Denver & Longmont, CO - May 9 & 10, 2022

 My plan was to move to Longmont and stay at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, but that meant going through Denver.  While Denver is a very nice city, I've been there several times and there's little there I still want to visit.  One thing that did appeal to me was to drive by the Denver Mormon Temple for a few photos.  It was an easy detour with plenty of parking for the motor home.  As expected, the temple's architecture is stunning, and the grounds were filled with blooming plants for Spring.

The campground at the Boulder County Fairgrounds proved to be an excellent spot for a base camp.  With a reasonable price, it is quite popular for both overnighters and longer stays.  I wound up staying eight days because there is a lot to do in the area.  While Longmont and other cities in the area have been there for a long time, recent growth has occurred in what was prairie and farmland.  Development has been well planned, resulting in compact, attractive neighborhoods, logically placed commercial areas and many open spaces for outdoor recreation.  It amazed me how many lakes, ponds and reservoirs there are, as well as miles and miles of hiking/biking trails.  I can see why the area attracts so many people despite the heavy traffic.

Longmont got its name from the fact it is overlooked by Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The mountain is popular for climbing, with a variety of routes, some not technical, but others more difficult.  One man was known to have climbed it 428 times, but he was killed in his last climb.

Of course, I enjoyed the many preserves and the wildlife, especially birds, that can be found there.  The most plentiful were Canada geese (which I'm not a big fan of) and red-winged blackbirds (which I do like).  I could have taken thousands of photos, but I showed admirable restraint and only took hundreds.

White Pelican

Cormorant

Hairy Woodpecker

Canada Goose

 

 

Canada Goslings

Bald Eagle (Juvenile)

Concerned Prairie Dog

Western Meadowlark

European Starling

Vespers Sparrow