Oktoberfest Sprint Triathlon

Sunday, September 23rd, Kari and I did the Oktoberfest Sprint Triathlon at Union Reservoir in Longmont!  So much fun!  This was my first ever triathlon.  Kari has done a few.  I think we both had lots of fun.  It was SO much fun to have Ryan, Steve, Coranelle and Sheldon cheering us on.  I definitely think another triathlon is in my future!

Hike to Blue lakes in Mount Sneffels Wilderness

On Tuesday, September 18, Steve & I hiked to Blue Lakes in the Mount Sneffels

Wilderness.  We LOVE this hike and have done it several times.  This time we were able to hike to lower, middle and upper Blue Lakes.  The weather was perfect ~ Colorado blue sky, sunny, and no chance of thunderstorms.  The trees were already turning yellow and orange and were beautiful.  If you have never done this hike, you need to!  We met two retired teachers on the trail.  We had fun talking to and getting to know Jeanne and Melody.  Melody has a daughter who lives in New York City, so we exchanged names and emails so her daughter, Lizzy, can hopefully meet our daughter, Rebecca.  Everyday on this trip, we met really interesting people ~ either in the campgrounds, at the wine festival in Lake City, and on the hiking trails.  So much fun!

Last Dollar Road

On Monday, September 17, Steve & I drove the 4-Runner on Last Dollar Road between Ridgway and Telluride.  The drive was beautiful!  We were hoping to see Fall colors, and we weren't disappointed.

We met a couple from England, riding their bikes on the road.  We were pretty impressed to see them riding bicycles, but then they told us they were riding from Alaska to Buenos Aires, Argentina!  Wow!  We stopped and talked to them and then exchanged names, emails, blog sites!  We were happy that we could let them use our bicycle pump, when Sarah got a flat tire.

We have always loved the Ouray, Ridgway, Telluride, Dolores area of SW Colorado.  This drive only made us want to spend more time in this part of our beautiful state!

September Lazy Daze trip

Steve & I are back out in the Lazy Daze for another ten day trip.  We left home on Wednesday, September 12th.  We had such a great time in Lake City, Colorado in August, we decided to head back there, again.  We stayed in the same campground ~ Wupperman ~ run by Hinsdale County.  the campground is on Lake San Cristobal.  We were in site # 10 the first two nights, but then moved to site # 16.  The Lazy Daze has solar panels,  so obviously, they work much better if we are parked in the sun!  Site #16 was awesome!  Views of the lake and  the yellow trees everywhere!  We took SO many pictures of the Fall colors!  The pictures really can't portray how amazingly beautiful the mountains, trees, lakes and waterfalls were.  Amazing, is all I can say!  We hiked up to Cooper Lake, off the Cinnamon Pass road, on Thursday, September 13th.  Breathtakingly beautiful, and nobody else on the trail.  I think that most people who go to Lake City are much more "into" jeeping and ATVing up all the jeep roads!

On Saturday, September 15th, we decided to go to the Lake City Uncorked Music and Wine Festival. What a great time we had!  I found out (on their website and facebook page) that they were looking for volunteers to help with the festival.  Steve & I sold T-shirts for 2 hours and got in to the festival for a discounted price.  We had so much fun and met so many neat people that we decided this could be our new "thing" when we are out traveling in the Lazy Daze! 

Now we are in Ridgway, staying at one of our most favorite campgrounds ~ Ridgway State Park. 

We hike, mountain bike, kayak in the lake and soak in the hot springs.  It is SO beautiful here.  We are planning to go drive to Ouray and Telluride and check out some more Fall colors! 

I think I have already taken over 300 pictures.  I post quite a few to my facebook page.  i haven't figured out a "quick" way to post them to my blog, yet.  Any suggestions? 

Here is to another beautiful week in southwest Colorado! 

Labor day hike to Mitchell and Blue Lakes

OK.....
I have decided that if I am really going to continue to do this blog, I need to write more often than every 7 months.  I guess I am going to have to try again, and do a much better job of writing about our adventures.

As many of you know, I post most of my pictures of all of our hikes and adventures on facebook.  That is fine for friends and family who are on facebook, but I still have friends who want to read about our hikes, who do not see the pictures on facebook.

Today, Labor Day, Steve & I decided to go up to the Brainard Lake area and we hiked to Mitchell and Blue lakes.  We saw some aspen beginning to turn yellow as we were driving up to the trail head.  When we arrived at Brainard lake, we could feel Fall in the air.  We commented that ALL the hikes we have done this summer, have been very warm and very dry.  It was noticeably cooler as we hiked today.  Bushes were turning red and yellow and the tundra definitely had started changing colors. 

We saw many people on the trail.  Steve & I love to hike alone.  For many years, we tried (successfully) to find trails where we wouldn't see any other people.  Today, my attitude was totally different.  It really made me happy to see SO many people out on the trail, hiking with their dogs, their babies, their young children.  We saw every age, from 6 week old babies in snugglies, to others much older than we are.  It was great!

I must say, I can't believe summer is almost over.  We have had an incredible summer.  We have traveled and spent time in Utah, Colorado and Arizona.  We continue to hike and bike as much as we can.  Our newest outdoor activity is backpacking.  We have done two wonderful backpacks this year.  The first trip was in the Grand Canyon in May.  In  June, we backpacked in Arizona, again, with Stefan and Rachael.  I think we have them "hooked", too!

Our next trip is back to Lake City, Colorado and then on to Ridgway.  We still love to go to central and southwest Colorado, as often as we can.

October we will be headed to Utah and Arizona.  We plan to do another backpacking trip in October to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary!  Wow!