Tales of the Ordinary Days

It will be easy, they said. Only 6 miles, he said. Rated Class 2 (easy with snow), the book proclaimed. Easy peasy. So what if it's a 14er (one of the 96 mountains in the United States and 58 in Colorado peaking at above 14,000 feet)? I've done four before. What's the big deal? What the book, Garrett, and I didn't take into account... 52 year old hot flashes (raising heart rate to 160 while climbing from 12,000 to 13,000 feet and a thunderstorm slyly rolling in at 13,500 feet and none of the four of us (Jake and Zeke were in tow too) packing rain gear for unanticipated rain for our 4th of July hike. That pretty much sums it up. But let me regress. 4th of July. A beautiful Saturday. A perfect day for a hike. But not just an ordinary hike. We decided to take on an 'easy' fourteener. With a 6 am wake-up call and a gorgeous drive through Silverton and then 4 wheeling to remote parts of the mountains, we reached our desired trailhea...

Mother's Day activity Mother's Day was most enjoyable. Although I wasn't able to spend it with all of my sons or my own mother, I did have a fun afternoon with Zach. The oldest. Number one child and son. The reason I was able to first celebrate this holiday in 1994. Garrett and I met Zach in Downtown Denver with no set plans other than to find some new adventures. Brunch was as at an Irish bar and grille. We gave it high marks for both atmosphere and food quality. The Bloody Mary was pretty good too. Our tour of downtown included a stroll through Union Station and then on to pool play and beer tasting at Wynkoop Brewery. I was gifted a t-shirt that reads "I Love Beer" with the word love replaced with a heart filled with the Colorado logo. Also in the goody bag was a Wynkoop beer glass. Next stop was the flagship REI store on Platte Street. With visions of Reese Witherspoon's hiking performance in Wild, I looked at the extreme hiking gear with g...

Evidence of Kim and Garrett, on each side of me, while we enjoy the backyard fire. "Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn't stop to enjoy it." - William Feather Last weekend marked days 75 and 76 of my 90 days off. I have quickly become aware that 90 days isn't as much time as one would think. It is going by fast for me. Too fast. The weekend was spent visiting friends in St. George, Utah. Craig has been a long-time friend of Garrett's, and Craig's girlfriend, Kim, a new friend to both of us. But as always seems the case with happy and fun people who naturally exude this disposition, it now feels like Kim is another 'old friend' as well. First let me point out that St. George, Utah is beautiful. I had never been there. The February weather was in the upper 60's. Mountains spiked our every view. And sunlight was abound. We traveled to St. George from Kingman on Saturda...

Stunning view of Beaver Creek Lake As October began, our hiking fun ended. All good things must come to an end. And this two day retreat in the spectacular Rockies did just that. But not without a fun-filled day. Cindy and I did all the wonderful "girl" things. Starting the day with coffee and ending with wine (and a little wine in the middle), we filled our day with a fabulous hike, great food, and shopping in BC village. Everything was a walk from our rented condo in the village. The crowds were small and mild. I was told by a fellow Omahan that this is "shoulder season" in the mountains. I was previously unfamiliar with this term, but understood better after our two day invasion of Beaver Creek. We had to be sure to check ahead on whether shops and restaurants were even open. Shoulder season is definitely nice and quiet. With "Restaurant Week" on the mountain, we were able to try out some great food at reasonable prices. The highlight of the...

Hiking St. Mary's Glacier  What to do on the last Sunday before school starts? If you are in Colorado, a hike in the beautiful Rockies is a great idea. Garrett chose St. Mary's Glacier by Idaho Springs for our morning climb. And it was stunning. I have to confess that we didn't work very hard to reach the spectacular sights that awaited us. The hike was .75 miles up a rocky trail and then .75 miles back down. The great thing about hike trails are the surprises you find when you reach the top. The St. Mary's Glacier is home to a serene lake and an icy embankment. Wild flowers in purple and yellow varieties are abundant. Even the rocks show signs of interest with hints of glacial impact. Our day started with the kids dreading the prospect of being dragged away from the TV. Upon our ascent and once the end of the trail was reached, their tone changed. Realization set in that the climb was quick and the visual benefits; immense. The kids skipped rocks, played in...