Dead Horse Canyon State Park and River Rafting

On Friday, the family split up. We wanted the kids to have a little more adventure than could be had from the car and short hikes that we were able to do in this heat so Andy took them for their first river rafting experience (more about this later). Molly and I had the morning free to do whatever we (read "I") wanted. I had considered shopping but to be honest, the shopping in Teluride is much cuter so we decided to drive the additional 45 minutes to Dead Horse State Park which adjoins Canyonlands. The park gets its name from some wild mustangs that were allegedly left in the canyon to die but don't worry, there were no dead horses there today. Just beautiful canyon scenery. Molly, of course, was not that interested in the scenery but she was a good sport and allowed me to stop many many times to taking in the views. In turn, I allowed her to push buttons at the visitor center as long as she wanted ... Here are some pictures from our drive and morning.


On the drive, two formations named after the USS Monitor and Merimack


We drove down a dirt road to get a closer look at this wall of rock - who says the minivan can't 4WD


Our first view of the park


View towards dead horse point


View from dead horse point - could this really be on the same planet as home?

Arches National Park

Here are some scenes from Arches National Park. It was about 100 plus degrees so we didn't do too much hiking but it was beautiful.


Park Avenue


Balanced Rock


North Arch


The boys inside North Arch


South Arch


More scenery


And a little more

Drive to Moab

On July 5th, we decided to take advantage of the fat that we are so close to Moab, UT, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. We packed for a night and went on a "road trip." It was a fairly short drive, only 3 hours and very scenic. There were a few homesteads along the way and 100% of the towns we passed had less than 2 stores ... we kept seeing signs for "open range" and were joking that we should watch for cows ... at least we thought it was funny. Very close to the Utah border we ran across a genuine round up complete with cattle and cowboys. If you can watch the video, the cowboy had to lead our car thought the herd as the cows were completely blocking the road and were being led down the road (I guess to another pasture area). Check out the one black cow trying to get run over by me ... he headed over to get a quick drink as we were trying to pass.

The round up.

A view from the car.

July 4th

July 4th in Telluride was everything we could have wished for. First we walked the 2 blocks to a prime viewing spot for the parade. It was very cute with lots of local kids riding their decorated bikes and riding in decorated wagons. Check out these cute "firecrackers." There was also a "Fly by" from the Colorado Springs AFB.

After the parade was a BBQ in the town park and some time playing with our feet in the San Miguel River (testing out the boys' new Keens).

The evening fireworks were amazing. First of all to hang out in the shadow of these huge mountains then as the sun set, Venus and Mars were visible. At full dark there was a great fireworks show - the most amazing thing was how the fireworks appeared to fill the sky - the sky is so big here with only the mountains on every horizon. I know I will not forget this 4th.

Bridal Veil Falls

Sunday we hiked up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. You can’t see the falls from town, but as you park at the end of main street before it turns into Jeep trails, both the falls and the defunct power plant come into view. Drew and I mostly hiked as a pair to the base of the falls. (Casey and Derek worked at their own pace). I’ve included pictures along the way. The falls themselves were dramatic. The mist coming off the falls cools the air temperature down by at least 10 degrees. Relatively easy hike even though you gain a bit of altitude.

Drew, by the way, is an outstanding hiking partner. He didn't tire nearly as much as his dad and I believe his camp gave him some perspective and appreciation for the trail, the wildlife and the views.

Still pretty hot here. We almost hit 90 today. Wouldn't be so bad if this town had air conditioning...makes you appreciate what you have at home.


A view of the falls from the base. Note the power plant in the upper left. Word is it is being restored.


Me and Drew at the base of the falls. The mist felt great!


A view of the top of the falls from the bottom...

Mesa Verde National Park

Saturday we went to Mesa Verde National Park which was about 2 hours away towards New Mexico. It is the site of many ancient Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings. The structures dated from 600-1300 AD and were truly amazing. They were multi-story homes nestled under cliff overhangs and are largely still intact. Amazingly, the ancient people lived in these places and farmed (corn, beans and squash) the land on top of the mesas (climbing up to work each day) and gathered water from below (climbing down and back up with the water). It was pretty hot there (I’d say at least 90-95) but the cliff dwellings were cool and the ancients had even devised partially underground kivas (the circular structures pictured but with roofs still intact) that served as ceremonial places and family rooms and stayed around 58 degrees no matter what time of year. We hiked down to the “Cliff Palace” which was the largest community – about 80 people. The boys really enjoyed climbing the ladders to get in and out and also the “hiding places” that they discovered – maybe ancient children used them too …

Alex coming out of a kiva

and Drew

Cliff Palace

A Kiva with the roof off

The boys on the hike back up from the Cliff Palace

Happy 6th Birthday

It is Alex’s Birthday today. He is six. The kids and I went to Ouray – about 1 hour away to swim in a hot springs pool they have there. The water was warm and the pool was definitely a popular place for the local kids. The boys even saw some friends from camp there. This picture is from outside the pool. When we were at the pool, my hands were too full for pictures and you can see, even here, Molly is trying to escape. When we got back, Alex opened his presents and happily played lego for the rest of the day. His birthday dinner was fried rice and birthday cake.

At the park outside the pool

Alex's B-Day

Jump jump

It was a quiet day around town for Molly and I today. We attempted a hike but didn’t get too far since she wasn’t crazy about the baby backpack. Instead, we detoured to the town park and played “jump jump” on the bridge. Mom and Derek went to Durango to ride the train to Silverton. It was a beautiful scenic drive if a little scary in places. The train was running late and they go stuck on the wrong side of a road closure and had to spend Thursday night away. The boys were away on their last day of camp. The slept over night at a ghost town and had a lot of fun. They had disposable cameras with them but apparently I can’t get them developed until we get home since the closest developer is in Montrose.

Week Two

Well, it's hard to believe that I'm in the second week of our visit already. My Dad and Terrie left on Monday, Molly and I had a quiet time Monday and Tuesday while the boys were in camp. We gave ourselves permission to do nothing more strenuous than walk to the library, camp and watch Elmo. Seems crazy not to hike everyday when you are here but a vacation should involve some downtime too. On Tuesday afternoon, my Mom and step-Dad arrived. We had some nice walks through town on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, we sent the boys off to their second overnight camp out. This one is to the ghost town of Alta - I am jealous! Its funny how a hike I thought would be too tough for them, they can handle with their camp group. Did I mention that they hiked up to Bear Creek falls on Monday? I guess that is the "Falls Hike Take 3." Drew tells me that the falls were really cool. Maybe I'll make it to one - someday. Wednesday morning, the non-campers went up the gondola to catch the view and then on the river walk. During Molly's nap, Derek (step-dad) and I went on the Jeb Weibe trail. Amazing views and a good 3 hour walk up and back down the ridge on the north side of town. Of course, I need to do the hike again with Andy who is currently sitting on the runway in Philly :( on another of his marathon business trips. I also need a nap and I believe Derek needs Oxygen!

The view from the top of the hike towards the east side - bridal veil falls


towards the west side - supposedly Utah is visible somewhere...

Proof that I made it up!

A beautiful Aspen forest on the hike

Hike to the Falls - takes 1 and 2

Well its been a fun and busy week-end here - sorry we haven't posted in a few days. My (Diane's) dad and step-mom are visiting and we've spent a lot of fun time hiking and showing off the town of Telluride.


We had a mellow Friday day further exploring the town and the boys discovered the town library. Here they are reading (quietly!).


Friday night, Diane and the parents attempted the Cornet Falls hike - supposedly a somewhat easy 1/4 mile up to a beautiful falls. The trail, however, was nowhere to be found about 1/2 way to the falls!


On Saturday we hiked the Coonskin Loop and enjoyed some great views of the valley. There was also still some snow on the ground! This is Diane with her dad and step-mom.


On Sunday we attempted to hike up to the Bridal Veil falls but it was too steep for the jog-stroller so we had to abandon that waterfall too. Here is Drew with Grams and a view of the bridal veil falls.

Dad and Terrie go home tomorrow and we will miss them. I will have to attempt to coerce another visitor into trying for a waterfall hike later in the trip!

A night at the Bluegrass Festival

Well, the boys made it back from their overnight camp-out in one piece yesterday. Sounds like they had a blast! They made spaghetti for dinner over the campfire, roasted marshmallows and told scary stories late at night. Drew lost a tooth on the trip and then he literally lost the tooth somewhere on the camp-out. We THINK the tooth fairy will still come here to our house, but Drew wrote her a note to explain the circumstances just to be safe. We'll see on that one.

Di and I went to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival last night. We got there in time to see Emmylou Harris and Counting Crows play. It was truly incredible to see a show in Town Park in the valley.

Counting Crows played a great set. If memory serves me correct, the originals they played were:

• Mr. Jones
• If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel is dead)
• American Girls
• Rain King/Raining in Baltimore
• Hard Candy
• Have You Seen Me Lately
• Hanginaround
• Mrs. Potter's Lullaby
  
• A Long December
• Miami

The absolute highlight was their cover of Madonna's "Borderline" sounding not too much unlike Neil Young. I laughed my way through nearly the whole song.

Diane enjoying the crowds at the Bluegrass Festival.


The stage from our spot. We were actually closer than it looks in this picture...


The mountains behind the sound board as dusk settles in.


Counting Crows as they play through their set toward the end of the evening.

Bluegrass Festival underway...

It's been a couple of days since we last posted. The boys are settling in to camp. In fact, they are coming back from their first overnight adventure today. We can't wait to hear how it went and if they survived the night okay. I'm sure we'll have a full report for everyone tomorrow.

People are streaming into town this morning as the Bluegrass Festival gets under way today. The town is likely to be packed over the next few days, so it's a good thing we secured our parking rights while we could!

It's been fairly warm this week out here. The afternoons have been topping out around the high-70s. Today has been cool as we have a chance for rain and some good cloud cover. Di and I have been spending our mornings with little mini-hikes/walks. Yesterday we got a little adventurous and made our way down the Telluride Trail from Mt. Sophia after riding the gondola up to the station there. Poor little Molly was good about enduring the descent in her jog-stroller. (We likely don't do that trek again with her!) The picture below is from the top of the mountain looking out over Mountain Village.

Settling in

Well we haven't written in a few days because we are just settling in and relaxing. The boys started camp this week and are involved in adventures at the nature center and canoeing so far. Our adventures included a 1 1/2 hour drive to the nearest major grocery store yesterday. Andy and I disagree on whether it is worth it to drive so far for good prices, I don't think I'll be going back there soon!

Today, Andy, Molly and I went on a walk along the San Miguel River, played in the town playground and played ball in the backyard - a quiet relaxing day. The boys had a canoeing trip on Trout Lake and generally had a great time boating, throwing rocks in the lake, seeing a beaver dam and later having a pirate themed water balloon fight. They have an overnight trip tomorrow so we won't see them again until Thursday afternoon!

I can't believe that they have any energy after camp, but as you can see they were up for riding scooters into town for ice cream after dinner.