Posted by
Madeline's Dad on Friday, August 25, 2006 6:17:54 PM
Left the Mile High City this morning after dropping off the dogs at Mr. & Mrs. Genos' place. Went back to the house, loaded up the family truckster, and departed for the mountains.
It's a beautiful drive, and the fetching Mrs. P and I were somewhat surprised to see how much "green" there is along the highway. I'm not talking about the trees, but the native grasses. Makes me feel better that perhaps the worst of the recent droughts are behind us for now.
We were surprised to see the level of
bark beetle infestation in the pine trees. This is something we were first made aware of a few years back, visiting my folks in Northern Arizona. These pests target the pine trees that are stressed (usually by drought), and bore their way in. By the time the needles turn brown, the tree is already dead. It's quite tragic to see the pockets of dead pines amongst the healthy ones. Preventative spraying can be done, but if they are already inside the trunk, the damage is done.
We pulled into town, checked into the hotel, and were greeted by a photographer for the local newspaper. He was doing a story about all the people coming to visit
Steamboat this summer. He snapped a few pics, so maybe we'll end up in tomorrows edition. I'll be sure to put up a link if it happens.
Both my girls are sleeping after our drive today, as I try to get a little work done. The Little Duper is snoring in her pack-and-play, and the fetching Mrs. P is zonked. We plan on taking it easy tonight, then seeing what kind of damage the girls can do tomorrow in the shops around town.