It was a beautiful winter's day as we walked in the cool, crisp air at Roxborough State Park. This park Is located just southwest of Denver, Colorado and is nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The red sedimentary rocks of the Fountain formation reach like silent spires toward heaven.
Daniel 3:75 Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Daniel 3:70 Snow, bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever.
It was a cloudy winter morning with snowflakes gently drifting to the ground when my brother took me to see the bear den he had found at the Rock’n B.
A Gentle Snow Fall at the Rock’n B
We have encountered numerous bears while hiking in Colorado. In the summer of 2014 we got a picture of this black bear with the motion sensing cameras we have at the Rock’n B.
Black Bear – taken with motion sensing camera – July 2014
A few months earlier a bear broke into the little camper we have at the Rock'n B. The "break-in" was likely just after the bear woke up from hibernation. It is said that no animal has a keener sense of smell than a bear, and I believe it. We had no food in the trailer except for a sealed can of coffee, tea bags and coffee creamer in one cupboard. The bear only opened one cupboard, the one with the coffee, tea and creamer. He ate them all. Perhaps he needed a little caffeine after waking up from a long winters nap.
On this beautiful winter day my brother showed me the bear den he had discovered. It was at the base on the south side of an outcropping. The bear had taken full advantage of the warmer southern exposure. The bear used the crevice in the side of the hillside for the den and pulled dirt and plants to cover the opening of the crevice.
Bear Den
We will be placing motion sensing cameras near the outside of the den. Stay tuned to the A Nature Walk with God as we will provide an update later in the year (likely early May). Hopefully we will have a video of the bear (perhaps cubs also) leaving the den.
Daniel 3:81: …All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.
Len Brammeier, 2/13/2015
My brother and I did an early morning walk on his Rock’n B Ranch near Cripple Creek Colorado over the Christmas holiday. It was in the low twenties with a coat of freshly fallen powder on the ground, a perfect morning for two brothers to walk in the Colorado Rockies.
View from the Rock’n B
Besides enjoying the beautiful morning the other purpose of our walk was to see what pictures our motion sensing camera might have taken.
Leading the Way
After only going a few hundred yards we crossed some mountain lion tracks.
Path Left by Lion
From the size of the prints it appeared to be a pretty big lion.
Track in the Snow
We could see in some areas where the lion had apparently been chasing some rabbits. The land around the Rock’n B is perfect for mountain lions; lots of deer, lots of rabbits and outcroppings of Rocks.
Rock Outcropping
We didn’t see the Mountain Lion on this trip but the motion sensor camera did get a picture of the lion along with a pretty cool night picture of a coyote.
Picture of Mountain Lion taken in early November
Picture of Coyote taken in mid-December at night
Daniel 2:70: …snow, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him forever.
Len Brammeier, 1/26/2015
On the early afternoon of December 22 Vanessa and I walked up Waterton Canyon in the foothills of the Rockies just outside of Denver. The weather was cool with a light skiff of snow on the ground. One of our earlier sightings on this walk was a rafter of turkeys (yes rafter is the technically correct name for a group of turkeys).
We spotted this Mountain Blue Bird on a branch overlooking the South Platte River.
The walk up the canyon along the South Platte was beautiful.
Vanessa spotted a group of Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep about a quarter mile up the canyon. We were able to get close enough to get this picture of two rams.
As we completed the walk back down the canyon we saw two mule deer bucks near the turkeys we saw earlier.
One of the bucks was very curious about the turkeys. The curious buck and turkey nearly gave each other a kiss.
See the a one-minute You Tube video of this curious mule deer seeking out the turkeys.
May we seek the Lord with such curiosity.
Psalms 14:2: The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
Acts 17:27: …that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
1 Chronicles 16:11: Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually.
Len Brammeier, 1/10/2015
