Monthly Archives: July 2024

Anna Starts Her First Job

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About to start her first day of work as a lifeguard

On Tuesday of this week, Anna started work as a lifeguard at a nearby rec center. Anna is officially a part-time employee of South Suburban Parks and Recreation. Her first week wasn’t without incident but no rescues were needed. She is super excited to have her first job, taking home a cool $15/hr. She will be picking up as many shifts as she can during summer break and hopes to keep some work during the school year.

Anna with some of her Avalanche cheerleading team

This weekend, Anna had Spirit Camp for Cheer – this is basically two full days of cheerleading, and Anna had a blast. They worked the girls hard, but that is way Anna likes it. She couldn’t be happier with her team this year. She loves being on Level 4 and has nothing but good things to say about her stunt group.

Enjoying the thunderstorm

Last night we had a huge thunderstorm. Strong winds, pounding rain and lots of lightning. Anna decided she wanted to be out amongst it, so she enjoyed a cold shower in the wind. And this is after she had just taken a warm bath.

Jude and Olive on the summit of Plymouth Mountain

Today, Jude and I went for a hike with Olive after dropping off Anna at Cheer. Deer Creek Canyon is close to cheer and a park I have never hiked in before. It was a cooler day and perfect for a hike after a little rain last night.

Marcy is away in California for a Ridhwan retreat for the next week.

Colorado Road Trip to Mesa Verde

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Bridal Veil Falls outside of Telluride

We took our annual road trip this past week and this year we decided to stay in Colorado. It was a trip to the southwest of the state to visit Mesa Verde National Park and some of the more remote areas of Colorado.
We began early last Sunday morning to drive to Telluride. After lunch in Parachute we stopped in Palisade for some peaches and cherries. They were delicious. Then it was on to Telluride where we arrived around 4pm. It was just enough time to do a hike to the famed Bridal Veil Falls. The hike started a couple of miles out of town, but there were no bikes available to rent and no Uber or Lyft, so we turned a three-mile hike into a seven-mile hike. Needless to say it was a late dinner to say the least.

Island Lake, one of the prettiest lakes I have ever seen

After an early breakfast, we were out the door for our first big hike of the trip. The Ice Lake and Island Lake loop trail outside of Silverton is renowned as one of the most picturesque hikes in Colorado. It didn’t disappoint, it was spectacular. Then it was on to Durango for dinner and to the Starry Nights B&B outside of Mancos, close to the entrance of Mesa Verde.

Ice Lake is about half a mile from Island Lake and is just as beautiful

The next morning was our earliest start of the trip. We had booked the 700-Year Tour of Mesa Verde National Park, and we had to be there by 7:45 a.m. We went on a bus tour that included several stops to see the ancient cliff dwellings, which were all built between 1100 and 1200 AD and were then abandoned as the tribes moved out, they think because of a lack of water.

The Cliff Palace is the most impressive cliff dwellings in the park

We were able to get up close to Cliff Palace and actually look inside some of the buildings, which were remarkably well-preserved after 800+ years. In the afternoon Marcy and I went on a short hike (the kids didn’t want to go) around Spruce Tree Canyon.

With half of the park closed we decided the next day to head south to see Aztec Ruins National Monument near the town of Aztec, New Mexico. After the tour, we had great context for what we saw there as it is thought that some of the cliff dwellers moved south to places like Aztec given the more reliable water supply.

On our dirt road detour Jude decided to run in the 100 degree heat and he was faster than the car

We then drove on to the Four Corners region but we had a little mishap along the way. Waze was telling us to go north but I wanted to see Shiprock and stay in New Mexico. This proved to be a bad decision as the road was closed and we had to take a detour on some very rough roads. We got a warning that one of the tires in the Tesla was having problems so with Anna driving we crawled the 8-mile detour in about an hour. At one stage Jude decided to run and we couldn’t even keep up with him.

At the Four Corners National Monument

Thankfully, we arrived at Four Corners without incident but it was still 100 degrees. There were some Native American vendors and Marcy bought a beautiful new copper ring. The Four Corners is in the Navajo Nation and it was a little depressing seeing the rampant poverty in this region.

Packing up from our stay in the Cowboy Cabin

After three nights in the eclectic Cowboy Cabin it was time to move on. We loved our stay there and it did live up to its reputation. On our last night, Marcy and I went for a nighttime hike to check out the stars, which were beautiful. The crescent moon set around 11:30pm and I stayed up late to see the dark sky from the Cowboy Cabin. It was the most stars I have seen in many years, you could really see cloudiness of the Milky Way clearly.

At Chimney Rock, a holy site for the Native Americans 800 years ago

Our first stop this day was at Chimney Rock, one of the only geological formations on the planet that also lines up perfectly with the beginning of the moon’s 18.5-year cycle. The ancient tribes here built what was thought to be a temple that lined up with the gap in the rock formation.

Then it was on to Pagosa Springs, and the Silver Thread Byway. We stopped at North Clear Creek Falls and then did a short hike along the Colorado Trail before heading to Lake City for the night, a tiny town of 400 people. But we found a great place for dinner while we charged the car. The next morning it was on to Monarch Pass where we did another short hike before getting to Mt Princeton Hot Springs just before 4pm.

The view from our cabin #7 at Mt Princeton Hot Springs with Mt Princeton in the background

There are several pools at the resort, all fed by the natural hot springs flowing in the area. So, most of the pools are hot but the river was cold because it is running so high, but there are some warmish patches. We each did a cold plunge in the creek each day which was highly invigorating and then soaked in one of the warm pools.

Marcy enjoying a warm spot in Chalk Creek that runs through the resort

Our last night we dined at the resort steakhouse and then this morning we drove back home. It was a great trip, we got to see a lot of Colorado and stayed in some beautiful places.

The Annual Summer Trip to Keystone – 2024

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The Rentons and Dahlens on the bridge at River Run over the Snake River in Keystone

We are just back from a week in Keystone with the Dahlens. It was another great week but this one was a little more eventful than usual.

On Monday, we went our separate ways, with Nathan and me riding our bikes up to Montezuma and back – a great workout and we managed to just avoid the rain.

Tuesday, Marcy, Jude and Lily got up early to tackle Buffalo Mountain. This is the large mountain that overlooks Lake Dillon and dominates the Summit County skyline. Unfortunately, the mountain was in clouds in the morning so visibility wasn’t great. Then they stumbled across some mountain goats near the summit. These goats were not friendly at all and were protecting their young kids and looked like they might even attack them, so Marcy made the wise decision to turn back.

At the top of the Spruce Creek Loop hike outside Breckenridge

Anna wasn’t feeling well (she had pink eye) but the rest of us (including Olive) went on a shorter hike outside Breckenridge. It was a beautiful day for a hike and the lakes at the top were stunning.

Ella and Olive leading the way down with Bald Mountain in clouds in the background

We were all back before lunch and then Nathan, Jude and I went to play golf at The River Course. We had a great time until the 16th hole. That is the steepest hole on the course and there is one turn that doesn’t have speed bumps. I took the turn too fast and ended up flipping the cart. I was a little banged up but Nathan was ok thankfully. Jude watched the whole thing from the other cart.

Wednesday was the rafting day in Buena Vista. I had already volunteered to stay back with Olive as everyone wanted to do a full day this time. They had a blast even though both Jude and Ella ended up in the river at some point. They were both rescued quickly.

Thursday was July 4 and we headed out to Echo Lake for a short hike outside Idaho Springs. Then we wandered around the town of Idaho Springs as they were getting ready for a day of festivities. Then it was back to Keystone where we went to see what was happening in River Run. It was not crowded at all as there was no July 4 bike parade any more.

Anna and Lily paddleboarding on Lake Dillon

Friday is always the Dillon Farmers Market. They have such great food so we all had an early lunch there. Nathan, Jude, and Ella rode their bikes, although it was a super windy morning. That afternoon a few of us went paddleboarding at Lake Dillon. That night was the traditional last-night dinner at Dos Locos.

The traditional photo of the five cousins

It was all over very quickly and this morning we all made our way home. For us, our next holiday begins tomorrow on our Colorado road trip to the southwest of the state and Mesa Verde National Park.