BIRTHDAYS
August is always a busy month for us with Katie and Andy having back to back Birthdays on the 15th and 16th. In the middle of all of this, I had to take 2 business trips, so we had to really pack in the fun in the time we had. We had a crazy slumber party with the cousins accompanied by a trip to ChuckECheese, and finished off the morning with a dozen KrispeKreme doughnuts. Andy and Katie got lots of wonderful presents and are proud to inform everyone of their new 5 and 7 ages.
Grandma Kari went crazy with the cakes this year, and you can see the neat-o Sandals for Katie and the Inter-planetary Star Wars cake for Andy. Very creative and very yummy.
MODEL ROCKET
One of Andy's gifts this year was a model rocket. I used to make them as a kid so I picked up a kit at the local Michael's. I guess I should have been a bit more conservative when I chose the engines cause I went with the biggest they had... when we finally went out to launch this thing in the backcountry, we counted down... and ZOOM! The rocket must have gone about 2000' up in the air cause none if us could even SEE it. We finally saw the parachute as a little white speck and the rocket drifted from the breeze to come down about a mile away. Heartbroken on losing his cool new rocket, I had to take Andy (and Zoe who was there to watch) home empty handed.
I went back out later and was determined to find the darn rocket and wandered around the open trails for about an hour looking. I was heading back, and had given-up when I noticed a small white patch in the distance, and sure enough it was the rocket.
We did a second launch a few days later and were sure to wait for a completely non-windy time for blast-off. We tried a different location too... daddy though it would be good to use what APPEARED to be an unused pasture near our home. After launching the rocket, and recovering it shortly after, we started to head back to the car. Just then a pick-up comes zooming across the dirt at us and some rancher/cowboy tells us "you 'ought not be here, there a pair o' bull over that there hill."
Thankful that we steered clear of the steer, we quickly headed back to the car. I tell ya, this rocket stuff is exciting business!
FIRST HAIL
September 17 marked out first ever HAIL STORM as a family. From out of nowhere (as most weather usually occurs in Colorado) we began to get pelted by half-inch sized ice pellets. Loud, fascinating, and kinda-scary -- we continue to build respect for Mother Nature's presence in this part of the world.
GARDEN OF THE GODS
We made a trek down to the "Garden of the Gods" late in August. A beautiful private park, which is open to the public, boasts beautiful crimson rock formations which are a particular attraction to outdoor enthusiasts, especially climbers. It was really hot that day but incredibly beautiful as well. The kids climbed on the rocks and reminded me of trips with TL when I was a kid.
I also had the opportunity to marvel at Pike's Peak, which was climbed and descended in 5h47m on the previous weekend by my brother-in-law in the Pike's Peak Marathon. (Woody, after seeing it in person, I think you are even crazier now!)
We finished the afternoon with a picnic in the shade and then a quiet drive home.
ASPEN CELEBRATION
The final chapter of this mega post is about the weekend we just spent in Aspen to celebrate our 10th Year Anniversary. Having never been, I was simply amazed at the beauty of that place. It has a posh ritzy character to it (like Santa Barbara) and a backdrop that is unmatched in anything I have ever seen.
We arrived Friday afternoon and enjoyed live music in an outdoor restaurant in the middle of downtown. The next day we set off to climb the Ute Trail which leads to a beautiful view of the Aspen area. The trail was very aggressive, about a 2000' climb, and STEEP and ROCKY. We were quickly winded with and our hearts pounding as we made the climb -- but we persisted to the top to enjoy an amazing view and a delicious picnic.
On the way down however, we had a bit of a 'slip'. While descending the lower half of a rocky, gravel-laden steep section of switchbacks, Jen lost her footing and began sliding on her butt down the hill. Keep in mind that if it were any steeper here, it would be a sheer cliff. Being ahead on the trail, I raced to intercept her on the switchback below. I arrived just in time to stop Jen from continuing her slide (it was more like a bad football block). However, in stopping Jen, the force of her hitting me knocked ME over onto my back upside down on the hill, clinging to a small tree with one foot to prevent me from dropping into the valley below. I gave Jen about 10 seconds to collect herself and then pleased with her to grab my other foot so I could get back to the trail. It was scary, and if not for that lovely little tree, I might now be blogging this right now.
We counted our many raspberries and bruises, thanked god for the second chance at life, and headed down the trail with a higher level of care.
Feeling like we needed to be a little more careful, we decided to spend the afternoon on a nice safe bike-ride. We grabbed some rented mountain cruisers and enjoyed a stunning trail that follows the Aspen river crossing unique bridges and groves on the western edge of town. We visited the John Denver memorial and decided to explore a dirt path that headed to a place called "Aspen Meadows..."
About 5 minutes onto the dirt path, we come around a corner and find ourselves 20 yards from a 500 pound BLACK BEAR. He was sitting RIGHT in the middle of the path. I calmly slow down to advise Jen to do the same but was remiss to find her burning rubber and kicking up dust as she tore off at about 30 MPH in the other direction. I was able to get a glimpse of her saucer sized eyes just before she left me to be eaten by the Kodiak. All this commotion alerted the bear who began to get up while looking in our direction.
That was the last moment I looked at the bear. I emulated my wife and a few minutes later we were panting near the main path, having a laugh over our second close encounter for the day.
On Sunday we headed to Maroon Bells for a final hike before heading home. Called "The most photographed spot in Colorado" the bells are everything people claim them to be. Mirror-like mountain lakes, endless Aspen groves, and stunning mountains encase every inch of this area. We hiked for about 4 miles, took many photos, and 'ooohed' and 'aaahed' a lot. Incredible.
