I did take a moonlight hike last night.

I hadn’t realized how high I would have to go on the streets behind me to get away from street lights. Actually, never did. And my photos looked better in the camera than on screen. But It was a lovely walk in a very quiet neighborhood. The signs about bear and mountain lion sightings made realize I should have grabbed my whistle and cell phone, but never encountered any wildlife, so it was all good. Plus, it would have been smart to have better gloves and an extra battery. My fingers got a bit cold and the battery ran out on my way back down. End of photo shoot for the night. And it is very hazy tonight, so no moonlight shining down.

I did wake up feeling much better this morning.

And when looking for photos to use for a web project, I saw this ghostly or angelic cloud picture that brought a smile to my face.

So how could I stay in a funk when I get to enjoy so much beauty within a few minutes of my home?

What do you think? Ghost or Angel?

Working on a new web site for Sharing Inner Health, I tried to use some of my photos that have both the Manitou Incline with Pikes Peak in them for a header on a web site. Wasn’t very successful. I am also thinking that she probably wants something else on the header for her new business.

But she has run the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent Race for many years. Plus she goes up the Incline still. She so loved having a picture of Pikes Peak on her other web site, I got lost in trying to make a different picture work.

These were just the wrong size to try use and too much white clouds that weren’t placed properly to work for a header. This one lost most of the Manitou Incline if I captured Pikes Peak. And then there is the mushroom headed cloud in the middle waving to his friend coming up from behind the Incline. Just wrong for a header.

These give an idea of the vistas we saw on this hike. Manitou Springs is nestled between many hillsides. With trails going up Pikes Peak at the end of the my street. The Incline is a “short cut” to get up Barr Trail in a straight shot. Not a hike I will ever take! But my hiking partner is encouraging us to see how far up Barr Trail we can get some day. Just hiking up Ruxton Ave. to the beginning of Barr Trail is over a mile walk, and all up hill. Or we could pay for parking in the lot and skip the first part. Doubt we will do that . . .

The section of the Paul Intermann Trail that we were on ends on Delaware Street in Manitou Springs. One of the highest streets in our town. I had kinda wished we had met at my house, then hiked down to the connecting trail that would have taken us all the way to upper Ruxton. Then we could have driven back to the car at the Crystal Valley Cemetery. But we hadn’t, so turned around.

On this street is a very interesting building. I don’t know who the artist that did this mural is, but it is awesome!

 In the photo, and when walking up to it, the perspective of the drawing makes is amazing. The garage door is on the front of the building. A door is on another side. Then one continues around to see more of the mural on another side. I have never walked around to the back to see if it continues. Just got to wondering about that now. Next time I am up that way, will have to go look and see . . .

We talked with a young man sitting on his porch across from this building. This is his garage, but he didn’t paint the mural. And I didn’t think to ask if he knew who did. My hiking partner had him very engaged in a conversation about his trying to buy the house he was in, and why not the one across the street. That one is just a winter cabin, but has 5 platted lots with it. Yet, they were all up on the hillside, and I couldn’t see any parking areas available to those lots, or even the cabin.

At this point we headed back down the same trail we hiked up. It was much more slushy and muddy. Made our boots very heavy and or feet were wet when we got back to the trail head, but not too cold or miserable to keep us from enjoying every minute of this sunny, blue sky hike.