Absolutely beautiful weather here in Fort Collins this morning. Actually quite cool this morning when we got up at 3:30AM. Peter headed out to Rocky Mountain National Park for a weekend camping/hiking trip with son, Douglas. Peter left early this morning in order to obtain a camping spot.....First Come, First Served. No reservations available.
During the day his plans are to hike in the park and then meet with Doug after Doug's day at work in Golden.
I chose not to go and remain at home to catch up on some personal stuff before we leave for Milwaukee next week. Do a bit of painting, reading unpacking (still!) and generally relaxing.
Heading out for a walk of my own later in the day.
Kids are back in school. Neighborhood is very quiet!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Home Repair
Have workers here this morning doing touch up on paint and countertops.
Little repair jobs that just take time.
Home warranties.....a good thing...
Little repair jobs that just take time.
Home warranties.....a good thing...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Trip to Rocky Mountain National Park
Rose very early on Monday morning.....3:30AM to be exact.....and headed out to RMNP hoping to be there in time for a sunrise. We arrived so early that no one was even at the gates when we passed through. We drove to the part where we had seen elk before and were treated to a large herd grazing and drinking from the river. Of course it took time to set up the tripods etc, so by the time that was done, they had moved farther on up the field. Did get a couple of pictures of the sunrise. The best part of this sunrise was the fog bank that hung over the field.
As the elk moved on, we moved on as well. Getting so good at following them. Just observing their behaviors is a thrill. We even heard a little bugling before we left that spot.
Our main destination for the day was to do a hike near Bear Lake. The plan was for Renee to hike around Bear Lake while Peter headed farther up the mountain range. His goal for the day was to reach Lake Haiyaha. We both began at 7am at the parking lot. Peter going one way and I going the other. We had our walkie talkies on hand to stay in touch. We began at an elevation of 9475'. My walk was only an elevation gain of 20' and easy enough for me. Stopped many times to take pictures around the lake. Wonderful reflections and a perfect time of the day as the path was not littered with other hikers. About 1/2 around, it began to rain and the look completely changed. No reflections. Water very unsettled.
After my walk, I went back to the car and had a granola bar and sat and read for a bit knowing that Peter would still be several hours longer in his hike. While waiting, the hikers came in waves being dropped off by the shuttle bus. No more peaceful walk around the lake. I was glad I started early.
As the day progressed, so did Peter and he kept me informed by walkie talkie. He hiked first to to Nymph Lake (about 1/2 mile) and then on to Dream Lake (another 1/2 mile). Elevation at this point was about 10000'. From there he went on to Emerald Lake stopping many times for pictures. When he reached Emerald Lake he had to backtrack on the trail to get to his final destination, Lake Haiyaha. He said his legs felt fine and this was good practice for his next trip with Doug in a week.
When Peter reached Lake Haiyaha, he called and said he was coming down. I told him I would meet him along the way. Little did I know that the climb was so steep. Even with a walking stick it was hard for me and I made many stops on the upward path. But the destination of the first Lake (Nymph Lake) was well worth the effort. A lake with many lily pads and yellow flowers. I did not carry a camera, so had to rely on Peter's pictures. I started to head to the next lake, but my legs said "are you crazy?". I chose to wait for Peter at Nymph Lake and do a bit of people watching. By this time of the morning there was no lack of people to watch.
Eventually, Peter arrived back to where I was waiting. We then walked down to the parking lot together. Total trip for Peter was about 6 miles. At the peak of the hike he reached 10, 220'. A good morning for both of us.
From there we headed out to lunch on the fringe of the park at Trailside Restaurant. A delightful lunch on the deck overlooking the mountains. During our entire meal, we watched the hummingbirds feeding on the deck. Very active.
Having finished lunch we headed back home to Fort Collins. Along the way we encountered Big Horn Sheep on Hwy 34. Some feeding close to the roadway and others, a ram included a tad farther up the mountain. Stopped for quite some time to take pictures. Always a thrill to have the opportunity to see them up close. From there we continued on our drive home only to stop once more when we came across a herd of elk grazing in a pasture. By the time we arrived home the rain had started once again. All in all a great way to spend the day. Plans are to return again this week, weather permitting.
Lake Haiyaha
Bear Lake (left) and Nymph Lake (right) from the trail
Joshua Been, plein air painter at Dream Lake
As the elk moved on, we moved on as well. Getting so good at following them. Just observing their behaviors is a thrill. We even heard a little bugling before we left that spot.
Our main destination for the day was to do a hike near Bear Lake. The plan was for Renee to hike around Bear Lake while Peter headed farther up the mountain range. His goal for the day was to reach Lake Haiyaha. We both began at 7am at the parking lot. Peter going one way and I going the other. We had our walkie talkies on hand to stay in touch. We began at an elevation of 9475'. My walk was only an elevation gain of 20' and easy enough for me. Stopped many times to take pictures around the lake. Wonderful reflections and a perfect time of the day as the path was not littered with other hikers. About 1/2 around, it began to rain and the look completely changed. No reflections. Water very unsettled.
After my walk, I went back to the car and had a granola bar and sat and read for a bit knowing that Peter would still be several hours longer in his hike. While waiting, the hikers came in waves being dropped off by the shuttle bus. No more peaceful walk around the lake. I was glad I started early.
As the day progressed, so did Peter and he kept me informed by walkie talkie. He hiked first to to Nymph Lake (about 1/2 mile) and then on to Dream Lake (another 1/2 mile). Elevation at this point was about 10000'. From there he went on to Emerald Lake stopping many times for pictures. When he reached Emerald Lake he had to backtrack on the trail to get to his final destination, Lake Haiyaha. He said his legs felt fine and this was good practice for his next trip with Doug in a week.
When Peter reached Lake Haiyaha, he called and said he was coming down. I told him I would meet him along the way. Little did I know that the climb was so steep. Even with a walking stick it was hard for me and I made many stops on the upward path. But the destination of the first Lake (Nymph Lake) was well worth the effort. A lake with many lily pads and yellow flowers. I did not carry a camera, so had to rely on Peter's pictures. I started to head to the next lake, but my legs said "are you crazy?". I chose to wait for Peter at Nymph Lake and do a bit of people watching. By this time of the morning there was no lack of people to watch.
Eventually, Peter arrived back to where I was waiting. We then walked down to the parking lot together. Total trip for Peter was about 6 miles. At the peak of the hike he reached 10, 220'. A good morning for both of us.
From there we headed out to lunch on the fringe of the park at Trailside Restaurant. A delightful lunch on the deck overlooking the mountains. During our entire meal, we watched the hummingbirds feeding on the deck. Very active.
Having finished lunch we headed back home to Fort Collins. Along the way we encountered Big Horn Sheep on Hwy 34. Some feeding close to the roadway and others, a ram included a tad farther up the mountain. Stopped for quite some time to take pictures. Always a thrill to have the opportunity to see them up close. From there we continued on our drive home only to stop once more when we came across a herd of elk grazing in a pasture. By the time we arrived home the rain had started once again. All in all a great way to spend the day. Plans are to return again this week, weather permitting.
Lake Haiyaha
Bear Lake (left) and Nymph Lake (right) from the trail
Joshua Been, plein air painter at Dream Lake
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Quandry Peak
Heidi --- Peter --- Doug
On Saturday, August 7th, Doug, Heidi & Peter climbed to the top of Quandry Peak.
With them were Tom, Jessica & Jennifer.
Trip to the summit took about 4 hours. Elevation was 14265 ft.
Tiring, but all made it to the top. And back to the base.
Pictures, thanks to Doug Skiba.
Anniversary Dinner
Last evening, Peter, Doug & I traveled to Boulder to meet with Heidi for dinner. Doug had been at our house during the day to help with some wiring and moving of furniture.
The plan was to have dinner at some place other than normal for our anniversaries.
Peter & I celebrated our 40th anniversary in June while Doug and Heidi celebrated their 16th anniversary in June. Where does the time go? Not only hard to believe that we have been married that long, but our kids....16 years! Mind boggling.
Heidi chose the restaurant in Boulder and we all met at about the same time.
The choice for the evening was Brasserie 10 10 on Walnut St. just off their famous Pearl St. A French restaurant where the menu was actually in French. Of course with English subtitles. Peter, Doug & I enjoyed ROASTED RAINBOW TROUT with seared greens, lentil taboulé & citron buerre blanc. Wonderfully cooked and nicely presented. Heidi chose BOCUSE - a hunter style pulled chicken, sliced mushrooms, 5 lilies & a brandy crème over seared spinach. She also labeled it delicious, only asking "WHERE were the lillies"? Perhaps cooked inside the dish? We never did ask.
With our meal we also ordered a bottle of 2009 Chardonnay, from the Rodney Strong Winery in Sonoma County. Very tasty and a nice complement to our meal.
As we were at a French restaurant and celebrating our anniversaries, who could resist the dessert menu? Not us, except for Doug who chose a Courvoisier VSOP instead.
Heidi opted for PISTACHIO DACQUOISE (almond meringue, pistachio buttercream, yogurt mousse, fresh strawberries & pistachio), Peter chose CRÈME BRÛLÉE (no explanation necessary)and I chose WARM STICKY DATE CAKE (memories of my grandma's date cake...)(caramel kahlua ice cream over a warm date cake surrounded by toasted pecans and caramel sauce). Not exactly like what grandma made, but who's complaining?
A wonderful evening. Only people missing were Andy & Tara who celebrated their anniversary in Jan. Perhaps we will have to do this all over again. Such misery!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Quandry Peak
Peter just called me from the top of Quandry Peak in Colorado. 14,265'.
About 6 miles south of Breckenridge.
Said they took off early this morning and he was at the peak by 11AM. Eating his PB&J sandwich when he called. Said his feet were sore, but other than that he was fine. They will be heading down soon in order to avoid the almost daily thunderstorms in the area. Can't wait to see his pictures. Will post when we have a chance.
About 6 miles south of Breckenridge.
Said they took off early this morning and he was at the peak by 11AM. Eating his PB&J sandwich when he called. Said his feet were sore, but other than that he was fine. They will be heading down soon in order to avoid the almost daily thunderstorms in the area. Can't wait to see his pictures. Will post when we have a chance.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Cold
I am spending the day trying to fight off this miserable summer cold. Not sleeping well at night.
Peter is off doing errands before he heads to Doug & Heidi's for the night. They will be starting off very early tomorrow morning to do their hike on Quandry Peak. Over 14,000 ft. I can't even begin to think about that! Way beyond me. But he is anxious to do it.
Peter is off doing errands before he heads to Doug & Heidi's for the night. They will be starting off very early tomorrow morning to do their hike on Quandry Peak. Over 14,000 ft. I can't even begin to think about that! Way beyond me. But he is anxious to do it.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Kingfisher Ponds
On Friday morning we set out about 9AM and headed South on Timberline Road to get to our new hiking destination for the day. We are trying to do at least one different hike each week. We stopped across the road from the Riverbend Ponds that we went to earlier in the week. This one seemed to be mostly paved and suitable for when we wanted to return with our bikes.
As we followed the pathway we noted the tremendous amount of grasshoppers in the walkway and in the fields. Constant movement underfoot. Perhaps this is why they are crop dusting in the area? We continued on the pathway until we came to the information building. We picked up a few more maps and informational booklets (can never have too many of these!) and began our return trip. This part of the trip was a bit more interesting than the first half as we went past the Kingfisher Ponds. We saw a kestrel hawk sitting in a tree chirping away. No camera. Will have to come back with camera in hand one of these days.
Very hot morning, so we were both happy to return to our car that unfortunately was parked in the sun.
We headed North again and stopped at a furniture store to look at some new furniture for our new home. Ended up choosing a new dining room table and chairs, an entertainment center and a server/hutch. We plan on returning to choose the sofa and chairs at a later date. Soon our home will have comfortable chairs to sit on. We will then be ready for company.
Tonite we will have dinner and watch a movie. Peter is headed out to Quandry Peak tomorrow to do his first 14er with Doug, Heidi and some of their friends. Sure he will take some pictures along the way that we can post.
As we followed the pathway we noted the tremendous amount of grasshoppers in the walkway and in the fields. Constant movement underfoot. Perhaps this is why they are crop dusting in the area? We continued on the pathway until we came to the information building. We picked up a few more maps and informational booklets (can never have too many of these!) and began our return trip. This part of the trip was a bit more interesting than the first half as we went past the Kingfisher Ponds. We saw a kestrel hawk sitting in a tree chirping away. No camera. Will have to come back with camera in hand one of these days.
Very hot morning, so we were both happy to return to our car that unfortunately was parked in the sun.
We headed North again and stopped at a furniture store to look at some new furniture for our new home. Ended up choosing a new dining room table and chairs, an entertainment center and a server/hutch. We plan on returning to choose the sofa and chairs at a later date. Soon our home will have comfortable chairs to sit on. We will then be ready for company.
Tonite we will have dinner and watch a movie. Peter is headed out to Quandry Peak tomorrow to do his first 14er with Doug, Heidi and some of their friends. Sure he will take some pictures along the way that we can post.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Riverbend Ponds
On Wednesday morning Peter & I ventured out to a new area to take a morning hike before it became too hot and before the afternoon rains came.
We headed a bit south from home and parked at the trail head of Riverbend Ponds.
Reading the brochure before leaving home, we found that Riverbend Ponds offers a lot of diversity with a stretch along the Poudre River, several ponds and wetlands.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife stocks the ponds with warm-water species (usually largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish). Birders enjoy Riverbend Ponds- over 200 species of birds feed, rest, nest, and migrate through this area including green herons, a wide variety of ducks, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants and others. On our walk we were privileged to see several ducks, geese and a great blue heron who was looking for a morning bite to eat. Riverbend Ponds have flat trails with loop options and we passed several other walkers along the way.
We do intend to go back to the area again and again at different times of the day and in different seasons.
We headed a bit south from home and parked at the trail head of Riverbend Ponds.
Reading the brochure before leaving home, we found that Riverbend Ponds offers a lot of diversity with a stretch along the Poudre River, several ponds and wetlands.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife stocks the ponds with warm-water species (usually largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish). Birders enjoy Riverbend Ponds- over 200 species of birds feed, rest, nest, and migrate through this area including green herons, a wide variety of ducks, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants and others. On our walk we were privileged to see several ducks, geese and a great blue heron who was looking for a morning bite to eat. Riverbend Ponds have flat trails with loop options and we passed several other walkers along the way.
We do intend to go back to the area again and again at different times of the day and in different seasons.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday at Difficult Campground
On Saturday night we decided to get up very early on Sunday morning and try to catch a sunrise at Maroon Bells. Up a bit after 4AM, brushed our teeth, made some coffee and headed to the park area. Arrival was about 5:30AM and the sun was just beginning to creep up. The glow on the mountains was just beginning. Doug was the only one of our group who was able to run fast enough from the parking lot to set up for some pictures. He had about 2 minutes worth of pictures before the glow was gone! When it happens in the mountains, it happens fast. Needed to be there a good 15 minutes earlier to set everything up and not be out of breath from the run!
So much for our planning.
The day was cloudy. Not nearly as good as the day before but all made the best of it.
As my joints were not cooperating, I chose to stay near the car and read, Peter & Doug walked off to take pictures and Molly was pushed in her cart (has only 3 legs and doing so well) by Heidi to a field of flowers where she planted herself to do some sketching. Her work is so detailed, it is amazing and many hikers stopped to look and comment.
Following our morning at the Maroon Bells, we chose to drive into Aspen to find breakfast. We found a place named "Boogies". We had a table outside on the 2nd floor deck. Very pleasant way to take in the sites and have a meal. Headed back to camp after breakfast. Checked out water damage --- none! and decided what to do for the rest of the day.
Pleasant morning and in a very pleasant locale! Will be heading back there this fall hopefully when the aspen have changed colors!
So much for our planning.
The day was cloudy. Not nearly as good as the day before but all made the best of it.
As my joints were not cooperating, I chose to stay near the car and read, Peter & Doug walked off to take pictures and Molly was pushed in her cart (has only 3 legs and doing so well) by Heidi to a field of flowers where she planted herself to do some sketching. Her work is so detailed, it is amazing and many hikers stopped to look and comment.
Following our morning at the Maroon Bells, we chose to drive into Aspen to find breakfast. We found a place named "Boogies". We had a table outside on the 2nd floor deck. Very pleasant way to take in the sites and have a meal. Headed back to camp after breakfast. Checked out water damage --- none! and decided what to do for the rest of the day.
Pleasant morning and in a very pleasant locale! Will be heading back there this fall hopefully when the aspen have changed colors!
First Morning at the Maroon Bells
On Friday July 30th, Peter & I left Fort Collins and headed West to go camping with Doug, Heidi and Molly. We traveled to a campground named "Difficult Campground" which was about 5 miles from Aspen. The entire trip took about 6 hours as we had to drive through some rain storms and then up and over Independence Pass (about 12,000 ft). Views were breathtaking for most of the way. Hard to say something bad about the landscape in Colorado. We passed through small mining towns like Leadville that would be great to return to at a slower pace.
We arrived at our campground about 6PM and it was raining. Not hard, just enough to make it a bit miserable setting up camp. After setting up, we chose to drive into Aspen to see what nightlife was like and to grab a bite to eat. Much easier than cooking on a camp stove in the drizzle! By the time we arrived in Aspen it had stopped raining and we ate outside at a restaurant called Mustang. We were treated to some live music at the eatery and to some great people watching. Many art galleries in Aspen and all seemed to be doing a good business....at least there were a lot of lookers. We had a leisurely meal and drove back to the campsite about 9PM. Headed right into the tent after cleaning up as the sun had already gone down by that time and we were tired. It had been about 5 years since I had been camping and sleeping on the ground. Sleeping was not easy and I chose to get up during the night and sleep in the van. Peter stayed in the tent for the night!
On Saturday morning, we were waiting for Doug, Heidi and Molly to arrive so we decided to take a drive and explore the area around the Maroon Bells. The weather was great! No rain! And the skies were blue! The best part was the abundance of wildflowers in the area. Other hikers that we met along the path told us that this year was the best for wildflowers. We picked a great time to visit. After our walk, and picture taking, we headed back to camp to relax and have lunch. Doug, Heidi & Molly arrived at about 3 in a downpour! Peter & I were in the process of putting up an extra structure that would be used as an eating shelter. Done in the nick of time! By the time the rains stopped (for that day) our tent was in the middle of a river.....
such fun when camping......
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