Surprises (and not!) in our first month at camp.

There are some things that have surprised us here: How blue the sky is, how easy it is to be outside during the days of winter, how much we sleep during the night (8 hours!), and how nice it is to NOT have all the "stuff" to do that filled our days and nights back home! (Though much of that was good too!

It's NO surprise that "Grandma" Betty finds the youngest staff at camp and holds on tightly! ;-)

Notice the satellite dish on the left side of the Quonset?!  I was surprised that some here  had THAT much connection to the outside world!

WHAT?! We can get a library card by the mere fact that we receive mail here?! ... YES!  First time in over 20 years since I've had one!  PLUS this library is awesome!  I've borrowed an ebook from the comfort of our apartment! ("Fives and Twenty-fives" by ___ Petri)

View of Pikes Peak from the Library

Yay!  I get to do a bit of construction! This is a platform for the Energy Recovery unit: an air exchanger to bring in fresh air and recover the BTUs i since the Pleiades building was built "too tight"!  (I didn't know that was possible! ;-)

While showshoeing, came upon a pair of tracks of apparently two different animals! Our interpretation: a Mountain Lion chasing down a deer!  They tussled in this clearing, but the deer "pooped" and got away!

Driving West from Divide takes us to Hartsel.  It's in the middle of a high plain. The surprise is that this is where the South Platte River begins!  (Yes, the one that flows through Nebraska!)  

 Betty Relaxing in our Kitchen.

This is Lefty.  Lefty is a right-hand drive 4 wheel drive utility vehicle!  He goes places the big trucks can't!

Just another view of snow covered trees at camp! (note the cute chalet on the right?!

Snowshoeing in the forest with Bets. (just outside of the camp property.)