Mountains Rule

Ski Season!

2011-11-27T21:34:00.003-07:00

Ski season began on Thanksgiving Day. Savanna made it up there five days in a row, but Maralee and I didn't go up until Sunday. Garrett is always way ahead of me. Any good photos I get of him have to be planned ahead.

Maralee skiing silly and Jay skiing serious.

I took this picture of Savanna from the lift. She and her friends are happy that a small terrain park was created for opening weekend.

Pre-Ski Fun

2011-11-21T19:56:00.008-07:00

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the official ski season opening day (especially Savanna), but on a nice pre-season snowy day the next best thing to do is go sledding at Firecracker Hill in Town Park.

Halloween!!

2011-11-01T20:42:00.003-06:00

We had beautiful weather for Halloween this year! Made for a great kids' parade on Main Street.

Maralee was Frankie Stein from Monster High.

Supergirl Savanna.

Scorpion wins.

Jay and I were Perseus and Medusa for our friend's birthday party on Saturday. What fun!

Autumn Magic

2011-10-10T11:20:00.005-06:00

Last Thursday we had our first winter snowstorm, and it was a special treat since we still have our autumn leaves. The electricity went out for a few hours, so I was able to get away from the computer and take a bunch of photos.

Bridal Veil Falls is in the shade here, but....

this is what it looked like just a few days earlier.

When I was in the Aldasoro Ranch area, a badger ran across the road and then turned around and looked at me.

Owl Creek Pass and the Silver Jack Reservoir

2011-10-09T21:22:00.004-06:00

The bad weather followed us on over to Owl Creek Pass, but I had the feeling if we didn't go that day we would miss our chance to see the leaves changing. The cows were out enjoying the colors, too!

Cloudy Silver Jack Reservoir with Courthouse Mountain and Chimney Rock in the distance.

Chimney Rock and the location of the big shootout in the original "True Grit."

There was a double rainbow as we headed back to the highway. We also got to hear a bull elk bugling nearby a couple of minutes before several wild turkeys ran across the road in front of us. It may have not been a great day for photos, but definitely not a total loss!

Dallas Creek Autumn Colors

2011-10-09T20:50:00.003-06:00

Last Monday after hiking Jud Wiebe I wanted to see more autumn colors even though it was so cloudy and rainy. We drove down the Dallas Creek (County Road 7). There was a little cloud hanging around the top of Mt. Sneffels for awhile.

Sometimes the sun would shine on the leaves at just the right moment.

This is the most unusual view of Mt. Sneffels. The peak isn't even in sight from this point.

Jud Weibe in the Fall

2011-10-09T15:40:00.002-06:00

Sunday Drive With the Kids

2011-10-09T15:15:00.006-06:00

I have been taking so many pictures of the golden aspen leaves that I haven't had time to get them on the computer! Last Sunday the kids and I drove up Last Dollar Road for some photos. There were sheep grazing above the airport and some of them coming up into the road.

There was still quite a bit of green out there.

Arches National Park

2011-10-02T20:51:00.005-06:00

Last week we spent a few hours in one of my favorite places, Arches National Park. Jay's mom and step-dad were visiting and the weather in the Moab area was perfect. I love the La Sal Mountains as the backdrop for Arches photos. Turret Arch with La Sal Mountains.

We hiked around Turrett, North and South Window arches.

Delicate Arch Viewpoint.

Zoomed in Delicate Arch.

Posterized Delicate Arch.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

2011-10-02T20:22:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago Jay and I spent a few hours in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, which is less than two hours from Telluride. After all of my vacation blogging, I had to take a break from spending so much time at the computer, so here are a few pictures a little late. We took a short hike on the Oak Flat Loop.

Along the trail were dramatic views of the canyon and the Gunnison River way below.

My favorite spot is the Painted Wall.

Fall was just beginning at the rim of the canyon.

Belated Birthday

2011-09-19T09:14:00.004-06:00

With all of my vacation blogging, I overlooked posting about Garrett's birthday! Garrett turned 17 on August 25. Last week Garrett went to Denver to MEPS and is now in the delayed entry program for the Marine Corps. He will likely leave for basic training in August 2012, entering the Marines exactly 20 years after Jay got out. We are so proud of him!

Grand Tetons Again and Going Home (August 20)

2011-09-11T17:47:00.004-06:00

We packed up camp and left Yellowstone and headed back to Grand Teton National Park. We hadn't stopped at the Colter Bay before and we had enough time to go to the Visitor Center and Indian Arts Museum.

Willow Flats Overlook.

We walked a little while on the trail around String Lake.

This was my last shot of the Tetons. I put my camera up after this. I had been wearing it around my neck the majority of the past two weeks! We drove to Pinedale, Wyoming and stayed at the Best Western that night, a nice way to end a camping trip with a hot tub and indoor swimming pool. We got home about 12 hours before the first day of school and our cat was so happy to see us!

Where There is a Carcass, There Will Eventually Be a Grizzly (August 19 Part 7)

2011-09-11T16:16:00.004-06:00

You may have to use your imagination for our last adventure in Yellowstone National Park since I was so far away from the wildlife. After our day of visiting geysers, we noticed a crowd in Hayden Valley and thought we should check it out. They were watching a bison carcass in Yellowstone River. There had already been a grizzly and wolves on the carcass earlier that day. There were a few spotting scopes set up and the owners are usually very nice and share. I sure wish my camera had as great a view as some of those scopes! Remember you can click on each photo to see a larger version. In this photo in the center there are some eagles on the land, a young eagle and an older bald eagle with a white head. The carcass is sticking up out of the water.

A grizzly bear came out of hiding in the trees and ran down the hill toward the water. He is just a dark dot sort of left of center in this photo.

This little blue arrow points at the bear.

The grizzly had to swim across the river. You can see his head in the top right corner. The carcass is in the right lower corner.

The grizzly had to fight against the current of the river, but finally made it across and had to scare the eagles away seen here on the left. You can imagine the excitement of the crowd viewing this!

The grizzly finally made it over to the carcass.

Eventually the bald eagle came back and sat in his spot, and the grizzly was standing over feeding on the carcass. We were really hoping to see wolves, but they never came down while we watched. It was getting late and we still had to make dinner, so we left while the grizzly was still there.

That was the last time we saw the buffalo next to the road! What an exciting day!

Fountain Paint Pots Trail and Firehole Canyon (August 19 Part 6)

2011-09-11T15:33:00.004-06:00

The Fountain Paint Pots trail in the Lower Geyser Basin was our last geothermal area to visit. I'm getting tired just remembering how we all felt that afternoon after almost two weeks of camping. First up was the Celestine Pool. I think this pool is beautiful, but like many areas in the park it has a creepy story. Jay bought the book, "Death in Yellowstone," and thank goodness he didn't read it until after we got home. In 1981 a Great Dane jumped into Celestine and his distraught owner followed by diving in to save him. The temperature of this pool stays around 200 degrees, so I'm sure you can guess how that story ended. It is an interesting book, but I definitely recommend only reading after a trip there. Silex Pool.

None of my photos really captured the bubbling Fountain Paint Pots very well.

Clepsydra Geyser.

Jelly Geyser.

I only took a couple of photos of the Firehole Canyon. It is well worth the short drive. The water levels were still so high that the swimming area above the falls still wasn't open as of August 19. I don't know if that area opened at all this summer.

Firehole Falls.

We made it up to the Museum of the National Park Ranger five minutes too late. This museum closes at 5 p.m. We'll have to catch that one next time.

Firehole Lake Drive (August 19 Part 5)

2011-09-11T15:05:00.004-06:00

Firehole Spring. Surprise Pool.

Great Fountain Geyser.

Steady Geyser.

Hot Cascades.

Midway Geyser Basin and the Grand Prismatic Spring (August 19 Part 4)

2011-09-11T13:45:00.009-06:00

I guess we saved the best for last during this trip because finally on the last full day in Yellowstone I got to see the area that I wanted to see the most. The Midway Geyser Basin is the most amazing area of the entire park to me. Crossing over the Firehole River we saw the runoff from Excelsior Geyser flowing into the river. It looks like it would be a fun waterslide if the water wasn't nearly boiling.

Excelsior Geyser used to be the largest geyser in the world, but stopped having eruptions in the 1880s and since then had much smaller eruptions in 1985. Thousands of gallons of hot water flow out of the geyser into the Firehole River every day.

You can feel the heat radiating off of the Grand Prismatic Spring as you get closer on the boardwalks, and the colors seem to be floating up into the steam. The Grand Prismatic is 370 feet in diameter and is the third largest hot spring in the world. The two larger ones are in New Zealand.

There are a lot of buffalo footprints in the area. Since this geyser basin stays so warm in the winter the bison and elk like to stay there. As exciting as it was to be so close to the Grand Prismatic, I wasn't satisfied with this view and knew how to get up above it to see it better.

It's easy to see where the Turquoise Pool got its name. This pool has an underground connection to the Excelsior Geyser.

I wanted to scramble up the hillside on the other side of the Grand Prismatic Spring, so we drove back to the Fairy Falls Trailhead. About a mile down we left the trail and went up the hill on the left.

These lodgepole pine trees are still young. This area burned in the 1988 fires, but someday when these trees grow taller it will block the view of the spring, so I thought we should do this hike while we could.

This is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen!

Zoomed in on the boardwalk between the Grand Prismatic and the Excelsior.

You can see what this climb was like at me and Savanna's feet here. It was loose sand with downed trees everywhere. We had to take our time and find the best way up and down, still with some sliding.

Here is one more shot of Jay and the spring before we headed down. Maralee was just too tired to do anymore hiking at this point, so Garrett stayed with her at the bottom of the hill. Hopefully if we are there again they can both get up there to see it.

Black Sand and Biscuit Basins (August 19 Part 3)

2011-09-09T21:50:00.006-06:00

These places don't even seem real. Even looking through my photos it still seems strange that we actually visited a place like this. Cliff Geyser and the Firehole River.

Emerald Pool.

Sunset Lake.

Another view of Cliff Geyser.

Opalescent Pool.

Spouter Geyser.

The kids at the Sapphire Pool.

Kepler Cascades (August 19 Part 2)

2011-09-09T21:24:00.002-06:00

West Thumb Geyser Basin (August 19)

2011-09-09T20:59:00.007-06:00

On our last day in Yellowstone National Park we finally made it to see the rest of the geysers and springs we hadn't seen yet. I think the West Thumb Geyser Basin is one of the most unusual areas in Yellowstone because of this geothermal area leading right into Yellowstone Lake. The Abyss Pool is 53 feet deep, one of the deeper hot springs.

I think this is a closeup of the Black Pool, which used to be black until 1991 when the temperature rose so high it killed the microorganisms that gave it the black color. Now it is a beautiful blue.

People were kayaking right up to the geothermal shore.

Big Cone.

Fishing Cone is completely covered in the lake currently. Back in the 1800s before people knew any better the fisherman would catch a fish while standing near or over Fishing Cone and dip their fish in it to cook it immediately. When Fishing Cone is exposed, the water temperature reaches above boiling at 199 degrees.

Blue Funnel Spring.

More Yellowstone Waterfalls (August 18 Part 2)

2011-09-06T19:06:00.002-06:00

Tower Fall. Undine Falls.

On the hike to Wraith Falls it looked like Maralee had recovered from the Mount Washburn hike the day before.

Wraith Falls.

We drove into the Lamar Valley one more time and saw several Pronghorn. We did see a grizzly bear crozzing Soda Butte Creek, but I couldn't get a photo of that from the car where we were in traffic, plus way too close to get out.

Grizzly Bear on Dunraven Pass (August 18)

2011-09-06T16:43:00.003-06:00

While driving north on Dunraven Pass there was a crowd of people and cars parked all over the roadside. We were hoping it was for a grizzly bear sighting! The grizzly was around 200 yards from the road, minding his own business in the flowers, occasionally turning over rocks in search of a snack.

He would occasionally look over at all of the people, but he didn't seem to mind and he kept his distance.

Jay and Garrett's Backcountry Camp (August 17-18)

2011-09-06T15:43:00.010-06:00

Jay and Garrett had a plan to camp backcountry in Yellowstone one night and their hike began near the summit of Mount Washburn. When the girls and I headed down the trail, he and Garrett started the trail from Mount Washburn to Canyon.

The beginning of the trail has a very steep descent, 2,000 feet down in 2.5 miles without switchbacks. You can see how the whitebark pine become so short and twisted at this elevation, around 10,000 feet.

They saw a few bighorn sheep along the way.

View of the Canyon.

They stayed in backcountry campsite 4E1. Permits are available at the backcountry rangers offices and are free, first come first serve. There are food poles to hang food and other scented items such as toiletries out of reach of bears.

The next morning when hiking out the peak of Mount Washburn came into view.

Backcountry geothermal area.

The trail took Jay and Garrett to the Canyon rim and came out at the Glacial Boulder area and then they walked to the Canyon Village where the girls and I were waiting at the Visitor Center. The hike was 11.5 miles total from the Mount Washburn trail to the end of the trail the next morning.

Mount Washburn (August 17)

2011-09-04T18:14:00.010-06:00

On our way to the Dunraven Pass trailhead to hike up Mount Washburn, we noticed a crowd of people in Hayden Valley and stopped to see what they were looking at. Way, way in the distance was a mama grizzly and her two cubs feeding on a bison carcass. I zoomed in as much as I could for a photo. You may have to click on this photo for the larger version to even see the pink arrow I drew pointing to the bears.The grizzlies are right at the waters' edge. We could see them better with the binoculars.

Mount Washburn is a famous hike in Yellowstone and there were a lot of people on the trail that day. The weather was perfect and clear. The hike is 6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1400 feet in 3 miles.

Looking down at Dunraven Pass.

There is a lookout tower at the summit with an observation room and vault toilets. There is a park ranger stationed there at all times to watch for fires.

Almost there.

It was windy and cool at the summit, so the observation room was a nice place to rest and eat.

This is what Maralee thought about the summit of Mount Washburn. We had walked/hiked almost 50 miles total during our trip by this point.

We were way above the Canyon and could also see Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Tetons in the distance.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." ~John Muir

Mount Washburn's elevation is 10,223 feet, still pretty low compared to some of our hikes and drives in Colorado, but it's a high peak in Yellowstone and a great view. I read that on a cold day you could even see steam from Old Faithful.

Jay and Garrett had planned a night of camping in the backcountry, so they went a separate way just down from the summit to hike the spur from Mount Washburn to Canyon.

The girls and I hiked back down the way we came and went to dinner and back to the campground.

We could see the rim of the Canyon during most of this hike.

The girls and I were happy to see the Jeep when we got back to the trailhead.

Elephant Back Mountain (August 16 Part 3)

2011-09-01T22:23:00.006-06:00

We had time for one more hike in the Yellowstone Lake area that day, and hiking Elephant Back Mountain sounded fun. It's a 3.6 mile loop with an elevation gain of only 800 feet in 1.5 miles, still a very tame hike compared to what we are used to in Telluride.

This part of the lodgepole pine forest didn't burn in the fires in 1988, so these trees are 200-300 years old.

There was obsidian scattered on the trail. This picture doesn't show it, but it was really pretty and shiny. Maralee loved it but was good and didn't take a black shiny rock for a keepsake. Elephant Back Mountain is part of an old lava flow.

The view from the top at 8,600 feet.

Zooming in on Stevenson Island. The back of the Lake Hotel.

We could see Steamboat Point yet again.

Time to hike down through that obvious old lava flow.

I remember we were sure to make lots of noise through this part of the forest. Seems like a creepy place to have a bear encounter.

We had missed the real peak of the wildflowers, so I took what photos I could of them.

Storm Point Trail (August 16 Part 2)

2011-09-01T21:18:00.005-06:00

We thought the Storm Point Trail was one of the best short hikes in the park, definitely the best hike in the lake area. The trail makes a 2.3 mile loop starting out in the valley, leading into the forest and then to a bluff overlooking Yellowstone Lake. The trail goes right by Indian Pond. This area is closed often due to bear activity. One hiker encountered a grizzly bear on this trail in August and threw his backpack to the bear. Since the bear ate all of the food in the backpack, the rangers decided the bear would associate people with food so the bear was captured and put down. This was a case where bear spray probably would have worked and the grizzly would still be alive and the hiker would have escaped uninjured anyway.

There is a marmot living in this part of the rocks. We came face to face when I climbed up and we scared each other!

No words needed.

There were three marmots down the trail watching us. One thing we noticed is that all of the marmots in Yellowstone were silent. I never heard a single one make a noise. When we see them during hikes in our area, they are constantly making loud chirping noises. Maralee does a pretty good marmot chirp and tried to communicate with these guys, but all they did was stop and stare at her.

After the hike we had a picnic lunch out at Steamboat Point.

Steamboat Point wasn't very steamy while we were there, so I'll show you the flowers instead.

Looking down at Steamboat Point from the Lake Butte Overlook.

Lake Views and Pelican Creek (August 16)

2011-09-01T20:44:00.006-06:00

The first three photos were taken behind the Fishing Bridge Museum and Visitor Center.

We hiked the Pelican Creek trail which starts about a mile east of the Fishing Bridge. It's an easy 1.3 mile loop.

Hmmm, I wasn't aware we ever actually left bear country! Ha!

We looked really hard but there were no pelicans anywhere that day, not even a duck or a goose.

After looking at the creek and the lake beyond and searching awhile for wildlife, it was time to go find another fun trail to hike.

Gibbon Falls and Busted By a Park Ranger (August 15 Part 3)

2011-08-31T21:50:00.006-06:00

Since the winter/spring snowpack was so high in Yellowstone, the waterfalls were probably flowing a lot more than the average August. Gibbon Falls overlook is a busy one.

You may have to click on this photo to see the larger version, but notice the guy on the left in the bright orange jacket.

The guy in the orange jacket and his friend had been on the other side of the wall on a large rock taking photos and they got caught by the park rangers. He was scolded pretty badly and the ranger made him look like an idiot. It's kind of funny to watch that after being at the Grand Canyon ealier this year where people pretty much do whatever they want all along the rim, sometimes with accidents and deaths, of course.

It started to rain so we drove to the west entrance and had dinner at Buckaroo Bill's in West Yellowstone. As soon as we had cell service we received texts that Samurai was back at home safe and sound. We definitely had a fun dinner that night, happy and relieved.

Artist Paint Pots and Beryl Spring (August 15 Part 2)

2011-08-31T21:27:00.005-06:00

The Artist Paint Pots trail is a fun 1-mile hike and takes you up above a small thermal basin.

Also right beside the road is the Beryl Spring. It's a pretty one and worth stopping for. It is one of the hottest springs in the park with a temperature up to 196 degrees.

Norris Geyser Basin (August 15)

2011-08-31T20:38:00.006-06:00

Walking into Norris Geyser Basin is like visiting another planet. The geothermal features in this basin are always changing, highly acidic, and have the highest concentration of silica in Yellowstone.

The Pinwheel Geyser is in the distance, with runoff from Whirligig Geyser giving a colorful display from the thermophiles.

The unusual Blue Mud Steam Vent.

We all liked the Green Dragon Spring.

Puff 'n Stuff Geyser.

Crater Spring.

Steamboat Geyser is the world's tallest active geyser with water shooting 300 feet into the air for anywhere from 3 to 40 minutes, but full eruptions are unpredictable. It hasn't had a major eruption since 2005.

Emerald Spring is 27 feet deep and the temperature is almost boiling.

Mud Volcano Area and Bison Fights (August 14 Part 3)

2011-08-29T12:25:00.004-06:00

The Sulphur Caldron is one of the most acidic features in the park, said to be as acidic as battery acid or stomach acid. Savanna liked the little Sulphur Caldron vent in the parking lot.

The Dragon's Mouth Spring is one of my favorites in the park. It really does sound like a dragon breathing and seems like something out of an amusement park.

Mud Volcano.

Grizzly Fumarole was pretty tame when we were there.

This buck didn't have a care in the world. I guess he didn't know the bison were fighting just over the hill.

Remember that I said we were there during the bison rut. That morning on our way to the corral we were stopped behind another Jeep and ended up in the middle of a buffalo fight. Two were fighting in the road and the winner ran in front of our Jeep, clipping it with his hip as he ran by. The only damage was a long scratch on the front driver's side fender, but he really shook the Jeep when he hit it! That was exciting, but I didn't have my camera ready in time. That evening as we did this hike in the Mud Volcano area, there were several buffalo right by the trail and there were quite a few people standing around trying to decide if we should continue the trail or not.

These two looked happy and already partnered up.

We obviously all made the right decision to not continue the trail and go back the way we came. These two were fighting on the hillside and one of the bison slid down onto the trail.

The buffalo were getting pretty close to the Mud Geyser.

North Rim of the Canyon (August 14 Part 2)

2011-08-29T11:42:00.006-06:00

After riding horses, we went to the overlooks at the North Rim that we hadn't been to yet. This is the Brink of the Lower Falls.

We had a good view of the stairs of Uncle Tom's trail that we did on August 11.

Lookout Point.

Canyon spires are a great place for osprey nests. These three chicks are getting pretty big. I think we had seen their mother flying over the canyon earlier.

Steps down to the Grand View overlook.

Another view of the osprey.

This is a nice view of Mount Washburn and the fire outlook tower at the top, our destination later in the week.

Horseback Riding in the Canyon Area (August 14)

2011-08-29T10:25:00.006-06:00

They say that less than 3% of visitors in Yellowstone go more than 100 yards from the road, and less than 2% ever go into the backcountry, and guess what, 95% of Yellowstone National Park is considered to be backcountry! We not only went on foot into the backcountry, but on a trail ride in the canyon area, facts that the wranglers are very proud of. There are a lot of Uinta ground squirrels around the corral.

Savanna wanted to ride horses on her birthday, but they were booked until the day after, so we just told her we would celebrate her birthday two days in a row. That morning she said, "I want a black horse." She was automatically given a black horse, Coalie, without even requesting one. This girl gets what she wants!

Jay and Bo.

My horse Sandy.

Garrett and Wiley.

Maralee and Mohawk.

I was a little shocked and sad that one of the first rules of the trail ride was "NO CAMERAS." What?! I was perfectly capable of holding my little Sony camera and not dropping it. After all, I ski and take photos at the same time. Rules are rules and I understand that over the years they probably have had to stop too many times to pick up things for people and they said sometimes when things get dropped it startles the horses. So the memories of the 2-hour ride will just have to be kept in our minds.

Full Moon Over Yellowstone Lake (August 13 Part 3)

2011-08-29T08:57:00.003-06:00

Mammoth Hot Springs (August 13 Part 2)

2011-08-29T08:14:00.007-06:00

The first feature in the Mammoth area is the dormant Liberty Cone, a travertine cone thought to be 2500 years old.

Much of the Mammoth lower terraces area is disappointingly dormant and white. It would be great to see the water flowing over the whole area again and come to life.

Where the hot water flows, so does the color on the bacterial mats.

There was a wedding party being photographed at the upper terraces. Definitely an interesting choice for wedding photos.

There is a herd of elk that hangs around the Mammoth Hotel and Albright Visitor Center. Park rangers are always monitoring this area and keeping people back as much as they can.

Savanna's 14th Birthday (August 13)

2011-08-29T07:46:00.004-06:00

At first Savanna wasn't too excited about being away on vacation on her birthday, but we let her pick what to do that day and the next. It was a chilly morning so the girls bundled up and we had birthday candles on Savanna's pancakes. Savanna wanted to go up to the Mammoth area and to Gardiner, Montana. I will put the Mammoth Hot Springs photos in another post since I took so many. There was a lot of buffalo activity in the Mud Volcano area. Savanna now says that buffalo are her favorite North American animal.

Pizza was Savanna's choice for birthday dinner in Gardiner. The food was good and all of the people there were really nice.

You may think it's strange to put candles on pancakes and pizza, but birthday wishes come true if you do. Several days later Savanna told us that she had wished that Samurai would be found and taken home, and that wish came true a couple of days later.

Gardiner is the only year-round entrance to Yellowstone and is where the famous Roosevelt Arch is.

Yellowstone Lake (August 12 Part 2)

2011-08-28T19:51:00.006-06:00

We spent a few hours on Yellowstone Lake starting at the Bridge Bay Marina. We rented an outboard (little boat with a motor) for $45 an hour. I think we were out on the water for just a little over an hour. The lake got pretty choppy that afternoon, which made a bumpy ride and we got soaked with the freezing water. The kids loved it and Maralee was cackling and laughing most of the time.

That's the yellow Lake Hotel in the distance, the oldest hotel in the park.

Steamboat Point unfortunately wasn't steaming when we went by.

I think we did our boating backwards as we were soaked when we took our scenic cruise on this boat. Our tour guide was a woman that has lived in Yellowstone for 15 years, working for Xanterra from the marina in the summer and teaching cross country skiing around Old Faithful in the winter. What a life!

There is even a shipwreck at Stevenson Island, The E.C. Waters, the largest steamship ever on Yellowstone Lake. You can look up more information about E.C. Waters, but basically he was a crooked and looney businessman that eventually was barred from entering the park again by Superintendent Samuel Young.

It was a nice, clear day and we could even see Grand Teton from the lake, peaking around at us.

Natural Bridge Hike (August 12)

2011-08-28T19:43:00.003-06:00

The hike to Natural Bridge is an easy and level 3 miles. The trailhead is right by the Bridge Bay Campground. Bridge Creek flows under the bridge and is responsible for carving out the only hole of this kind in Yellowstone. It definitely pales in comparison to bridges and arches in the Moab area, but is still a nice hike and feature to see.

We would have walked right by this quiet marmot if there hadn't been a photographer with his camera pointed at him.

Lamar Valley (August 11 Part 2)

2011-08-28T19:33:00.003-06:00

There had been a few grizzly bear and wolf sightings in Lamar Valley that week, so we headed that way after leaving the canyon. Jay did manage to see a black bear with the binoculars before it ducked into the trees, but I don't have any photos of it since the bear was so far away. We had to settle for seeing more buffalo and pronghorn. August is the time of the bison rut, which is pretty exciting to see all of the male bison fighting and kicking up dust.

A lot of swallows have made their home on the back of Soda Butte. This is where we stood when Jay saw the black bear. Later that week the rangers actually put up a sign here to warn of recent bear activity in this area.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (August 11)

2011-08-28T18:50:00.007-06:00

This was the first buffalo/bison we saw in Hayden Valley. We drove from the lake to the Canyon area so many times, we were really fortunate to spend that much time in Hayden Valley.

I caught the rainbow in a couple of photos during our first glimpse of the falls of the Yellowstone River. We started out on Uncle Tom's Trail, 328 steps down to see this....

We chose to hike the South Rim of the Canyon trail, a 4.5 mile loop, the beginning which was hiking from Uncle Tom's to Artist Point instead of driving.

The view from Artist Point is spectacular! You have to fight for a good spot to take a photo here!

Can you tell the canyon is Jay's favorite part of Yellowstone National Park? "A thousand Yellowstone wonders are calling, 'Look up and down and round about you!'" John Muir.

We left Artist Point and continued along the canyon rim for half a mile, then turned right on the trail to Lily Lake. It was a great quiet spot to sit and have a snack.

It was exciting to walk through a backcountry thermal area. We stayed safely on the trail. I can't say that about a few others that we saw.

A backcountry mudpot.

Backcountry fumarole.

The highly acidic Clear Lake.

As we were nearing the end of our loop, we saw this trail is still closed. It meets up with the Wapiti Lake trail where unfortunately a man was killed by a grizzly bear in July.

Common signage for trailheads in Yellowstone.

Old Faithful Inn (August 10 Part 2)

2011-08-27T20:36:00.005-06:00

Old Faithful Inn is the largest log hotel in the world, and definitely worth a visit. I think it would be a fun place to stay, but a room big enough for the five of us would have been well over $200, and we were camping for the bargain price of $20 a night.

I'm not sure why Garrett is making this face, and Maralee looks like she is about to fall asleep.

We peaked into the dining room from a balcony above.

The inn is so massive there was just no way to take it all into one photo. Hopefully some day we'll have a chance to stay there.

A Day in the Old Faithful Area (August 10)

2011-08-27T12:32:00.007-06:00

For our first full day in Yellowstone, it only seemed fitting to spend it viewing Old Faithful and walking on the boardwalks to see the geyers and springs in that area. We walked over 5 miles that day which included the hike up to Observation Point and the rest on the boardwalks. We arrived just a few minutes before Old Faithful erupted. The eruptions were occurring about every 93 minutes that day. I normally don't get excited about geese, but these geese flying above the thermal ground were some of the first wildlife we had seen. We saw zero wildlife in the Tetons and on the drive from Bridge Bay to Old Faithful. We more than made up for that later in the trip.

With over 10,000 geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park, I didn't want to take the time to make notes of every single feature I took a photo of, so some of these I have no idea the name of. Of course, we didn't see all 10,000 of them, but we did see a lot!

Blue Star Spring.

View from Observation Point, a 1.1 mile loop worth hiking, especially to get away from the crowd and to see the Solitary Geyser.

Along the Observation Point trail, you come to the Solitary Geyser which sits above the Upper Geyser Basin. It's a beautiful blue color from the extreme heat and was erupting every 5 to 7 minutes that day.

You can see how important it is to stay on the boardwalks so as not to burn your feet or damage the thermal areas.

Depression Geyser.

I want to say this is Sawmill Geyser, but I'm just not sure. You definitely got splashed as you walked by.

Chromatic Pool.

Grotto Geyser is a great one to watch. It erupts about every eight hours and it was busy splashing, though I'm not sure we actually caught a full display of what it can do.

Morning Glory Pool is a famous spot, and it would be even more magnificent if it hadn't been mistreated by visitors over the years. People have thrown coins, trash and rocks into it which reduced the water circulation and the temperature.

Lastly it was time for Castle Geyser to erupt, and it is a sight! The eruption cycle is every 10-12 hours so I felt fortunate to witness it.

Camping in Yellowstone National Park (August 9 Part 2)

2011-08-24T21:42:00.002-06:00

After leaving the Tetons, we finally made our way to the Bridge Bay Campground. We originally tried to reserve a site in the Canyon campground, but our tent is so large that we had to have an extra large tent site, and there are none in the Canyon campground. We set up camp on August 9 and didn't leave until August 20. We only wanted to set up camp one time since it is so time consuming. Bridge Bay is $20 a night and the restrooms have flush toilets and sinks, cold water only even in the dishwashing room. There are warm showers and laundry room in the Fishing Bridge campground, but for some reason we always ended up showering and doing laundry up at the Canyon facility. We were in loop D, site 204. I had requested the F loop, but D loop was pretty good where we were. We couldn't actually see the lake except for a tiny sliver through the trees, but it was just a short walk away.

Our cell phones didn't work at the campground. We have T-Mobile and our service was really limited in Yellowstone. We had service around Old Faithful and in the towns of Jackson, Gardiner and West Yellowstones. We also had service in the Tetons and around the lake out at Steamboat Point, which was a surprise. Other cell phones had service in the Canyon and Mammoth areas, just not T-Mobile. I was actually looking forward to everyone having a break from cell phones, but we were also wanting to keep up with the search for our cat going on back home.

I had read that there was a herd of buffalo that would frequently hang around the campground, but they never did while we were there. Probably a good thing since it was the time of their rut. There had also been a grizzly bear visiting the campground, but it had an unfortunate run in with a hiker out on the Storm Point Trail. The hiker survived by throwing his backpack to the bear and since the bear had eaten all of the people food out of the pack, it was determined he would be a danger and the bear was captured and destroyed. This happened the week before we arrived. First walk down to Yellowstone Lake. Jay bought some Vibram FiveFingers barefoot sport shoes. I think they make him look like a creature that crawled out of the lake, but he loves those things. I snapped this photo when we noticed the little flower he was holding perfectly between his toes after walking through the grass.

Grand Teton National Park (August 9)

2011-08-24T21:14:00.006-06:00

Tuesday was finally the day we would set up camp in Yellowstone National Park, but not without visiting Grand Teton National Park first! I wanted to see the classic photo location of Mormon Row.

Garrett with Mount Moran behind him.

Jenny Lake and the Grand Tetons are a way better background than those cheesy school picture backgrounds we have to pick from.

This is the view from the top of Signal Mountain Road.

Next up, setting up camp!

Garrett Flies Into the Tetons (August 8)

2011-08-23T21:58:00.003-06:00

Garrett flew into the Jackson Hole airport on the second day of our vacation. He had left July 31 for Young Life Camp in Malibu, which is in British Columbia. He left our Young Life group in Seattle and flew to join up with us instead of returning to Telluride. What an airport to fly in to!! I didn't even take any photos of Garrett inside Grand Teton National Park until the next day, but I did get this one of Savanna at Jenny Lake.

We walked around the Jackson Hole Ski Resort for a little while that evening. It was a relief to visit a town and ski resort that I like as much or more than Telluride. Most of the time it's hard to find a vacationing spot that I like as much as the place where we live!

First Day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (August 7)

2011-08-23T21:32:00.002-06:00

The first day of the trip we had been planning for months was finally here. Our Siamese cat Samurai became a big part of the story of this vacation, so I am starting out with a photo of him that Savanna took the night before we left. When we were packing up the car the morning we left, Samurai somehow slipped out the front door without us knowing. He has been an indoor cat for 11 years and it was totally unlike him to go outside and not immediately come up to the door. We were pretty far down the road when I had a sinking feeling about not seeing him one last time before we left. It was confirmed by our good friend, Garrett's girlfriend, Sara that Samurai indeed was missing. I'll let you know now that he was found and returned home a week later thanks to Sara's hard work and our neighbors spotting him and grabbing him. We were hoping and praying he would outsmart the coyote that visits the ponds regularly right by our condo. The drive from Telluride to Jackson Hole is beautiful with winding rodes up until Rock Springs, Wyoming. This is a shot I took of the dam in Flaming Gorge. We also had a huge pronghorn (commonly called antelope although they really aren't antelope) cross the road in front of the Jeep as we came out of the gorge. Too bad I didn't have the camera ready for that.

I didn't take many photos that first night in Jackson, admittedly because I was pretty distraught over Samurai missing. I did love the antler arches in town square.

We had great Mexican food that evening at a fun restaurant called Merry Piglets. Unusual name for a Mexican place.

A Place Called Yellowstone

2011-08-22T16:02:00.005-06:00

We just returned from a two week camping trip with most of our time spent in Yellowstone National Park. I took almost 2,500 photos so it is going to take awhile to blog about this vacation! I think I will blog through day by day of the trip and will end up being an on-line journal of sorts for myself and for whoever is interested in reading it. We walked and hiked almost 60 miles in those two weeks, rode horses in the Canyon area, boated on Yellowstone Lake twice and attended quite a few evening ranger talks and still don't feel like we saw enough. We saw lots of buffalo, elk, pronghorn, deer and a few grizzlies, but didn't have any luck at spotting wolves or moose. We spent time together as a family making memories in remote places without the comforts of home or cell phones or internet. It was my third time to visit Yellowstone, and although I was only 8 years old the last time I was there I could still remember Old Faithful and the bubbling geysers and springs. The sights, sounds and smells of such a place can instill memories even at a young age. The geysers are what normally draw people to visit Yellowstone, but it is a place that is so much more than that and I'm happy to be able to share my stories here.

Garrett's Last First Day of School

2011-08-22T15:32:00.002-06:00

It's hard to believe Garrett is a senior this year!! I wish I had a photo handy of his first day of kindergarten to scan for this post. We just returned from camping for two weeks so I don't really have time to dig for photos right now. Also Savanna is a freshman and Maralee is a fifth grader. I think the 2011-2012 school year is off to a good start!

Revisiting Balcony House

2011-08-01T18:12:00.003-06:00

Maralee and I have toured the Balcony House once before, back in 2009 with her third grade trip. I really wanted the rest of the family to see it. This tour is ranger guided and involves climbing a 32 ft. ladder, crawling through a 12 ft. long tunnel and climbing up a 60 ft. rock face with two ladders to exit the cliff dwelling.

One of the balconies are on the right behind Garrett and Savanna's heads.

Ah, the life of a park ranger. I would love to have that job. I would love it if at least one of my kids chose to be one.

Balcony House has two kivas. The entire cliff dwelling has about 40 (mostly tiny) rooms.

We got down to the Balcony House on a nice sturdy stairway. Getting out wasn't quite as easy. I didn't even get a photo of the tunnel we went through before this point.

This part scares me a little bit more than that ladder we started out with! Super fun!

Mesa Verde National Park

2011-08-01T17:41:00.007-06:00

Summer came late to Telluride and now the monsoon season storms are lasting a little longer than just an afternoon shower, especially on our days off. Last week I picked a place to visit that I knew would have a very low chance of rain. I love going to Mesa Verde.

First stop was the Spruce Tree House, the easiest tour in the park. I think the cliff dwellings are fascinating, built by the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly known as Anasazis) who lived in this area from 600 to 1300 A.D.

We went on past the Spruce Tree House to hike the Petroglyph Point Trail. It is a 3-mile loop and is the only trail in the park to see petroglyphs. It's a fun hike with a several rocky areas to maneuver through.

I downloaded a new setting into my camera called "Toy." I like what it does with color.

You can click on the photo and make it larger to see more detail of the petroglyphs.

Wildfires are commonly caused by lightning on top of the mesa and the evidence can be seen everywhere.

Here is a shot of the Cliff Palace. It is a ranger guided hike that we didn't have time for, but we did go to the overlook.

Elk on the Valley Floor

2011-07-24T14:42:00.009-06:00

There have been so many elk on the Valley Floor this year! Lots of calves are out there and occasional bull sightings.

Here is a short video I took as we were parked at the side of the road. If you can listen past the background noise of cars going by, you can hear the elk calves squealing!

Moose in Animas Forks

2011-07-16T23:10:00.003-06:00

I am so excited and shocked to find out there are moose near Animas Forks just up from Silverton! These photos were taken by our friend Anthony Morabito on Thursday. Mama moose and her baby didn't seem to care that there were cars and motorcycles driving close by. Do I feel cheated that I've never seen moose there or anywhere else before? YES! Maybe Anthony is the moose whisperer!

Mom and Dad at Woods Lake

2011-07-14T22:31:00.005-06:00

My parents hadn't been to Woods Lake before. It was a rainy afternoon when we drove up to it. They really liked the tall aspen trees. The aspens are really amazing around the lake!

Maralee, Mom and Me.

I liked this picture of Garrett.

The water was just too still for him and he had to throw a big stick in the lake. I had been hoping for a perfect reflection!

Jeeping With My Dad

2011-07-14T21:46:00.005-06:00

My parents were visiting us for over a week and some of the trails finally opened up so we could take my Dad Jeeping! All of the spring snow delayed some of our favorite trails being able to open. We started out with Ophir Pass. There is still quite a bit of snow at the summit. We also came upon this truck that had a little accident near the summit. I assume they were okay. They left a note on a map that a tow truck was on the way.

We drove through Silverton and stopped at the Animas Forks ghost town. No summer is complete without stopping there!

We drove out of Animas Forks into California Gulch next. This is the Bagley Mill that was used to treat ore from the Frisco Tunnel.

California Pass still has a ton of snow!

I'm really thankful that the San Juan County Road and Bridge Department were able to open these passes in time for my Dad's trip! Jay took this photo and I think he caught Garrett mid-yawn. California Pass is even higher than Engineer Pass, 12,930 feet.

A Texan had been at the summit.

Lake Como is still pretty icy! This is the headwaters of the Uncompahgre River.

A short drive from the summit of California Pass took us to the summit of Hurricane Pass, probably named for the high winds always present in that spot.

The Hurricane Pass summit sign has seen better days! The summit is 12,407 feet.

Unfortunately it was cloudy the whole day, but Corkscrew Gulch was still a beautiful drive between Red Mountains 1 and 2.

Last Dollar Road was the fifth and last trail of the day. It was a good one!

Fourth of July Fireworks in Telluride

2011-07-05T10:29:00.008-06:00

As usual, our volunteer fire department put on a fantastic fireworks display!!

Telluride's 4th of July Parade

2011-07-04T14:56:00.006-06:00

It was another great July 4th parade in Telluride!

Veterans at the beginning of the parade.

Telluride Historic Museum

Telluride Academy

Montrose Community Band

KOTO Radio

Roudy our local cowby at the end of the parade

38th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival

2011-06-21T22:16:00.005-06:00

The Bluegrass Festival has already come and gone. It was an epic festival with the tickets sold out every day quite awhile back. I was fortunate enough to get tickets for Thursday and Sunday so that I could see Sarah McLachlan, Steve Earle, Mumford & Sons, Robert Plant and others. Maralee had fun on Sunday dressing up for the kids parade. She was afraid if she smiled very big it would mess up her face paint.

It was so windy during the parade that some of the kids struggled to keep the flags in the air.

Our local pirate always makes an appearance. There is a group of locals that use any excuse to dress like pirates. They were at Pirates of the Caribbean 4 when I saw it. There were a lot of "ARRRRs!"

The clowns of Living Folklore.

On Sunday the temperature dropped and it rained throughout Punch Brothers and Mumford & Sons.

There's nothing like seeing Ajax Peak covered in snow in June. All of the tourists said, "Oh how beautiful!" All of the locals said, "Again?!"

Sarah McLachlan

Steve Earle

Mumford & Sons!! This British band has become so popular in such a short amount of time that they won a Grammy in December. The first time I ever heard them was here live at the Bluegrass Festival last year. No one knew who they were, but our ears certainly perked up and we paid attention. They don't have to play at small venues anymore, but they love Telluride and wanted to come back. They said this is their home away from home.

Robert Plant is still rocking a full head of curly hair and his voice sounds the same as always. He and the Band of Joy put on an awesome show to wrap up the festival.

Dandelion Season

2011-06-12T14:39:00.004-06:00

We had about 88 inches of snow AFTER ski season was over. In May it seemed that spring would never come. I think we all almost gave up on warm weather! It makes dandelion days like this so much more exciting. Here are a few warm photos and the last photo to celebrate the reopening of Baked in Telluride!

Sunset Hike in the Grand Canyon

2011-06-08T21:24:00.006-06:00

I think because the Grand Canyon is seen in photographs and art so much, it doesn't really seem that real unless you hike down into it, even just a little bit. We hiked about 1.5 miles down the South Kaibab Trail with a goal of getting to Ooh Aah Point. Jay and Garrett went further down to Cedar Ridge. The wind was terrible that day with gusts up to 45 miles an hour, so the girls and I just sat for awhile instead of going as far as Jay and Garrett.

Of course, now that we have hiked a little bit into the canyon, we want to go back sometime and hike all the way down and camp in Phantom Ranch. We will wait until Maralee is a little older and see how she does on our long hikes this summer. Maralee is 10 now, but she did an 8 mile hike last summer with quite an elevation gain, and she hiked her first 14er when she was 8. We would definitely plan it in the spring or fall to avoid the heat.

Panoramic photo! Click on it to see it bigger.

I think this one is my favorite photo of the whole trip.

That Famous Big Hole in the Ground

2011-06-08T20:13:00.008-06:00

We finally made the six hour trip to Grand Canyon National Park. It is so close to us, yet we never have taken the time to go there. We tend to visit places with much less people, like last summer when we went to the Needles District of Canyonlands and only saw five people. The Grand Canyon was busy, but everyone was pretty spread out all over the park. I've never seen so many cameras in my life! Here are several photos of one of the most photographed places in the world.

Our first stop was at the Desert View Watchtower.

The rest of these photos are from the viewpoints around the South Rim.

Looking down at one of the switchbacks of the Bright Angel Trail.

Zooming in on the Colorado River.

On the right is the Desert Watchtower.

Lastly, here are a few really touristy photos of us!

Don't worry, Maralee and I didn't let anyone get too close to the edge!

Maralee on the steps of the Bright Angel Lodge.

Telluride Balloon Fest

2011-06-05T15:15:00.009-06:00

The balloons didn't launch on Saturday, so I didn't have much hope that they could on Sunday either. I'm happy that I got up at 6:30 to see it Sunday morning because all of the balloons were able to launch! The early morning light is not good for pictures, plus the skies are hazy from the wildfires in New Mexico. I admit my nighttime photos turned out much better than the morning ones. (If you see a lot of spacing between photos, I seem to be having a problem with Blogger.)

Maralee was hoping for a ride, but no one was doing tethered rides. She was able to get in the basket of the Koshare balloon from Gallup. (My favorite!)

Time to deflate!! See you next year, Koshare!

Telluride Balloon Festival Night Glow

2011-06-05T14:33:00.004-06:00

It was so exciting that the balloons were able to inflate for night glow on Main Street two years in a row!! The wind conditions prevented the balloons from flying Saturday morning, but the conditions were right to air up Saturday evening. This first one is Bumpy, Maralee's favorite balloon coming to life. This festival is one of my favorites. Enjoy the photos!

Colorado National Monument

2011-06-03T11:02:00.008-06:00

Jay and I were able to go on Maralee's fourth grade camping trip this week to the Colorado National Monument near Fruita. We had around 65 fourth graders and 27 parents! I think we were all ready to get out of our canyon and spend some time somewhere warmer.

I took this at an overlook in the Saddlehorn Campground. Way down below is the town of Fruita, Colorado.

We had a morning hike up to the Independence Monument, which is about 5 miles round trip. It was a nice, warm hike even with the overcast skies.

Over on the right is the Kissing Couple rock formation.

Independence Monument is 450 feet tall and at the top the elevation is 5,739 feet.

We saw a couple of collared lizards during the hike, and this one was right next to me. The Park Ranger had said she had a group once that didn't think they looked real and gave them the nickname "Made in China."

So we had our first national park visit of the year!! As usual I will probably be doing a lot more blogging in the summer than I do in the winter!

Savanna's 8th Grade Graduation

2011-06-03T10:31:00.006-06:00

Middle school is over for this group of kids! I think Savanna has mixed feelings about moving up to high school (which is literally just upstairs from middle school) because she likes her teachers so much. Two of Savanna's classmates missed the graduation for a very good reason, they are training with the US Ski Team!

Bailey and Savanna, always being silly.

Congrats eighth graders!!

Me and My Kids

2011-05-10T19:52:00.002-06:00

Mother's Day 2011! And impossible to get Maralee to have a serious face.

Happy Easter!!

2011-04-24T13:44:00.003-06:00

No matter when Easter is, we can count on it being white in Telluride. This is what we woke up to this morning! I tried to get Maralee to wear her boots to church and then change to sandals, but she insisted on wearing her sandals when we left. Savanna and I did not wear dresses. The plan was to have a big Easter egg hunt at the park after church, but we ended up having the egg hunt and picnic downstairs at church.

Maralee's new haircut!

The Blahness of April

2011-04-24T13:25:00.003-06:00

April has been kind of a blah month. It snows, the snow melts, and then it snows again. Since we didn't leave for spring break this year, this month has seemed endless. We have had coyotes at the ponds by our condo that are fun to watch! They are preying on the prairie dogs and get honked at by the geese.

The end of ski season was even kind of blah. I took this photo the day before the last day of the season. You can see the grass sticking up through the snow. Of course it dumped a few inches on the actual last day, but after skiing in the slush previously, we didn't even go up one more time.

The kids managed to get out of town to go to Moab for a couple of days with Andy, our friend/youth pastor. This is a photo he took when they went to Navajo Arch in Arches National Park. Andy's iPhone that stitches a panoramic photo, so you can see Savanna and Garrett on both sides. Cool! Of course, I realized I live in an awesome place, so if there is one blah month of the year, it's not that bad!

Double Digits!!

2011-03-01T17:50:00.003-07:00

Maralee turned 10 on March 24th!! Time flies! You can tell she still doesn't really like having lit candles in her face.

See Forever

2011-02-15T21:36:00.007-07:00

Hope you're ready to see lots of photos from today! It was an amazing day at 50 degrees and barely a cloud in the sky. It is rare that I want to ride up lift 14, but the conditions were perfect and there weren't many people on the mountain today. I tend to get a little nervous at the top of lift 14, out in the wide open above tree line wearing skis. It doesn't make any sense that I don't get scared in places like this in our Jeep in the summer, does it? It's great that the ski area has an intermediate run that begins up here.

This is the reason that this ski run that is almost 3 miles long is called See Forever.

No trees up here!

Looking back at the top of lift 15 (for Revelation Bowl) I liked the clouds above. That's Palmyra Peak on the right.

The fancy Alpino Vino, at 11,996 feet.

X marks the spot.

We had lunch at Gorrono Beach. I had the shrimp and corn off of the grill in front of me here.

Lift 4 was right behind us.

After lunch I wanted to go up and ski See Forever again. I waited while Jay did a run into Revelation Bowl.

That's me, just hanging around at 12,225 feet.

Revelation Bowl is so big I can't fit the whole thing into one photo.

Looking back one more time at the top of lift 15, the only lift I haven't ridden since I won't ski the black runs in Revelation Bowl.

Way down there we could see the cemetary which is on the east side of Telluride. In the red above the cemetary we could make out Tomboy Road which leads up to Imogene Pass.

A zoomed in view shows the cemetary in the center of that notch at the bottom of the photo.

What a way to spend a day! More cold weather and snow are moving in just in time for us to get back to work.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:00:00.008-07:00

Valentine's Day started out warm and sunny. Jay and I were off work and skiing for the whole day. We had a great lunch at 9545, burgers and sweet potato fries.

I was going to take a picture of my dessert, a chocolate mousse with whipped cream, fresh raspberries and some tempura Oreos on the side, but I was so excited I forgot and ate it, ha! I did get a photo of the slippers that are available to wear in 9545 for those that want a break from their ski boots. I picked Elmo and Jay picked Oscar. Too bad the Cookie Monster shoes were too little.

Fluffy clouds above the Sheridan Headwall.

Closing time at Gorrono's, a great place to end the day and listen to music.

Last run of the day.