ATVing The Loop

There's nothing better when you're camping than to wake up to the smell of coffee!!  Patty and Leonard had slept well on the queen bed made up from the couch - I on the other hand didn't sleep so well as I woke up to one of my panic attacks as there was no light that I could see!  Apparently the solar light that I had brought in was not charged up long enough!!  Anyway, it has prompted me to now buy a night light that runs off of batteries - yes, I have a flashlight handy but never think to turn it on!!

ANYWAY, we cooked a hearty breakfast, packed a lunch and again we were off!!

The loop the guys had found was a great spot to ATV - I believe it was around 26 miles through trees and valleys and lots of rocks!!  We enjoyed several stops!

Ah, my gorgeous aspen trees!!  Every time I go through them I think about what they are going to look like in the fall!  Yes, we'll be back here come September!!

And the columbines................there were hundreds of them around and I couldn't stop snapping pictures of them so had to post just one more perfect one!

Twice we had to go through the water - I take that back, 3 times - although the first one I didn't count because it was the MUDDY water from rain.  Glenn hit it pretty hard with the ATV and the mud and water came back at me with a vengeance!!!  YUCK!!!  But the next 2 were the pretty spring water streams and that is always fun to go through!!  Patty and Leonard thought it was pretty cool to drive through them!

Tenderloin steak and foil potatoes and carrots were on the dinner menu that night - YUM!!  We ate like kings!!

We were able to have campfires both nights - the evenings were gorgeous and we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed the relaxation!!

Camping at Buffalo Peaks

Sunny skies were on the agenda for Monday morning and that's just what we got!!  By 9:00am we were out the door!  Glenn and I were in his pickup pulling the 5th wheel - Patty and Leonard drove their pickup which had their ATV in the back and then pulled our ATV trailer!

The nice thing about Buffalo Peaks is that it's close - only takes about 45 minutes to get there, plus the road construction time!!  Glenn had a place all picked out for us and it was empty so we set up camp, unloaded the ATV's, packed a lunch and we were off!!

Patty had never really ridden the ATV much before so she had no idea what to expect - but she enjoyed it immensely and had a great time!!

These two - always cracking jokes and goofing off - don't u just love Glenn's bibs?

We stopped for lunch after probably the hardest trail - rough and steep - up to the forest service cabin!  I think Patty was ready for a break!!

Check out Glenn's UNCOOL goggles!!  Not sure what he was doing here - being himself I guess!!

There was a fire in the next county and you could see the smoke for miles - at first we thought this was clouds but no, it was the smoke from the fire!!

As you can see it was chilly in the mornings so we were in sweatshirts!!  But of course it got warmer as the day went on and we would be down to our t-shirts!!

I love the mountains around Buena Vista - they are so pretty!!

After a day of riding we enjoyed just relaxing on our NEW chairs that Glenn and I got for our birthdays.  The guys went out for an evening ride and found a new trail for the next day while Patty and I just hung around camp!

And so ended our first night camping after a great day of ATVing!!

A Cousin Reunion

While both Gary and Leonard were here, Glenn finished up the new mantle for the fireplace and they helped him put it in place - it is beautiful!!  The wood is bristlecone and it came from Dick and Jane's property over by Guffey.  Another item to cross off that never ending list..............

 And then it was time for our Sunday evening company to arrive - cousin Gary and wife Adrianne from Co. Springs!  Glenn and I have been with them a few times this past year but Patty and Leonard hadn't seen them in years!!

 What a great time we had!!  We reminisced about family times, grilled up some great chicken and sides and just thoroughly enjoyed spending time with each other!

Bringing family together is wonderful!!

Iowa Company / Happy Birthday Jessi!

I was super excited when my sister Patty called a few weeks ago and said they were going to come out to see our new house AND bring their ATV so we could go riding together!  WOW - what fun that would be!!

They arrived Friday the 8th and it was fun taking them on a tour of our house!  We talked and talked that evening, catching up with all the news and just enjoying having them here!!

Saturday the guys left to do whatever guys do and Patty and I headed down to The Winery to have a wine tasting session - I had taken my other sister Teri here before so it was only fitting that I take Patty too!

 We ate and drank and had a great time together!

 And then it was back home to await the arrival of the Keppys' plus Kylan - they were heading down to spend the night with us and then take the boys to LVR Camp the next day!!

Love this picture of Patty and Leonard!

 We had a fun evening together - Jessi, Gary and Gwyn slept in the 5th wheel, Kenzie was on the futon and the boys were in their sleeping bags on the floor in the lower level!

Also not to be forgotten, Evan had dictated to his mom an accounting of his stay and Kylan's here at our house and she had typed it for him - believe it or not, it was 4 1/2 typed pages!!!!  He even remembered actual conversations we all had!!  What a kid!  I LOVE his account of his stay here and it's definitely going into my memory box!!!

I had put breakfast in the crockpot before I went to bed and it turned out perfect for breakfast the next morning!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSI!  Even though it was her birthday, she had made homemade cinnamon rolls to bring and of course they were awesome as usual!!

 Boys will be boys - I can't even remember what Kylan had in his mouth but whatever it was, they had fun being silly and I had to snap a picture!!

 Gwyn of course was the center of attention - her smiling face and great disposition makes it hard to not just hug and squeeze her all the time - she loves watermelon!!

 And check out Gwyn on this family picture - what a cutie she is!!  The Keppys' and Kylan left for camp mid-afternoon and the 4 of us started packing the 5th wheel and the pickups for our camping and ATVing trip!

Progress On The List!

Once Glenn set his mind to it, he actually got the backsplash and the front of the bar done in record time - I just forgot to blog about the finished product!!

I LOVE the backsplash - it really looks nice and sure completes the kitchen - I had some touch up paint to do after he was finished and I'm impressed with the look of it all!!

 Just for reference - Glenn DID put the electrical plates on the next day - I just chose to take the pictures early!!

Then he finished the front of the island - I was so tired of looking at the plywood and this stone really dresses up the front of it!

He also got the high trim put up in the living room and kitchen - what a guy!!!

Tin Cup and Hancock - Rougher than Rough!

Wednesday we decided to do the big loop - Tin Cup, Hancock and Cumberland Passes!  It's been a couple of years or more since we've done them and now I remember why!!  Even with the new ATV, it's rough and rocky and tough!!  But oh so gorgeous!!

 We stopped in the town of Tin Cup, hoping to get coffee and a pastry but they were already serving lunch so opted for coffee and splitting a chicken sandwich!  It's a cute little town and we always enjoy driving through it!

 Doesn't the sky look awesome against this pretty white church?

 After much groaning and rocking and bouncing, we made it up to Tin Cup - with the decision that I'm never going to do it again on an ATV!

 The wildflowers are out in full force this summer because of all the early rain we had - they are all so beautiful and delicate looking!

 Yes, we even got to ride through snow!!

 The old mine looks a little worse each year but it's still standing!!

 Hancock Pass is even harder than Tin Cup but the views are awesome up there!

   Some spots were just darn tough!!

 Here you can see the loop against the middle of the mountain - it is nice to make this loop so you don't have to backtrack!

 This picture is for Jessi - I've probably posted it before !!

It was a great camping trip - so fun to use the 5th wheel, atv during the day with a picnic lunch and then grill in the evening listening to the stream and watching the campfire!  We DO LOVE our camping trips!!

Summer Camping in Colorado

WOW did it feel great to take off on Monday morning - it was our first REAL camping trip in the mountains this season!  The traffic was steady but at least it was going in the other direction!  Unfortunately summer brings road construction!

We headed towards Gunnison and were planning on camping in Pitkin - we have a great spot we have stayed in but it was already taken................so we continued on (all 65 feet of us) on this very narrow, rocky road and were praying we wouldn't meet anybody as we sure can't back up.  We had no idea if there were any other spots that would be large enough for us and the road sure wasn't getting any better!

Luckily we found a spot that would work pretty well!!  Glenn unloaded the ATV and went up further to see if there was anything else and there wasn't - so we set up camp where we were at and it actually turned out to be a great spot - you could hear the stream rushing by and to me that's always soothing!

We hopped on the ATV (and yes, I absolutely love our new ATV with my high seat - not only can I see better but it's SO MUCH EASIER to hold on and handle the bumps!!) and we were off!!

We hadn't been on too long when it started sprinkling!  Just in case, we stopped and put on our rain gear!  Oh, and checked the map!!

 This was one of the road signs we came upon in this one section where there were some houses!

 Oh the aspens - I can never take enough pictures of the aspens!!

 It was a gorgeous evening and we were able to have a campfire since the wind had died down!  It was chilly out!!

 Brats and potato salad for dinner - easy enough!!

 The next morning was gorgeous and we saw some beautiful country!!

 We stopped on top of this mountain and it was so windy out!!

 More aspens - I've already decided we need to come back here for fall!

 And I FINALLY saw the columbines!!  I had been watching but hadn't seen any around our house - guess it took us going higher up to the mountains to find them!  The wind was blowing so hard I had to hold it because it wouldn't stand still!

 Check out the backdrop for this photo!!  It may be one of my favorites for the year!!

To Be Cont'd.........................