Flood photos of the Cache La Poudre River that you wouldn't expect...

In my part of Colorado we've been dealing with an incredible spring flood along the Cache La Poudre River.  (For additional flood info and photos see my blog, Sparkling Stories.)  

As a self-described "flood stick" artist, I've been out there along the river, documenting its flooding waters with my camera, journal and trusty dog, Molly.

In this posting I want to include some of the other photos, besides just high water, that intrigued me as I watched the waters escape from riverbanks to cover walking trails, County Road 13 and pour into Frank State Lake and fill to the brim the nearby sand and gravel pit--and, that's just in my neighborhood.  

Great Blue Heron on flooded section of Poudre River Trail, May 29, 2014.

Giant turtle sunbathing along Poudre River Trail, May 27, 2014

 It wasn't until I got home and downloaded my images that I realized I had photographed not one, but two turtles that morning.

Can you spot the small turtle to the right?

Snowy white pelicans floating on Frank State Lake, May 29, 2014

Solo swim June 30, 2014

I never get tired of looking at the Colorado sky through the tall grass.

As the Cache La Poudre began to overflow its banks, water poured into the channels which soon spilled over into other low areas.

  

 I often gauge the current and depth of the water by how high it gets to the top of my boots.  Or...

...how high it reaches Molly's chest!

There are so many intriguing and curious things that capture my attention while documenting a flooding river.

One never knows what wildlife might wander by...

...or what curious tracks might be left in the mud...

...what friends might stop to play...

...or what I might see in unexpected places.

 I find beautiful things in some of the simplest of places.

And, who would guess dried mud/sludge along Jodie's Reservoir could be so haunting?

 As I walked along the newly emerged and drying sidewalk I was amused to see the faint footprints of those who had explored before me.

Boot tread...

...bare feet...

...heron tracks.

And, we can't forget that it's indeed spring and Russian thistles are in full bloom mid-June.  While they are "troublesome" (as often described,) there is a beauty to those purple-pink blossoms.  They've been around since the late 1800s, found in every state except Florida and Alaska, and later become...yup, those tumblin' tumbleweeds!