Girl's Day Out

Dahl Sheep

This was how our morning started... with a wildlife road block.

They were licking the salt off the road left by the plow trucks.  My friend Barb and I decided to take a 225 mile "colors" road trip around the mountains a couple of weeks ago.  We left Durango and headed north through Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Dolores and home. 

Hay Harvest

We had to stop before Telluride to capture this photo.  How beautiful to see the last cutting of hay, fall colors and snowy mountains all in one picture.

Really?!

Ok, aside from the way over priced shops that made our jaws drop repeatedly, this may have been the most shocking sign of the day.  Really?  A lost sheep poster? 

Barb & Me

After lunch and more shops, it was time to hit the road again - But not without a parting shot! 

This was taken at the south end of Telluride (thank you kind stranger).

A great road trip - filled with beautiful colors, a smidgen of snow, good chatter, fun shopping (we did find a consignment store where we each scored a good deal!) and a delicious Mexican food lunch.  It all made for a nice girl's day out. 

Girls Weekend!!!

At the beginning of March I took a couple days to visit my friend in Creede Colorado, which is just over two hours east of Durango over Wolf Creek pass. Wolf Creek is also home to one of the highest ski areas.

Due to the steep mountain terrain the road goes through the mountain - such a beautiful drive!

Main Street, Creede (pardon the window glare - it's not the sun)

Atlas, I arrived in Creede. This itty bitty mountain mining town sits at the base of a canyon. The town kind of dead ends where the canyon gets narrow. The road is sort of paved sort of dirt and not much is open in the off season.....

Sam!

...but leave it to Sam to find a Mardi Gras fundraiser going on that night. We partied in the underground community center with live music and $4 hurricanes! Sam was a gracious hostess and offered to be the designated driver so I could enjoy those hurricanes. We moved the festivities to her house and stayed up way too late talkin' girl stuff.

Delia tried to seek refuse under the coffee table but my camera found her - she seemed less than thrilled with the flash.

Me & Sam

We finally made it up to Wolf Creek mid-morning the next day. True to the picture, I was feeling a bit upside down from the night before.

With over 18 inches of fresh snow in the last two days, we decided to hike to fresh uncrowded powder. Breaking a sweat definitely helped break the hang over.

The top of the world!!

Hey Sam, Look over here!!

What a great day! We rode the open slopes, played in the trees and hiked for epic runs. We didn't take many pictures, I guess we were too busy playing. Isn't that always the case?

We may have arrived mid-morning but we were some of the last to leave. We caught the last lift chair and were the last off the slopes.

The next morning I went back to take pictures of the town. The community center is in the side of the mountain in a series of old mining caves. It made for amazing acoustics for the band during the fundraiser.

Creede's Fire Department is also located in a cave.

"Even though Mother Earth News called Creede one of the best places to live in North America, only 300 or so folks have taken them up on the offer. With a tax base like that, city planners knew it wasn't going to be easy to raise the money for a new fire station. Still, since the entire town burned to the ground just three years after it was established in 1889, it was something they felt forced to propose.



Luckily, the innovative little town lifted itself above convention and came up with the novel idea of building their fire station into the side of a cliff. Using explosives rather than lumber, they blasted out 45 - degree-angle rock stalls for the volunteer fire department's two fire trucks and inadvertently opened up a whole new trickle of revenue. In fact, so many tourists came to see the World's Only Underground Firehouse ( the local 4-H Club gives tours) that they eventually decided to blast another tourist attraction - an underground mining museum." **

"Multiplying loaves and fishes is one thing. But in Creede, with a population of less than 800, the world famous repertory theater manages to sell 19,000 tickets every season. How do they do that? By winning kudos from everyone from USA Today (their reviewer dubbed Creede Repertory Theater "one of the 10 greatest places to see lights way off Broadway") to Rocky Mountain News, who said, "No wonder the Denver Post calls it a 'a miracle in the mountains.'"**

I can't wait until summer when we can go back as a family to visit Sam and take in some of the amazing sights of this adorable little mountain hideaway.


**Quoted from Colorado Curiosities by Pam Grout 2006




Sometimes you just gotta get away and have a little girly time!!

Our Arizona Trip

Last weekend brought forth a road trip to Goodyear Arizona to celebrate my Papa Wally's birthday. My grandmother and uncle flew in from Ohio as well. My step brother Trevor happened to be in the Phoenix area doing some work for the company he works for back home in Portland. Family from all over was there to celebrate and eat. Unfortunately, Jim was unable to get the time off work, so he stayed home with our critters while Stown and I made the drive south.

We were welcomed by a colorful sunset....

That kept getting better!!
(Actual colors - no photo shopping - I don't know how to do that fancy stuff any how.)

Our weekend was filled with family and fun.

Papa Wally, Stown, Trevor and Uncle John

We played dominoes in the sun.
(Shortly after this picture the table was moved off the porch and into the middle of the yard - where the chickens could stroll under our feet and eat the chips we had dropped.)



Trevor the Croquette Master!!

We played croquette on the lawn - the course stretched from one end of the yard to the other, over an irrigation hump totalling about 50 yards in length. The rules required playing one handed with a beverage of choice in the other.

The "International" Rooster - he has no clue what time zone he is in and crows at all hours of the day and night. Which wouldn't be so bad except Stown and I had chose to sleep in a tent in the backyard for the weekend. Our last tenting "Hurrah" for the year!!

It was so warm we ran around in tank tops (shirtless for the guys) and barefoot the entire time. The sun tanned our skin one last time before we would head home and settle in for a snowy Colorado winter.

Goofin' with Uncle John.

A walk down the road to the cotton fields.

Papa's Ruth, Papa, Granno, Uncle John, Me and Stown (on his tippy toes)

The Men - Papa, Stown and Uncle John

Notice the family resemblance? Hint hint - Eyebrows!!

Me, Granno and Stown

Monday morning brought an end to the festivities, up at 4:15 am to say goodbye and one last picture as we all went our separate ways.

A parting shot of Arizona, the San Fransisco peaks of Flagstaff snagged a passing cloud.

We had a great time with everyone. Lots of cooking took place and I think we all gained a few pounds. It was good to see Trevor - an unexpected surprise for me. Stown enjoyed spending time with all the crazy men of the family and seeing his Great Grandmother (aka - Granno). We all live so far apart it's hard to get together. It was well worth the drive and I can't wait to do it again - whenever that may be.

Love Your Family While You Can!!!

No matter how nuts they might make you - hehe!!