Rifle River- June 4

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After we got home yesterday, from hiking the Rifle River Recreation Area, I picked up the pamphlet written about the area and was surprised to read that this area has fourteen miles of trails. We hiked from 9AM until 4PM and I am sure we covered the majority of pathways. It is a beautiful area and until the afternoon it seemed that we had the park to ourselves. The Rifle River runs through the park and, in addition to the river, there is about seven lakes and several ponds. Lots of the area had moist forest paths, but there were also open sunny meadow areas. We could often hear the rustle of the leaves of the trees as the wind blew through them. It was a cool day but we appreciated the breeze when we got warm from climbing some of the hills. And I knew right away which tree Wayne wanted to buried under when I saw it. So I had to take a picture of it to share with you all. That is my brother Wayne standing in front of the tree. He will be turning seventy this summer and after our hike he still seemed very energetic whereas John and I were just able to put one foot in front of another. I do not think we have to worry about where to place Wayne's ashes for quite some time yet! I also wanted to share with you a picture of some of the many wild orchids we saw. The paths were also abundant with such wildflowers as violets, buttercups, and columbine. And we saw deer. The park is very much a pristine area, even on the lakes no boats with motors are allowed. Also a very serene park- I can understand why my brother wants to return here at least once a year.