Because I had agreed to meet Barry at 12:30 for lunch, I knew that I had to get an early start on the day and couldn’t go far from home. I decided to hike the Meyers Homestead Trail at Walker Ranch and got there before 7. The trail is just eight miles from here — but a world apart from civilization.

This is the Meyers Homestead Trail because Andrew Meyers homesteaded this land in 1890. Here is where he lived:

The Meyers Homestead

It’s been almost two years since I had been there. What I remember most was feasting on ripe raspberries along the trail, so it must have been in the fall. I didn’t see any today, but nature more than made up for it.

At 6:30 just as I started up into the foothills I saw a fox along the road. A bit later I saw this deer also along the road:

Notice the Deer's Tongue?

Even more deer and rabbits came into view, but not into my viewfinder today. But the birds, bees, and butterflies were plentiful. This bird chattered as much as any that I ever heard, probably to draw my attention away from her chicks.

A Real Chatterbox

A Redhead

A Beautiful Butterfly

A Brown Butterfly

Here's Looking at You Too!

Of course, I saw wildflowers too! The predominant flower was this one that I had to look up to identify.

This is Beebalm

Another Purple Flower That I Have Yet to Identify

At the end of the trail the views of the Rockies and Boulder Canyon were my reward today. Another reward was a bench where I sat to contemplate nature and read. I shared the bench with this critter:

My Benchmate

Today’s hike was only 5.2 miles, a short, easy one because of my appointment to meet Barry for lunch. And in another way Barry also figured in my hike, because a couple of weeks ago he gave me a mini-tripod. I used it today to take this picture:

Self-Portrait