Chatfield scenery

 I took this photo while out riding my recumbent trike on this beautiful day. I love Chatfield -- it has something for everyone. The 1,550 acre reservoir offers every type of water activity except surfing. We see watercraft from large power boats and pontoons, to sailboats, canoes and kayaks; there is a sandy beach for swimming too. In addition to the marina, Chatfield has a riding stable, miles of hiking and biking trails, and one of the most popular hot air balloon launching fields in the area. And of course the campground with full hook ups.
I think the land area of Chatfield is over 6,000 acres. Colorado certainly had wonderful planning to save this land from development. Surburban Denver is only 8 miles away. Chatfield has diverse ecosystems and a 27 acre nature reserve - there is also a heronry. We have seen Great Blue Herons flying at the edge of the water - what a majestic sight. The other day we noticed large birds flying - about 7 or 8 birds with huge wingspans. At first I thought they were hawks, but I think hawks are solitary flyers. They weren't herons, maybe vultures?
The animals living at Chatfield include deer, coyotes, red fox, rabbits and prairie dogs. The magpies and geese are campground regulars, finding easy pickings from some messy campers.
The prairie dogs have hills right beside the road, and seem to have no fear of vehicles passing close by. They sit upright at the entrance to their hills and look like little critters out of a cartoon. So far I haven't had my camera ready when I see them.

Weekends Chatfield is a very busy place, but Sunday afternoon the majority of campers left and we are enjoying the temporary quiet. Now I can hear the meadowlarks singing.

We discovered a fun game to play with the whole family -- a card game called "Apples to Apples". Adults and kids had a blast together. Our other activity seems to be eating. Jamee whips up a huge amount of food when all five kids are there, and it disappears quickly.

Quote for the day:
"The more sophisticated we get, the more advanced our buildings and vehicles become, the more vulnerable we are." -- Stephen Ambrose