Sheep Lakes - Eternal Shades of Pastel Blue

Sheep Lakes

A bitterly cold wind sweeps down through Fall River Canyon and the frigid air settles in a scenic gorge named Horseshoe Park. Scientists call this place a glacial outwash terrace, I call it a glorious gateway to one of the most beautiful areas in Colorado.

Ensconced in Rocky Mountain National Park, the gorgeous meadow was sculpted by a 500-foot-thick glacier during the last ice age. That glacier crept down the valley and reached its maximum extent about 15,000 years ago.

The powerful force of nature gradually retreated and as it did, the glacier released sizable chunks of ice and rubble. The dynamic combination of melting ice and strewn debris wreaked havoc on the thawed earth, creating cavities in the soft ground.

When the deep depressions, resulting from the event’s epic aftermath, are filled with water - they are called kettle lakes. These ponds are special because they have no surface drainage and the land surrounding them has been transformed into a natural salt lick.

Locals call this place Sheep Lakes because Bighorn Sheep, attracted by salt deposits in the ground, congregate here during the summer. They come down from the Mummy Range in order to graze on grass and eat the soil, obtaining minerals not available in their alpine habitat.

Horseshoe is a paradise for all kinds of wildlife during the summer but the winters are brutal as the park is laid to rest in a snow-covered tomb buried below picturesque peaks. At this time of year, the forbidding landscape can only be described by dead quiet and eternal shades of pastel blue.

One of the most beautiful areas

A glorious gateway

Winters are brutal

Horseshoe Park

A glacial outwash terrace

A snow-covered tomb

Picturesque peaks

Eternal shades of blue

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lair O' the Bear and Dunafon Castle

Image
The restored Dunafon Castle Lair O' the Bear Park is nestled in a steep canyon about six miles east of Evergreen, Colorado. John and Matilda Johnson emigrated from Sweden with their two young boys and purchased the narrow meadow in 1902. They named it Mountain Nook Ranch, built a four-bedroom house and raised Red Durham cattle. Their two sons, Finis and Francis, attended school in nearby Starbuck, now known as Idledale. It was originally named for John Starbuck who won the town property in a poker game. John Johnson was a master gardener and his popular, fresh produce was sold in Evergreen and Denver. They planted over 200 cherry and apple trees in the area. If you look closely many can still be found throughout the park today. The unruly Bear Creek sculpted the beautiful scenery and provided the needed irrigation for productive crops but it also wreaked plenty of havoc. There was a constant fear of extreme flooding. The Lariat Trail (Highway 74 today) crossed Bear Creek s...
Read more

Ibis - A Symbol for Danger and Optimism

Image
White Ibis The white ibis is a wading bird that is very common throughout Florida. Their traditional habitat has always been the Everglades but they've recently adapted to a more urban environment. During our visit there this past summer, we frequently saw ibises on freshly mowed lawns rooting for large bugs as well as stalking aquatic prey along the shoreline of ponds, lakes and marshes. These splendid, white birds have evolved a long, downward-curved bill. This distinctive feature has helped them develop into efficient hunters. Their legs are long enough to wade in shallow water but they are also perfectly at home on dry land where they can use their pink beak to probe for insects. The white ibis is a symbol for danger and optimism because Native American folklore held that the bird was the last to seek shelter before a hurricane and the first to emerge afterwards.
Read more

An Approaching Storm - Colored Pencil Drawing

Image
"An Approaching Storm" Colored Pencil In the midst of an already grievous winter, an approaching storm gradually extinguishes the landscape’s last sliver of light. The inclement weather rushes in aggressively as it envelopes the magnificent range of rugged peaks. Extending across the page, a strip of turquoise sky is still visible above the embattled scenery. It won’t be long, though, before a cloak of cool-gray smothers the valley in a shroud of deep snow. The high mountains assume a defiant posture as their sharp edges tear through the soft atmosphere, creating patches of bare rock. The kaleidoscope of broken terrain sparkles in blue-violet before the impending storm’s onset. The forested foothills are distinguished by three different, overlapping tiers of conifers. As the woodland ramparts recede into the distance, the wintery colors gradually become several shades bluer. The wide, white meadow sweeps across the foreground, its smooth surface decorated with elongated shado...
Read more