Jeeping and hiking and jeeping and hiking…...

 Since last we talked, we have spent a bit of time in the glorious mountains.     And we've had great companions to share the views with.    Gay and Joe Taylor brought the Tan Clan (their 4 tan dogs)  and their motorhome to Montrose and we made sure that we showed them some of the best the area has to offer.    (We met them last year in Moab).

We headed up to Imogene Pass to give them a sense of 4-wheeling in the San Juans.   They have a pretty metallic blue Jeep named Pearl.   And as we were starting out, this teenage bear crossed quickly ahead of us……a nice treat.

Of course, there were streams to ford….the bridge was out of commission….

Wildflowers and vistas…...

 'Tis the season for larkspur……

Someone carved an owl…..

More wildflowers…...

High shelf roads……..

And rain……A few days later, we  invited Gay to join the Cobble Creek Hiking Club for a jaunt on Pass Creek Trail.    Because I didn't remember to bring a camera and my phone died shortly after arrival, go to Gay's BLOG and see her spectacular pictures and her impressions of the hike.    It was a stunning climb into the mountains and we would do it again in a minute.    

 Today, we went on another hike with the Club.   They go out twice a week.    Depending on the locale and the rating of the trail, there are either a couple hardy souls or quite a crowd.  
This mornings was the Middle Fork trail along the Cimarron River.     Starting out, it was 50 DEGREES.    As you can see, the trail was wet and muddy and it only got worse.

Views of the Cimarron Mt range.   We started a bit over 10,000 ft.  

And then we entered a bog that was swampy and difficult to walk in all of the muck.    There were many slippery uneven deep muddy areas.    We should have worn knee length rubber boots.    Hiking with Jessica and Lynn, we finally called it quits a mile or two in when Jessica started having issues with her old Achilles tendon injury.    

We slogged thru the muck towards the car and planned our next event at a favorite restaurant in Ridgeway.     We'll skip this hike next year……unless there's  a drought.

 I'm not done yet……………… here's a few pix from a jeep ride we went on this week with some other neighbors.  

For those who know the area, this is a view high above Yankee Boy Basin and the Twin Falls.     We were headed towards Governor's Basin and Silver Basin.   It was a rough narrow trail with more hikers than Jeeps.  

Remnants of an old mine…………This is about 12,000 ft and it was cold.!!

The  white columbine…..

One of my favorites….Elephant Flower

The Queen's Crown…..or maybe the King's Crown…. I"m never sure which is which.

Sometimes there just isn't room…..   the black car backed up…..

The clouds were getting closer……..

Unnamed alpine lake……that is the actual color.

We stopped for lunch………beside the lake………..and then it rained.

A picture is worth…………..so much more than I could ever say.

The family that plays together……….

This family makes our hearts sing………………We are so proud.      Enjoy the views……...

As good as it gets…….Part II

Besides golf and family dinners, the group found time to enjoy the Colorado outdoors in the best way.   The younger crowd spent one afternoon at the Bach'ler Stables in Ouray.    Resident cowboy, Mr Fence Post, was the quintessential cowboy.    Bowlegged, sideburns, spurs and a never ending stream of colorful  cowboy colloquialisms kept everyone smiling.   Some of us came out to the stables to watch the process of picking horses, saddling up, and his gentle  (and sometimes more abrupt ) instructions.    He tied rain gear on the back of the saddles and Mason asked if it was for him or the horse !!

Mason couldn't stop smiling riding Rascal...

Andy was more reserved and cautious….

Fence Post came by his name because his mother said he "was dumb as a …….."

Jenna watched the process with Roxie and made some helpful suggestions to the girls.    Fence Post said he sure wished she was going along …..  that was all the encouragement she needed.   Despite white pants and new Keds, she climbed on her horse.    She had a horse  in her younger years and is very comfortable in the saddle.   Roxie didn't go.  

Couldn't resist capturing this view of Becca…….

Dr Miller was agile as well as she mounted her 'mouse-colored ' horse…that's what Mr Post said he was but I forgot his name.  

Jon showed fine form on Snoopy….

Moving on out…………  it was a two hour ride up the side of the mountains, traversing some narrow shelf trails with stunning views of Ouray and the San Juan Mountains.   Andy and Mason said it was their favorite time of their vacation.        We did a family trip to Ouray 26 years ago and went on a similar ride…..Jon has pictures which I may or may not share someday.    We were really young !!   

On another day,  a few of us drove up to Yankee Boy Basin outside of Ouray.     This time of year, it is resplendent in wildflowers.    There are also the Twin Falls.    The lower falls used to be featured on the Coors label.  

I did get a flower guide book but I still have a lot to learn.   The small white flowers are a form of geranium and have fine pink lines on the petals.   The bright ones are orange paintbrush.

I found a small cluster of white columbine on a hillside.     They are a bit more rare than the blue ones.  

Sneezeweed is everywhere and adds so much color to the fields.   It is toxic to animals.  

We were at 11,000 + feet.    I especially like the raspberry colored paintbrush.   

Mostly, we take pictures of the face of the Blue Columbine but the other views are just as magnificent.    It is the state flower of Colorado and it is illegal to pick them.    Interestingly, it is said that they represent unfaithfulness in women and deserted lovers in men.   So, it was considered in bad taste to give a bouquet to your girl.   I prefer to think of them as just a beautiful flower.     On my walks, I see them in gardens in many hybridized colors.    But it is best to see their magnificence in the wild.
 

Mike, Jenna and Lizzie in front of  the upper falls.    Jenna captured this aspen sunflower with a busy bee ….. with her phone.    Perfect.  

 

It was the best of times…….

All 16 of us.     Amazing what started with two teenagers who  met over 55 years ago and made it official 50.5 years ago.   We are SO proud of each and every one of them.    A very successful, creative, motivated and hard working bunch.   And so very nice as well.    (well, except for the one on the far left at the bottom….she has her moments )

 We spent a week together.   They came from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Vancouver, Washington, Hermosillo, Mexico and  Newtown, Connecticut.     The cousins, young and old, got to know each other once again.   They played Mexican train and golfed and rafted and ate together and enjoyed the break from responsibility.       It was the best fulfillment of my long overdue dream.     Thank you for letting us be the luckiest parents and grandparents.

 Have you seen the Coke's in the stores with names on them (a tribute to Service members).   They searched for everyone's name and were only short a couple.

No gathering is complete in Colorado without going Jeeping…..Mike had his, we had ours and Jon rented one for a day.    We headed up Ophir Pass, which is pretty tame but makes for a nice off -road trip from Ouray to Telluride.     This was a potty break…..ladies to the right…guys to the left is the standard rule and no peeking.

  

It is peak wildflower season and the columbines were picture perfect.

 At the pass, it was a bit chilly for Kelsey, Nick's wife.

 Beginning the ride down to Telluride.

 We passed thru stands of magnificent aspen……..

…forded a couple of small streams.   And had lunch and the gondola ride in Telluride before heading back .    Jon and Mike and Paul and some of the kids opted to take Imogene Pass trail back….it is very rough and longer than Ophir so the rest of us took the paved route.

I have a ton of pictures and stories to share but this is all I can muster for today.    Everyone left this morning.    It was much too quiet for awhile but then the installers arrived to put up the new shutters , finally…….     Talk soon…………….

Weekly update……...

 I've shared this sculpture  before…I think….   This is Mike, the Headless chicken who actually was a real live chicken who lived 18 months until he choked and died while being fed with an eyedropper.   He's memorialized on Main Street in Fruita Colorado ( near Grand Junction ) where we met up with the Geary family from Danbury, Connecticut  on July 4th.  

 Nancy is just the most special person and I do believe that she is the daughter we never had !!    We met working at the hospital many years ago and now she and Mike have 4 wonderful grown up kids.    From L to R…..Moi, Paul, Sean (wants to be an elementary teacher)
, Nancy, Shannon in the back ( I was there when she was born and gave her the first bath !), now 17 and Captain of her sport teams.    Then Michael, a meteorologist and super nice guy.   Matthew on the Rt, has one more year to be an electrical engineer but really wants to fly !!    OOPs, where's Erin, the eldest ??
Here she is, on the Rt …..she is, like so many her age, trying to figure out what happens after college.   They flew into Denver from Connecticut and headed west.   After our hearty breakfast they headed for Moab and then on to Bryce and Zion before going to Las Vegas.    We have hopes they will swing by on their return.
 

Meanwhile, backing up to last weekend, Paul entered the area PB tournament, held in Delta ( 20 miles up the road).   Teams from around the area came and the 2 day event was quite successful.    Paul and his partner, Tina, came in 2nd in mixed doubles !!   Here, P is moving fast towards a return.    As he's done before, he hangs the Go Pro on the fencing and records the games, then sends them off to the players,  who are delighted to be able to critique themselves.   Here at Cobble Creek, they just resurfaced the tennis courts and gave the PB players their very own dedicated courts.    We play on Thurs and Sunday mornings and we're trying to get a ladies'  group started.    I'm really not getting much better but I enjoy the group.   

  

Otherwise, the week is about the same as others…… PB, golf , dinner out with friends, and house stuff.     We've joined the Monday night Couple's Golf…..9 holes, followed by dinner at the Club.    Weather is perfect at that hour even if the golf isn't.    

 

 Not sure what this fluffy little bird is but he is the male in his bright plumage and his partner  is drab but busy. ( no comment ).  They are constantly flitting around and hanging on the grasses out back.      Landscaping is to start on Monday and the wild plants will be gone but hope they like our yard just as well.  

The TV is finally hung up and it's very easy to watch from that angle.    Still no window coverings but we are hoping for installation of the shutters by the weekend or a few days later.    Most of the furniture is in place but the walls are quite bare.    I'm tired of making decisions and spending too much time internet shopping  (did I mention that we have NO stores here )…..     We've been looking at patio furniture but it needs to be of the heavy metal type due to the winds that roll thru.   Also don't want any cushions because of the dust.   Of course, everything is picked over this time of year.  

We're making plans and getting excited because the 2nd Miller Reunion is occurring next weekend ( 12th-19th)……Of course, there will be pictures !!