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Matthews/Winters Park
Jul. 12th, 2021 08:15 pmIt is super smokey here. Like, weird sunlight and can't-see-the-mountains-from-my-apartment smokey. Not nearly as bad as it was last summer, when Colorado set and then kept breaking wildfire records (but hey, it's early). Definitely sending good thoughts out to anyone closer to the active fires, which is... most of the western US right now.
But, terrible air quality warnings aside, we still decided to go on a short hike today. This time to another of the county open space parks: Matthews/Winters Park.
A sign at the park entrance. We did NOT see any snakes. I actually haven't seen any snakes or lizards this year. :/
A nice fluffy looking thistle flower.
The first section of the trail has a moderately steep incline, and it did wear me out pretty good. But I'm also a terrible hiking partner by some measures, because I get super sidetracked checking out flowers and bugs and birds, so I wind up moving slowly. Maybe that's why I keep failing to build up endurance, lol.
One little side path leads up to the Mount Vernon Cemetery, which is all that's left of the town of Mount Vernon, which died off after the mines in the area quit producing. There are supposed to be 6 graves in the fenced-off cemetery, though only two are marked.
Years ago when we first went, there were some additional wooden headstones and crosses, though those have since been removed. I'm not sure if they were an informal attempt to mark the other graves, or something like... a film project set.
( 13 more pictures below the cut - cemetery + dog + lots of insects, including a cool/creepy wasp: )
But, terrible air quality warnings aside, we still decided to go on a short hike today. This time to another of the county open space parks: Matthews/Winters Park.
A sign at the park entrance. We did NOT see any snakes. I actually haven't seen any snakes or lizards this year. :/
A nice fluffy looking thistle flower.
The first section of the trail has a moderately steep incline, and it did wear me out pretty good. But I'm also a terrible hiking partner by some measures, because I get super sidetracked checking out flowers and bugs and birds, so I wind up moving slowly. Maybe that's why I keep failing to build up endurance, lol.
One little side path leads up to the Mount Vernon Cemetery, which is all that's left of the town of Mount Vernon, which died off after the mines in the area quit producing. There are supposed to be 6 graves in the fenced-off cemetery, though only two are marked.
Years ago when we first went, there were some additional wooden headstones and crosses, though those have since been removed. I'm not sure if they were an informal attempt to mark the other graves, or something like... a film project set.
( 13 more pictures below the cut - cemetery + dog + lots of insects, including a cool/creepy wasp: )
