Dyed and gone to Heaven

Lisa and Hans of Team Metamorphosis Road (love that name!) joined us for a hike to one of our favorite "post cards" yesterday, Ice Lakes. I always get a thrill out of dragging RV friends above timberline to show off the unimaginable brilliance of this sapphire gem.

The prettiest of Ice Lakes sits in a glacier carved bowl at 12,257 feet...hemmed in a rusted, craggy ridge line so purdy it makes your eyes bleed. The Reward/Effort ratio makes this hike a no-brainer, but keep an eye out for approaching storms and lighting because there is no place to hide above timberline. 

It's interesting to listen to the first words that pass from dropped jaws as the insanely blue water of Ice Lake comes into view. It looks unreal, like something out of Disneyland, or heaven, like someone sneaked up there and dumped a couple ore cars full of copper sulfate in it. 

I don't know what causes one Ice Lake to be outrageously blue, while another one next door is rather bland and dull. Sky? Mineral content? Optical illusion? Color starts as electromagnetic waves of light (energy). Sunlight, for example, has all the colors of the rainbow, and depending on the material, the sun's light will either be reflected or absorbed. We see as color the light that gets reflected. 

However color happens, I'm glad it does. I like postcards. And I like well seasoned pork loin grilled over an open fire, along with potatoes, salad, and a continuous beer sampler that never runs dry—all of which was served up by Lisa and Hans after our fine day of hiking. :) 

I know how Boonie hates post cards and decries going in search of them. But maybe, dear friend, if you think of it this way (I don't know why I keep trying to convert an unrepentant lost soul): Scenery is to the eyes, what tastebuds are to food, and I know how you savor a tasty pastry and good cup of strong coffee when sitting outside Backstreet Bistro, ignoring the stunning town and mountain beauty that swallows one up in Lovely Ouray.    

Click on this LINK to view a High Def video of Marathon Man Leonard taking a cool dip in Ice Lakes last summer. You may want to grab a blanket and some hot chocolate :))