One really good thing that happened for Terry and me in the past month
is that we bought a new car, a pretty ice silver metallic Forester.
We very quickly tried it out on a drive up Clear Creek Canyon into the mountains.
Trying Out Our New Car on Interstate 470 Colorado
Littleton, Colorado, USA
October 27, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
We used to drive up Clear Creek Canyon to Black Hawk a lot.
It's an historic mining settlement that declined during the 20th century,
but revived when casino gambling was approved in Colorado in 1990.
We had lots of fun in Black Hawk and nearby Central City over the years,
exploring the history and hiking the trails around these two towns,
as well as enjoying some low-stakes gambling and great entertainment in their casinos.
But we hadn't been up there since years before the pandemic.
As we drove up into the foothills and by the town of Golden,
I realized that we've have flown over this area many more times
than we've driven through it in the past eight or nine years.
Approaching Red Rocks Amphitheatre
a Popular Open-Air Music Venue
(Red Rocks Just Above the Green Fairplay Sign)
Morrison, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Heading into Clear Creek Canyon
Golden, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
We didn't make it to Black Hawk or Central City.
We were hungry to destress in nature after some challenging days.
Beautiful Clear Creek
A Fisherman's Delight
Evergreen, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Fishing in Clear Creek Canyon
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
We pulled off the road at Big Easy Trailhead in Clear Creek Canyon Park,
because there was lots of room in the parking lot.
Terry did not want our new car scratched or dinged. Me neither!
Big Easy Trailhead in Clear Creek Canyon Park
Jefferson County Open Space, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
The park is part of the Peaks to Plains Trail (P2P) which is under construction.
One day this ambitious project will connect Denver's South Platte Trail
to Clear Creek's headwaters which rise at the continental divide in Loveland Pass.
The planned 65-mile P2P trail will link seven cities in four counties,
climb more than a mile in elevation (≈ 6747 ft. to 11,990 ft. or ≈ 2056 m. to 3635 m.),
and serve more than 3 million people who live in the Denver Metro Area.
Beautiful Clear Creek
Clear Creek Canyon Park
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
The geologist in me loves the rocks in Clear Creek Canyon!
Steep walls of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks
confine the creek to a narrow canyon in the portion of the park we walked through.
A Gneiss Boulder Along the Creek
Evergreen, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Gneiss is a foliated metamorphic rock
which forms under extremely high temperatures and pressures.
Because the pressure is greater in one direction than in the others,
the minerals in the original rock line up with the long and flat minerals
perpendicular to the direction of greatest pressure.
This gives the resulting coarse-grained rock a banded appearance
with alternating light and dark layers.
In early 1859 prospector John Gregory panned placer gold
from the water at the confluence of Ralston Creek and Clear Creek,
precipitating the 1859-1860s gold rush in Colorado.
Shortly afterwards, the first major gold ore discovery in the Rocky Mountains
was found in "Gregory Gulch," and Black Hawk sprang up near the bottom of the gulch.
Central City, farther up Gregory Gulch, was founded at the same time
and was once called the "Richest Square Mile on Earth."
Today people can pan for gold in designated areas along Clear Creek.
Posted, Clear Creek Canyon Park
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
One thing that I really appreciate about Clear Creek Canyon Park
is that it is ADA compliant (The Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990).
This means that people who have disabilities can enjoy
the most pristine canyon along the Front Range,
via four miles of 10-foot-wide paved trail along Clear Creek.
I was once married to a paralyzed veteran,
and I understand the pain being separated from nature can cause.
It was wonderful to see fishing areas with access to people in wheelchairs.
People can Access the Creek Bed in a Variety of Ways
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Easily Accessible Fishing Spots
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Enjoying the Walk
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Terry Crosses Clear Creek Via Vasquez Bridge
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
The View Upstream from Vasquez Bridge
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
The View Downstream from Vasquez Bridge
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Terry Checks the Peaks to Plains Trail Map
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
The Paved Portion of the Trail Allows Access to Wilderness Trails
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Terry Walks Along Clear Creek
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
From big to small, there are endless things to observe and enjoy.
Cones and Needles
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Autumn Leaves
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Rough Bark
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Trees and Rocks
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Lichen Flourishing
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Resilience
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
We paused for a welcome snack at our turn around point.
Terry in Leaves
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Reflections of Autumn Colors
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Listening to the Rushing Water
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
A Lush Forest
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
A Parting Look
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.
For Rain: Perfect for Charcuterie ~ I love a good charcuterie plate!
Pasticceria Papa
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
November 4, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
For Tom: The Spirit of Aloha
It's Getting Closer!!!
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
January 18, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
For Nicole: Skittish Faces ~ Off My Deck This Morning
Two Does and A Buck
Aurora, Colorado, USA
November 14, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Have a great weekend!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2024 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be
Friday, November 22nd 🤞
On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.