Toto, I don't think we're in Colorado anymore…...

Very early Tuesday morning, we headed East from Montrose via a plane with PROPELLERS. !!   I don't like those smaller planes particularly and when I walked outside to the stairs of the plane and didn't see jet engines, I was a bit appalled.   I kept thinking about those stories of props coming apart and slicing someone in half.   Fortunately, we were well forward.     It started up with a roar and a bit of vibration and we slowly lifted into the air.   I wish it would have been daylight so I could see my favorite mountains but by the time we got to the Front Range ( a VERY short flight), the sun was rising and  I could see familiar landmarks.
 
After a 3 hour wait, and a tasty fresh oatmeal bowl with assorted fruit, we took our seats in a much larger jet for the trip to Orlando.         It was a smooth quiet flight.   And then, about 30 min from arrival, they called for a Dr or a nurse…… I waited and hoped  for someone else to ring their call bell.   I sure didn't want to volunteer but finally offered my services.    It was relatively minor, a middle aged woman who became non-reponsive, cold and clammy and very pale ….. I was a bit concerned when I couldn't get a BP and her pulse was very weak but with oxygen, she slowly came around.  There isn't much room to deal with something like this in the back galley.   The Flight Attendants were great.     I'm assuming I will get free travel,( first class of course) for the rest of my traveling days and since I was flying non-rev, I gave them Jon's name and I'm sure he will get a big pay raise .    Actually, all my years of physical assessment skills came into play and looking back, I don't feel like there was anything I missed or could have done differently.     I was just happy it wasn't something like a death or a real young person.    The EMS were very professional and I gave them all the info I had.     I'm sure she is fine but probably a bit embarrassed  by the whole event.  


So we are back in the land of HIGH humidity and HIGH temperatures.    It is like a swamp out there.   I see people on the golf course and I know that we acclimated to it somewhat in previous years but I'm not sure how.  

We're heading back on Friday with the other car, filled with 'stuff ' that we can use out there more than here.     And, in the fall , we'll leave the Jeep in Montrose so we have a car there when we decide to take the propeller plane again.  

It's nice to be back…..the house looks good, TV is resplendent in blooming flowers and everything is very green.    We'll catch up with neighbors and John and Freida and then hurry back ……. The mountains are calling and I must go……. (John Muir said it first )

Mi casa...

 Maybe on our "Bucket List" someday.    Mike and Lizzie (red jeep) went on the Rubicon Trail in the Sierra's with friends from Microsoft.   Lizzie said it was the best thing ever.   It requires tent camping for several nights and NO possibility  of turning around unless you need to be towed out $$$$    The food and supplies were brought in by helicopter…..including a Grand Piano !!    My kind of camping I think…..except for the sleeping on the ground and non-flushable facilities.

 I've been trying to get a view of the house and the lighting just doesn't work too well….not that I tried too hard.    The windows on the southwest side bring in a lot of light.   Notice the lack of wall decor behind the table.    I like an uncluttered look so a big mirror might go there.

 View towards the front door.    The walls are painted a yellowish buff color and it is a real chameleon, changing colors from beige to yellow depending on light.    We had it in the Pennsylvania house and Jenna reminded me how much I liked it.    A hotel in Telluride used it throughout according to the girl at the paint store so I feel in good company.    Powell Buff by Benjamin Moore but anyone will mix it.

 The great room… I should have bought 2 sofas instead of the loveseat and sofa but I didn't realize the room was as big as it is.  The color is a wheat shade instead of the lighter color in the pic.

 The bare study…..a work in progress…….we had the closet made with a pocket door and shelves for storage.  

 Your room……large TV on opposite wall , currently sitting on a box….large closet.

 View from entry…..it's not a big house…..about 1900 sf but certainly perfect for the old and slow.

 Kitchen works very well.    Drawers and cabinets have the soft closure feature.   Nice big pantry-type storage area to left of refrig.     I have BLACK sinks and love them.   No more scratched stainless.   We opted for stools at the bar instead of backed high chairs.   These are comfy and easy to get on and I find that people actually sit on them …. the ones in Florida have backs and are cumbersome even tho they turn.

 We like our comfy king bed despite almost needing a ladder to get in.     I opted for bedspreads on all of the beds so I didn't have to deal with bed skirts.  

 Landscaping done and we like the river rock.

We are taking up a collection for patio furniture…..but for now, chairs from the MH work fine.   Love the fancy grill that showed up on our patio when the kids visited.       The overhang gives great protection from the SW sun.  
The season is getting booked so make your reservations soon.     Mark and Annette in Sept and a couple weeks later, Guy and Judy will arrive in Oct.      We can't wait to show them our part of the world.

His fame keeps growing…………….

I 

This picture appeared along with an article in the local daily paper, The Montrose Press  a couple of weeks ago.    He's known around the PB crowd as a generous and very nice coach.    Now, if all that advice would rub off on his wife.     He plays almost everyday unless we are hiking or jeeping.

Earlier in the week, we headed out on an "exploratory" hike with Jessica and Lynn.    The hike was recommended by the Silverton Visitor's Ctr and had not been done by the Hiking Club.    So we went along to see if it was worthy to be added to our extensive list of day hikes.       Near the trailhead, we came across this car outfitted with a metal skirt.     Can you guess why?      Marmots !!     They crawl up into the engines and eat the wires and rubber stuff.    The HC has had to avoid certain hikes due to the history of packs of marmots causing large problems.  

Much of the hike was following animal trails along the mountain.   We started above 11,000 ft on a beautiful sunny day.    The barely visible path was narrow and a bit rocky as it wound along.   Our destination was 2 alpine lakes.    But at times, we had to bushwhack our way in dense brush, grasses and bushes.    Could have used a machete !    We did have a guide book and it did say that the trail disappears frequently.  

We saw numerous waterfalls below us and eventually came to this steep climb.    Jessica and I opted to take advantage of a nice log and have lunch while the guys continued upward.   They found the lakes but said they were not worthy of the climb.  

A group vote decided that the trail was not worthy of inclusion in the Cobble Creek Hiking Club.    But it was a nice outing…. we saw a lot of evidence of elk and I'm sure they saw us but we only saw a marmot.  

On Sunday, we drove over to Crested Butte for an art show.    It is almost a 2 hr ride but pretty and we had never been there.     The town has preserved it's quaint , vintage 1800's  buildings.    It has a western feel and altho I didn't capture any of it with my phone, it was a delightful way to spend a few hours.    And all we bought was lunch.   The art show was very high end.    There is another one this weekend over in Ridgeway that we will have to check out.    Crested Butte is known as the "Wildflower Capitol" but they were fading .  

We came back a different way, thru Kebler Pass , known for the largest stand of aspen in the world.     It just goes on and on for miles.    I'm told that in the fall, when the leaves turn, the traffic is bumper to bumper.  










I'm still trying to get decent pictures of the house and the landscaping.    Still no grass but he promises by Monday……..
Stay tuned……..

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.