On the early morning of September 16th 2005; My brother Matt, My Cousin Brandon, his roommate Steve and I climbed to the top of Grays Peak which stands at 14,270 ft. tall and Torrey Peak which stands at 14,267 ft. After camping at the base the night before, we began the trek at 3:30 in the morning. Our plan was to be on the summit by sunrise. After hiking by moonlight for 2 1/2 hours we reached the top with the pleasant surprise of the full moon in all it's orange glowing glory still hovering in the sky. So, we not [View Full Entry]

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This day we decided to take a hike, a real hike. The weather was clear, although a little cool, but it would warm up in the afternoon. We started with an easy walk around Sapphire Point, with views of Lake Dillon to the west and mountain views to the east. Alan laughed uncontrollably at my “hiking pants” and had to take a picture…..Hey, they were clean and I was comfortable, I really didn’t care how they looked! After our little ½ mile stroll around the Point, we drove up to Frisco for the real hike. We parked at the trailhead and [View Full Entry]

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Both got haircuts today - boy, there’s a leap of faith! Just never know what a new hair stylist will do. Good news, if you don’t like the haircut, just wait until it grows out and you can try it all over again! Eric, the hair stylist, told us he lived in Fairplay - also the home of South Park. So, after our haircuts, we thought we’d drive down there for lunch. We were going to go to South Park, which is the setting for the totally irreverent TV show “South Park” on Comedy Central - you know, Kyle, Cartman, Stan, [View Full Entry]

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Packed a picnic lunch and took a drive over to Vail. We walked through the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens - what a beautiful sight. I’ll let the pictures do the talking! Just chock full of flowering plants that thrive in alpine conditions. Walked around the Bavarian-styled town and stopped at a local park for our picnic lunch. The day was gorgeous with warm sunshine, blue skies, and the occasional puffy clouds - a slice of heaven in the Rocky Mountains. But, the weather is getting cooler day by day. We’ll soon have to turn on the heat at night and unpack [View Full Entry]

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Wound up our visit to Denver with a stop at the Art Museum - if you’re ever in Denver, don’t miss this one. The Native American and Asian exhibit floors were breathtaking! The new wing, which is architecturally stunning, will open next year - sorry we had to miss that. We walked around the LoDo district and enjoyed a gelato in the heat of the afternoon. The weather in summer is great - lots of sunshine, low humidity, and cool evenings. Denver surprised us - it is a wonderful city with lots of cultural amenities. I would definitely come back here [View Full Entry]

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I’m retroactively blogging a trip my brother and I took around to some of the National Parks in the US in August of 2005. I wanted to put some information out about these amazing places, as they are, in my opinion, the highlights of the US. The drive from Moab to Rocky Mountain National Park, north of Boulder Colorado, takes you straight through the heart of the Rockies, and some of the highest peaks in the continental U.S. Driving through the park you constantly see huge herds of elk, some beautiful birds, and the occasional moose. We did a few small [View Full Entry]

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Kathy's nephew,Forrest ,told us about a place up in the mountains where he hunts. We have spent the last two weeks enjoying the area. We went off route 34 and took a small dirt Arapaho National Forest road, 139, and about two miles back we found a campsite near Keyser Creek. It was a perfect outdoor spot with the rushing waters bubbling over rocks to keep a constant music playing. Will fixed the awning that had blown off in a sudden wind burst in NM; it now rolls in and out like new with the instulation of the $40 piece we [View Full Entry]

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I am new to this process so bear with me. I wanted to kick off my first journal by highlighting some great experiences I am having in my hometown of Aspen, Colorado. The summer has been non-stop with an eclectic amount of entertainment, music, and events. If you have not travelled to Aspen/Snowmass or the Rocky Mountains before, here are a few tips. Consider driving via highway 82 via Independance Pass. This route offers majestic views from the floor of the Roaring Fork Valley of the Maroon Bells, several peaks over 14,000 feet and beautiful mountain streams. If you intend to [View Full Entry]

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Well, I have my location as Rocky Mountain State Park, but we're really in Rawlins, Wyoming, and I still have to post about yesterday at Pike's Peak. Sooooo here it goes :) Yesterday, we got up early and headed up Pike's Peak. We couldn't have asked for a prettier day. It was gorgeous. Jesse saw his first elk on the way up, and he was sooo excited. We survived the drive up the mountain, and every one of us got light headed and sick at the top, which made for the rest of the day being quite miserable, haha. Anyway, we [View Full Entry]

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Beautiful Colorado [View Full Entry]

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