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Coronavirus Pandemic

mars 2020 - mai 2021
  • Two to Travel
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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    A Say's Phoebe comes a-callin' — Colorado Springs. CO.
    Time to plant some flowers for color on our deck — Colorado Springs, CO.The last sunrise of April is a brilliant one — Colorado Springs, CO.Getting the RV ready for the camping season — Colorado Springs, CO.First hot meal in the RV ... cooked at the sticks and bricks and eaten in our driveway!Sunset colors over the arroyo — Colorado Springs, CO.Geraniums awash in dew — Colorado Springs, CO.The geraniums Mui planted are coming along nicely — Colorado Springs, CO.The arroyo erosion mitigation is complete ... the soil seeded — Colorado Springs, CO.

    Safer @ Home Continues

    2 mai 2020, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Wow! It's been two weeks since I last posted. When we were off gallivanting, I always complained about how fast time was flying by. It seems that life's pace is no different even when we are at home and doing nothing particularly exciting. I honestly have no idea where the days have been going.

    Colorado's Safer @ Home stage during the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Not much has changed in our lives as the state opens ... at a slower pace than some of the other states ... at a faster pace than yet others. We continue to social distance, going out in public for essentials such as grocery shopping. Our daily walks have kept us within our community But that is about to change.

    It all started when USAFA (Air Force Academy) announced over the weekend that the famcamp on the installation would be opening on May 11. First thing Monday morning, we made a reservation for later this month. Then, last night, the Governor of Colorado announced that the campgrounds at the state parks would be opening as well. Today, we made reservations at three of the campgrounds that are in reasonable proximity to us. These are all for short stays. You could say that we are dipping our toes back into the RVing world ... slowly ... before we start planning a longer trip.

    Except for that bit of exciting-to-us news, we continue to work on projects around the house. We had a few summer-like days before the weather chilled for a week or so. It's warming up again, and with the change, our itch to get out further afield is growing. Hope to do so for a nice long hike tomorrow ... 🤞🏻

    Stay safe ... stay healthy.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    View of the Paint Mines from the Overlook — Calhan, CO.
    Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Golden Banners decorate some of the formations @ the Paint Mines — Calhan, CO.Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.Video of the formations @ the Paint Mines Interpretive Park — Calhan, CO.

    Paint Mines Interpretive Park

    13 mai 2020, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Today we “broke out of our neighborhood boundaries” and went off to do a hike at a park located about 30 miles from the house. At least that was the plan when we set out to enjoy a day forecasted to have summer-like temps.

    We made it to our destination — the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan — without a hitch. But then we got so engrossed in the colorful formations that we nixed the idea of the hike to play around the spires and hoodoos instead.

    The Paint Mines are named for the colorful clay deposits that were collected by American Indians to make paint. Archaeologists believe that humans inhabited the area for nearly 9,000 years ... the earliest being the Paleoindians who are believed to have descended from the people who migrated to North America over the Bering Land Bridge.

    We arrived at the park around 10:00a to find the first parking lot packed. WOW! This on a weekday! That worked in our favor. Turns out the second lot, which leads to the overlook, is the one that is closest to the formations. There was only one other car in this parking lot when we started off, but by the time we returned 2+ hours later, it too was packed.

    The good news? There are enough nooks and crannies at Paint Mines to allow for social-distancing from the people we encountered on the trails. Quite a large number were families with small kids. And that brings me to the bad news. Despite signage indicating that climbing the formations is prohibited due to their fragile nature, parents were allowing the kids to clamber all over them. Worse ... there were a number of adults doing so as well ... some with their dogs in tow (also not allowed).

    Regardless of the disappointing behavior of fellow-visitors, Mui and I wandered the trails, walking deeper and deeper into the formations to search out the pinks, magentas, purples, and yellows that make the park such a brilliant place to visit. An al fresco lunch at a picnic table overlooking the formations wrapped up our visit to the Paint Mines.

    Now that I have my photos, next time we go I’ll leave the camera behind so we don’t get distracted from hiking the rest of the park.

    (More photos are in my online gallery: https://eenusa.smugmug.com/North-America-US-Can…)    En savoir plus

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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Mui built a cabinet to hide the gas hook-up and installed a conduit to hide the hose.
    Inside the cabinet ... we also have a power extension cord and a shelf for storage.2The work is done ... time to relax!1We installed solar shades made locally in Denver to cut down on the glare from the morning sun.1First meal after the shades were installed was breakfast a few days ago ... under 60F, but comfy.2The dining set was purchased from a neighbor moving away last year ... all of $75! Excellent buy.The umbrella provides plenty of shade until the sun moves off the deck shortly after noon.We bought these Sunbrella loungers through Costco ... a little pricey, but comfortable and durable.The arroyo and plains view we get to enjoy from our deck ... though not always with a rainbow.

    Happy Memorial Day!

    23 mai 2020, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Hope everyone has properly social-distanced-plans to enjoy this holiday weekend. We’ll be staying home since we purposefully-planned our first camping trip with the Phoenix Cruiser for after the holiday long-weekend. We brought the rig home again yesterday and got things put away in the cabinets and drawers, so we’re ready to roll on Tuesday morning.

    As it turns out, we’re supposed to get a couple of soakers tomorrow and Monday, so it’s better that we are at home. We have a nice deck ... chirping birds ... an arroyo and plains view that is greening up with each passing minute ... and antelopes roaming about. Plus the annual Miller moth infestation/migration is about done ... thank goodness! So, we have all we really need to enjoy the holiday weekend at home.

    Since today has the best weather of the long-weekend forecast, we’re making the most of our deck, which we recently finished furnishing with a dining area and a lounging area. The flowers — petunias, geraniums, and lavender — are coming along nicely ... as are the herbs. We enjoy the pops of color ... as do passers-by who have been generous in their compliments.

    Have fun ... stay safe ... stay healthy.    En savoir plus

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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Cliff swallows nesting in the eaves of a house in the neighborhood — Colorado Springs, CO.
    Cliff swallows in action — Colorado Springs, CO.Starting a second row of nests! — Colorado Springs, CO.This side of the house is further from the mud source ... just a few nests here so far — COS, CO.House finch serenading us from our roof — Colorado Springs, CO.Mourning dove strolling in the backyard — Colorado Springs, CO.Goldfinch and a female house finch (I think) at the neighbor's feeder — Colorado Springs, CO.Brewer's Blackbird — Colorado Springs, CO.House Finch — Colorado Springs, CO.Black-billed magpie ... doesn't seem too concerned that he's a bit big for the feeder! — COS, CO.

    Invasion of the Swallows

    6 juin 2020, États Unis ⋅ 🌧 72 °F

    After a short camping getaway to USAFA's Peregrine Pines famcamp last week (footprints posted to the FP trip at this link: https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/trip/t2t…), we're back to our routine at home ... until next week when we will take off for another short jaunt in the Cruiser.

    Spring vaulted into summer this week with unseasonable daytime temps of 90F+ around Colorado Springs. In fact, yesterday we broke the all-time high temp record with 94F. Friends who live in states with traditionally higher temps are probably shrugging their shoulders at these numbers ;-) Luckily for us, between the lack of humidity and the near-constant breeze, the high temps were bearable. That said, we're happy to see the forecast calling for temps in the 70-80F range again next week.

    It's lovely to see the landscape greening up ... helped along by some beneficial afternoon and evening rains we've gotten on and off these past few weeks. The worst of the storms stay in the mountains or on the plains way off to the east of us. This is our first spring/summer in the new house, so all of the changes are new and delightful to us.

    The slight draught in the area seems to have delayed the wildflowers ... which, in turn, has made the annual Miller moth migration from the plains to the mountains the worst it has been in a couple of years. We had a few weeks where opening doors and windows meant letting in a number of moths no matter how quick we were. Mui became quite adept at using the vacuum to get rid of the moths that insisted on remaining indoors with us instead of outside where they belong.

    The moths are now history. In their stead, we have an abundance of birds coming through the area. As the wetlands in the neighborhood get better established, we're seeing more and more birds arriving ... and staying for a while. The mountain bluebirds that were the first to arrive have disappeared. House finches, goldfinches, blackbirds — both red-winged and Brewer's — and mourning doves and black-billed magpies are the most readily identifiable ones around here at present.

    The numbers of these birds, however, are no match for the cliff swallows that have invaded the neighborhood. They are flitting about everywhere, busily building nests. There are two houses at the end of the walking path that are absolutely inundated. The eaves on all sides are filled with nests the swallows build from the mud they collect from the wetlands across from these two houses.

    I love birds ... but I sure am glad we have no readily available sources of mud anywhere near our house, so we have escaped the invasion intact. We're more than happy to wander down the path to enjoy our swallow-watching.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    I'm not the only one enjoying the view @ Lake Park — Green Mountain Falls, CO.
    Canada goose gosling seeking a treat @ Lake Park — Green Mountain Falls, CO.1Yes, we could use 4x4 assist going up Hondo Street — Green Mountain Falls, CO.2Oh oh ... boulders and rocks to climb over and around — Catamount Falls Trail ... GMF, CO.1First waterfall — Catamount Falls Trail, GMF, CO.1The second waterfall gets a video — Catamount Falls Trail, GMF, CO.2That's about how wide the trail is all the way up — Catamount Falls Trail, GMF, CO.Trees, trees everywhere — Catamount Falls Trail, GMF, CO.2Wildflowers galore ... Colorado Columbine (top L and R) is the state flower.1

    Hiking the Catamount Falls Trail

    24 juin 2020, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    It’s not that we’ve been sitting around doing nothing as COVID-19 continues to plague the country. No, we’ve actually taken the RV out for a couple of short camping trips these past several weeks. But those stories belong as footprints in another trip. With nothing exciting to write about otherwise, this mock-trip has remained idle ... until today.

    (By the way, if interested, here’s the link to our Phoenix Cruiser stories ... https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/trip/5e0….)

    With our next camping trip not scheduled until the first week in July, yesterday we decided to drive into the mountains to escape the heat in Colorado Springs and go hiking. I’d been reading about various trails that go to waterfalls, so we picked one of them for today’s outing. Boy, was it a doozy!

    The trailhead for Catamount Falls Trail (CFT) is in Green Mountain Falls, a statutory town in El Paso and Teller Counties. The 2010 census puts the population at 640 people ... I’d be surprised if it is much more than that now. It’s only about 30 miles from where we live in Colorado Springs ... an easy drive up the mountain via US Highway 24.

    The instructions for CFT say that there is no parking at the trailhead and directs hikers to leave their vehicles at Lake Park in Green Mountain Falls. So that’s where we started our day. The park, with its gazebo on an island attached to the shoreline by a bridge, was quite photogenic. So, before setting off for the trail, I went for a walk around the lake. Mui, in the meantime, went in search for more specific directions to the trailhead since there were no maps available in the box near the parking lot. By 9:30a, we were on our way.

    AllTrails lists CFT as a moderate, 6.4-mile out and back trail. Per AllTrail’s guidelines, that’s the total distance, not one way. But to get to the trailhead, one must walk up about ½-mile on Hondo Avenue. When I say up, I mean UP! At the beginning of the dirt road, vehicles are advised to engage 4x4 assist. Believe me, we could have used that assist ourselves as we walked up the steep grade of the road! All along the road were signs making it clear that hikers were not allowed to park anywhere, so it was good that we had followed instructions and left the car in the park.

    I’m going to take issue with the moderate rating for CFT. Not because of the distance. Nor because of the 1,702-feet elevation gain over about 3 miles. No, the issue is all the rocks — boulders in some places — and the roots strewn all along the trail. Going up wasn’t so bad, because we could see where to put our feet between the rocks to get a solid footing on the very narrow dirt path that had a steep drop off on one side. Coming down ... well, that was no fun ... even if it did only take us half as long to get back down to the trailhead.

    CFT ends at the Catamount Reservoir. We didn’t make it that far. I’m guessing we were about ½-mile from that goal when I called uncle. Not only was going up two more hills something I was not looking forward to, but also the afternoon storm clouds were making an early appearance and I didn’t think it would be smart to get caught in a thunderstorm. As it turned out, we were barely in the car and driving away from Green Mountain Falls when big rain drops started plopping down on the windshield.

    So, was the hike worth it? Yesterday, as tired and achy as we were from being on the trail for 4½ hours, hopping over and around the rocks on a steepish grade, I probably would have questioned our decision to hike the CFT. Today, all rested up and with no aches or pains from our efforts, I’d say that it was worth it. We saw two small waterfalls ... made it all the way to the meadow ... had a nice snack-break along a creek ... and got a bit more acclimated to high-altitude hiking. All good!

    As for not getting all the way to the reservoir? Well, we’ll just have to drive up to it and then maybe hike that part of the trail in reverse.

    Oh, by the way ... post-hike, we rewarded ourselves with some red velvet gelato 😋 I think we found a gelateria in Colorado Springs that is to our liking.    En savoir plus

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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Watching the hailstorm from our covered porch — Colorado Springs, CO.
    The aftermath of the hailstorm on our back deck — Colorado Springs, CO.Pea- to grape-sized hail on the back deck — Colorado Springs, CO.Won't be sitting out on the deck today! — Colorado Springs, CO.

    Summer Hailstorm!

    15 août 2020, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    The pandemic is still raging in the US. We’re still social-distancing and staying away from any activities that might find us indoors with a bunch of other people. And of course, we’re wearing our face coverings — willingly — whenever we have to be in an enclosed space.

    No overseas travel plans for the rest of the year ... tired of having them canceled, so we’re not making any. Instead, we’re making good use of our home-on-wheels to explore our new home state. Those stories are in the “trip” for our Phoenix Cruiser travels (https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/trip/t2t….)

    That’s the catch-up. Now to get on with the story described by the title of this footprint.

    Summer storms are a fixture in our area. They tend to come in the late afternoon and are often fast-moving. Sometimes they drop hail ... small ones, big ones. Most times it’s just liquid stuff.

    These summer storms tend to bypass our neighborhood. We've been known to stand on our porch and watch the storms pass north or south or east of us, with nary a drop wetting the ground at our house. We listen to the thunder. We watch the lightning. But we remain storm-free in our neighborhood.

    Not this time. No sooner had Mui finished installing a cell signal booster on the Cruiser and taken it back to storage that the heavens opened up. A few minutes later the pitter-patter that announces a hailstorm was going full blast.

    The good news? Unlike the golf ball-sized hail that covered the ground at The Broadmoor a few weeks ago, the hail that fell here at the house today was pea- to grape-sized. It was over in five minutes ... nothing to cause any serious damage.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Fall Foliage on Hwy 67, Colorado.
    Fall Foliage on Hwy 67, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Hwy 67, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Hwy 67, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Hwy 67, Colorado.Panoramic view of fall colors — Hwy 67, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Hwy 67, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Phantom Canyon Road, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Phantom Canyon Road, Colorado.Fall Foliage on Phantom Canyon Road, Colorado.

    Leaf-Peeping

    29 septembre 2020, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    We went out to do some leaf-peeping today.

    Heading up Hwy 24, we turned on to Hwy 67 near Divide. WOW! What a difference a week makes. When we drove the section of the road up to Mueller State Park just a week ago Monday, there was no color at all. This time there was an abundance of gold ... mixed with patches of orange. Phantom Canyon Road — narrow, curvy, dusty though it was — similarly rewarded us with plenty of fall cheer ... even though the temp was more reminiscent of summer than the current season.

    The forecast for this year’s fall foliage is for it to peak and be gone in a very short time frame. Drought and freezing night time temps are the culprit apparently.

    Though we did see plenty of evidence of foliage past its prime, there was enough brilliant colors to keep us happy today.    En savoir plus

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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    October sunrise — Colorado Springs, CO.
    October sunrise — Colorado Springs, CO.October sunrise — Colorado Springs, CO.

    Colorful Sunrise

    17 octobre 2020, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    I don’t like that the days are so late getting started now that we’re past the middle of October. I know, I know. It’s going to get better in a couple of weeks when we fall back from Daylight Saving Time.

    There is a bonus, though. Colorful sunrises seem to coincide with our wake up time. I love these sunrises ... they bring peace to my soul.

    Yesterday, we winterized the Phoenix Cruiser ... our “vacation home on wheels.” What that means for this “trip” is that the footprint activity should pick up. That should make FindPenguins happy. Maybe it will stop reminding me that I haven’t posted a footprint here for a while.

    I also get frequent reminders from FindPenguins that I have yet to set an end date for this “trip.” No surprise there? I have no idea when the Coronavirus pandemic is going to take a back seat to what I anticipate is going to be our new normal for the foreseeable future ... even after a vaccine is rolled out.

    In the meantime, I’ll add bits and pieces to this “trip” when I have something I want to share.    En savoir plus

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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    It's an important election year and we've done our civic duty — Colorado Springs, CO.
    Our reward for voting ... a savory pastry dish that Mui made ... Colorado Springs, CO.

    1st General Election Vote as Coloradans

    19 octobre 2020, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Colorado is held-up as the gold standard for mail-in voting. If our experience with how it all worked out is anything to go by, I’d say that reputation is well-deserved.

    Ballots were mailed to registered voters on 9 October. The BallotTrax notification system advised us immediately. We were on a camping trip, however, so filling out our ballots had to wait a week.

    Yesterday, Mui and I sat down and completed our ballots. Even with all the propositions adding to the length of the ballot, it did not take us long to fold it back up, seal it in the provided envelope, and sign our names in the provided space ... as instructed.

    We’d already decided that we’d be using a convenient ballot drop box instead of the postal service to get our ballots into the voting system. Today, we drove to the DMV and did just that. Now we sit back and patiently wait for the election results to be announced!

    Our reward for doing our civic duty? Mui made a delicious savory pastry ... a Turkish dish that we call “kol böreği.” This baked dish consists of phyllo pastry dough layered with a filling ... in this case ground beef. 😋😋    En savoir plus

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  • Two to TravelTwo to TravelCoronavirus Pandemic
    Sunrise from our back deck — Colorado Springs, CO.
    Sunrise from our back deck — Colorado Springs, CO.Sunrise from our back deck — Colorado Springs, CO.

    Sunrise & Acceptance

    21 octobre 2020, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Don’t worry! I won’t be posting only about sunrises from our back deck. But, these colorful starts to our recent days were particularly spectacular. I think they deserve to be posted for their beauty as well as a reminder that there are things to be grateful for — small and big — even during pandemic times.

    By the way, Mui and I both received notifications from BallotTrax today. The first message was to advise us that our ballots had been received. The second message advised us that our ballots have been accepted.

    Acceptance means that the signature on the ballot envelope has been verified against the signature on file. Colorado does this immediately upon receipt.

    Counting of early votes in this state begins 15 days prior to Election Day. Technically, we’re within that time frame, so our ballots may well have been counted already. No way to know if that’s the case. Even though Colorado is an all-mail vote state, there is still an in-person voting option. Besides, legally, the vote count won’t be released until after 7:00p MST on Election Day. We’ll just have to wait until then. Patience is a virtue they say!    En savoir plus

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