Colorado and Wyoming

After seeing Grandpa in Arizona, I flew back to Colorado with Jim and Kristine. Jim took me mountain biking and I had a blast. It was beautiful country and the workout was phenomenal! Stopped for a short break to take in the scenery (and so I could catch my breath)...

Then it was back on the road again...

That night Doug and his girlfriend, Ali, came over for dinner. Jim made some amazing Tuscan soup, grilled corn on the cob and steaks. It was SO delicious!Jim, Doug and I:Then, Jim and I headed for Wyoming to go camping with Dad in the mountains. Doug couldn't make it because he was doing his RA training before school started. Here is Dad, leading our pack horse:

It started to hail (yes, this is Wyoming in August)... and to make a long story short, we encountered some obstacles in getting one of the horses up the mountain and we didn't make it to our campsite until well after dark. By the time we got there, we all just wanted to curl under a tree and fall asleep. Instead, Dad and I fumbled around to get the tent pitched while Jim hurried and made some dinner.

The next day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and we were well rested and ready for the day. This was where we camped, on the edge of Rapid Lake.Dad and Jim at the campfire:Dad and I hard at work under Schistler Peak:Jim decides he's ready for some fishing ;) So, we gathered up our poles and bait and headed around the lake.

Here's Dad fishing:

I have an AMAZING story to tell you about one of the fish we caught. Dad caught a fish, got it off the hook, knocked it out and was climbing over the rocks to get it to me since I had the fish chain hooked on my belt. As he got to my rock, it squirmed out of his hands and fell between the rocks. We were both clutching for it, catching it, having it get away again, finally, it was a goner (or so we thought) as it swam sideways to the bottom of the lake. About 15 minutes later, this fish comes full throttle toward me, with it's head held out of the water like and alligator, as if to attack, right at me. I couldn't believe it! Since the edge of the rock I was standing on was under water, I threw down my pole and tried grabbing it with my hands. It was a circus! It kept getting away and then attacking again! I tried everything as I was lunging my arms into the lake... I could hear Jim and Dad from where they were perched, laughing as they watched in disbelief. Finally, I caught it and made sure we had it dead before I tried hooking it on a chain. We don't know who finally ate the magic, attacking fish but I sure wish we had that on video tape! Jim fishing. Isn't this some of the most beautiful country you've ever seen?!

Our chef. No one cooks fish like Dad! They were so good for breakfast the next morning!

We spent three days in the mountains before heading down. It sure was hard to leave!

Dad and I on a little hike, exploring the country:

Dad and Jim, deciding which way home was? :)

We had a great fishing trip but it sure was nice to get a warm shower, clean clothes and to sleep in our beds again that night! :)

Jim and Dad replacing the water pump and all it's connections... this was a BIG job and took a lot of time and work to do but they did it.Jim headed back to Colorado and I stayed the rest of the week on the farm with Dad and Jan.

Dad, Jim and Jan. A gate on the farm had caught and flung back, hitting Jan right above her eye. She had a black and blue eye for a long time but she was a trooper.

Outside my window the next morning, right in Dad and Jan's yard, I saw this little white tailed buck: My brother Phillip and my nephews: Canden and Creston:

After the weekend, Dad drove me to Rawlins where Jim and Kristine picked me up to drive me back to Colorado. We took a scenic trip home stopping through this little town (that I forget the name of). Kristine saw this cute antique/retro shop called "the Hoopla".

The next day, Doug and I climbed Horsetooth. This is the very same mountain we tried to climb a few summers back. That time, we didn't have enough water, got lost, I ended up getting heat exhaustion, almost passed out on the side of the trail and couldn't hold anything in my stomach for the rest of the night, after we finally got down. This time, we prepared ourselves with camel backs full of water and tried it again. We mastered it in no time at all. Here is Doug... being Doug (I think he was "scouting for mountain lions" :)

Making the ascent: Here we are at the summit. We still aren't sure how we got so turned around and in trouble a few summer's ago but this time, the trip was a breeze and we were feeling great!

When we got down, we met up with Jim for lunch in Fort Collins, who seemed to be quite happy not to have to send Search and Rescue after us this summer. :) That night, Doug and I made a huge dinner of Lemongrass Chicken and Pad Thai Shrimp stir fry over rice noodles for dinner with apple crisp for dessert. Yum!Jim, Kristine and Doug at dinner: The next day, I spent some time with Jim at work (which was super exciting, as always) and had lunch with Kristine at Mimi's Cafe (they make an amazing strawberry lemonade)! That night, Doug, Kristine and I went shopping at Centerra and went out to dinner. Then Jim and Kristine drove me to the airport that night so I could catch my red-eye flight to Florida to meet up with Kurt. I had a great time with everyone, thanks for taking the time to visit and I can't wait to see you again soon!