Shadow Mountain Lake

We got back from CA on Monday night. Originally, we'd planned to leave again on Wednesday for a 3-day trip to the CO Nat'l Monument, Moab & Arches. However, Tom decided he didn't want to hit the road again so soon (I know the real reason was that he was missing Sable, and didn't want to leave her home alone again!), and I didn't want to spend 6 hours each way in the car for a 2-day trip... so we delayed a day and decided to try an overnight on the west side of Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. This lake is just outside the south side of the park, and where Tom began his fishing adventures. We were very lucky: the Ridge Road, which traditionally does not open until June 1st, was opened this week. So we took the freeways from Denver to get there, and then took the 50-mile scenic tour through RMNP and came home from the east entrance. There are so many trails & gorgeous looking hikes that we think we could be busy exploring the park for at least 10 years! The campground was nice, and since it was a weeknight it was not crowded at all.

Blue Columbine

I believe this is CO's state flower. Everything is starting to bloom here!

You guessed it: Tom went fishing

We camped at Timber Creek, which fed into the Colorado River. Can you believe AZ gets all its water from this little river?

Elk everywhere

This trip we saw elk, mule deer, moose & big horn sheep. Definitely a great 2 days of wildlife viewing!

Many Beautiful S'mores Were Made...

As we were sitting around the campfire, Tom reflected (only during his 2nd beer), "This is so great already.... if Jennifer & Henry and Anu & Vijay were here -- we could get arrested!"

Camping in the HHR

We really wanted to camp in RMNP, but we weren't really equipped to do so. We decided to give it a shot -- so we packed up the Aero Bed and some blankets & our pillows, and tried to sleep in the back of the wagon. Truly our downfall! We were cold & cramped, and we also discovered (much to our neighbors' chagrin) that if you lock the doors, the alarm sets automatically. This means that if you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, when you open the car door the alarm will go off...

Adams Falls

This is only about 1/4 mile up the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake. Although we had intended to hike much further (we planned a 10 mile round trip), between the sleep deprivation and the fact that I wasn't feeling too hot -- we decided to just keep it simple & stick with the sights we could see from near the car. Tom enjoyed fishing at Grand Lake for about an hour while I took a little nap on the shore... and then we got ice cream in town. (Of course, only because I had a sore throat!)

The Continental Divide

This is Poudre Lake, at Milner Pass (10,758 ft.). There are rivers draining both sides -- one that eventually makes its way to the Atlantic waters, and one to the Pacific. Cool.

Snow Angel

OK, I admit -- you have to look pretty closely... but I attempted to make a vertical snow angel when we stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center (11,796 feet & snowing). There was quite a bit of thunder & lightning, so we didn't stay too long. There are a number of hikes in this area, but is is recommended to "start and finish early before thunder and lightning storms." Since we didn't get there 'til around 3p, we didn't quite qualify...

Our final shot

From left to right (I think!): Terra Tomah Mt., Mt. Julian, and Mt. Ida. Each of these peaks is just shy of 13,000 feet. When we were taking this photo, we were standing at 12,110 feet -- which made Tom pretty unhappy. We descended quickly from there -- and by 10,000 ft. he was feeling much better.

Fish 'N' Chips on Wednesdays

We are happy to report to Vijay that at the Mountain Sun Brewery, the fish is lightly breaded.

The Purple Pokey

When we came back from CA, it was late Monday night. Note to self: by late Monday nights, all of the rental cars are really picked over... so we ended up with a Chevy HHR. Looks to us like a PT Cruiser knockoff. Purple???

Congratulations, Aaron!!

We were all so proud to celebrate with Aaron... he graduated from medical school last week, and we all gathered in CA to wish him well. He & Paul & Kathee are heading off to Scotland tomorrow, and when Aaron returns he is guaranteed to have a rude awakening -- his first night of internship (and call) at Temple. We know he will do well, and will always ask his resident before committing any major malpractice (Just Kidding!!!).

The Rosencleves

We were very happy to see Kenn, Sue & Simmone. If anyone has tips about getting into economics or business undergraduate schools, be sure to let Simmone know -- she's planning on being a marketing exec for a NY fashion company.

Let's hear it for Xanax!

Uncle Stanley & Aunt Nancy made it, too! It was wonderful to see everyone.

Awesome

Today we started our hike at approx 9,000 feet, just west of Nederland, CO. Our destination was Lost Lake -- which was absolutely gorgeous. The round trip was probably 6 miles, and I would definitely recommend this hike -- the views were spectacular. There were several campsites scattered around the lake (most of them still covered in snow) which would make for a great weekend later in the summer.

Hiking in the snow

Our little afternoon adventure turned out to be quite a challenging hike. At least 2 miles of it was still covered with fairly deep snow -- it's a good thing I brought the hiking pole that Tom gave me for my birthday. By July/August I'm sure this hike won't be so strenuous (when all the snow has melted) but for today it was quite a workout.

Tom threw the babies back

We stopped at a beautiful place along Lost Lake for lunch. The lake altitude is 9740 feet -- which made the shade quite cool but the sun very intense & warm. Tom fished for about an hour, but only pulled in some little guys (which he didn't keep). It was amazing to me to see the large chunks of ice floating in the water... which definitely didn't make me want to go for a swim!

Partial Reunion

What a great birthday treat... to be surrounded by family.

We located the Toloczkos!!

Anu & Vijay came for a visit, and we tracked down Tony & AnnJanee and the girls. What a great visit! Everyone looks fantastic, and the girls are wonderfully entertaining & excellent hostesses. We had a tasty BBQ, and enjoyed having some time to sit around & catch up. We hope to see Tony & AnnJanee and the girls again before we leave....

A visit to Eldorado Canyon

We had a lovely afternoon -- Anu & I walked, Tom & Vijay fished a little, and we had a little picnic (fruit & chocolate -- life is good).

Bling Bling

In preparation for Anu's visit:
"Is there anything we can pick up along the way or have here at the house to make your life easier? Are you having any specific cravings these days? Should we install a wheelchair-lift at the bottom of our stairs so you can ride up the stairs without working too hard??? --elise"
Reply:
"Thanks for being so considerate! Since you're offering ....
1. my own Segway HT i180 - black with chrome please
2. personal masseuse
3. personal manicurist/pedicurist
4. limo (or forklift) to drive me around
5. personal chef
6. diamond tiara
7. matching diamond earings
8. diamond tooth caps for oral bling
9. huge diamond A to wear around my neck
10. personal assistant to brush my teeth and wipe my ass...
That'll be a good start."

So I had a fabulous afternoong of shopping, and found most of the things on Anu's list... including a battery-operated toothbrush, "adult-sized" wipes, nail polish & a mani-pedi kit, some body-butter samples, a magic wand to turn Vijay into Anu's personal assistant/masseusse/manicurist/pedicurist.

Lucking out with the weather

I'm not sure how this continues to work out, but it seems that whenever we hike on Wednesdays that it snows on Tuesday nights. It makes for the best scenery -- and yet we continue to enjoy perfect weather on the days that we are outside. Remarkable.

Hike through Left Hand Canyon

We had an absolutely beautiful hike this week with the Newcomers. It was not very steep, but had beautiful views & was a nicely maintained trail. I am happy to report that we are struggling for air less than we did a month ago, and did not have any problems with the 7 1/2 mile trek.

The fawns are already starting to get big

One of the things that has been cool about being here in the springtime is watching all of the wildlife grow. The flowers are starting to bloom, and there are baby animals everywhere (most commonly calves and fawns). This one has already gotten pretty good with cameflouge... I am amused that it seems the same whether dogs or deer: they've got to grow into their ears! This fawn didn't seem too bothered by our presence....

Tom's idea of a good day...

And my idea of a great dinner! For reference -- the cutting board is probably 15 inches.

All for me? Aww, thanks, dad!

Actually, Tom says she was pretty leary of the whole fish....

Guess what?

There are fish in there! This week's Newcomer's hike was at Walker Ranch. It was a beautiful hike -- we had a lovely snack at some picnic benches next to Boulder Creek. I know Tom will be heading back there very soon...

Just Relaxin'

I think Sable has adjusted OK...