My friend Shari and I went on a hike, this past Wednesday, in the Coyote Ridge Natural area, located between Loveland and Fort Collins, Colorado.
We hiked about four miles round trip. This area is beautiful and we had a fantastic view of the Hogbacks sitting majestically to the west!
Between Two Ridges
It was a gorgeous, sunny day with blue skies and a few white puffy clouds. We had a great time. We passed and said hello to bike riders, other hikers and runners all enjoying this natural trail system.
We also encountered a few four-legged animals enjoying the area as well.
Mule Deer
This photo looks a little odd to me, as if I took the head of another deer and placed it on this deer’s body! She was standing up hill from me as I was trying to take her picture from the trail below.
“Maybe they don’t see me”
We spotted a few birds, but not many. A Black-billed Magpie riding the wind, an American Robin sitting in a pine tree singing a tune and a Northern Flicker just being a Flicker, making a lot of noise! All of which were fun to see.
Hogbacks are defined as, a ridge with steep sides formed by dipping strata. Dipping strata are stratified layers of rocks lying at an angle.
The name, Hogback, comes from the ridge resembling the high, knobby spine between the shoulders of a hog.
In most cases, the two strata that compose a hogback are different types of sedimentary rock with differing weathering rates.
The softer rock erodes more quickly than overlying hard rock. Over time, the softer rock retreats to a point where the hard and soft rock strata are adjacent. This creates cliffs that steepen as the softer rock continues to erode. (info taken from web)
Standing on a HogbackWhoa! What big ears you have!My Center, Nature
Sheila’s Wildlife Photos: ~Mule Deer in Rocky Mountain National Park~
Mule Deer (male)
These Mule deer images were taken in September, 2012 in Rocky Mountain National Park. They were in a meadow munching on vegetation; it was fun to photograph and observe their behavior.
Close Up of his Big EarsChatting
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are indigenous to western North America and are found west of the Missouri River. They are named Mule deer, because they have big ears like a mule.
A most handsome face“I might try this one”“Go Away!”
