Hike to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

Visiting from Milwaukee, Sue and Tony, joined us on a trek out to Rocky Mountain National Park. On Thursday morning, following a simple breakfast we drove out Highway 34 through Big Thompson River Canyon. This is a windy stretch of road that wends its way through rocky outcroppings that tower above the roadway. The many facets of rough rock surfaces displayed hues of brown, green and red rocks reflecting the sunlight and dazzling our eyes. Of course we saw horses and cattle along the way but we also saw llamas among the domesticated animals.
Up close and personal we saw mountain sheep and deer along the roadside. Inside the Park the animals were hidden away since we arrived at noontime.

Our objective was to get to Bear Lake and check out the trail and the Lake. The elevation at the Ranger Station is 9,475 feet. The temperature is still freezing and the ground is covered with feet of snow packed down by the many visitors to this site.

After a short but slippery walk to the lake shore, we discovered that the shore was not there. We were out on the frozen lake. Renée suggested that we walk to the other side to see the frozen ice flow across the lake below Hallett's Peak off in the distant skyline. With other intrepid hikers we ventured forth across the lake. At spots along the way we noticed holes in the snow pack where previous hikers dug down to the ice of the lake.

The sunny skies that warmed us as we left Fort Collins were gone by the time we departed Bear Lake. As we drove home snow blew fiercely across the road changing the color hues of the landscape to a predominate grey.

Reconnecting with Family

Wednesday morning we rose slowly. Sue and Tony still had to rearrange their personal clock for mountain time.

Following breakfast and of course the puzzles, we started to look through old pictures that had been stored in a trunk for many years. These were a mixture of pictures from Grandma and Grandpa Skiba, Sister Gabriella etc. They had at one time been in Grandma & Grandpas house. When their house was sold, we became the keepers of these memories. It was time to share with other family members who would appreciate these mememtos. Peter & Sue took charge of sorting out the pictures, and putting them into different envelopes for siblings and cousins. Sue and Tony will bring them with them when they return home. Some will be dropped off in Albuquerque on their visit later in the week to see John & Pat. John & Pat moved from Milwaukee in Spring of 2010. Seems like the entire Skiba clan is moving away from Milwaukee. Can Sue and Tony be far behind?

Weather had warmed by noon and looked to be a delightful day. We headed West a couple of miles to explore one of Fort Collins' Natural sites. Our hike was to be in conjunction with discovering a couple of caches along the way. We figured we must have put in about 4 miles traipsing up and down the trails, fighting the weeds, the brambles, crossing the river a couple of times........

When the outdoor escapade was completed we headed into Old Town Fort Collins for a treat. What better place to go then Ben & Jerry's? Peter & I were able to find a wonderful smoothie that was dairy free while Sue and Tony indulged themselves with some ice cream. It was even warm enough by then to sit in the square and enjoy our treat. But we couldn't go home yet....oh no! One more cache to find a couple of blocks from where were sitting! Euraka! That completed, we headed home for dinner and news and a game of Dominoes.

A delightful day. Tomorrow we head to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Family Visit from Milwaukee

On Tuesday Peter & I picked up Peter's sister, Sue and hubby, Tony from Milwaukee at the Denver Airport. Flight was good. No luggage missing even though they changed flights midway in Kansas City. This is the first time for either of them to be in Colorado, so the places to see were endless.

First stop out of the airport was to head into Denver and visit the 16th Street Mall. Sue and Tony had not eaten on the flight except for that VERY LARGE bag of pretzels and peanuts. So we headed to The Corner Bakery on the mall for some needed fuel. We then took the shuttle farther West for a visit to the Tattered Cover Bookstore. Now only 2 floors filled with books etc, but well worth the visit. Sue and Tony bought a few items for the grand kids back home and then we headed outside to fight the wind again. Winds were very strong that day. Really needed a couple of rocks in the pocket for stabilization!

On our way out of Denver we were able to note the large smoke plumes from the fire in Golden. With the high winds for the last couple of days, it has been extremely difficult to get it under control.

The plan then was to head to Arvada to meet with Doug & Heidi for some dinner at Udi's. Given that we were a bit early for the scheduled meet up, we popped out our GPS and located a cache that was close to the eatery. Tony found his first Geocache! Held it up for all of us to see and said "could this be it?" and of course it was! Just trying to keep our daily streak alive! Hooray!

Dinner with the "kids" was great. We sat and chatted over dinner and drinks. It was so nice not to have the wait staff rush us out. An enjoyable visit and reunion for all.

Adventure at Denver's Zoo

Andy, Hailey & Emily came from Wyoming to visit for the weekend. Tara was unable to join the family due to work schedule that interfered. Hoping that next time everyone will be able to make it for a visit.

On Friday night, Doug joined all of us at the climbing gym in Boulder. The girls were more interested in going down the slide, but everyone did seem to enjoy themselves. Even Renee who spent the time reading and people watching.

Saturday's plan was to go to the Denver Zoo. A beautiful day was in store for us. The zoo was crowded as many others had the same idea for a Saturday outing. We walked through most of the exhibits, stopped for lunch, the girls bought a souvenir to take home and a promised ride on the train were just some of things we did. We left tired and some slept on the hour ride back home.

Rocky Mountain Raptor Program

Peter and Renée visited the Environmental Learning Center while geocaching in Fort Collins on Wednesday. They noticed that the were fenced in enclosures on the premises that had wild birds of prey within. Pretty cool wild birds!

Two geocaches remained to be found when we quit for the day. We returned on Thursday and found the caches on the trails nearby. When we returned to the parking area we noticed some volunteers near the enclosures with something flapping huge wings. As we approached we saw that the flapping wings belonged to a golden eagle that we learned was ill and unable to fend for itself in the wild. It is being kept and trained as an educational ambassador for the Program. We were treated to a special opportunity to learn about this eagle and about the Program which has a rich and successful history. Originally linked to the University (CSU) it was spun off and now has a home of its own right here in Fort Collins. Volunteers travel the State with the birds and provide educational opportunities for lots of folks. They treat and release raptors like eagles, owls, hawks and falcons. Since 1979 the have cared for over 5,000 injured raptors.

Spring in Colorado

A breath of fresh air!
69 degrees and it is only March 10th.
First time this season to open the windows.
How wonderful!

Carroll Canyon Trek

Peter joined fellow Wyndham Vacation Resort timeshare guests staying at the Sedona Resort on a hike to Carroll Canyon. The hike was hosted by Wyndham Activities Supervisor, Elyse James. Fellow Hikers included Charleen and Bob from Albuquerque and their neighbors and friends, Vikki and Herman. Elyse confirmed that we were about to go on a moderate hike with steep and muddy areas and gave each of us the opportunity to opt out if we wanted to. With no defectors, we started out on city streets to get to the trailhead for the start of several Carroll Canyon hikes. With plenty of water on hand we ventured out onto the trail. Elyse explained the fragile environment we were hiking through and that uncompacted soil could be damaged by mere foot pressure. That damage could take decades of time to overcome. We were careful to stay on the trails and not wonder off trail. Leader Elyse, while setting an aggressive pace, stopped from time to time to make sure everyone was okay.

We reached the culmination of our trek dubbed "Elyse's Overlook" and peered over the edge of massive rocks onto the wet wash of Carroll Canyon. With Thunder Mountain in the background the city of Sedona came into clear view.

With pleasant company and good conversation the trip was over it seemed in no time. With one hike under my belt what could be next on the agenda? Maybe a little geocaching?

The 2 of us in Arizona

Exploring Arizona. Cathedral Rock in the background.

To the top of Scheurman Mountain

On Wednesday morning we headed south of town to take the Red Rock Loop Road.
One of the first stops was to hike to the top of Scheurman Mountain.
This was a suggestion of our new geocaching friends, Mike and Julie.
The hike would take us to a couple of their caches.
Renee opted to stay at "base camp" and direct Peter if he needed help
in locating the cache (s). Peter took off with hiking sticks, water, backpack and a
lot of energy to hike up the trail.

He located the first cache with no difficulty and then called back to Renee
for directions to the next 2. Along the way he met up with a couple of other hikers
who were from Pennsylvania. He introduced them to geocaching.
Pictures were taken and then Peter was on his way to the next cache.
He located 3 of the 4. Great vistas and great pictures. Certainly a site to return to
for wonderful sunsets or sunrises.

After his 2.5 hour trek, Peter & Renee continued on the Red Rock Loop Road stopping at intervals to grab a couple of more caches and enjoy the vistas. We stopped at places that we
may not have normally been attracted to for a stop.

Great day. Headed home for some rest, a hot shower, dinner and some news on TV.

Peter logging into a cache at the top of Scheurman Mountain.

Overview of Sedona from one of the overlooks along Red Rock Loop Road.

Renee at one of the stops