Adventure #13: "Speckles!"..."Hawk!"

Date: Weekend June 20th 2015
Location: Red Feather Lakes Area

I worked a few extra hours throughout the week so we could leave nice and early on Friday to go camping for the night.  Mike and Sarah left early in the morning and headed out to the Red Feather Lake area to find a great dispersed camping site.  Erick was going to leave work later in the day and then meet up with us.  Friday morning was a little hectic as my cell phone went dark, and there was a nail and tire involved...let's just say some of us got spun up a little.  But once we were on the road, everything was all good.

Mike and Sarah found an awesome spot that we arrived at in the afternoon after only one unexpected stop to save the carpet from Logan's car sick stomach.  I think we may have scared the vomit back into him, as disgusting as that sounds.  Maya came along with us on this trip and she got to hang out with Mike and Sarah's new pup Kasey.  Poor Maya Bear is getting up there in age and she's not doing all that great, but having her in the mountains with us was a joy and I'm pretty sure she loved it too.

We spent the first night hanging out by the camp fire, drinking, star gazing, and having smores.  We let Logan stay up with us for awhile and he really enjoyed being treating like an older kid and allowed to just hang out after hours (cue Logan losing his mind later in the day due to lack of sleep!).  I was insistent upon staying up late enough for the sky to really darken (which in Colorado it's still light at 9:30 these days).  I simply laid on the ground and stared off into space.  I haven't had that chance in awhile and it was breathtaking.  I really appreciate how a starry night can make me feel so...I don't know...I'm struggling to put it into words.  I'll just use this quote I heard from an astronaut who was doing a space walk to service Hubble and upon returning to the shuttle told his fellow astronaut "Earth is a planet".  It's like the feeling of being completely inconsequential but totally in the exact place you are supposed to be.

Well after the adults stayed up until 11:30, my doll Fiona decided it was appropriate to wake up at 5:30am.  Before that though, I had a pretty darn good sleep and Krystal only once shook me awake claiming there was a creature outside the tent.  We were able to sleep without the rain fly on, so I fell asleep with an awesome view of the stars.  Morning started with a nice warm fire and cup of coffee while everyone trickled out from their tents.  We stayed lazy for a bit and then headed out to one of the nearby lakes, Bellaire Lake, while Mike, Sarah and Erick went off on their own for a short hike.

Of course Logan was super excited to fish but was also easily distracted by all the nearby kids climbing on the rock formations.  He fished for a short bit and then I took over, all the while loosing a couple lures and bobbers to the lake winds and rocks.  After losing a few, I figured I'd just throw a hook and fake worm on there since I didn't want to continue losing anything more meaningful.  Well...with the worm and Krystal now fishing she caught the first fish of the day within a couple minutes.  Logan was going bonkers!  He got to reel in about half the way after Krystal had snagged the fish on the hook.  I came over to release the fish, but not before Logan could get his hands all over it and claim he really wanted to cook it and eat it for breakfast.  Why he chose breakfast, and not dinner is beyond me.  Why he wanted to eat it at all is beyond me, his food preferences are very picky.  Just the fact that he wanted to touch it and hold it was progress, since he gets weird about bugs and insects sometimes.  Either way it was really neat seeing all his joy come out and be so enthusiastic about catching his first fish.  Technically, he didn't cast nor hook it but we gave him his claim and let it be.  We caught two more fish that day and it was certainly the highlight of the trip.  The lake was packed with Rainbow Trout and with the water so clear you could see them interested in the bait and watch as you snagged them.  It almost felt like cheating :) We then met back up with everyone for lunch at the lake and headed back to camp.

During Logan's mini-hikes about camp, we had a call sign with him so we knew he was close.  There is a hawk (or hawks) that are active in our neighborhood and we have loving named him 'Speckles Hawk'.  So I would yell "Speckles" and Logan would holler back "Hawk".  It was a good way to give him freedom but also to know he was safe.  As he gets older he is certainly more adventurous and willing to go off alone.  But if he wasn't hiking around camp, he could be found in the hammock.  He LOVES that thing, and I can't recall another time when I have seen him stay put for so long that wasn't strapped into a car seat or involve some type of electronic.

We packed up and headed home Saturday afternoon so that I could babysit my cousins.  Come Sunday, everyone was exhausted and we all ended up taking 2-3 hour naps.  We finished off the weekend outside in dowtown Denver with Jenny at Jazz in the Park.  It was our second time there and a really fun scene, with live music and food trucks.

Adventure #12: "and I'll cry if I want to..."

Date: Sunday June 14, 2015
Location: Dillon Reservoir

An easy Sunday trip up to a new lake in the mountains, complete with relaxing, kayaking, fishing and exploring...or so we thought.  I was up early with Fiona and was able to pack the truck and get all our food ready for the day.  I thoroughly enjoy loading up the truck.  Sometimes I look forward to the packing and unpacking just as much as I do the actual trip.  Then we timed the drive perfect and the kiddos were flawless on our 1.5 hr drive along I-70 to Dillon Reservoir which is up by Silverthorne.  It continues to amaze me but once we get on those mountain roads, an overwhelming peace comes over me.  So far the day had gone pretty much perfectly and everyone was feeling good besides Krystal and I both being tired from staying out late to celebrate our anniversary with dinner on Pearl Street and a late night viewing of Jurassic World (we loved it!).

Unpacking the kayak and getting it loaded was easy enough as well.  Our goal was to paddle out to the shoreline away from the marina and people, and find a nice spot to setup for the day and explore from there.  Well the chaos began once we loaded all four of us into the kayak.  This was Fiona's first trip in the kayak, last summer she was just too little.  Needless to say, she did not enjoy it.  She's at that age where she doesn't want to be constrained, and being confined to a life jacket and small boat is not her idea of fun.  Compound that with not pre-fitting the four of us and not sliding the front seat back to allow for room with Krystal and Fiona in her lap.  We did indeed make it to a spot and setup camp for a bit.  Enjoyed lunch, fished a little, hiked a little.  We thought perhaps with everyone having a full belly and adjusting the seats that we would load up and try the water again.

Nope.  Poor Fiona...it's just not her thing right now.  We tried to head out further into the lake but it became quickly apparent that she would not stop crying until she was on solid ground.  To everyone that knows Fiona well, she's pretty much the opposite of Logan as a baby and only cries if she means it.  She clutched onto Krystal and cried the whole way back to the dock :/  By that time all the negativity had wore off on Logan and he was being a whiney little boy.  We basically docked the boat, unloaded, called it a day and got into the truck for the ride home.

Thank goodness the kids slept pretty much the whole trip home (especially Fiona) and we had a rather uneventful drive home which included the lovely I-70 traffic which added an hour to our drive.  So ya, things don't always work out but Krystal and I worked well as a team.  To anyone that thinks we would be a spectacle as a couple on 'Amazing Race' (cough cough Amanda) I think this trip proved that maybe after nine years of marriage perhaps we've made some improvements in that area :)

Didn't get all that many photos.  The lake was huge and surrounded by beautiful mountains.  It really had potential as a good trip and maybe we will try Dillon Reservoir again next summer.  Oh well.  When you are taking 2 young kids on new adventures every weekend, it's bound to not work out sometimes.  With that said, camping Friday night all four of us (five including the dog) with Erick, Mike, Sarah and their new pup.  Keep your fingers crossed :)

 

 

Adventure #11: Season 2; Episode 1

Date: Weekend, June 5-7 2015
Location: Shadow Mountain Lake

Woohooooooooooo! It's officially Adventure Season, and while the official start of summer is still a few weeks away, the weather is nice enough to enjoy the great outdoors.  I wait all winter for the mountains to warm up and all spring for the rain to subside and the sun to shine.  Once again, what a feeling it is to look forward to summer.  After spending your whole life avoiding the heat of AZ summer, it's so wonderful to truly enjoy the warmth and sunshine.

Krystal and Fiona were away this weekend, traveling to Minnesota for her cousin's wedding so Logan and I decided that we would try out kayak camping.  The goal was to kayak out to a campsite and setup camp next to the water.  I researched and found Shadow Mountain Lake which is just north of Granby.  After calling the chamber of commerce, it looked like there were islands on the lake and while some were closed due to wildlife preserves some were open to camping.  With that in mind, I had a hectic day of getting the girls to the airport, putting the kayak on the roof solo (thanks Mom and Dad for the new roof mounts, made my life MUCH easier) and bringing Logan to work with me which all occurred after waking up at 5am to get some work hours in before everyone was awake.

Logan and I left Boulder around 2PM and had a two hour drive ahead of us.  After about one hour I was getting really sleepy and needed a caffeine/sugar boost.  We stopped at the next town and grabbed some Redbull, Swedish Fish, Sugar Daddy, and lollipops with only the lollipop being for Logan of course...can you imagine him on Redbull!?!?  As we were about to leave I did something I had never before done in my life.  I offered someone a ride.  There was this girl (maybe mid 20s) with a huge hiking backpacking sitting on the picnic bench on the phone and looked like she had someplace to go.  I asked her if she needed a ride, and after saying asking her Dad on the phone to hold on turned out she only needed about a 10 minute drive up the highway.  It was on our way so I offered to give her a lift.  She had just arrived 4 days ago from Texas and was had started a backpacking trip that would take her across all of Colorado to catch a train in Utah, and then she would hike the San Francisco Mountains.  She was doing it all solo, major props to her!  Honestly I wish we had a longer drive together because it would have been neat to here more of her story and learn why she was taking on such an epic adventure.  We dropped her at a random hotel in Idaho Springs which we both agreed "looked safe enough if you were traveling alone".  Best wishes to whomever you were, I hope you stay safe and embrace the adventure.  It was really neat having Logan be a part of helping out a fellow outdoors (wo)man and a simple way to embrace a stranger.  There is plenty of time in life for stranger danger but this time felt right to help someone out.

So about those islands, ya..wrong info from the chamber of commerce.  Says right on the sign next to the dock 'No Camping on Islands"...oh well.  There was a campsite of about 40 sites right next to the water so we deciding to setup camp there.  I'm not usually one to like official campsites but it was easy and accommodating being so close to the lake.  In all honesty I don't even remember what we did Friday night except that I read Logan a long chapter book about a little boy who runs away from home to live in the mountains on my own.  I read about 30 pages that night, and he fell fast asleep while I was reading.  I will always remember that night.  Such a pure interaction with my son, nothing complex, nothing electronic, nothing requiring any energy at all except to be immersed in the moment.

I woke up once to the sounds of "something" but took some deep breathes and fell fast asleep.  Turns out a bear came through the camp ground and ate 12 fish from someone's cooler that they left sitting out.  PEOPLE there are bear containers for a REASON...USE THEM!  Wish I would have peaked out and seen the little guy ;)  I also woke up in the morning but again was too cold and tired to peak out.  This time my neighbors tell us a male moose walked within 15 feet of our tent!  I seriously have been wanting to see a moose more than any animal.  It was so close...

Saturday!  Let me summarize this day in a handful of words:

poptarts, kayak, cheetos, fishing, kayak, cheetos, fishing, fishing, fishing

Okay so Logan LOVES fishing.   It was fish free in Colorado weekend and we took full advantage.  We fished for hours on Saturday.  We ended up being out on the lake from about 9:30 to 1:30 PM,  We (and by that I mean, me. Logan's paddling is subpar ;) paddled out to check out the islands.  On the way out in the morning, the water was so smooth.  Oh man, how I love smooth, flat, glass water.  It brings a certain calm over me, that must be from all those years on the lake as a kid.  The islands were a small grouping jetting out from the south end of the lake.  As I said, some of them were closed due to Osprey breading, so we got some awesome close ups of Osprey from the water.  After scoping out the islands, we put a fishing line and trolled it behind us in the kayak as we headed for the marina.  I'll just say it now, we caught zero fish, zero, but that didn't stop us.  We bought some worms at the marina and Logan was super excited to look at and touch them.  He is slowly getting over his gross phase and becoming more typical boy.  After leaving the marina, we had lunch on one of the other islands and opened the cheetos for the first time.  Seriously, this kid would eat the whole bag if he could!  The weather was starting to look rather imposing so I decided it was time to head back and call it a day.  There was this narrow passage between two islands and for the life of me I could not paddle us through the wind and waves that had come upon us due to the impending storm.  After a couple unsuccessful tries, we docked on one of the islands next to a motor boat and hung out for a bit (...ate more cheetos).  I figured we could wait out the storm or worst case ask someone to tow us back.  After giving my arms a rest, I was able to power through it and make it through 15 minutes of some tough upper body workout and make it back to the dock near camp.

Logan grabbed the fishing pole out of the kayak and immediately started fishing off the dock.  He is a natural.  I showed him once how to cast and he just did it!  It was hard to describe but it was like he was meant for it.  I guess some kids can throw a baseball or shoot a basketball, but man can Logan cast.  It was a very proud moment and so cool to see him embrace it.  We fished for a LONG time until I lured (pun, yes...no?) him back to camp to eat dinner.  Side note, Krystal's Dad got me one of those backpacking Jetboil stoves, and wow is that thing awesome.  It boils water so fast!  Anyway, Logan ate some more cheetos during dinner or maybe I had cut him off by then.  But after Dinner, I just wanted to sit for a bit and relax...ya like that would ever happen.  Guess what Logan wanted to do...you got it, fish!  So I took a chair and beer down to the dock and we fished for the rest of the night.  We were the last ones out there and still not even a bite.  It probably doesn't help that I know next to nothing about fishing, but that's the fun part as Logan and I get to learn together.  I really wanted to sit on the dock and watch the sunset but Logan insisted we get back to camp for some smores.  That night we continued reading the same book, but he lasted about 4 pages before he passed out and was asleep.  I slept much better that night, and after poking my head out from the sleeping bag realized we had both slept in until 9AM (how wonderful)!

After packing up the truck, we headed back to the dock and finished off our trip with none other than more time fishing :)  There was another family there that I'll just say wasn't getting along, and it made me appreciate and reflect even more on just how special my son Logan is.  He's an active, fun loving, social, intelligent little boy.  He's got a dynamic spunk of a personality and loves his family tremendously.  On the ride home, after grabbing Subway and...more cheetos, he told me that when he grows up he wants to be just like me.  He is going to have the same beard, same tattoos, same shoes, same sunglasses.  It's like he was looking at me and realized just how much he loves who I am, and starting naming off everything he saw.  After spending three days fully immersed together, he left that weekend with me on his mind.  I must say that I too, left that weekend reminded to think and act more like him.  There are so many more things we did that weekend that were a blast and I could go on for thousands of more words, but this post is already super long.  I'll end with adding that on the way home we stopped at JAX and bought him his own tackle box and picked up a fishing license for me so that we can continue our quest for our first fish.

I received a GoPro from Amanda for Christmas so I'll be updating this blog with awesome photos and videos.  Just takes me a little while to process everything and I'd rather get my thoughts down before the weekend's fresh thoughts escape me.

According to the GPS we kayaked 4.2 miles that day!

Adventure #10: Preface to Adventure Season

Date: Saturday, May 30 2015
Location: Estes Park, RMNP, Trail Ridge Road

As a nice little warm up to summer and with the opening of Trail Ridge Road in RMNP the previous day we set out to make the grandiose drive from the entrance to RMNP all the way to the Alpine Visitor Center along a portion of Trail Ridge Road.  Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the US (http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/trail_ridge_road.htm).  After the drive we walked around downtown Estes, grabbed lunch at a place we hadn't tried and spent some time at a Western Art and Artisan show.  They had items such as arrowheads, custom handmade western knives, antlers, furs, painting, sculptures.  I've really been into that sort of artifact genre lately so it sparked my creative interest.  Anyway, Amanda got us a GoPro for Christmas and it captured some awesome shots and video from the drive.  Once I get it all processed, I'll  be updating this post since it's rather mundane without the spectacular views which words cannot even bother to describe.

Adventure #9: Long Shadows, Short Days

Date: Saturday, October 25 2014
Location: NCAR

This post has been waiting around for awhile and I never quite got around to it.  I guess it's because it really does signify the start of cold weather and a lot less camping, hiking and generally being outdoors.  While Colorado does have an amazing winter and I do embrace it, the days of summer have officially passed until next year.  I'm looking forward to more lazy Saturdays near the fireplace, more warm delicious coffee from Blackdog, and getting to pile on layers of clothes to stay warm and dry.  I really do love seasons and with the passing of one, then comes the next.  I do admit though, Spring could just really be bypassed if you ask me.  It's the most bipolar Colorado weather gets and I could do without.

Anyway we took a quick trip out to NCAR which is the National Center for Atmospheric Research (http://ncar.ucar.edu/) in Boulder.  They have a handful of trails that start there and we knew that this could be one of our last warmer weekends.  We only went out for 45 minutes and back 45 minutes, but it was a nice easy hike to round out the year.  They have various signs along the trail that educate people about Colorado's (crazy) weather and Logan really enjoyed reading each one.  On the topic of Logan, this was certainly his last trip in the backpack.  Next summer he will be WAY too heavy.  Before next summer we'll be buying him some real hiking boots, and by that I mean cheap ones from Big 5 cuz who in their right mind would shop for kids hiking boots at REI ;)  Fiona will take over her place in the backpack.  So who knows what next summer will bring, it'll depend a lot of 4.5 yr old Logan and how far he can trek on his own.  Hopefully we've prepared him well.

This past summer was amazing!  It fulfilled so much of what I anticipated/hoped Colorado would be for us.  It's really hard to summarize all the experiences we've had but that is exactly what this blog is for.  So we can look back as a family and relive all the fun we've had.  I hope to spend the winter doing research and planning some great trips for the family.

Long shadows, short days, so long Adventure Season

Adventure #8: Everything is Awesome

Date: Sunday, September 28th 2014
Location: Brainard Lake

An ode to summer...as the leaves change and the temperatures get cooler I am reminded how wonderful and fun the summer was.  It was certainly the most fun filled summer of recent memory and I couldn't be more thankful for the adventures and family time.

On Sunday we set out for our last kayak trip of the year.  Erick was gifted a kayak of his own from his Dad for his birthday, so we all agreed that even if it was going to be cold we (the fam, Erick and Mike) would take it out before winter storage.  We left the house around noon and headed to the familiar Brainard Lake.  It makes the adventure much easier when we know what we are getting into.  Even though it was already later-ish in the day, and we knew it was going to be cold and perhaps raining we all had a positive outlook knowing it was the last time on the lake for the year.  We only spent but a brief period on the water before the rain hit and the temperature dropped but we all soaked it up and it gave a chance for reflection on a summer well spent.  It's so easy to become fully ingrained in the moment when the moment is so simple and pure.  I am continually amazed how time in the mountains can totally reset me.  Even if it's not doing much, just being present with my family is something I hold very dear to my heart.  Part of me wishes I could have a life and career that was centered on the outdoors but perhaps then it would lose it's appeal and "magical" powers.

Even though the lake was cut short, we did happen upon beautiful fall colors.  There were a ton of people on the road pulling over and taking photographs.  It wasn't the trip's intent but catching the beauty of fall in the Rockies was a pleasant surprise.  We pulled over several times and snapped some decent photos (unfortunately lacking sun) all while being rained on.  Making the best of it in true adventure style.

During a portion of the drive, Logan started singing "Everything is Awesome!"...louder and louder...with more exuberance as every word came out.  It was such the perfect exclamation point on the summer that I'll always associate that song with our first summer of adventures.  We dropped into Fate in Boulder on the way home and enjoyed some good beer and good food while reminiscing on this past summer and planning for the next :)  On the ride home, the radio was playing some solid rock band music to which we were all jamming out and being goofy.  At some point, Logan realized how silly his parents were being and begged us to stop...I can't imagine that'll be the last time haha

We are both hoping for more fall hiking before winter settles in, and that should make for some more blog entries before winter really starts.  Who knows given Colorado's spastic weather, we may even manage some winter adventures.  I hope we ski at least once too, here's looking at you Dilley's :)

Fall colors

Of course Mike did this

Last trip out for the year

My precious baby girl

Pit stop while Krystal was out taking photos

Aspens in yellow

Adventure #7: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Date: Saturday, September 20 2014

Location: Fern Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park

It's been a bit since our last adventure into the mountains.  That's not to say we haven't had numerous adventures around town, seeing as we've had lots of visitors highlighted with Fiona being baptized.  Lots of activities to keep us away from the mountain but all good fun and joy filled moments.

On Saturday we headed out bright and early for a hiking trip in Estes Park at RMNP.  And by bright and early we were packed and in the truck leaving the house at 7AM and at the trailhead before 9AM.  I think we were the only family in all of RMNP to have two children at the start of a trailhead that early.  Everyone else was old people or singles haha.  So let's just say the day started out great.

We had planned to hike to Cub Lake which is a trail that we just screwed up timing on last time and never made it to the lake.  Well last minute we changed our minds and set our sights on a longer more difficult hike to Fern Lake.  We had plenty of water and food, and plenty of the day remaining for what was a 7.6 mile hike.  Some people would stop there and realize that 7+ miles with two kids is a long flipping hike.  Well I'm not sure we even processed it enough or gave it much thought.  I'll just say it now, the trail was also 1500 ft of elevation gain, ending at the lake at 9,500 ft.  Like what were we thinking...haha

Our main goal was to enjoy the fall colors and the hike did not disappoint.  The aspens were just starting to change colors and so while it wasn't full fledge fall colors, there was yellow aspens mixed in everywhere.  The first stop was Fern Falls which was a beautiful waterfall surrounded by yellow and orange leaves.  At this point we kinda realized that we basically had to climb the mountain in front of us before getting to the lake.  It was also not nearly halfway.  Very shortly thereafter, both Krystal and I then realized that we had a LONG day ahead of us.  Logan weighs 37 lbs, plus water and food and the pack it's probably north of 42 lbs.  Logan is an awesome little hiker and thoroughly enjoys hiking on his own, but he's just 4 yrs old and can only manage so far.  I'd say I carried him for 4-5 of the miles.  Krystal carried Fiona nearly the whole way and I think her shoulders are still screaming from it.  At some point on the climb to the top, we all kinda started losing it and singing out loudly "Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide....." OKAY so maybe it was just me singing loudly and everyone else laughing along :)  Closer to the top, I reminded Logan that he should ask the people heading the other way how much farther?  This was mostly for me to know how far we had to go since I was getting pretty hungry for lunch and a needed rest.  On the other hand I always encourage Logan to say hello and a pleasantry to hikers headed the opposite way.  I feel that it's a very simple thing but helps him to be social and maintain a positive and happy outlook.  I mean what's better than a cute little 4 yr old asking "how is your hike going?" :)  As we crested the last hill, the lake came into view and how magnificent and fulfilling.  We felt really proud of ourselves that we managed to get up there as a family.  If these kiddos don't like the outdoors when they are older, something went really wrong haha

We spent about 45 mins up at the lake, eating lunch, taking pictures and exploring.  Logan of course enjoyed throwing sticks into the lake, climbing across fallen trees over the water, and generally doing anything you think a young boy would do.  The elevation was pretty high and both Krys and I could feel the effects when standing up too quick.  Heading back down, we made faster progress and again stopped at the Falls for a short break.  I sat with Logan underneath/next to the waterfall and had a sweet little moment with him.  We sat on a large rock with our feet dangling over, feeling the slight splash of the water off the rocks.  Before the hike, Krystal was talking about how at 4 yrs old children retain some of their first memories.  So sitting by that waterfall, I squeezed Logan tight and told him to always remember this moment :) We'll see if it sticks :)

This is becoming a long post, well because it was a long day!  While driving back into town, we realized that it is Elk rutting season (basically explosion of elk coming down into Estes Park) and people were lining up on the side of the road with lawn chairs waiting for the elk to come out of the mountains and into the valley for water and food.  It was only 4PM at that time, so we parked as well and held out for the elk.  Turns out it was a small group this time (only 20-30 or so) but that didn't stop the excitement waiting for them and trying to spot them.  Logan and I sat on the roof of the 4Runner for a good view.  I continue to relish these simple moments of nothing to do and nowhere to go that for some reason I only find in the mountains.  Krystal managed some great photos of the elk and fall foliage before we headed into town.

We had dinner and ice cream in Estes and finally made it home at 8PM.  That's a 13 hr day, and beside a momentary meltdown by Fiona before dinner our kiddos did fantastic!  I love that they can spend all day in the mountains and be totally content and fulfilled.  Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ;)

3.8 miles, we can do this!

Cool little bridge crossing, Krystal with Fiona

Fall colors and a magnificent smile

Fern Falls

I wish I could nap and hike at the same time

Fern Lake

One of our best family selfies ever!

The lake was crystal clear, you could see the little fish

So tired...

Waiting for the elk, view 1

Waiting for the elk, view turned back around