THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS AT BIERSTADT LAKE OUTDOORS A patch of yellow coneflower

A patch of yellow coneflower brings colorful beauty to this prairie landscape scene at Wildflower Park in Northern Illinois

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A pair of mallard ducks cruises the south fork kishwaukee river in Northern Illinois

A beautiful morning for a hike to Mills Lake along the Mils Lake trail in Rocky Mountain National Park

THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS AT BIERSTADT LAKE OUTDOORS A patch of yellow coneflowerIt was a cool August summer morning when I arrived at the trailhead to Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. I started up the steep trail at 5: 15 am to catch the sunrise at the lake and the Continental Divide. It would take me just under an hour to reach the lake. There are numerous switchbacks leading up the mountain through some stands of aspen trees. After about 20 minutes, I no longer needed my headlamp to guide my way up the mountain.