How Juicy are the Palisades Peaches!!

The calendar has flipped to August, and I waver between "where has the summer gone?" to "how much longer until I get to see my family, Joey (my cocker spaniel), and all the familiar faces back home that I have taken for granted?"

Mexican Hats in the foreground of the Rockies

I seem to wake up a little more tired every day.  Business is booming as families are cramming in the last days of summer before switching gears to purchase school supplies. Can I admit that I miss my August shopping excursions to Target and Lakeshore to pick up all the cool stuff I need to have in the room to greet the energetic students that appear at my door each fall?

The weather is changing here.  People are speculating when "the elk bulging" will start. The elk are beginning to rub their velvet off their antlers, they're migrating to the lower elevations, and the bulls will soon be searching for their mates during the rut season.

And I haven't yet told you about the Palisade peaches.  Grown on the west side of the Rockies, one bite will send juices streaming down your chin.  They're at roadside stands, at the farmers' market and occasionally in the grocery store.  DELICIOUS!!

Here are some of the highlights since my last entry:

• celebrated World Ranger Day with rangers, and watched an informative video, "Thin Green Line," that showed rangers in action world-wide.  Rangers in poaching countries really put their lives on the line every day - much more dangerous than in the U.S.,
• attended a seminar of a professional photographer, Erik Stensland, on his preparations for his landscape photo shoots, purchased his book, "Wild Light," which he autographed for me,
• sampled wine with friends at our compound,
• witnessed a beautiful mountain sunrise near Bear Lake, hiked to Alberta Falls in Glacial Gorge, continued on the magnificent Mills Lake and enjoyed a Palisade peach, climbed 1380 feet in elevation to Black Lake, strolling past fields of abundant wildflowers and seeing Ribbon Falls cascade down the mountainside, returned to Mills Lake where I consumed my lunch, then again gained altitude as I maneuvered over huge rocks to Lake Haiyaha nestled in the mountains surrounded by massive granite boulders, continued on what I THOUGHT was the RIGHT trail, only to find myself LOST amidst more BOULDERS (but was redirected by some youthful climbers after some prayers were offered and inner strength was gained), rejoined a well-worn trail that overlooked Bear and Nymph Lakes, descended to Dream Lake (where I suffered my third round of muscle cramps), past lily-pond covered Nymph Lake, and welcomed the sight of Bear Lake and my Jeep.  THIS WAS QUITE A DAY, HIKING 15.5 MILES, DISCOVERING SIX ALPINE LAKES AND THE MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE, TESTING MY INNER STRENGTH AND FAITH, HUMBLING MYSELF, TESTING MY PHYSICAL ABILITIES, and APPRECIATING THE COMFORT OF FAMILIARITY AT THE END!!

  

  sunrise near Bear Lake

Alberta Falls

wildflowers everywhere



alpine river



Ribbon Falls above Black Lake



Black Lake



Mills Lake






Mills Lake






"boulder" path?  NO!!



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Lake Haiyaha



Bear Lake and Nymph Lake from 800 feet above them



Dream Lake with Hallett Peak in background



lily pad covered Nymph Lake



Bear Lake

• received a surprise visit by my good friend and college roommate, Jonesie, her husband and her brother-in-law.  We ate lunch together and caught up with each other and our families,
  
• watched a FAKE bear jam; this is when someone stops, gets out with a camera and looks like he/she is searching out an animal, then everyone stops, and suddenly a person in a BEAR COSTUME runs at them and into his/her car - very funny,
• had a cookout with my colleagues before some of them begin their journey back to their former lives - college, family, etc.,

  

  the Xanterra crew!

  
  

  

  WISCO group - me, Jim, Molly, Mark, Jonas & Logan

  
  

  

  me, Sean & Teresa

• received news that my sister, Nancy and her husband, Gary, became grandparents as John and Mallory had a daughter, Cattarina - she's adorable in photos!, and 
• learned more about myself and the others that I spend each and every day with.

Cram in as much time with family as you can before the kiddos go back to school, look for the small miracles in your day, wake up for sunrises and stay awake for the sunsets, and give thanks to the Lord for everything!

Amy