Vacays

If there's a place on earth as beautiful as Crested Butte I surely don't know where it is.

We took a quick stealth trip to Crested Butte.  We were only there 2 nights, one full day but it was a nice break.  Usually we take our vacation in the fall but Jonny couldn't wait that long and it was nice to be able to go out at night without hat and mittens and the extra daylight was a plus.  For the first time ever it didn't rain the entire time we were there, freaky.  Even the weather people said so.  We enjoyed perfect blue sky sunny days in the 70's while our fellow Boulderites baked in near record breaking heat of high 90's.  Driving back into Boulder yesterday was like entering an oven.

Collie Flowers

I was worried that it wouldn't be as scenic as it is in the fall but I needn't have worried.  Huge meadows of wildflowers were bursting out everywhere, so bright and yellow they made your eyes hurt.  You can compare the picures from last year vs this year.  Photos are of the Copper Creek Trail.

                                                                                     Fall, 2009

Summer, 2010

The small 'town' of Gothic, right before the trailhead

It used to be a huge mining town back in the day, 1000 people supposedly, but now it's a handful of researchers.  I'd love to live/work there for a summer, sign me up.  If only someone would pay my mortgage while I was there.

Gothic is also home to Fantastic Mr. Fox

I could have gotten closer for a better photo (this is cropped and blown up a bit) but I didn't want to scare him into dropping his marmot meal and running away.  Carrying that gory mess was hard work for him.  We saw him again the next morning but he was off into the brush before I could get a good photo.

A splash of purple in with the yellow

Aspens and wildflowers

I dare you to eat me.

So many mushrooms everywhere, wish I knew what was what because I'll bet some of them were good.  I'm guessing the ones above not so much.

Once again a celebrity died when I went out of town.  This time it was George David Weiss.  I've never heard of him but I do know his famous songs, 'What a Wonderful World' and earworm supreme 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'.  Dennis Hopper went on Memorial Day weekend when I went to a DOCNA trial.  I wonder who will go when I go to DOCNA Champs?  Maybe I should start a poll.  Or then again maybe not.  I'm sorry celebrities but I need to get away every once in a while.

Cody did o.k. on the hike this time around but this is his last year on such a long hike.  It was about 7 miles or so and it was a bit much for him.  The trail is mostly level with a few modest climbs but there's a rocky steep 1/2 mile section at the start and finish and it took forever to get him over it.  He turned 12 in July and I think he's doing great but he's slowed down a lot and has days where I can barely get him to walk around the block.  On a good day he'll do 2-3 miles.  It was hard going to Crested Butte and not doing the more challenging high elevation hikes but I couldn't bare the thought of leaving Cody behind so we toned things down for him and kept the trip short.  Crested Butte will always be there but how many vacations do I have left with my Cody Baloney?  Lola had no problems whatsoever despite her recent knee issues.  Her P.T. had cleared her for this type of hiking so I wasn't worried about her and she was fine afterward.  I'm supposed to be hiking her more regularly but she's a challenging one in the woods because of her high prey drive.  All the little forest critters send her brain into overdrive and she tends to go off her head.

Vacation was fun but as always it's good to be home.