The View From My Kitchen Window................

is none other than orange aspens this year!! I sure didn't need to look too far did I????

Lake City - #2

Saturday morning came WAY too early as I woke up about 4:30 with a headache and had trouble going back to sleep!! But the thought of riding through all those beautiful colors had me up and going before too long!!

Glenn cooked breakfast while I donned my long underwear and packed the ATV for the day - we left about 8:45am and returned at 5:00pm - ONE LONG DAY!!

Because my jeans wouldn't fit over the long underwear, I had brought a pair of sweat pants to put over them - I figured they would be nice and comfy all day long - and comfy they were - but I hadn't thought about the slipping and sliding on the seat!! Sweat pants JUST don't work I discovered and before next year I'll be heading to the store to buy a pair of jeans a size or two larger than I normally wear - they SURE stick to the seat better!!

It was cold out but not near as cold as last year and the sun was shining so it was perfect weather and it got warmer and warmer during the day!! Most of the aspens we saw were gold but there were a few that were orange and the picture below shows a few tucked away on our way to the pass.

The first part of the journey is my favorite - in fact, I probably stopped at the exact same places on this route and took the same pictures I did last year but you just can't help but wanting to snap pictures constantly!!

We sat for awhile on the TOP so Glenn could use the binoculars to look for wildlife - it's way above treeline and pretty in its' own way!!

Traveling through streams is always part of the fun riding the ATV - here's one of the streams we went through! This year though, the BIG stream was just a trickle - that didn't hurt my feelings at all!!

The sun was shining so brightly that it was hard to capture this old footpath bridge but it was in sad shape and even if it would have been intact, I can't say I would have crossed over the deep canyon!

I love this picture that captures the blue sky, the mountain with snow on it and the gold aspen trees - course the guy in the picture is pretty special too!!!

I took this picture only so you could guess why the fence posts have another fence post tied to it to make it tall - any guesses??? These are placed at intervals along the passes and in fact, we went by the truck with a couple of guys that were replacing ones that had fallen down or were gone! The TALL fence posts are used when the snow gets SO deep, the snowmobile riders can tell where the road is!! Cool, huh?

This picture shows a little bit of some of the trails we encounter - only some are MUCH worse!! A lot of times you are on a small narrow trail with the mountain on the upper side and the canyon on the opposite side so there is NO place to pull off if you meet someone!! That's when somebody has to back up - not an easy thing to do either!!

We had a great day - lots of riding - lots of stops at old mines with equipment lying around - lots of good food - and lots of enjoying the beautiful outdoors!! And yes, if you recall from last year's blog - We Ran Out Of Gas On Cinnamon Pass - the same thing happened this year on the SAME part of the road!! Only this time we didn't have to coast as we had our extra gallon tied on the front of the ATV!!

Two tired people finally pulled into the cabin late afternoon and the rest of the evening was spent grilling hamburgers and watching a couple of movies!! Too bad Sunday came so fast and it was homeward bound time - but there's always next year to look forward to!!

Lake City Weekend

Mother Nature is giving us a late fall this year - in fact, the leaves around here are just turning and that's about 2 weeks later than normal. Perhaps we would hit peak weekend in Lake City?

6:00am came early on Friday morning but we were both excited to finish packing up the car and head out!! Bananas and muffins (coffee for Glenn) kept our stomachs from growling too loudly until we hit Gunnison!! I had remembered from last year that I had stopped in to get coffee at the place next door to the restaurant we usually eat at and realized they made crepes there for breakfast - so we headed in and ordered breakfast, along with a large cup of special coffee.

The coffee was fantastic - I had forgotten how much I enjoyed having it served in one of those huge white cups vs. a to go cup!! But disappointment hit as soon as I tasted the strawberry crepe I had ordered!! I never thought to ask if they used fresh strawberries - and trust me, I'll NEVER forget to ask again!! This fantastic light crepe was filled with strawberry preserves!! Now don't get me wrong, I love jelly!! But NOT in a crepe..............

Soon we were back on the road again - but I did forget to mention that going up Monarch Pass, the majority of the aspens were STILL green!! AHHHHHH!!! What if we got over there and none of the leaves were changed????

Outside of Lake City about 30 miles, we saw a bicyclist standing by the highway with his thumb out, holding up a bike - Glenn said we better stop - I begged to differ at that point because after all, this was a mini-vacation and I JUST wanted to get there!! But after stopping and seeing what was wrong, I realized how selfish my thoughts were and was thankful that Glenn DID stop!!

This guy (Seth) had major problems with his bike and the wheels wouldn't turn - he had tried to get someone to stop the evening before but NO one would stop - there was an old trailer right there at this little pullover and he broken in to spend the night so he wouldn't freeze!!! It had gotten down to about 20 degrees that night - BRRRRRRRR!!!

He said it must be an old hunting trailer and it looked like no one had been in there in years, except for the mice - yuck!!! But at least he stayed 1/2 way warm!! Glenn worked on the bike for a little while with what tools he had and did get the wheels to turn but it still wasn't working properly - Seth asked us if we would load the bike and take him into Lake City so of course we did!! Yes, it took some extra time but we were glad to help, especially when we stopped and realized he was handicapped. He had been in a bad motorcycle accident years ago and had hit his head hard enough to give him some brain damage - hence the bad limp and only partial use of his left arm and hand!!

After dropping Seth and his bike off at a gas station, we finally got cell phone service so Glenn had to make some calls and THEN go in search of a building site outside of town, hoping the homeowner might be around so he could talk to him about a granite job!! Were we EVER going to ride the ATV?????

We never did find the building site so we headed over to the staging area for ATV's and soon were on our way up Engineer Pass!!! No, we were NOT disappointed with the colors - they were awesome!!!


My favorite off the beaten track trail was the Nellie Creek Trail - the aspen trees on this particular stretch were just amazing!!

We had a nice lunch by a stream - our usual of cheese, sausage and crackers - grapes - BBQ pringles (they travel well in the pack) and snack candy bars for dessert, preferably snickers or peanut M & M's!!

After riding up and back on Engineer Pass, we loaded up the ATV and headed out to Castle Lakes to check into our cabin! We were both tired so Glenn napped and I read a while but soon headed to the lake to check out the picture situation - it was awesome!!!

The sun was just going down across the mountain of aspens - it was spectacular!!

Glenn grilled up some steaks for dinner along with some excellent sweet corn - I SHOULD have gotten a movie from the lodge as I had forgotten you can only get 1 channel - oh well, I was reading a good book anyway.......................to be cont'd

Evan & Mackenzie's Weekend

WOW - another weekend with grand kids - how lucky can we be!!

Jessi and Gary had decided a long time ago to celebrate their anniversary (early) on Saturday and had asked us in advance if we would watch the kids - absolutely!! They all headed down on Friday afternoon and of course were already there when I arrived home from work!! Even Glenn had come back late Friday morning from his week long hunting trip - sorry to say, no meat for the freezer!!

We grilled some pork loin and I had made a yummy dessert so we ate well that evening and the 4 adults watched "Unstoppable" after putting the kids to bed!

Sleeping in is always fun on the weekends and the kids even slept in so we all were happy!! Glenn cooked us a great breakfast and then Gary and Jessi were out the door for a day of fishing and hiking!!

Can you tell this picture was taken while they were both watching TV? It's VERY difficult to get kids to look your way when Sponge-Bob is on!!

We headed to Mueller State Park to go to the Visitor Center first - it was still pretty cold out and the sun was doing its' best to stay behind the clouds!! The kids loved seeing the animals there and did the chalk drawings around the center!! They're both great posers whenever I wanted to take a picture and I appreciated that!!

Then it was off to the Dragonfly Nature Trail!!

\They loved running along the path to the different exhibits but I think the pond was their favorite - they really enjoyed watching all the water bugs!!

By this time we really thought the sun was going to come out for good so we headed to the play park in Divide - one we had never been to before!! I LOVED the colors of the playground equipment but it was cold so after snacks we headed back to the house!!

I kept looking and looking at the picture below sensing something was wrong with it - it was cute because Glenn kept standing in her way and she would actually bump him with her feet while she was swinging - pretty soon it dawned on me - Glenn had put her in the swing backwards!

We had lunch on the deck, the kids took naps, we played with toys, Evan got in the hot tub, and we went on an adventure walk!!

Before we knew it, Jessi and Gary were back from their fun day so we grilled some hot dogs and then later built a fire in the fire pit and roasted marshmallows!!! Evan and Kenzie had NEVER been around a fire much so loved sitting there and watching it!!

Yes, it was pretty chilly out that evening but perfect weather for hot-tubbing which Jessi and Gary did while we watched TV!! It sure was a fun weekend with everyone!

Denver/September

Friday late afternoon is NEVER a good time to be on the interstate heading to Denver! But of course I was..............

Actually traffic wasn't too bad so I made fairly decent time and before long I was knocking on Jaime's door with 2 grand kids hugging me as hard as they could - that always makes my day!!

It felt good to sleep in - when Glenn isn't with me, Rayna always has me sleep on her trundle bed beside her and it's really quite comfortable!! Jaime woke me about 7:30 - I actually slept that long?????? WOW!!!

Jaime headed to work and the kids and I headed to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science!! The Smith's have an annual pass so we all got in free!! It was pretty empty for a while, seeing as how we were there right when it opened!! That made it nice!!

The kids love this place, as do I and I think we hit almost every exhibit there was!!! Rayna's favorite was the "science experiments"!! All 3 of us donned white lab coats, gloves, and goggles and did 3 different experiments!! They were pretty lengthy ones and I give Kylan credit for being so patient when he really didn't understand what was going on!! Check out these 2 future scientists!!

I think my favorite part is the wildlife - lots of deer, bear, elk, small animals, and such, all in their natural settings - it's really done well and I love walking around all the rooms!!!

We had a nice lunch together and then walked around even more!!! By 2:30, I was one tired lady so we decided to head home - of course I got lost!!! I despise driving in downtown Denver and the traffic was heavy!!! Right about the time I was ready to call Jessi for help, she called me and directed me to the right street - whew!!!!

Blizzards were in order FIRST before we got home!! Yum Yum!!!

Jessi invited us over for dinner so we headed over there late afternoon - Gary's mom and step dad were also there so I got to visit a little bit with them while we ate some yummy fajitas!! But the best part of the meal was the angel food cake with blueberries and whip cream - oh my..........

Jaime finally arrived after work and she ate before we headed back to her place!! Her and I made a quick trip to Kohl's but didn't find a thing!! I was actually looking for another swimsuit since it was end of the season but of course waited too long to get one!! (once again!!) But Jaime said I could borrow hers for our trip next month so that was perfect!

Sunday I put the kids in the car and we headed to Caribou Coffee since I hadn't gotten any on Saturday!! Then it was off to Jamba Juice and since we all had drinks, we walked around Southlands which is an outdoor mall - they play some mighty fine music too and the flowers are still gorgeous!!

Kylan was having fun stepping on his shadow!!

Let's see, I think next on the list was the play park but I forgot my camera!! Then it was sidewalk chalk and bubbles so I certainly had my share of the sun on Sunday!!

Jessi and the kids came over for about an hour before I had to head out! We had LOTS to discuss - like the upcoming Pumpkin Patch, Thanksgiving and even Christmas - it will all be here before we know it!!

And then I came home to a quiet, empty house - kind of nice!

The Weekly Update!

I didn't expect to wake up to 29 degree weather! I even had sandals laid out to wear with my jeans today - needless to say, they were replaced with SHOES and SOCKS!!

As I peeked out on the deck, I noticed the bird feeder was gone - darn it - I forgot to bring it in the house for the night! So I stepped out on the deck to look over the edge and almost fell flat!! In addition to the cold weather was a heavy, heavy dew so yes, the entire deck was a sheet of ice! Of course my car was sitting outside (as Glenn had to back up to the garage to load up for hunting) which meant I even had to dig out the ice scraper and scrape!! (note - it wasn't too far away - actually still was under the seat!)

Anyway, getting back to the bird feeder, I went down to the lower level and sure enough, there's the feeder lying on the ground with the plastic inside where you put the bird seed, completely broken and smashed - yup, the bear had been there! He even had tipped over the trash can sitting there by the wood but he didn't find anything to eat there as it only has wood scraps in it!! I guess I should have been thankful at that point though because Glenn's truck was sitting out back after loading the stuff from the house, and he had LOTS of food in the truck!! And I know what bears can do to vehicles if they smell food inside!

Also when I went out on the front deck to load the car this morning, I noticed that the bear must have rubbed against a few of Glenn's tomato plants as there were little green tomatoes all over the deck!! I wonder if the bear ate any and if he did, I hope he has a tummy ache!!

Glenn left to hunt early this morning (4:00 am) and will be gone for a week! He's doing archery this year with his friend Bob from Nevada and Glenn also has a bear tag! He'll be carrying a pistol this year in case he encounters a bear or a mountain lion!

I also have an update on my inner ear infection!! I did go to an ENT doctor on Wednesday where a complete hearing test was done (I don't think I've EVER had one done since grade school) and a very thorough examination - the Dr. concurred that the ER Dr. was correct in his diagnosis - labyrinthitis! Since I was well on my way to recovery anyway, he only suggested to use hydrogen peroxide in both ears nightly for the next week and gave me a series of exercises to speed up the motion intolerance. He did say the motion intolerance could last up to 3 months but I'm doing very well with that and expect to make a full recovery very soon!!

I'm headed to Denver after work today to babysit Rayna and Kylan while Jaime works this weekend and Brad hunts! Maybe a little shopping? Maybe some Caribou Coffee? No maybe about it - coffee is a given!! I'll let you know on the shopping............

Labor Day - #2

Beautiful as ever, the aspen trees were abundant and I couldn't help but think of what they would look like in just a couple of weeks!!

Glenn did take some time to hunt and scout while we were over there - and yes, that IS black markings on his face!! Check out our corn on the cob grilling - although there sure isn't much fire showing in this picture!

This is the view from our campsite - it was so pretty in the mornings when the sun came up!

We cooked some delicious meals as we watched the sun set - t-bone steak, pork loin marinated in a garlic herb sauce, and good ole' grilled hamburgers with grilled onions!! One of my favorite smells is bacon cooking and we had plenty of that each morning with scrambled eggs and cheese!
One thing I really enjoy about our new camper is the fact that the refrigerator and freezer actually WORK!!! It was always tough getting our old camper completely level so the frig would work and 1/2 the time it didn't so we always froze a lot of ice and packed a couple of ice chests - of course I still take the big ice chest but it's wonderful having that frig inside!

SO it's another wonderful Labor Day Weekend to put in the memory bank!! I'll leave you with a couple of pretty sunsets and if you breathe in real deeply, you might even smell the pine trees!

Labor Day Weekend - 2011

I LOVE 4 day weekends!!! I packed up the final items on Thursday night while Glenn was working on the ATV trailer - he decided THE NIGHT BEFORE (is this not a typical man thing or WHAT??) that the wheel bearings needed to be repacked since we'd had a couple of flat tires on it and when he got the trailer apart, you guessed it - they were bad!! So a trip back to town to see if Napa had any didn't do him any good as they didn't have them. HMMMM............He said we COULD just repack the bearings and see if the trailer would make it over there but his opinion was it would probably break down so we both decided that was NOT an option!!

But sitting at the bottom of our driveway was our OLD trailer which had never sold - now I know why!! Unfortunately it had a flat tire and not only was the air compressor at work but also the ramps to load the ATV - Glenn just ran into Florissant to get a fix a flat can and got it aired up enough so we could make it into town the next morning and figured out another way to load the ATV - he's pretty good at stuff like that!!

Finally it was early Friday morning and we headed out - our 3/4 ton pickup is pretty rough to ride in and we barely had started before my head was spinning and I didn't feel good AT ALL!! I just knew at that point I wouldn't be riding the ATV!

By Buena Vista I was feeling better so we stopped and I got some coffee - it only rated about a 5 but was drinkable at least!! The road back in to our camping spot was pretty rough and I was glad when we arrived and found the campsite EMPTY!!! Between the campers and the hunters, I really didn't think we would get that spot!!

We quickly set up and I told Glenn that we needed to take a ride to see if I could handle the ATV so we did - not a problem AT ALL!!! I figured out that since I was pretty much grounded on that ATV and hanging on to something, that the bumps and rough spots didn't bother me at all and in the pickup, you're not really hanging onto anything and your entire body jumps and moves around with each bump!!

We were heading down a high pass on this first time out when something happened to my ears - they opened yes, but that wasn't the word I wanted to use - it finally came to me - RELEASE - something had released inside my ear!!! We went back to camp to eat lunch and pack up for the rest of the day and as we were eating lunch, it felt like both ears were "wet" inside - a weird feeling but I felt great and that was all that mattered!!

It was FANTASTIC to be out and about on the ATV - the weather was gorgeous and we loved every minute of our trip!!! I saw this neat tree so had to stop and take a picture! What a cute little spot for someone to sit!!

We drove up high to look down on O'Haver Lake - it was beautiful!!

We ended up going down "Bob's Blvd" on one of our trips - yes, someone actually nailed up a sign on a tree to mark this trail - the guy had passed away and this must have been one of his favorite places to ride!! It's REALLY steep but a neat trail and I had to stop and snap a picture of this tree that has bent over and started growing back into the ground!!

The only time I drive the ATV is when Glenn has to stop and open a gate!!

And here's a picture of our great campsite!! Notice the little green tent on the left hand side of the picture? That's our pop-up port-a-potty tent - it's sure a heck of a lot nicer than just using the forest!!

It was COLD the first night but we didn't think about turning the furnace on before we went to bed and we DID regret that - it was DARN cold sleeping!! I didn't have any panic attacks, due to the fact we had 2 large solar lights all lit up - one inside and one outside where I could see it - they worked perfect!!! I slept great with only one dizzy spell when I laid down - I KNEW at that point I was getting BETTER!!! To be cont'd...............

Just Catching Up.......

Today is September 1st - my FAVORITE month of the entire year!!! I welcomed it with a big smile and lots of dizziness today - darn! Just when I thought I was getting better, I did a huge backslide and that sure doesn't make me happy!! I have made an appointment with an ENT dr next Wednesday to double check the ER's diagnosis of labyrinthitis.

On the bright side, I'm extremely excited because we're going camping this weekend for 4 days! I have Friday and Monday off so we're heading out early tomorrow morning for one of our favorite spots, over by Sargent's where Glenn will be hunting later next week! I probably won't be able to ride the ATV and I'm sad about that but who knows - maybe all that jostling on the back end will take care of the dizziness!! One can only try I guess! I'm packing LOTS of books (probably to the tune of 2 a day) just in case I am unable to ride and might have to spend my time at the campsite - which is OK too - I'm just glad we're getting away as I've missed 2 camping trips due to this dizziness problem!

Our weather has definitely changed - much cooler mornings now - and what's with this darkness when I get up???? I'm not ready for fall yet but the leaves are starting to turn just a little bit!

This morning when we walked outside, there was a doe and her twin fawns standing close by, happily munching on some grass. The fawns were just as cute as can be! And no further activity from the bear!! I still would like to get some better pictures of him but I'm sure not sending him an invitation to our house!

One of my old "choir" friends has West Nile disease - bummer!! We caught up on the phone last night and compared stories and decided that we have both "lost" a month or more of our lives by basically being ill and not being able to do the things we want to do!! I'm determined that I will be better soon, however, hers could last up to a year - I pray it doesn't!

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!!