Am I too busy or just lazy..............?

I'd gather that it's the latter.    Or maybe that there's just nothing blog worthy in our life.   

Weather is hot midday but refreshingly cool otherwise.    We are in the midst of a very active monsoon season with heavy storms in the afternoons and uncomfortable humidity most days.

Weather permitting, we head over to Ridgeway on Thursdays for the outstanding free concerts in the park.   The setting is perfect with the mountain views.    Two weeks ago, Willie Nelson's son, Lucas was the main event.    The place was wall to wall fans and many were hoping that Willie would show....he didn't but the music was great.  

     

We headed out for a wildflower fix last week.     Imogene Pass, from Ouray to Telluride, is a long rough ride.   This year we have had excessive snow and now rain so the waterfalls were impressive and the streams wild and full.

  When we're not jeeping or golfing or pickle balling, we're eating...... Olathe corn is now in season and it is very sweet and yummy.     Also enjoying TLT sandwiches with fresh tomatoes and bacon flavored tempeh ( a soy product with bacon flavors that cooks up crispy and delicious.....try it, you won't miss the bacon and the fat and the chemicals )       We use Just Mayo and find it tastes just like the real thing, minus the dairy and eggs.    ( This product has made a dent in the mayo industry and Helman's has sued to get them to take the Mayo out of their name....I don't think they won ).  

 The patio is sl-o-w-l-y coming together.   It is very frustrating but we are pleased with everything.  Hopefully in about 2 weeks we can call it done.

I now have a large room to call my own with my desks and storage and such.    IKEA provided the substance and it's been fun to fill up the spaces and have a place for everything.       And I have room for lots of yarn.   When I'm not knitting or drawing or organizing, I'm enjoying this colorful project.  I really don't want a crocheted throw but I couldn't resist the colors and the very reasonable kit from the UK.   And it arrived in a week via ordinary mail.  

Come along.......

Yesterday, 9 of us went on a phenomenal jeep ride high into the San Juan's.    A crystal blue sky and mind boggling views made for a wonderful day with family.    

 Using a biking app, Jon was able to make this view of our ride....enjoy.  (Click on the lower right to make it full screen)

 Andy and Mason, on their trip from CT to western CO,  first stopped at Mike and Jenna's and met Aspen and Tellie...both showing off their skills at sitting on a box.   Beautiful and lively dogs.

 After a few days with Grandma Rae and the rest of the family in Grand Junction, everyone headed south to Cobble Creek.   Jon and Mary Beth took Aunt Romayne's 1972 beetle for a ride..... It used to live at Mike's but came over to be garaged for the winter and hasn't left yet.   It's very cute and brings back memories of our first car in 1965.   Mary Beth also had a '65 in her youth.

And then we headed further south on Thursday to explore Corkscrew and Hurricane Pass trails.   Jon rented two jeeps (it's a very popular thing in Ouray but they aren't cheap and need to be returned CLEAN ).    We had our trusty Wrangler and we headed up....

 Chris and Susan (Mary Beth's brother and wife) joined us....

 Mary Beth determined to get a picture of a columbine .... later we found acres of them in more accessible locations.    The wildflowers are getting ready for their stunning display.   Note a partial view of Red Mountain in the mirror.

 We stopped for a picnic in Animas Forks.....click on to enlarge.

Hurricane Pass had only been cleared a few days before......

Must have been "take your llama to work" day......

Addendum to previous post.....

Apparently our offspring demand accuracy...... I stand corrected that Jeff's truck was RED, not white.

And there is also proof that we rented a red Jeep.   This trail doesn't look familiar except that it is deep in the San Juan Mountains.   

Thanks Jon !!

 

Touring.......

We are finally seeing some progress on the remodel of the patio........

We headed over to Ouray on Friday with 3 other Jeeps.    Cascade Falls was full and noisy from the spring melt.

The tourists have arrived both in town and in the mountains.   I had hoped we would beat the season rush.   

Some 29ish years ago, we enjoyed our first visit to Ouray.    Jenna was very pregnant with Nicholas and Mike had a broken foot.   Jeff brought his white Toyota truck and Jon brought his friend Chris (Jenna's brother).    We rented a Jeep, rode horses and took scary roads over the passes.   I said that I wanted to live here someday.    ( never actually believing my words).      This rock overhang on the way to Yankee Boy Basin was the scariest thing of all.    The road was MUCH narrower all along this shelf and I was terrified.   Today, it is much improved as there is an active silver mine beyond it and big trucks use the road.   But it's still not for the faint of heart and is one car at a time.  

 The trail is only partially open as the snow has been late and heavy this year.   We passed several snow slide areas....this one was quite massive and took out a long stand of Aspen.

 After climbing up to 11,000 ft on a rutted, rough, wet, washed out trail with required stream crossings, we came to the end of the cleared road.   There was quite a parking lot.    We saw several skiers/snowboarders who hike up the mountain and ride down.   They said the snow was too hard and they were waiting for a bit of warming to soften it up.   At that elevation, they are all young and tan and male and energetic.

 Not many places to pass....uphill has the right of way....and  on hiking trails as well.

Once you get to Yankee Boy Basin, there are several options ..... one is Governor Basin which climbs and winds it's way steadily upwards to an old mine and breathtaking views.    The other is a favorite, Imogene Pass which goes over to Telluride the hard way.   It is long and rough but worth it.   Both trails are snowed in, probably until early July.     So we had to go back the way we came ....Ouray is down there in the valley.  

 Along the way, the waterfalls are plentiful.........

Today, the Montrose Botanical Gardens held their annual Garden tour of 5 homes.    Everything was in bloom but my favorite is always the poppies.