Refuge or Not…
It was a bright sunny Sunday and the Aughey’s once again found themselves looking for another adventure to embark on. It was just after lunch so they knew they couldn’t wander too far since daylight would soon be retiring. Art suggested they check out a local national wildlife refuge on the outskirts of town called Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Rita was interested in this place because she had read a book that contained some interesting info regarding the site’s history. Consisting of over 17,000 acres, the site’s plains and prairies were once inhabited by plains Indians and settlers. In 1942 the site was transformed into a chemicals weapons manufacturing facility by the US Army. They manufactured mustard and nerve gas, napalm and incendiary...
On Safari… In Moab!
The Aughey’s went on safari in early April! Truth be told, not the kind of safari one imagines going on in Africa….but one that entailed adventure, excitement, exploring and danger! April 4th-11th was the 2009 Annual Easter Jeep Safari weekend in Moab, Utah where literally thousands of “Jeepers” converged in Moab to hit the trails. Art, Rita and Brandon decided to check it out with their own Jeep of course! Moab is a small town flanked by several national parks such as Arches and Canyonlands and other public lands where the terrain is akin to what one would expect to find on planet Mars. In fact, many of the old western movies were filmed in Moab back in the day due to its arid yet beautiful scenery. The soil is red sand and various arid plants such as sage,...
The Kiss of a Wolf…
The morning of January 18th started out like any other, except the weather was expected to be a balmy 61 degrees in Denver! Sensing this was very much out of the norm for Winter in the West, Art and Rita decided this would be a great opportunity to get outdoors and venture out on yet another adventure…..they knew exactly what they were going to do.They jumped in the Jeep and headed South in Colorado. About 2 hours later, they reached their destination just West of Colorado Springs in a small town called Divide. There they found the most interesting place, the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. This center is an animal sanctuary which cares for approximately 17 wolves, 9 foxes and 6 coyotes. Why wolves? Prior to the 1940’s wolves were a natural part of...
Bears… Oh My!
On Friday they arrived at their hotel in Jackson Hole (Teton Village) late evening after a long but beautiful drive through the Wyoming landscape. Although it is difficult to imagine a landscape more beautiful and serene then the Colorado landscape dotted with red rock canyons, rolling hills and rock formations that rival Rodin’s exquisite sculptures, Eastern and Central Wyoming offers vast expanses of plains and grasslands farther than the eye can see. During the drive, it was hard not to be truly awestruck by the vivid colors of the sky as the sun sets over the Rockies which spill over into Wyoming from Colorado! At this point, it’s easy to imagine why Kathleen Bates penned the words to the song, “America the Beautiful.” Although her...