July 9th, 2011: river shots, on the beach, and dramatic skies

As previously stated, the South Platte was running deep and fast. It progressed as we pushed on, what with the spate of sprinkles and harder rain further east (yes, that's actually downtown Denver in the not-so-far distance in the next pic):
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Jay checked out the stretch of beach for us, since my wheels sink in sand. There were neat sights sights there, including a beaver-gnawed and -stripped tree, pretty naturally-tumbled rocks, bird and deer tracks, and the sand itself:
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Such dramatic skies!:
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July 9th, 2011: an egg, the nest, a dead tree swallow, and enchanting trees

On the walk back we spotted two eggs on the ground beneath a tree with a damaged nest. The eggs were close to hatching before the chicks died. We figured the recent wind and storms had blown the nest open and the eggs rolled out. One was closed and heavy, and the other was cracked. We brushed aside the ants and peered inside--the chick had been fully formed, perhaps days away from hatching. Not far from there we found the muddied remains of a Tree Swallow, its skull visible:
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The following trees drew me in:
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July 9th, 2011: the moon and the fire..,

After the bright, hot, cleansing fire had simmered down, Jay broke out the camera and captured some of the magic:
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