Welcome to the last Friday of September and the latest edition of Nature Friday, where we join our pals, Rosy and Sunny from LLB in Our Backyard. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what else has been shared. Elsa here to share some glimpses of autumn. Not so’s you’d know it here in the Mile High…it’s been warm and dry although the mornings are delightfully crisp. Mom says I’m practically giddy ‘boinging’ along on our morning walks. But Mom’s prone to hyperbole, so I’m not sure we can trust her on that observation. I have no idea what she’s talking about…she’s so weird sometimes.
Our family got together for a wedding this past week in beautiful Glenwood Springs in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado near Aspen. You couldn’t ask for a prettier setting at a prettier time of year for a wedding. Let the leaf peeping commence.
Crystal blue skies dominated the weekend and the aspen leaves were just beginning to start changing colors, being somewhat delayed by extended summer temps. But what has changed did not disappoint.
So let’s look at the area historically speaking. Ute Indians originally occupied the region and were nomadic hunter-gatherers who seasonally used the natural hot springs lived in the area. Glenwood Springs, originally known as Defiance, was founded by Isaac Cooper in the late 1800’s. Established in 1883 as an encampment containing tents, saloons, and dare I say, ahem…brothels. Like so many other Wild West towns, gamblers, gunslingers, and prostitutes made it home.
Surrounded by red colored sandstone cliffs, Glenwood has been visited by some famous peeps over the years, including President Teddy Roosevelt. Doc Holliday of the O. K. Corral fame, spent the last months of his life there as well as the outlaw gunman, Kid Curry, who was part of the Butch Cassidy’s gang, are both buried in the Pioneer Cemetery.
Did you know that Glenwood Springs was one of the first cities in the US to have installed electric lights. That says something, doesn’t it? Situated in and around narrow mountain valleys where the Colorado River and the Roaring Fork Rivers meet, the terrain is steep and has some well known geothermal activity (hot springs). 
Glenwood Springs owns some of the oldest and senior water rights to the Colorado River and has implemented a good conservation plan, so it continues to sufficiently serve its residents. The town itself lies outside of the Colorado Mineral Belt, with no mineral, oil and gas resources near the town so the watershed is clean and pure. Glenwood Springs has none of the typical legacy of pollution like many mountain areas that had mines did.
People in the valley are avid fishermen (and women) and those lucky enough to live on or near the river are always prepared. Mom said you never know when a 20″ long trout will ‘greet’ you. Even if catch and release is the norm.
While walking down to the creek, Mom stumbled on this scrub oak leaf. She seemed pretty jazzed. I’m not sure what the big deal is but I guess it’s pretty. Sort of. Looks like leather to me. Say, isn’t leather good eating? Asking for a friend, mind you.
On the drive home, Mom spied a waterfall on the side of I-70 near Vail. It was nice to see something pretty because traffic was heavy and moved at a snail’s pace. Guess leaf peepers gotta get home to go back to work. Mom wished they would have just stayed in the area and not clogged up the highway. Oops, was that my out loud voice? Sometimes you get lucky to see something beautiful and surprising. Way to go, Mother Nature.
One last slice of nature that caught Mom’s eye this week was the last Super moon for 2023.
Sometimes things in the city can be as beautiful as in the mountains.
And because I’m such a sentimental schloob, here’s a pic from the wedding of Mom’s nephew and his new bride. Nice setting, isn’t it?
So, have you got any exciting plans for this weekend? Are the leaves changing in your neighborhood?
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Oh how beautiful ♥️
Thanks so much!
What a beautiful place for a wedding. We love the pretty leaves and the waterfalls. Hopefully it is the start of a perfect life together.
Thank you. If you’re looking for a scenic wedding, autumn is definitely a great time to marry in Colorado.
Mee-yow what lovelee fotoss of Glenwood!! THE Rock fore-mationss are simplee amazin!!
An THAT blue sky was so inntense!
Our leevess are changin heer too Elsa an Miss Monika……
It iss still around 68-70 F deegreess durin THE day butt iss around 45-48 F at nite…makess leevess furry colorfull.
An Elsa wee LOVE to see Happy Peepell gettin married!! Nothin wrong with beein senty-mentall at all 😉
***nose bopss*** BellaDharma an (((hugss))) BellaSita Mum
Thank you! That area is a special place. Big red rocks, blue skies and now those gorgeous aspen trees changing color. Our temps are about 10-15 degrees warmer than yours so the weather is beautiful. Just need some rain since it’s been somewhat windy the past few days. 🤞🏻
What a beautiful bridal picture. I hope they have a wonderful rest of their lives together.
And what an absolutely breath-taking area Glenwood Springs is! Thanks for sharing.
Gorgeous photos of nature’s beauty……AND beautiful photo of a gorgeous pair of newlyweds! Sweet………
Hugs, Pam and Teddy
Thanks so much, Pam. It was a magical event to be able to celebrate in that beautiful setting. Happy autumnal weekend! 🍁
Beautiful photos and a beautiful bride.
Thank you! It was a beautiful setting made extra special by the whole family sharing in the couple’s wedding celebration.
Congrats to the newly weds!
Very beautiful nature around your area!
Things are beginning to color up around here, too.
Thank you! Autumn is such a beautiful time of year and our favorite season. We hope you have a super weekend!
it’s a beautiful couple and the nature photos are beautiful. The sky was indeed very blue. Around here (north Texas) we don’t get much colors. Most trees stay green throughout fall and winter. Some become yellow/brown and lose their leaves but it is very different from the bright colors up north. I think I am going to swim a lot this weekend.
Thank you. We’re truly blessed to live in this state. Have a good weekend swimming.
I love the vignettes and the Friday narrative, as per.
That oak leaf DOES look just like leather, how cool is that?
As for the setting for the new bride and groom, I do not think you can get much better than that.
Have a great weekend peeps
Many thanks, Marc. Yeah, that’s a pretty amazing way to start out as man and wife. A bob or two of of leather seems like a swell bonus. Have a wagnificant weekend!
You do the same!
What beautiful scenes, Monika. I love the natural side of Colorado and you were in the best part. The wedding shot was great too.
Thanks John. It really is one of the prettiest parts in the state. My brother is truly lucky to live there. Have a lovely weekend.
Gorgeous country, lovely fall shots of golden aspens and azure skies. Have a great weekend!
Thanks. It’s always a treat to spend time in a the high country. Hope you have a terrific weekend. Should be a beautiful one!
We were just there. Your beautiful state may have the most gorgeous scenery we have ever seen!!
Aww, that very nice of you to say. I think NM could compete with Colorado any day of the week on beauty. 😊
Great scenery for a wedding photo!!
I love waterfalls! I think, if I’d been driving, I’d have pulled over to the side of the road, parked, and just admired that waterfall for at least an hour. Or tried to make my way over to it.
No plans this weekend. Enjoy yours whatever you do!!
Thank you. Truthfully, I nearly missed seeing that waterfall. Good thing the water reflected in my view otherwise I would have! Have a super weekend and give the Z-kiddos a nice ear scratch from me.
Lulu: “Wow, it’s like a ridge of gold up behind those red rocks! Also, we are impressed that the bride could get out on those rocks wearing that dress!”
She’s pretty athletic, Lulu and likely a whole lot more nimble than Mom is-she avoided the rocks because she knows how clumsy she is, but don’t tell her I said that. 😉
What spectacular scenery…..and best wishes for the happy couple.
Thanks, Helen. It is an exceptional beautiful part of the state. While the Midwest and East coast have those beautiful reds and oranges, the Colorado high country has Aspen trees in the mountains and they turn brilliantly gold. Mom was hoping she’d have time to take a dip in the hot springs but there just wasn’t enough time. Maybe next trip up there. 😉
Great pictures and what a beautiful environment. We only know Aspen from television, so we can imagine how it looks like where you were😸What a handsome dude and girl the furresh merried couple is. Good Luck to them both💞 Thank you for the tour too, Elsa and Monika. We’re looking out for all the leather that will come down soon here too…MOL…Double Pawkisses for a Happy Weekend to the both of you🐾😽💞
Colorado has lots of aspen trees which are quite spectacular against crystal blue skies. Here in the city there are some trees that turn orange, gold and some red ones but in the mountains, it’s that fabulous gold color. Leaf peepers flock to the mountains to see them. Thanks for the congratulatory wishes. Here’s to golden leaves and bits of leather!
Your fur-iend,
Elsa 🐾
Wonderful photos!
Many thanks. It was a trip Mom had been looking forward to since they announced their engagement. It was sure fun being with all her siblings-they’re quite close but live far apart.
Fall in the Rockies! Lovely!
Thank you! Fall in the high country is very special in Colorado. Have a great weekend.
Beautiful scenes and a lovely wedding shot!
Thank you, Sue. Mom wishes she could take credit for the shot near the creek but she didn’t take it. She thinks it was taken by the event photographer. Autumn reminds us how lucky we are to live in this state.