Snowcapped Pikes Peak

The light was good today, and the mountains must have had some snow overnight (it was quite cold here yesterday, but 50 degrees today), so it was a good day to take some snaps. Hope you enjoy them!

Colorado Springs February 18 2016

My last couple of posts showed a fierce blizzard that hit Colorado Springs (and much of the rest of the country) from 1-3 February 2016. Two weeks or so having passed since the storm, during most of which time the snow remained on the ground and did not melt within a couple of days as usual, I decided to walk around a bit and get some Colorado Springs landscape shots.

The snow has mostly melted, as you can see. In fact, the temperature had been in the 50 degree Fahrenheit range for several days as of the date of these pictures. Colorado, despite what many may believe, is not just snow and skiing. It actually warms up quite a bit even in the midst of winter. But, then it gets cold again.

So, we get some nice views of Colorado Springs. I thought there would be more of a snow cap on it, but at least there is something. It gets warm up there at times, too.

Garden of the Gods is to the lower left of Pikes Peak, with Manitou Springs a bit further left.

These shots were taken around 7 a.m. I like to get a morning session in now and then because the light angle highlights the mountains better than it does when the sun is higher in the sky.

You can see pretty clearly where Ute Pass and the highway go into the mountains. It is not quite as obvious when the sun's rays come down more directly.

It was a pretty brutal winter, and it is not over yet. I checked things outside and most was good, but there was some light damage to one of the shutters. Nothing terrible, I can just leave it as is and it will be fine, but just shows that winter in Colorado is real and not something you shrug off.

We usually get one or two really good snow storms in March and even April. In fact, if we don't, that would be kind of surprising. However, that said, those tend to be "wet"snow and it melts rapidly. In fact, it is more slush than snow, at least within a day or so.

I realize these shots probably look like they could have been taken at any time during the year. There are subtle indications of the season, though.

For instance, the brown prairie grass with little flowering vegetation - you won't see it like that except in the dead of winter.

The sky also has a pale blue look to it with few clouds that is characteristic of this time of year.

The snowcaps will look different throughout the year and are kind of the signature for different seasons.

You also won't see snow as far down into the foothills during the warmer months.

Anyway, I hope these shots make you want to visit Colorado Springs!

2016

Blizzard Pictures

I posted a bunch of pictures two days ago during the blizzard of February 1-3 2016 here in Colorado Springs. They say that we received about a foot of snow, which isn't too terrible. However, coming out of nowhere, with no snow on the ground at all, these storms impact more than, say, Alaska where they always have snow this time of year.

As always, the drifts pile up a lot more than a foot.

It's important to shovel off the sidewalks regularly during these events. It makes keep up with it much easier. If you leave it until all the snow is down, you are in for a terrible time.

Plus, when you start early, you keep the sidewalk uncovered in places. That helps melt the rest of the snow on the sidewalk as the dark color absorbs the sun's rays.

I don't think that the plows made it out to the residential roads such as this. While that doesn't bother me, some other people had some difficulty with the roads.

As long as you don't go too fast... or too slow... you are okay with roads like this. That is, the flat roads.

There wasn't too much traffic around here anyway. People know enough to stay home.

This is the main road through our development. No plow here, either.

The cul-de-sacs are completely snowed in. Those cars aren't going to be going anywhere for a few days.

The sidewalk give an idea of the depth of the snow.

I wandered around the area. The weather actually was quite nice, though well below freezing.

This is the main road. I don't think the plows got it, either.

People were out shovelling. It was a good time to do it, little wind and sunny.

The icicles were beautiful.

This group worked together to shovel to the mailbox. No mail delivery for the past few days.

Freshly fallen snow is always pretty right after the storm.

There weren't many signs of life other than the shovellers.

Some cars on the side streets aren't going anywhere for a while, either.

The snow will probably melt tomorrow. Currently, the temperature is in the single digits Fahrenheit.

Walking around was not possible on the sidewalks, because too many have not been shovelled yet.

This shoveller was hard at work.

It certainly has a Christmas-y feel even if Christmas is long past.

That car never made it into its driveway. Cars with low clearance and not much weight had the worst time. I stopped at one point to help push a car up a hill. He never made it and had to go back.

This is a path. it looks like someone may have ridden an ATV through.

The landscape scenes were very pretty.

You could barely tell where the paths were.

The entire area is covered with snow. Trucks would whiz by with chains on them.

Usually, you see a lot of scrub in these shots. Not today.

The picture below is looking north toward Black Forest. They surely got a lot more snow than this.

That is looking south toward Cheyenne Mountain.

That is Austin Bluffs, which is a major artery.

A family was out sledding/snowboarding. You can only do that a few days a year.

The roofs are all covered in snow. That just shows how recent the snow was, even with good insulation the heat from inside wills soon clear them.

Little kids were loving the snow!

This path is usually a nice, quick walk. Not today.

This is looking east. That is a hospital on the upper right.

This is looking south again. The dogwalkers were out, they never miss a day.

Some of the roofs have a lot of snow on them. The newer houses have the best insulation.

This is a path down to that development. Would be tough to go down today.

Our first view of Pike's Peak.

Usually, you only get this kind of snowy view when you are way up in the mountains.

You can make out Garden of the Gods below Pikes Peak in some of these shots.

Cheyenne Mountain covered in snow is always pretty scenic.

The sun setting behind Pikes Peak makes for a dramatic scene.

The ski resorts must be having a lot of fun with this snow.

It isn't easy walking through the snow on days like this, but people do it.

I literally wouldn't know where the path was if others hadn't gotten here earlier.

One time, I drove completely off a road and into a field because I could not see the road. Yes, that is very dangerous, and no, I would not want to do that again.

Sunset in the Rockies.

The cold doesn't really bother you as long as you keep moving.

Not too many people had been on this sidewalk.

You almost expect a sleigh to ride through.

Scenes like this do give a good idea what the whole area would have looked like a hundred years ago. Imagine riding through this on your horse!

I could smell smoke in the air, people had their fireplaces going.

The air is relatively clean up here, so you don't usually get a lot of dramatic colors at sunset.

Only a few people had taken this path before me.

The picture below is looking south.

The easy way in spots like this is just to walk in the footprints.

That car on the left didn't make it very far. They parked it basically in the middle of the road and left it.

I bet this is what Alaska looks like. But, this isn't Alaska.

You don't get to see icicles on the trees very often here.

Not a lot of lights on either around here.

You can tell where the plows have been due to the massive mounds they left. The school people plowed their parking lot, that accounts for that mound.

The school maintenance people are really, really good at staying on top of snow events.

This actually is a park that is next to the school.

It is just a snowy wonderland.

It's a lot easier to walk around where the school guys plowed!

There is a school maintenance worker hard at work, wearing his Walls.

You can see where people are running their fireplaces.

I know the depth of the snow doesn't look very dramatic, but for here, this is a pretty big snowfall.

On streets like the one below, it is very, very easy for a sedan to get stuck.

Even the slightest hill poses a struggle.

I find the snow beautiful. Glad that I got a chance to go out and take some snaps while it is still so pretty.

2016