Eric Lars Bakke / Photographer

Sand Hill Cranes in flight heading along the North Platte River looking to roost at sunset.

In the course of a week I have witnessed the two extremes of Mother Nature’s charge.

Last Friday and Saturday I sat quietly in the early evening hours with my wife and friends Jerry and Bridget in the confines of an exquisite blind watching and photographing the Sand Hill and Whooping Crane migration along the North Platte River in central Nebraska. Jerry and Bridget have been working the past five years as administrators of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, revitalizing this grand ribbon of water into an even more appealing habitat for the majestic birds.

The site and sounds of this natural ritual , orchestrated over millions of years, will forever penetrate your  heart and etch it’s primal instinct in your sacred memory bank. On wing and with their eerily prehistoric call, one can certainly consider the experience one for the “bucket list”.

Upon returning to Colorado and settling into our work week , we were alerted Monday evening by local network news that a wild fire had broke out in Conifer Colorado approximately eight miles south of our home. Being Colorado natives living in a domain of coniferous forests, spring always reminds us of two things. Either wet heavy snows created by the clash of cold Northern Pacific air with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico or extremely dry conditions precipitated by strong continuous pummeling winds activated by an unruly jet stream.

This spring we have gotten outrageous winds, some upwards to 90 miles an hour certain days. Talk had already begun circulating among friends and neighbors about fire danger weeks before the Lower North Fork fire erupted.

For those of us that live amongst nature’s finest array of beauty we are reminded that part of that precious balance is viciousness and natural selection.

Wild fire, including Conifer Colorado's Lower North Fork fire, is an ever present reminder of the turbulent lifestyle mountain dwellers face each year.

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Sarah Burke 1983-2012

The death today of four-time Winter X Games champion skier Sarah Burke will touch the hearts of many.

The 29 year-old Canadian was at the top of her game and she was a true role model for her peers and fans alike. She will be remembered not only for her  talents on the slopes and the half pipe but for her sportsmanship, radiant smile and the effervescence she exuded. Her affable way was contagious. Her grit and determination were to be admired.

In a world of sports filled with large egos, self-ingratiating individuals,  and arrogant ways, Sarah’s  style was as fresh as newly  fallen snow and as beautiful as the sun on a winter morning.

May we all remember the gracious competitor with fire in her belly. The awards podium at the Winter X Games will forever  be void of a special athlete and human being but her legend will gleam like a “Games” gold medal.

Sarah Burke competing in Women's Skiing Slopestyle at Aspen Buttermilk January 24, 2009

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Former Oakland Raiders great wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff salutes the fans at the eternal flame for Al Davis in pre game ceremonies prior to the game against the Denver Broncos November 6, 2011.

Over the years covering the NFL there really is only one game I dread. It is visiting the Oakland ( Los Angeles then Oakland again) Raiders home field. It isn’t so much the Black and Silver themselves it’s everyone the Black and Silver draws to the stadium. I have been spit on. I have had batteries thrown at me. Just about every foul word you imagine has been slung in my direction. And I don’t just mean grown (that’s a stretch) men. One of my fondest memories was the mom with young son in tow, I would guess ten to twelve years-old, bombarding me with a slew of four-letter bombs.

Then, in the  past, the Al Davis antics. Al Davis for those of you that have no idea whom I am talking about Davis was the Oakland Raiders Head Coach, general manager and long-time owner of the Oakland. He passed away last month. As much as you might have disliked the man he brought many good things to the game of pro football.

The antics. How about us staying at a San Francisco hotel in the Dan Reeves era only to have fire alarms go off in the wee hours of the morning prior to the game. I didn’t happen to leave my room at the hotel but I am pretty certain the fire department didn’t even show up.

When the team called LA home, it was always fairly certain that when you showered after the game there would be no hot water or nor an abundance of towels in the Coliseum locker room.

Last season a dreadful and power rain storm soaked the Oakland Coliseum field ( forgive me, the stadium has had so many names I can’t remember actually what it was officially called last year; it’s now O.co Coliseum-what?). To make matters worse, they had a bit of a”watering and sprinkler” issue. Of course, the only area that was a bonafide quagmire was directly in front of the Denver Broncos bench area.

These are memories of just a few crazy times. It used to be we all dreaded going to the stadium. Now even the Broncos players have some fun with the whole scene. Sunday this past weekend Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker threw kisses to the fans after he scored on a 27-yard reception in the first quarter. And after running back Willis McGahee tore up the field with 163 yards and two rushing touchdowns, one of which went for 60 yards, he gave the Black Hole a Mile-High salute on his final end zone visit.

Used to be we all thought the place was crazy and scary. Don’t get me wrong there are still some scary folks there, unfortunately for the wrong reasons. But all in all it’s a fun place to cover an NFL game (even though football should never be played on a baseball field) and Oakland’s fans really are harmless especially when you take the fire out of their rather flaming tongues with a 38-24 win.

Denver Broncos Eric Decker blows a kiss to Oakland Raiders fans after scoring on a 27-yard reception against the Oakland Raiders in the NFL game at O.com Coliseum in Oakland,Ca.

Respectful Oakland Raiders Black Hole fans pause for the national anthem prior to the NFL game against the Denver Broncos.

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Fans like to attend training camps. It’s their first look at the team after a six month hiatus. In Denver, they are always greeted with with a combination of the following: HOT days, soaking rain and or threatening lighting,

small sneaky biting flies and a culmination of great plays, good hits and a large dose of boring drills. Beyond the obvious coverage I always look for a little humor and some amusing situations. Here’s this camp’s musings.

Legs can only go so far

Elvis's arms appear to be fine

The ball boys might be wet but the balls are just fine

You couldn't ask for a nicer head coach

Paying attention helps immensely

Fans continue to wear strange things

Even officials working the practices have a hard time staying awake

Demaryius Thomas couldn't bare not working out

Fans took the heat at the Broncos first scrimmage

Brandon Lloyd is all dressed up and ready for the season

Never leave a helmet unattended

Ryan McBean loves practice, loves scrimmages and certainly loves the fans

Looks like a love fest but trust me it IS NOT

Even John Elway stretchess at practice

Never trust a kicker with a ball launcher

Forget practice. Demaryius Thomas is ready for the beach

Kyle has been around long enough he knows how to play catch

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A mother Downy Woodpecker,left, teaches her youngster the finer art of outdoor dining.

I love this time of year in Evergreen.With temperatures in the low 80′s, the threat of snow is gone for darn near ninety days. And after 10 days of rain from a Gulf of Mexico monsoonal flow, the mountain meadows are a deep rich green, the wildflowers are bursting with vibrant colors and even the wildlife seem to have brilliant coats- the deer have a sandy-buff color, the elk are sporting a spice-market cinnamon hue and the bears appear to have an ultra- sheen to them.

Everywhere you look people are enjoying themselves in this summer prime. Less than two miles from the house is a network of open space trails-over six miles in all- where hikers, mountain bikers and runners come together forming a unique sound of happy feet. Across the way is an off-lead dog park that recently saw an upgrade of wonderfully-graded, crushed rock serpentine trails. It’s a place where dogs seem to come unglued with joy and their owners have a purpose to their steps.

A gentle breeze yesterday brought poetry to the wildflowers along the banks of the Buchanan Ponds in Evergreen (CO).

And most enjoyable is the sightings of all the new offspring. They all display an awkward sense with their gangly legs, funny wobbles and unkept feathers as the cling near the adults for security.

It’s all good. Good sights, good smells and good fun.

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