Crown Hill Regional Park

Spring didn't do a good job of warming the Colorado air in the month of April, but I managed to hit a nice day to check out Crown Hill Regional Park. I borrowed a black lab, Sadie, from the kennel to help me test the trail. The location was perfect for a quick get-away, yet even being surrounded by busy streets, it only took a few minutes to feel like I was immersed in nature.

Sadie had to sniff-test every inch of the trail, and I had to stop frequently to shoot the landscape, so we managed to spend almost an hour on the first 1.2 mile loop around the lake. The view of the mountains is a treat, and not the same from every angle.

I look at every park I pass by for its roller-blading potential, and this park is tops so far. The loop around the lake is completely flat - I'm not ready for even a gently sloping trail yet. I didn't explore the part of the trail that wanders off into the distance. The park contains a total of 6.5 miles of trail, and horses are welcome too!

I had started out from the parking lot traveling counter-clockwise from 6 o'clock on the dial. Just past noon, around 11 on the dial, we came into view of the protected wetlands of Kestrel Pond, not accessible by dog.

We continued past the ducks and birds to complete our loop, looking back across the lake from the western side of the clock.

The kennel was closed for nap-time so I couldn't stop after one lap - I had Sadie for another hour still. So we dropped off the excess gear, including the camera, at the car, and headed out again, clockwise around the lake this time. I learned again the lesson that I learn and forget so often when surrounded by beautiful scenery: If driving in the car, look often at the view in the rear view mirror. If walking, turn around and look back. Nature always has another opinion. Needless to say, after our quick second lap, I returned to the car for the camera.

This trip was definitely more about the pictures and the views, than the words. But I wanted to write some words anyway, if only to poke fun at myself for my closing act.

After taking our final picture, we stopped to look at the map on the sign board near the parking lot. First, I noticed that the map had two "You Are Here" dots, on opposite sides of the lake, so I wasn't sure if I was coming or going. Perhaps I can blame this confusion for what happened next.

A handful of semi-rough looking gentlemen were perched on park benches nearby. One was trying to communicate with Sadie, so I let her visit him. I noticed that his companion was wearing a shirt with a "correctional institute" label that matched the "correctional institute" van in the parking lot. After some idle chit-chat and explaining that Sadie was an adoptable dog with Safe Harbor Lab Rescue who I had borrowed from the kennel, I stuffed all four of Sadie's furry black paws in my mouth and said I'd better be getting her back to the doggy prison. Ouch. A rough ending to a wonderful outing.