Poudre Canyon: A Preview

There's an amazing canyon that begins just outside of Fort Collins (~10 mins.).  The Cache la Poudre River flows through it, and the highway snaking alongside is allegedly one of the most gorgeous drives in Colorado (which isn't exactly an ugly state).  We'd never been there before.  Yesterday, though, Charlotte and I took a short excursion to see what we'd been missing (and what we have to look forward to).

The views aren't too shabby!  We'll pass some more photos along the next time we're in the canyon, but until then, have a great week!  If you need us, we'll most likely be exploring Montana in this rig-can you tell that Charlotte's used it for fieldwork already?

Gardening at 5,000'

Well, we will shortly have a post up here to show you our efforts to coax some yummy veggies out of the ground in Laramie.  Last year we learned that this requires some effort.  However, I wanted to briefly mention that we're also taking on a decently sized garden plot here in my Fort Collins backyard (half a mile lower, where the climate is way more favorable).  You could say it was a little overgrown to begin with...

However, after a sunny Saturday of work, I got things cleaned right up and some crops in the ground.

You might be curious about what I'm planning to grow, since there are so many options in Colorado (thanks to the awesome climate...and recent changes in our laws).  Well, I can report that every plant I'm growing is legal under both Colorado AND federal law!  That said, I am experimenting with a very close botanical cousin of cannabis: humulus lupulus.  Hops!

As you can see, I'm still not quite ready to brew beer with hops that I've grown myself, but I'm excited to learn a bit about these plants firsthand once these rhizomes begin growing.  I'm testing two different varieties (Cascade and Centennial hops) that are quite popular with American brewers.  Colorado's dry, sunny climate is purportedly ideal for hop plants in general, and these in particular, so we'll see how this goes!  In the meantime, have a great week, everyone!

Summer's A-Comin'!

Well, summer is rapidly approaching, even here in Laramie.  Some flowers are beginning to bloom.  And, because of last year's unbelievable drought, we've never actually seen green grass in Laramie like this before.  Not too shabby for the West!

With summer, though, comes fieldwork for Charlotte, and the excitement of getting a snazzy field vehicle.  This year, Charlotte received a sharp-looking Hyundai Santa Fe for her use.  

It was pretty nice, and had the unexpected fun factor of being from Canada!

However, space inside was a bit limited for field equipment.  Also, its speedometer was in kilometers per hour.  C'mon Enterprise!!!  We're Americans who live in Wyoming and Colorado.  We don't even know what kilometers are!  Can you grill them?  Fortunately, about 10 minutes later, Charlotte got a call that another (awesome) option had materialized on the Enterprise lot.  Say hello to Charlotte's new and improved 2013 field truck: a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee (Limited Edition)!

It's big and rugged with four-wheel drive...

...has lots of nice features (including a rearview camera and sensors, HID headlights, power leather seats, SIRIUS radio, a built-in power inverter, and a large-screen navigation system)...

...lots of glass for viewing the scenery (and night sky)...

...and, best of all, it's a good old American truck!

Anyway, we'll keep you posted as Charlotte's field adventures approach, but enjoy your weekend until then!

Until Our Next Official Post

Hi everyone!  Today (May 1st) we received about 10 inches of snow in Fort Collins.  We thought it was "blog-worthy."

That is all.  Hope you're doing great!

Fort Collins: Monday Through Wednesday

Well, as I mentioned before, I awoke last Monday in Fort Collins to a most peculiar April sight.  Snow-and lots of it!

My campus closed early, and so I headed home to a winter wonderland.  Fortunately, Fort Collins was great about clearing my street, and so everything was great...

...for about an hour!  Then, the temperature dropped a bit, and the 7 inches of snow was quickly topped by another 6 or so, and glazed with plenty of freezing rain.  On Tuesday, I decided against driving to campus for a second day, and instead got to again enjoy the beautiful scenery on my street.

By Wednesday, we had plenty of snow, but I nonetheless woke to even more of the same!  Here is the view as I trudged to campus (would this earn you a snow day in your neck of the woods?).

Ultimately, the snow actually got even heavier, and so campus closed for us at noon on Wednesday!  As you can see, there was quite an exodus of thrilled students when the news broke.

Pretty soon, campus was again quiet, and I had free reign of a very quiet, very beautiful, and very snowy campus as we received another half-foot of snow.

By Thursday, our new weather pattern ended just as abruptly as it had arrived.  The sun began to poke out, and the temperatures returned to near 50 degrees.  All in all, we got 22" of snow during three days of nonstop snow, making this one of the most awesome snowstorms I've ever experienced!

Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I have to head back to Fort Collins from Laramie.  There's another snowstorm in the forecast for tomorrow!  Sheesh!

Changes in Latitudes

One of the foremost poets of our time, Jimmy Buffet, once eloquently noted that changes in latitudes bring changes in attitudes.  What wise words!  Anyway, building on his brilliant observation, Charlotte and I have repeatedly marveled at how small changes in latitudes (and elevation) can bring HUGE changes in weather out here!  Now we have photos to illustrate!

Earlier this week, Charlotte was enjoying a sunny day in Laramie.  So she grabbed a photo from a webcam on her campus to illustrate!

Anyway, at the same moment in Fort Collins, I was not!  So she grabbed another webcam photo to illustrate.

Pretty crazy, right?  Well, at the exact same moment, the weather was even more unbelievable between Fort Collins and Laramie.  Here's the view about halfway between the two cities.  They had to close the connecting road (US 287) for three days!

And, although it was relatively pleasant in Laramie, here's what the weather was like 15 minutes east of Laramie, near Vedauwoo.  The major road that you see (I-80) was closed for several days, as well.

Anyway, we hope that these webcam images give you a flavor of just how variable conditions can be out here!  Sometimes, other than laughing and shaking our heads, there's not much to do!  Or, as Jimmy Buffet says, "If we couldn't laugh, we would just go insane."

Well, enjoy your Friday, everyone, and in our next post, I'll give you a taste of "April in Fort Collins."  I think you'll see why Vernon Duke wrote about Paris instead.

A Front Range Spring

Springtime weather is notoriously unpredictable, and Charlotte and I are certainly accustomed to it from living in New York and New England.  That being said, we're quickly discovering that weather along the Front Range, under the influence of the Rockies, isn't exactly uniform, either.  Take this week, for example.

Here are some pictures from the beautiful CSU campus.  The first was taken Monday (a gorgeous, 60+ degree day), and the second was taken yesterday (when the high was about 20, before the windchill)!

It's amazing how quickly things can go from gorgeous (Monday)...

 ...to cold (Tuesday)...

...to really cold (today-the temperature was 1 degree in Laramie this morning!).

Don't worry, though!  It'll be 50 again tomorrow, and close to 70 by the weekend!  Hope you're enjoying the weather wherever this finds you, and don't forget to pack layers if you come to visit!