Vacation - Hiking Day 2

We headed to the Rich Creek Trailhead for our second day of hiking.

One of the sights just before we got to the trailhead was this . . .

Go figure!

I know there must be a good story behind this abandoned limo.

What's your story?? 

 

 

 

We saw a lot of beautiful wildflowers . .  .

and Aspen trees . . .

and water . . .

and mountains of course.

We were going to do a loop where the Rick Creek Trail met the Rough & Tumbling Trail, but it wasn't well marked.  I was too afraid of getting lost, since we weren't experienced hikers, so we turned around & headed back to the trailhead.

 Overall it was another successful day of hiking.

We didn't even get rained on!

Plague of Biblical Proportion?

Exodus 8:1 - 4

 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him "This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.  If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.  The Nile will teem with frogs.  They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.  The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials."

Well, it wasn't quite like the plague described in Exodus.  We don't live by the Nile, but frogs did come up from the standing water in the ravine.

 They didn't come up into my palace or bedroom or bed or oven or trough or even my officials.  But about fifty baby frogs did cover the back patio!

 

Vacation - Hiking Day 1

After leaving the Denver area we drove approximately 2 hours south to the town of Fairplay.

This was our home base for 3 days of hiking excursions.

Our first trail was Limber Grove - 
an easy 3 mile out & back trail at an avg. 10,500 ft elevation.

Since we had never been hiking in CO we wanted to start out easy.

Providentially we met Carol & David with their 2 black labs at the trail head.
One of the dogs was named Lucy, but I did not get the other name.

They gave us excellent advice about how to navigate the trail.

The wild flowers were beautiful!

Then we reached the rocks!

If Carol & David hadn't briefed us at the trail head & 
been in our sights when we reached this point, 

I'm not sure we would have found our way.

We paused for a "Kodak Moment" with Carol & David.

Some of the pine trees are possibly over a thousand years old.

 Then the hail came!!

Shortly before we reached the turn around point we met Carol & David.
They had decided to turn back since they had done the trail before.
We soldiered on to the trail end & then headed back.

First day of CO hiking is complete!
It was a good experience even with the hail.

Vacation - Downtown Denver (part 2)

After spending the night at the Denver Marriott City Center we woke up to a drizzly morning.

Here is the view from our room.

Providentially there was a Corner Bakery right next door, 

so we didn't have to go far for breakfast. 

There were a few downtown sights that we had missed the previous evening so we took more pictures in the morning before we met with our son for lunch. 

Thirty years ago when we were in Colorado we ate at Casa Bonita.

It was a chain of restaurants that featured a multi-story, Mexican-themed atmosphere which included a 30-foot-tall waterfall, cliff divers, fire jugglers, strolling mariachi bands, a pirate cave, magicians, puppet shows, skee-ball machines, etc.

 The only location still open is this one in Lakewood, CO.

 After lunch at Chipolte with our son we picked up his dog and

ventured to the doggie park then on to Red Rocks. 

There is an amphitheater where many big name groups have played. 

 Concerts for 2015 include the following:

Alan Jackson, Chris Tomlin, 

The Smashing Pumpkins & Marilyn Manson,

and Tim McGraw.

We took a quick drive through the Coors campus as we headed out of town.

 

 Vacation . . . TO BE CONTINUED . . . 

Next up Fairplay, CO!