The Month of July in Colorado

July 31st, 2018

How can July be transforming into August already? Kirsten and Jeremy have already had their one month anniversary already.  And with Target "Back to School" ads airing, the teacher's itch of shopping for supplies has returned, BUT I've been retired for four years, so what the heck?

So what's been happening here the past month, well here goes:

• hiking to the Wild Basin area, visiting Upper and Lower Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades and Ouzel Falls with Stephanie, a colleague from St. Petersburg, FL,
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• meeting Rapid City friends, Cal & Mary, at a cider mill, "The Mine," in Erie, CO with Nancy,
  
• driving up Old Fall River Road (a one-way gravel road leading to the top, built by convicts in the 1920s), visiting Chasm Falls and the ranger cabin, admiring the wildlife and the wildflowers, hiking up Huffer Hill (elevation of 12,005 feet) and appreciating the spectacular scenery along Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuously paved highway in the United States at an elevation of 12, 183 feet,
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• hiking seven miles on the Cascade Falls Trail near Grand Lake, and spotting five moose,
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• attending a barbershop quartet concert, meeting up with two of Kirsten's friends from Luther, Erin & Jess,
  
• joining Estes Valley Fitness Center, and having a complimentary personal training session. I've been there four times already!
• entertaining the more "mature" set of colleagues for Thursday night social hours of craft beer, domestic wine, and Marriem's Coffee Nudges,
  
• dining with Nancy's daughter and fiance @ Wayne's Smoke Shack, a great BBQ place,
• worshipping @ Rocky Mountain Church,
• chatting with two long-time friends, Rita & Tom, at the store,
  
• working on a signature dessert for Trail Ridge Store and Cafe,
• celebrating Christmas in July with a Secret Santa night,
  
  
  
  
• driving to the west side of RMNP via Old Fall River Road with Charlie, Rachel and Nancy, seeing three moose, spotting a pika on the tundra, eating @ The Rapids (a historic lodge built in 1920), and hiking to Adams Falls,
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• spending another evening with good friends passing through, Cal & Mary,
• meeting a former teaching colleague, Jenny, in Leadville, eating at High Mountain Pies, sampling at Silver Dollar Saloon (built in 1879), witnessing past mining operations, checking out a few new breweries, traveling on the Top of the Rockies Highway, and enjoying a fabulous drive through several passes of the Rockies, AND
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• driving my colleagues up the mountain to Trail Ridge Store and Cafe 43 times (as some days I drive up the mountain four times in one day), with clouds, total whiteness and awesome sunshine!
  
  
  
  

I hope you're having a fabulous summer!  Low humidity and no mosquitoes here!

Amy