After my retirement at the end of June in 2022, I felt I needed a quiet place to reflect on the changes that were about to take place in my life. I also wanted to see the high mountain fields of wildflowers blooming in Colorado in mid-July. The Cosy & Quiet AirB&B in Nedarland, CO was the perfect choice!
The first few days, I was surprised that I had not seen any wildlife. The host of the AirB&B is always posting pictures of wildlife in her yard: deer, moose and even bobcats. When asked, she shared with me that she had recently seen signs of a mountain lion in her yard and was thinking that was the reason the other wildlife had temporarily left the area.
Birds were very abundant. I was awakened every morning by their happy songs. There was even a nest of baby birds right outside my living room window. Humingbirds of many varieties seemed to zoom nonstop among the flowers and feeders on Shara’s patio despite the presence of her cats. Finally, on the fourth day of my stay, I saw the first deer in the yard.
Late afternoon of the second day, I ventured to the first high mountain meadow filled with wildflowers.
My niece Shara and her husband Erik are the hosts of the Cozy & Quiet B&B. She is a photographer and actively searches high mountain meadows for wildflowers every July. Shara and Erik refer to their afternoon jaunts as Wildflower Happy Hour. I was lucky enough to tag along with them on five very special days. Shara’s Mom, my sister-in-law Donna, joined us for two of them.
Shara’s wildflower pictures were significantly better than mine as she has an amazing camera versus my phone. She has her own blog (www.skjtravel.net) and markets her photography so I did not use any of her pictures here. I thought mine turned out pretty good though for an amateur.
Besides the wildflowers, we also explored a number of abandoned homes, towns and mining sites.
The views were spectacular. Erik And Shara’s Pinzgauer took me places my car could never have taken me. Each ride was an adventure in itself.
I have always loved rainbows and we were blessed with seeing many of them. However, one rainbow was breathtaking. It spread across the valley below and gracefully arched to the sky.
I took pictures of lots of sunsets as we journeyed home each day, but my pictures never truly capture the bold splashes of color against the darkening sky.
The city of Nederland has a whimsical carousel that was carved by a local man in the very house that is now the Cozy & Quiet AirB&B. It is named the Happiness Carousel. My week in Nedarland was certainly a week of wilderness happiness and a wonderful way to reflect on my retirement.
Travel Joy 