Saturday morning stretch o' the legs

The seemingly unimpressive Mount Evans is at rear of this rolling iPhone shot. I attest that it was far more imposing and grand in person, especially after the toboggan ride that is the descent of Witter Gulch on two wheels. For the most part of the pedal, it was only I and the odd passing cyclist shared the view; the F-150s that flew by towing boats didn't seem to be taking it in.

The Upper Bear Creek drainage is a pastoral paradise for grazing McMansions and novelty ranches. Although nary a Black Angus was to be seen, ranchers in the highlands today are raising sediment from the pores of the rich at several day spas, and keeping the tradition of living off the land alive.

This bucolic landscape is undoctored - the meadow daisies are real; the barn is legitimate. It adds, as Darryl Kerrigan would say, "charm" to the scene.

Further downstream, I came across this goldmine of real estate. Visible through the gated driveway, an English telephone box stands aside the century-old structure, presumably because cell phone service is so poor along the road.


Although the medieval fencing discourages photographers from having a good gander at the property, several features are identifiable from the boundary: a wooden bear clinging to the fence, an olde time clock which lends the place a Diagon Alley feel, and extensive stone masonry. Odds are good that the previous owners held a generous share in the rustic cabin aspen log furniture industry.

What impressed me far more than the house, however, was the real estate agent. Seen from a distance, I can only perhaps mock the gold rush font used in the title.

But on closer examination, Jim Smith can be seen sharing his valette with some sort of parrot; proof that only absurdly rich eccentrics need apply. Colorado!