Star Mountain 2026

 

Marvelous to be back in the mountains. We come back in May, always aware that the weather is not stable and freezing temps along with a flurry of snow are possible at any point. Freeze date in our area is June 10. All things are green and wildflowers bursting forth. The flowers are early, as expected, as a record low winter snowpack makes for a condensed blooming season. "Our" cattle have arrived two days ago which is super early. Our cattle rancher Burt knows grass will be eaten up quickly and unless decent rainfall occurs he will have to sell his cattle earlier than the normal October time frame. It's a fairly grim forecast overall. But you wouldn't know it right now - all looks normal except the low amount of snow on the surrounding peaks. Prayers for soaking rain!

We did have a snow event and freezing temps which lasted all of a brief morning. Fun to see. And the hummingbirds (who were waiting for us as we arrived) did not seem too bothered.

We've seen a wide range of the  wild animals that we coexist with. Elk, deer, coyote, great horned owl, grouse, hawks, rabbits, no moose yet but a neighbor did see a bear go into our woods last week. The birds are also here in mass. They start their day singing at 5:20am...a tad early for me.

red tail hawk overlooking the hummingbird feeders

I made it up to Crested Butte with my friend Kim to investigate how the town is holding up. It was astonishingly quiet as summer season has not quite gotten here.  Many restaurants were closed but happily one of our favorites (Ryce) was open and welcoming. The never ending staff shortage is still in effect in CB with many restaurants closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays.  We did find a new ice cream place to try. Well, Kim was the main experimenter. She said good not great. I personally had never heard of New Zealand ice cream - who knew... 

Mark and friend Steve (Kim's husband) are off on a fishing trip in the Black Canyon. It involves a mile hike down to the water, two nights out camping, and food provided by the fishing guide. Hope they're having a great time and catching lots of fish.

We have a big trip coming up - Portugal.  we've never been so quite excited. I'll be back to share the photos.