with the beautiful backdrop of Mt. Princeton to the west. I have so many pictures from this morning, and I plan to create an extensive page showing them off. For now, enjoy this one shot of a really colorful hot air balloon before it launched.

It was quite a busy day for me. I mountained biked up Raspberry Gulch Road, finished writing about my ride in Tifton, Georgia, and attended a Saturday evening worship gathering called the Valley Gathering. Busy days like this are so good for my mental health! :)

-Steve (June 7, 2008)

Green Grass In The Valley

Alright, so this green grass is from irrigation water and is not quite a realistic photo of the signs of spring this way. Still, I thought it was a pretty view as I sat in my car on Chaffee County Road 306.

I went mountain biking on Saturday and had a great time. I also finished articles about my times riding in Montgomery, AL and Eufaula, AL. I am also considering making some major changes on my personal web site: www.ColoradoGuy.com. I am getting the sense that it is time to do away with the forums; I am tired of managing them, paying for them and policing them. Ah well, we'll see!

-Steve (June 3, 2008)