travelam:July 27,207 MAROON BELLS. You can Take the bus from highland up, but we decided to drive up

travelam:July 27,207 MAROON BELLS. You can Take the bus from highland up, but we decided to drive up early in the morning around 6:30am ( was originally shooting for sunrise, but didn’t make it). If you driv, make sure to get there before 8 am because of limited parking. Getting to the first lake is a stones throw from the parking lot. The maroon bells is one of the most photographed mountains because of he reflection in the lake. Dad and I decided to paint this iconic scene and had many spectators watching/commenting/photographing us. It took us 2 hours to finish our acrylic paintings, then the parents left. Dad’s painting style was more impressionistic and mine was more realistic. Still I love the artistic style he put into it. I then went for a nature hike with the naturalist Talia up to crater lake (3.8 mile round trip). These nature hikes are at 10:15am and 1:15pm daily. She explained the geology, history, and flora and fauna of the area. Things I learned: 1. Beavers are monogamous2. Spruces are spiky, and square needles. Furs are friendly, flat, and fragrant. 3. Maroon bells is maroon because of the iron deposit turning into hematite after rusting4. North side of the slope usually gets more precipitation, so has more conifers. South side has more aspen trees5. Columbine flower is the state flower of Colorado. -- source link

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