Writing My World

Train depot The Arkansas River begins high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, taking the melted snows and rains on a 1,460-mile path through Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas before it flows into the Mississippi River. Like all rivers, its size and power changes with the seasons and the weather. While it is usually a calm, beautiful waterway, the news this spring covered massive flooding that occurred in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Two months later, the river still fills the banks of the Royal Gorge as the spring snows melt upstream. We recently took a train ride through the Royal Gorge and I have to admit that watching the power of the river was as fascinating as the gorge it has created over the centuries. The river flowed with enough force that it was easy to imagine the swift waters carving a path through the hard rocks. The Arkansas River The gorge is only about 50 feet across. The train runs from Canon City to Parkdale, a 12-mile trip through the gorge, before making the

Roger Tory Peterson was many things; a naturalist, an artist, an ornithologist, an environmentalist and an educator.  If you’ve ever browsed a nature store, chances are you’ve seen a Peterson Guide. He brought birding and nature to national prominence through his guides and illustrations. Les Line, a former editor of Audubon, wrote: “Because of Peterson, we became watchers not just of birds, his greatest love. Through the magic of The Peterson Field Guide series, which grew to more than 30 volumes under his editorship, we became watchers--and, more importantly, protectors--of every form of life on our planet.” I n the 1930s when he submitted his first field guide, publishers turned him down. Houghton-Mifflin finally agreed to publish his book, anticipating little success. However, the first printing of 2,000 copies sold out within a week. His fame soared and over the next fifty years, Peterson wrote nearly as many books. Peterson changed birding from a narrower “sports

Sometimes when I visit a place, I know instantly that it will be with me for the rest of my life. That's the story of our latest visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were with our Colorado family and chose to spend the day at the park. Over the years we've been blessed with wildlife sightings, but this trip definitely raised the bar. What a day! As we drove up Trail Ridge, we saw elk, deer and bighorn sheep in the distance. Yes, I was thrilled even though most were too far away to photograph. It was the 4th of July weekend and the park was filled with visitors. Every parking lot was filled and I was gratified to see so many enjoying Colorado and all it has to offer. As we headed back down toward Estes Park, the traffic cleared a little. Then we saw the cars stopped along the road. As we slowed we spotted two beautiful elk, with huge antlers still covered in velvet. As they rustled their way through the trees, we followed. Then they vanished. We drove to the fir