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On the menu at the Dog Bar: Mushroom

Drop by the Dog Bar in Cuchara, Colo. during mid-August and you might see this puff ball mushroom that was found along Hwy 12 by Kenny Heikes.

Got gold? Spread the wealth


Butterflies are busy in late summer along Baker Creek Trail in the San Isabel National Forest.

Icicle bicycle

Winter brings powerful sun to Colorado. Intense rays are strong enough to melt the snow off a roof in 15-degree weather, but the water refreezes into icicles hanging from eaves, porches or anything else the melt water touches.

How's my driving? Call 1-800-TowMeOut

The driver of this semi realized he was on the wrong road about four miles outside of Walsenburg. He attempted to back onto a gravel road, but the rear wheels of the tow vehicle left the pavement and started to sink into the soft, dirt shoulder. The more gas he gave it, the more the wheels slid down the soft shoulder. At this point he chose to cut his losses and call for a tow. Wise decision.

Deadly nest

PVC pipes are commonly used to mark property boundaries where 1.5-inch pipes are slid over metal t-posts - commonly used with barbed-wire fences. Unfortunately the opening is an inviting size for birds looking to make a nest. This pipe had only a foot of PVC pipe sticking up above the t-post, but the confined space and slick interior were enough to trap this bird. Two of the four boundary posts on this property had dead birds inside the pipe. Permanent pipes should have a PVC end cap placed over the end. Temporary pipes should at least have then ends closed off with duct tape.

Natural Grocer - Un-natural hours

It's not the business hours at Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers that get people's attention - it's the minutes. Nancy Flynn, director of marketing for the 24-store company, said that the posted times are meant to let customers know that they shouldn't feel rushed to leave the store near the end of the business day.

"Chances are that if you show up at the end of the day and knock on the door, someone will let you in if a cash register is still open," Flynn said. "When it's eight o-clock, the doors won't slam shut."

OOPS

This truck was stuck behind the Big R farm and ranch supply store in Pueblo, Colo. In the driver's defense, the Big R parking lot is one of those "you can't get there from here" designs, which might entice a driver to try a route behind the building to get onto US 50. It is likely that this happened either at night or during/after a snow. Clearly, this hazard needs some metal posts with reflectors. Here's the view from the rear.

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