I ventured out of the ranch this morning, all the way over to the big city (AKA Alamosa). An early riser, I left before sun up and got to see the colorful sunrise on the back end of the ranch as I closed and locked the gate. Most of the Blanca range and Lindsey were buried in clouds as the sky lit up, but the summits were finally clear, now laden in fresh snow. It has been a long, heavy, overcast couple of days and clarity and openness is always welcomed.
Errands done and returning, the vastness of the valley opened up such as we haven’t seen in days, due to smoke and haze as well as weather. The San Juans were freshly white at the summits. Trinchera Peak was covered in fresh white powder, as were both of the Spanish Peaks, so every direction, at higher elevations, was suddenly white again, truly indicating a change in the season.
The strong afternoon sun has stripped both the Blanca range and Lindsey of all traces of snow. Trinchera, still deeply white at three thirty was fading back to mountainous grey by sunset. The Spanish Peaks are still misty, but should be returning to stone tomorrow.
Mother nature is out there, and she is letting us know she is about to take a new hold upon us. For now, we are about to peak in foliage. It is time to ride the ranch, enjoy the beauty, and marvel at the wide open spaces before we settle into a white winter wonderland once again.