mountain – Adventures in Colorado, 2023 edition

Last full day

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

It’s my last full day in Colorado, so there’s more to explore!

I got to bed late because I was chasing miller moths around the room. Caroline wounded one and killed one, and I finished off the first and killed two more. We decided to fumigate the house with bug spray before we left for the day, in hopes there would be nothing but carcasses when we returned.

After breakfast, we headed out to Eldorado Canyon State Park a short drive from the house. The canyon is impressive, with towering peaks surrounding us and the South Boulder Creek tumbling over the rocks in a hurry to get to the bottom. we walked a cross a footbridge and peeked in a cave, but didn’t go too far since we weren’t in appropriate shoes for the trail. We were able to watch some rock climbers when we walked back over the bridge, just specks at the top of the cliff.

We drove into Boulder for lunch and to wander around town. We found an excellent eatery, Avanti, which was a space filled with different local food vendors. Sort of like a food court, but no chains. The food was superb at Rooted, where we decided to eat. I wish RVA could find a way to do something like that in the West End, to give all those great Downtown and Fan restaurants the ability to open up a place without the exorbitant Short Pump rent!

There was a severe thunderstorm warning, so we headed home, where I could start laundry and get organized for the trip home. Hoping everything fits in the suitcase and that I don’t leave anything behind!

Flora and fauna of Colorado

May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 Karen D1 Comment

One thing I have been fascinated by here in Colorado is the variety of flowers that can thrive in such an arid climate. It’s so thrilling to be hiking through the craggy mountains or dry, rocky canyon and see pops of color. As we hiked there was a lot of “Oooh, look at this one!” and “Oh, so pretty!” followed by “I wonder what that is” with a sidelong glance to me, hoping I will pull out my plant identification app!

Trees and shrubs sometimes looked the same as one we have in Virginia, but were different enough that I had to look those up too.

Reds and purples were the best!

Not only were the flowers and trees amazing, but we saw some pretty fun animals, too!

We also saw some elk on our drives but no pictures to share. And I’m too busy swatting miller moths to grab a photo of them!

It was super fun to see all these different types of plants and animals! Pop a note in the comments if I’ve gotten any wrong!

Testing out the gear

April 2, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

The four of us decided to get some practice hiking done to test out new gear and get our legs ready. We drove up to Mary’s Rock in Shenandoah National Park, a trail about 3.5 miles long with 1200 ft elevation gain. We arrived at the trailhead to find it cold and blustery, so we were super happy we all had hats and gloves. Everyone’s new backpacks were comfortable, and water bladders all worked fine. With our early morning start, we were the first to the summit, and had it to ourselves for about 10 minutes before other hikers started arriving. Of course any good hike ends at a winery or brewery, and we made no exceptions this time, enjoying the selections at Valley Road Vineyards. General consensus: we can do this!