More of Colorado

(Remember, you can click on any of these pics to see a bigger, more detailed view!!)

On Tuesday, we drove up Boreas Pass with our friends, Matt and Amy, and their 2 little girls, Kasey (almost 3) and Korey (8 mo). There is a log cabin at the top of the pass that can be rented by cross country skiers, but is locked up through the summer. The girls enjoyed exploring around the little settlement, and we (of course) took a few pics...

Kaylee has learned how to say "cheese" every time she sees the camera...

The whole group at the top of Boreas
(Matt & Amy, Kasey and Korey, Paul & Christy, Kaylee and Chloe).

Christy and the girls finding something (flowers??) in the terrain.

Paul and Kaylee on Boreas.


Kasey and Kaylee discuss what they are going to order at the Quandry Grill.


Kasey, Kaylee and Christy look for fish in the Maggie Pond
while waiting for lunch to arrive at the Quandry Grill.



Some cute pics of Chloe, wrapped up in the blanket
"made with love" from Baba (Paul's mother).

On Wednesday, the sun was out and skies were blue. Paul and I rented ATVs and went on a guided tour around the Leadville mining district, and along the Continental Divide. Matt and Amy were kind enough to watch Kaylee and Chloe for the morning.

Paul and Christy in the Leadville Mining District on their ATV ride.

More ATV pics...

Paul in an Aspen Grove.

Wednesday afternoon we hiked along a trail right outside of our condo. Kaylee picked several flowers, and we put them in her hair. I know that we are not supposed to pick flowers in Colorado, but I'm finding that hard to explain that to a 2 year old. Several times she picked them before I could stop her.

The fam.

Christy "practicing" riding the chairlift (this lift was not operational at the time)
with Kasey (on the left), Chloe (in the Bjorn), and Kaylee.


Kaylee describing how big the mountains are...
(or possibly wanting someone to pick her up!)

Thursday was a little bit of a rest day for Kaylee. She was pretty worn out. We took our time in the morning, and then bummed around town a little bit. At noon, we made a point of getting Kaylee back for lunch and a nap (Paul needed a nap too). While they were napping, Chloe and I drove to the top of Hosier Pass (elevation around 11,500) and took a hiking trail from there. We weren't able to complete the full loop due to some big snowfields covering the trail that I was not comfortable crossing with Chloe on board in the Bjorn, so we just hiked in and out. Our top elevation was around 12,500, and we felt like we were on top of the world. It was windy and a little chilly, but we were prepared with our jackets and hiking gear.

The trail loop was covered with snow on this section,
so we ended up just going out-and-back.

Christy with Chloe in the Bjorn, all snugged up in the wind and chill,
on top of the top of Hoosier Pass.

I LOVE these little, tiny mountain flowers - the grass around them is only slightly bigger than bermuda blades, to put their size into perspective. I zoomed in to get some of the detail... it is amazing how tiny and how perfect they are. The yellow flowers at the top of the picture are about as big as the flowers get at this elevation. The conditions are not condusive to anything larger.

I was hoping to get Paul to hike a 14er (14,000+ feet) with me. Mt. Quandry is located close to Breck, and is one of the "easier" 14ers to conquer - so originally I had that on our schedule for Friday. Unfortunately, Quandry presented with a quandry - it was still capped with snow, and the trail was not really accessible for flatlanders like ourselves. I think Paul was relieved...

Mt. Quandry, covered in snow... no hiking it on this trip!!



For supper, we decided to go to Burke & Riley's Irish Pub. Coloradians have either no tolerance for disabilities, or a good sense of humor. This was the beginning of the "wheelchair route" to the 3rd floor - no jokin'. I really don't know how a wheelchair would get up all the stairs.


Outside the pub, listening to some music, sitting by the fire.
Kaylee was dancing with some
granola-lookin' dread-lockin' mountain man college kids -
wish I had that on video!!

So, instead of hiking up Quandry, we decided to spend Friday morning on the Alpine Slide with Matt and Amy and their girls. We were all curious whether Kaylee and Kasey would be "up" for the chairlift ride up the mountain, and were pleasantly surprised to find that both girls really enjoyed the ride up, as well as the slide down. We traded off watching the babies at the bottom, and taking the "big girls" up on the slide. It was another gorgeous day - 65-70 degrees, and sunshine with blue skies and white snow-capped mountains. The contrast in colors in the mountains is really remarkable. I wish our camera could capture the fantastic feeling up here...

Kaylee and Kasey waiting for their jackets to dry so they can go ride the slide!!

Kaylee's first-ever chairlift ride. She did awesome!! I held her the whole way, an she watched all the sliders below us... and kept saying "slide!!" and pointing to the sliders.

Looking for daddy.

Coming in to the bottom after her first slide run!!
(We are the ones on the right-hand track).


Second run with Daddy...



And the third run with Daddy...


Sadly, we have to leave this beautiful place tomorrow. It has been a great trip!
We plan to see Anne (my great aunt) tomorrow in Denver for lunch...
then on to the airport to return to Austin
(also a beautiful place, even if it is 105 degrees!!)