Scene in the Wild Photography

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  • Getting birdy

    A great egret soars over the Lacassine Pool on the Creole Nature Trail in Lousiana. April 27, 2026.

    I know it has been quite some time since my last blog. I apologize for that. Life sometimes gets in the way!

    I’ve been several places and decided to highlight animal types instead of the locations I took the photos in. In other words, the next couple of blogs are going to be a mishmash of places. I’ll indicate on each caption where the photo was taken, but I’ll try to do it chronologically.

    But now I’ll break that rule, because I selected my best bird photo, above, from a group of photos I took while we toured the Creole Nature Trail in Louisiana in April. I was lucky that was flying slowly and not too far above where I was standing. Note that it is flying with its neck bowed.

    I’ll get back to Louisiana later. First, let’s go to the San Luis Valley, where we went to watch the Sandhill Cranes in March. We were able to see them both at sunrise and sunset. It’s hard to describe the experience as the cranes are flying in, but it is almost surreal.

    San Luis Valley March 16

    Sunrise on a pond at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, with cranes in the air and geese on the water. The Sangre de Cristo mountains are in the background. March 16, 2026.

    Silhouettes of flying cranes in the early morning.

    A sandhill crane calls as it flies. Note the hint of red on its crown.

    Canada Geese were on the water before the cranes showed up. I enjoyed their water ballet as they landed.

    We went back before sunset to see the cranes come back onto the water. At first we thought they weren’t going to show up, but then we notcied a quartet of them across the pond. Then the rest starting flying in, a few at a time, then larger groups en masse. They were coming from all directions.

    Three cranes flying back in.

    This shows just a hint of what the sunset flight looked like; birds were in the sky and on the water, and making quite a bit of noise!

    John Martin Reservoir April 14

    We took a visiting friend out to John Martin Reservoir April 14. I was walking along the road by Lake Hasty when I spotted this killdeer. I was surprised that I could get so close. I think she was exhibiting nesting behavoir, although I didn’t see any eggs, and I hope she chose a site farther from the road.

    Cypress Island Nature Preserve April 23

    We went to Louisiana later in April to attend the International Music Festival in Lafayette. However, I couldn’t resist the “call of the wild!” The first place we visited was the Cypress Island Nature Preserve near Lafayette. Managed by the Nature Conservancy, it has 9,000 acres of wildlife habitat, including a cypress/tupelo swamp and forest land.

    Two herons in one photo! The one in the front is a yellow-crowned night heron; the other one is a little blue heron. April 23, 2026.

    A new species for me! This is a limpkin. We watched it for quite a while as it waded slowly in shallow water, probably looking for food. Limpkins are a type of crane that feed on snails and other mollusks.

    Rip’s Rookery April 23

    One of my goals on the trip was to see roseate spoonbills in the wild. We did see a couple at Cypress Island Preserve, but I wasn’t quite satisfied, so we drove south to Rip’s Rookery, which is on Jefferson Island and part of the Rip Van Winkle Gardens.

    We don’t know how many roseate spoonbills we saw! They were roosting in the trees, flying over the water, and feeding and grooming. Apparently they get their pink colors from eating crawfish.

    Two roseate spoonbills in a tree. Note that yellow on the front bird’s tail. This is hard to see when the birds are flying or wading in the water. Also noticeable is the flat bill, which is where the name “spoonbill” comes from.

    Top, a spoonbill in flight; bottom, two grooming their feathers.

    Two herons–a tricolored on the left and little blue on the right.

    White ibises and spoonbills together, which is not unusual.

    Creole Nature Trail April 27

    The Creole Nature Trail is a scenic byway that forms a loop south of Lake Charles, LA. We drove partway down the west side on our way to Lafayette on April 23, but were turned back because of rain.

    On our return trip, we toured the east side, going to Lacassine Pool atthe Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge and Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. (We also stopped at Holly Beach on the Gulf of Mexico and picked up some shells, and then took a ferry from Louisiana to Texas).

    A common gallinule having lunch.

    Another heron! This one is a green heron. Notice its neck is much shorter than the other herons.

    A cattle egret. We’ve seen these in Bent County.

    Another small egret. This one is called a snowy. Note its black bill, in contrast to the great egret’s yellow bill. Both have black legs.

    An Eastern kingbird.

    I’m going to end with another photo of that great egret. It’s just so beautiful!

    Thank you for visiting my blog. The next one will be about some of the other wildlife we’ve seen on these trips.

  • Visiting Custer County

    White-breasted nuthatch Aug. 31, 2025

    There’s a place only about two and a half hours from here that I call my happy spot, but unfortunatley, I never spend as much time there as I’d like.

    Steve’s parents have a cabin up in the mountains in a community called Tanglewood Acres outside of Westclife, which is nestled in a gorgeous valley between the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.

    Bumblebee visiting Monkshood flower July 5, 2025

    I have learned to like many aspects about where I currently live, but I have to say, since I first viewed the Rocky Mountains when I was 9 years old, the mountains have always held an enchantment for me.

    This year we visited over the Fourth of July, and a couple of days over Labor Day weekend. I was not satisfied. For one thing, I always make a calendar of Custer County scenes for family members, and I didn’t think I had enough photos to chose from. To be honest, I’d spent quite a bit of time photographing macro insects and spiders and not much time on anything else. (I’ve found that many people don’t get as excited about these critters as much as I do, but I’m sharing a couple anyway).

    A tiny little spider: Tyrell’s tufted jumping spider, July 6, 2025

    Plus, it had been a long time since I had experienced the color change in the fall. The first Friday in October, I decided to drive up there because it sounded as though weather was going to be coming in and most of the colors would be lost to the rain and wind. Steve wasn’t able to go with me due to something called hunting, so I put my corgi in the car and off we went.

    We’d discovered a particularly beautiful place to see the colors a few years back, so instead of taking the highway all of the way into Westcliffe, I veered off onto a county road. I can’t tell you how many times I stopped to take photos. The colors were truly splendid. Once I got into the valley, the awe continued.

    Aspen Canyon Road, Oct. 3, 2025

    Road to Tanglewood Acres, Oct. 3, 2025

    Cattails with Sangre de Cristos in background Oct. 3, 2025

    After I settled into my inlaws’ house, I drove back into town to watch the sunset and have dinner. On the way, I noticed that I was being watched:

    Pronghorn herd, Schoolfield Road, Oct. 3, 2025

    After that, I had another surprise! I had no idea that I would be treated to a very special sunset! I am sure there is a name for this phenomenon of clouds and light, but I had certainly never seen anything like it before:

    Sunset over Sangres, Oct. 3, 2025

    The clouds were definitely a warning of what was to come. The next morning as I left, more were rolling in, and by the time I left town, the wind was blowing and rain had started. On my drive through the canyon I noted that many of the leaves I’d seen the day before had already been blown off the trees.

    Storm rolling in, Oct. 4, 2025

    Two weeks later, Steve and I drove up to close the cabin for the winter. Although there was still beauty to be seen, I was very pleased that I’d made the earlier trip, as most of the aspen colors were gone.

    Cattails, two weeks later, with snow on the peaks. Oct. 18, 2025

    There was still plenty of wildlife about:

    Mule deer doe near Tanglewood, Oct. 18, 2025

    Mule deer bucks by road to Lake DeWeese, Oct. 20,2025

    Steller’s Jay, Oct. 21, 2025

    Of course there was still awe-inspiring scenery:

    Autumn splendor, Oct. 20, 2025

    Aspen leaves in stream, Oct. 21, 2025

    I’m astounded that it’s been more than three months since I wrote a new blog! It’s certainly not because I haven’t taken any photos during that time, because I definitely have. I would imagine you’ll see some of those during the winter. I hope to write blogs more frequently. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all! (If you like my blog, be sure to add your email address so they will automatically be sent to you when I post a new one. No cost, no ads!)

    Wild turkeys near cabin, Oct. 21, 2025

  • A Tiny Red and Gray Beetle and Some Milkweed; or Adventures with iNaturalist

    This is Asclepias subverticillata, which has a common name of Horsetail Milkweed. It’s not what most of us typically think of when we think of milkweed–the one with the pretty pink and white flowers and broad leaves, which is Asclepias speciosa, or Showy or Common Milkweed. This photo was taken June 8, when the plant was just starting to bud. We have an abundance of this type of milkweed in our field.

    Here is one of the flowers just starting to bloom. (June 18) (As an aside, Ackerfield’s Flora of Colorado lists 19 different species of milkweed in the state!)

    Although we have had this type of milkweed on our property for years, I became extremely interested in it about a year ago, because of a post I made on iNaturalist of a tiny longhorned milkweed beetle:

    I wasn’t exactly sure what the beetle was. It was quite small, not much bigger than my pinky fingernail, and I thought it was very colorful. It was identified on iNat as Tetraopes discoideus. (July 26, 2024)

    A few days after I posted the photo, I received an email from a professor of biology at the University of Memphis. He’d seen the post and was wondering if the beetles might be nearby (yes, they’re in my field!) He explained that he studies beetles, insect-plant interactions, genomes, and insect biodiversity conservation. He was seeking this particular beetle for a collaborative gene sequencing project; they were sequencing several other Tetraopes species and studying the genomic basis of their interactions with toxic milkweeds. To make a long story short(er), I had a very interesting phone conversation with him in which he further explained that the beetle and the milkweed have co-evolved. Like the other beetles in the tribe, the beetle has modified its genes to manage the plant’s toxicity and has an ability to use the plant’s polysaccharides more efficiently. He said it’s one of the earliest species in this lineage of beetles that can do this, and it’s the only one in its lineage that’s found in North America. (According to texasento.net, its range is from Colorado to e. Kansas; Arizona to Texas; Mexico to Honduras).

    During the conversation, I agreed, excitedly, to find some of the beetles and send them to him. This involved going out in the early morning before it got unbearably hot for both woman and beast. I did find four; following his instructions, I sent them off, each in its own individual container with a bit of the milkweed (apparently the beetles like to nibble on each other), and some milkweed by itself. He suggested I add a freezer pack since it was so hot, and they’d be traveling across a few states. (I texted him that George, Paul, Ringo and John were on their way).

    Unfortunately, one of the beetles was dead when it got there. However, they successfully extracted both RNA and DNA from the remaining beetles and are assembling them in to a genome. They also generated data from the milkweed and found out that it is a polyploid; actually, a hexaploid (it has six homologous sets of chromosomes; polyploids are apparently not known from milkweeds). He said it’s possible that not all of the populations of this milkweed are polyploid, and they are still studying them.

    All of this to say that since this experience last summer, I have been posting many of my flora and fauna photos on iNaturalist, because I’ve realized that what I’m doing can benefit science. For those who don’t know, “iNaturalist is a nonprofit social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe.” (Wikipedia).

    To me, although I like entering photography shows and receiving ribbons, or (very) occasionally selling one of my photos, my contributions to iNaturalist are so much more important, especially in these days of funding cuts for scientific endeavors.

    When I was thinking of what to write this blog on, I decided to talk about my beetle friend and where it led me. When I started going through my photos, I realized that I had quite a few photos of various insects and spiders on A. subverticillata, and I thought it might be interesting to showcase them as well. The diversity is quite impressive!

    Here are some photos taken June 30:

    This bee, probably a wool-carder bee, was sleeping peacefully on one of the flowers.

    A checkered melon beetle.

    An eight-spotted flower longhorn beetle. Did you know that some beetles are pollinators?

    A tachnid fly, identified because of the bristles on its abdomen. (Flies have huge eyes a small antenna, which is one way to tell them apart from bees). This one looks as though it just draped itself over the flowers.

    I think I shared this in a previous post: a crab spider that nabbed a robber fly for lunch.

    The following photos were all taken July 20:

    Aphids on a milkweed stem.

    A bee fly on a dried piece of stem from last year.

    A blister beetle.

    A familiar bluet (Damselfly).

    A young grasshopper.

    An Apache jumping spider (I might have shared this one previously, too, but it was posing so nicely for me, I thought I should share it again. I saw several of these spiders on milkweed that day).

    Large milkweed bugs, mating.

    Small milkweed bug.

    They’re back! My friend, Tetraopes discoideus. My professor friend said that the larvae are subterranean and presumably feed on milkweed rhizomes. They have a two-year life cycle, but are unpredictable. Apparently the beetles stay underground until the conditions are right, but it’s not clear what those conditions are.

    I was jumping up and down in our field July 30 when I spotted this Monarch caterpillar on some horsetail milkweed! (Yes! A 73-year-old woman getting excited about a caterpillar!) Monarchs are listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and I hadn’t seen any Monarch caterpillars for a couple of years. I had spotted some Monarch butterflies this year. I also saw two more Monarch caterpillars, in different spots, a couple of days later, also on horsetail milkweed. Since then, I’ve had three Monarch butterflies visiting my Dotted Gayfeather/Blazing Star (Liatrus punctata).

    The next day (July 31), I found a few more insects:

    A lady beetle with her aphids, probably deciding how many she’s going to have for dinner. (Lady beetle larvae eat larger amounts of aphids than the adults do!)

    Another blister beetle. If you look back at the one from July 20, you can see that they’re different species.

    I was confused when I saw this beetle. It’s a lot bigger than the T. discoideus I’d seen earlier. I wondered if why. Well, it turns out it’s a different species, according to my professor friend. It’s probably T. femoratus, but could be T. annulatus. They’re both found here.

    The smaller one again (which wasn’t far from the larger one). T. discoideus.

    Small milkweed bugs on a horsetail milkweed seedpod. Yes, the seeds look very much like the milkweed seeds you’re used to seeing, but the pods are much smaller and don’t harden up as much as the others do.

    Milkweed fluff in sunlight.

    I’d like to encourage all of you to consider posting photos to iNaturalist. You don’t have to have perfect photos, but they should be fairly clear so the specimen can be ID’d. Preferably, take photos from different angles. You can even use your cellphone. There’s an app you can download for both Androids and iphones, or you can post online at inaturalist.org. You don’t have to be an expert; you don’t have to get very specific; others will help with IDs. It’s even possible that you might find a new species! It happens! If nothing else, go to iNaturalist.org and check it out!

  • Look closer!

    In this blog, I’m not highlighting any particular area; instead I’m focusing on the critters we can see if we look just a bit closer. This past year, I’ve really been working on macro photography–mostly flowers, insects, and arachnids. You’ll definitely see some of them here, but there’s also a mammal that’s playing hide and seek.

    This is a marigold from my garden, taken June 8. Do you see anything that looks out of place?

    If you saw it, did you realize what it was? It’s a fly; probably a flower fly of some sort. Look how well it blends into the flower. Did you realize that flies can be pollinators, too?

    I would have missed this mottled tortoise beetle that was crawling on the siding of our house April 15 if I hadn’t noticed a glint of gold. On a closer look, I was amazed at the colors of this beetle. Of course I ran inside to get my camera!

    Don’t these things look like they should be in a horror movie? I was walking in our field June 4 when I spotted a small black blob of “stuff.” Then I realized it was moving. These are Argus beetle larvae. They are welcome here, because they eat bindweed!! I’d seen an adult previously, but until I could get an ID, I didn’t know that these were the same insect, just an earlier form. Below is the adult. There’s not a lot of similarity, is there?

    Argus tortoise beetle adult, May 18, our field. Notice that the shape is similar to the mottled tortoise beetle above, but the colors are totally different. Plus it doesn’t look at all like the larval form. At first I thought this was a lady beetle, because of the spots.

    Mr. or Ms. Jack rabbit scurried away as our truck approached it June 4 at Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake).

    But then it took a rest. If I hadn’t seen it stop in the grass, I would never have spotted it. As it was, I had to do some close cropping to produce this shot, as it was quite a ways from the truck. Fun fact: did you know that Jack rabbits are not rabbits at all, but are hares? What’s the difference? They belong to the same family, Leporidae, but they’re from different genera. There are several differences between the two: hares are usually larger, with longer ears and longer and more powerful hind legs, which allows them to be faster runners. One of the biggest differences is that hares are born with fur and open eyes, while rabbits are born hairless and blind.

    Here’s something else that I just happened to see hanging on the siding, right outside our front door (June 20). This jumping spider was making a meal out of a grasshopper. Thank you, spider! Please eat more! The hoppers are eating my plants! Did you know that jumping spiders have eight eyes? If you look at this one, you can see two pairs in the front of its head. There are two other pairs on the sides.

    Since we’re already talking about spiders and their meals (cue the ewwws), here’s an interesting pair I found in our field June 30. I noticed the fly, which seemed to be at a weird angle, and then saw those white legs of a crab spider around its thorax. If you look through the flower, you can see the spider’s white and brown abdomen. Ms. spider was hanging out in some horsetail milkweed when apparently the stiletto fly made the mistake of landing. Crab spiders can change color depending on what plant they’re on. This one is horsetail milkweed.

    I took this photo of a sunflower in our field also on June 30. The combination of yellow and brown are soothing. I’ve seen lots of different insects burrow down into that brown center, amidst the small yellow disc florets. The sunflower head is made up of the ray florets, which we think of as petals, and the ray disc florets. Math fact: the florets often follow the Fibonacci sequence!

    Surprise! Did you spot this beetle above? Notice all of the pollen on its body. Beetles are pollinators, too! This is a six-spotted flower longhorn beetle.

    We went out to the Devil’s Canyon area of Comanche National Grassland June 23. After 100+ degrees several days in a row, that day it was “only” in the 80s. I was afraid I’d missed the cholla blooming, but there were many still flowering. Lots of insects love cholla, especially bees, but that’s not a bee on the petal. Maybe a beetle?

    Meet Sassacus papenhoei, another jumping spider–colored an iridescent green. I’m assuming it was just waiting for an unsuspecting insect to wander by.

    Did you know that grass has flowers? I thought these were especially beautiful. I think it’s Vine mesquite (Hopia obtusa). It was growing near a small pond. Devil’s Canyon, June 23.

    Because of the spring rains, the flowers are gorgeous on the prairie! White prairie clover, with a visitor. Devil’s Canyon, June 23.

    Aren’t those colors amazing for such a small insect? It’s a Lateral-lined sharpshooter (Cuerna costalis), a type of leafhopper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before.

    I’m jumping all over the place with locations and dates this time! Back to June 4, our field. This is scarlet globemallow, also called Cowboy’s Delight–why, I’m not sure. Common names can be interesting! This was one of the cases when I didn’t realize something else was in the photo. It happens quite a bit; I’ll be taking a photo of one insect, and when I’m editing the photo, I’ll see another, or maybe several others. I find it fascinating; it reminds me of something in New Orleans called “lagniappe,” something extra, such as when you buy something and the clerk adds a small gift to your purchase, like an extra piece of candy. In this case, it’s Mother Nature doing the gifting.

    I had someone watching me when I took the photo! I have no idea what it is, but it’s quite tiny.

    I want to show more photos of Adobe Creek Reservoir, Devil’s Canyon, and our field in future blogs. Yes, there will be more insects. Also spiders. I apologize if you’re an arachnophobe. I used to be one, until I realized how many flies and the dreaded MOSQUITOS, not to mention grasshoppers, that spiders eat. Also, I started looking at how beautiful they are, and how amazing they are as web builders. And I just remembered I need to add two more photos. Yes, another spider.

    We’re back at Devil’s Canyon again June 23. This is a large cholla plant. A funnel-web spider has set up an elaborate trap.

    I worked hard to get this image of the spider. I could barely see it with my eyes, so it was very difficult to get it focused. I used flash to bring out the details. She’s just lurking there, waiting for something to get wander into the tunnel. Apparently they’re quite fast runners and dart out as soon as something appears.

    That’s all folks. Have a safe but happy Independence Day. We’re spending it in my happy spot up in the the mountains near Westcliffe, CO. Expect photos!

  • Comanche, Part 2

    I’m going to start with photos I took when I was a volunteer on the U.S. Forest Service’s Picketwire Canyon Auto Tour on Comanche National Grassland May 3. One of the highlights of the tours is the dinosaur tracks, the largest trackway in North America, with more than 1,900 separate tracks in 130 separate trackways!

    A few sauropod tracks (the long-necked dinosaurs with legs and feet that resemble those of elephants) from the Jurassic Period. Some of the tracks are smaller and close to the larger tracks–probably young ones.

    A theropod track. Nope, not T-Rex. They came later, during the end of the Cretaceous Period. What’s interesting about the theropod tracks is that some are right in the same area as the sauropod tracks. Perhaps they were looking for dinner?

    To continue that theme, here’s a modern-day predator track (a bobcat) found in close proximity to the dinosaur tracks.

    Above the tracks you can see cliffs of Dakota Sandstone.

    Lichen on sandstone.

    The Purgatorie River. There are dinosaur tracks on either side, as well as under water. You might ask why the canyon is called “Picketwire” and the river is called “Purgatorie.” Originally, the river was named by Spaniards: “El Rio de las animas perdidas in el purgatorio.” In English: “The River of Lost Souls.” There are several legends regarding the name. One is that early Spanish explorers drowned in the river, but since there were no priests available, they didn’t receive last rites, and they were lost in Purgatory. Later, French trappers came through and called the river “Purgatorie,” which was pronounced “Purga-twa.” Early settlers couldn’t quite say that correctly, so they referred to it as “Picketwire.”

    Window Rock, along the road to the dinosaur tracks., always a favorite photo spot. The tour also features petrogylphs, and old mission and cemetery, and Rourke Ranch. For more information (remember, the La Junta Forest Service office is currently closed): https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation/picket-wire-canyonlands

    One of the few flowers blooming down in the canyon on May 3: Golden Corydalis (Coyrydalis aurea), sometimes called “scrambled eggs.”

    In my last post, I featured flowers I found on the Comanche on May 17. I’d gone there for training on how to count and photograph bumble bees through Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas. Did you know that there are nearly 50 species of bumble bees in North America? Unfortunately, one-fourth are at risk of extinction. I learned how to capture bumble bees, learned how to chill them (just temporarily!) so they can be easily photographed, and found out how to submit the data to Bumble Bee Watch. As we didn’t find any bumble bees, we practiced on other insects, some of which I’ll show below. (After the training, the leader and I did find a bumble bee on one of the Prince’s Plume plants–photo later).

    One of my favorites! This is a robber fly. Note his huge eyes and beard! Robber flies prey on other insects. They’ll often sit still and wait for something to fly by–sometimes they even cock their heads like a dog!

    This is another fly, but much smaller than the guy above–more like the size of a house fly, if not a bit smaller. Note the red eyes, orange antennae, and black proboscis. I’ve posted this on iNaturalist, so I hope to get a better ID.

    This red and black beetle isn’t one of the insects that was captured, it just showed up to perhaps join the “party” when we were looking at the ones we did catch.

    A face only a mother could love? I’m fairly certain this is a red-shanked grasshopper; if you look closely, you can see a bit of red on one of its hind legs.

    This is a potter or mason wasp, according to iNaturalist. In case you’re worried, all of the captured insects woke up and went off to do their jobs.

    The bumble bee we found on a Prince’s Plume. She’s a Bombus Nevadensis, as ID’d by our Bumble Bee Atlas trainer. Only the queens are out this time of year, searching for food so they can start providing for the eggs they’ll be laying soon. Plus, notice we had a little hitch hiker! Close-up below:

    One of the iNaturalist experts identified this as a Cactus Sap Beetle (Nitops pallipennis). That makes sense, as there are certainly many cacti on the Comanche!

    The training was held at the Vogel Canyon Picnic Area. We spread out from there, looking for insects, but also saw quite a few of these lizards–Eastern Fence Lizards. This one seemed to be posing for me!

    If you’re interested in more information about the Bumble Bee Atlas (whether or not you want to participate), go here: https://www.bumblebeeatlas.org/pages/mountain-states The data goes to Bumble Bee Watch: https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/about/ If you go there, you can see where bumble bees have been sighted, and what species have been sighted.

    For more information about Comanche National Grassland: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/about-area/comanche-national-grassland

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  • A Love Letter to National Parks

    I fell in love with National Parks on my first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park when I was eight years old. Since then, I’ve been to many National Park sites, and hope to go to many more. On every single visit, I’ve learned something about history, culture, or nature. I can’t imagine not being able have these amazing experiences.

    As this is National Parks Week, I decided to go back through some of the photos I’ve taken at National Parks sites we’ve visited. I’ll start with the site closest to me–Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site. This photo was taken Sept. 11, 2023, during the “Second Life” activity at the Fort. Unfortunately, the fort is currently closed due to structural issues. Trails are still open. Currently the park store is operating out of the John W. Rawlings Heritage Center and Museum in Las Animas.

    This one is also in Colorado, although a bit farther away. Great Sand Dunes National Park near Alamosa, taken Aug. 10, 2018. If you go in the Spring, you might find Medano Creek flowing, which is always fun to wade in. Did you know that people slide down the Dunes in sleds?

    One of my favorite National Parks sites near New Orleans is John Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. One time we saw baby alligators, but of course, this is no baby! Dec. 27,2024.

    I’m just going to jump around a bit, both by place and time. For our 30th anniversary, we went on an Inside Passage Cruise to Alaska. One of the highlights was being able to cruise into Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Watching the glaciers calving, not to mention hearing them, was a fantastic experience! June 9, 2013.

    Zion National Park, Utah; more specifically, Zion Narrows. I’m proud to say that yes, I walked the Narrows! We rented special shoes and walking staffs which made navigating the river much easier. Aug. 6, 2018.

    A hawk flying over Valles Caldera National Preserve. Sept. 24, 2016. What an amazing, beauiful spot! It’s a 13.7 mile wide volcanic crater in New Mexico. As we were leaving in late afternoon, we parked above the preserve and watched a large herd of elk and heard the bulls bugling.

    Yellowstone National Park, Montana. We watched this bison swim across the lake. Note the steam from his breath. Sept. 24, 2022. This was my first trip to Yellowstone, and although we were there for several days on a Road Scholar trip, there is still a good deal of territory to see. Yellowstone in winter sounds intriguing!

    Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. May 14, 2022. The geologic formations are very reminiscent of Bryce Canyon National Park, which isn’t all that far away, especially if you’re a crow.

    Since I mentioned it, here’s Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, and a few hoodoos. Aug. 7, 2018. I think it’s great that there are all sorts of activities to pursue in National Parks, such as trail riding.

    Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico. This was another fort on the Santa Fe Trail, used by the military. For my 68th birthday, I wanted to go to Las Vegas, NM, and stay at the Castaneda Hotel there, which was once a Fred Harvey Hotel. When I was a volunteer for the NPS Trails and Rails program, we were able to watch as the Castaneda was restored, so I was excited to book a room there when it reopened. Fort Union is not very far away. March 14, 2020. Note that date. We were probably some of the last people who visited Fort Union, because COVID shut it down shortly afterward.

    White Sands National Park, New Mexico. A stop on my 70th birthday trip to Carlsbad Caverns. The sand really is white; it’s composed of gypsum. Although we went there in the afternoon, we stayed until twilight, to view the full moon. March 24, 2022.

    After our trip to Yellowstone, we drove through part of Idaho to visit Grand Teton National Park. Those mountains are jaggedy! Sept. 26, 2022.

    Grand Canyon NP (south rim). We visited the north rim several years ago, but I’d never been to the south rim. Sept. 24, 2023–which happened to be our 40th anniversary. Photos just don’t do it justice.

    Cane River Creole National Historic Park (Oakland Plantation), Louisiana. This plantation and its sister, Magnolia, are two of the most intact Creole cotton plantations in the U.S. Generations of the same families: enslaved and tenant workers and owners. We visited right after a heavy downpour. Dec. 29, 2019.

    Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM. The ultimate stop on my 70th birthday trip. Oh my. There are views all over: up, down, ahead, and behind. We spent a couple of hours in the great room, simply amazed at its size and beauty.

    Sept. 20, 2023. A stop on a Road Scholar trip: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, with Spider Woman’s Rock in the center. According to Navajo legend, Spider Woman lives here. Our Navajo Guide told us that her elders told her that Spider Woman is always searching for disobedient children.

    On the same trip, we toured Chaco Culture National Historic Park (NM). Sept. 22, 2023. The structures at this park are from ancestral Puebloan culture between 850 and 1250 CE. Very awe-inspiring to think of how advanced this civilization was.

    There are many more National Park Service sites, which are places to discover America’s stories. Each site and each trip is unique. NPS.gov is a good place to start. Look for the site you’re interested in, and be sure to check operating days and hours. Some have changed due to the firings of many National Park Service personnel. Although park visitation has gone up the past few years, funding was already lacking. Look back at the photos and imagine an oil or gas well in the middle of the scenery. That idea bothers me. I hope it bothers you.

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