A Day Around The House

Sometimes it's nice just to stay home and get a few things done.

 

Usually I make this uber long to-do list and add to it as fast as I cross things off.  My days off are hardly relaxing when I decide to get stuff done.  However, yesterday was different.  I slept in.  I am usually a get up and get to it person.  Jim says that on the days I sleep in I sleep past my productivity.  True, I suppose on most days I can do more by 8 or 9 a.m. than most people do in an entire day.

 

Yesterday, I let the day flow in an organic unorganized energy and still managed to get a few things done.  I uploaded a TON of photos and have blog posts drafted up waiting to be finished and posted.  I baked two loaves of sourdough.  I roasted the last of the turkeys that we slaughtered last fall.  I worked in the garden beds with a little help.  I cleaned out the chicken coop.  I played with the BB gun.  I drank some wine.  I read part of a book.  I knit a bit.  I just relaxed!

 

 Me & "Cheep" labor working the garden beds.

Thanks for the help Scrappy & Cocoa Bean!

 

A portable dog kennel and a few sheets of metal roofing for shade/rain protection worked great to protect our girls in the front yard while they tilled the soil for me.

 

 Jim even got the garden / yard work bug.  Trimming dead branches off the pine trees with extreme amounts of caution - since he broke his collar bone 5 weeks ago.

Be Careful, Honey!

 

 Thanks to the handy user friendly design of the chicken coop I built a year and a half ago, cleaning is a breeze.  One side of the roof lifts completely off and I simply use a cat litter scoop to clean out the coop.  It's as easy as a litter box!

 Last fall I transplanted some horseradish roots.  Of course, I was given these roots the day after I had read an article stating that you should transplant horseradish in the spring not the fall.  Well, I followed the directions and stuck them in the ground anyway.  I have tried unsuccessfully to transplant horseradish before but I think it worked this time.  Anyone recognize this as a horseradish sprout?  (The lighter green sprout in the background is lettuce from last year.)

 

Jim challenged me to a BB gun competition late in the afternoon.  How could I say no?  He holds up the final results on the target looking slightly chagrined.  I was pink, he was blue - 5 shots each.

 

 

Well, thanks for visiting our corner of the globe. 

 I hope you had a relaxing Sunday too!

Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series

 Day 4
Blackhawk Pass to a Dry Camp
(below Cape of Good Hope)

Hiked: 16 miles
Camp: 11,060 elevation

Day 4 was a loooong haul.  We had "a long way to go and a short time to get there..."  Ok, bad lyrical movie reference and kudos to those who get it.  Actually, we had from sun up until sun down to make the hike but it was a longer mileage day and we had to stop to filter water in the mid-morning.  Enough water to last us that day and the next, for tonight would be a dry camp with no water source until camp the following day.  Let's see....... water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, hiking is a sweaty physically demanding activity, altitude is a dehydrating factor, hydration is the key to good muscle recovery..... yeah, let's just say there was a lot of water to be filtered and carried for the next two days.  Buck up and carry on!

As always click to enlarge photos!
 

Thank goodness the highest point of the day was first thing in the morning.  As I might have mentioned before, I don't do steeps very well.  Looking back down towards the cozy little stream side camp we left, you can see the switchbacks of the trail that tried to break me before I was even fully awake.

Jim was waiting at the top to document my arrival.

 We paused to catch our breath and I took the camera for a while.
Here's Jim in all his glory with the rising sun behind Blackhawk Mountain (12,681ft).

 

 Lots of traversing today.

 

 Sweeping views.

  

Finally a bit of shade to rest in.

Downhill is not Jim's favorite. (his knees don't like it)

The remaining hardy wildflowers were so beautiful in contrast to the tender frostbitten leaves around them.

 

Salt Creek Trail Intersect

Yay!  An actual sign to judge our progress by.

By my best interpretations of the guidebook, we were 3.25 miles from where we were planning on making camp.

A little dance of joy to celebrate!

But not much time to linger, calculating the amount of daylight we had left buy the lengthening shadows we had better keep moving.

Whoa! 

Looks like we had some company lurking about the woods with us.

A fresh mountain lion print in the mud.  There were quite a few tracks but this was the best one we could get a picture of.

 

Camp!

Best use the flash on the camera 'cuz it's officially dusk!

 

We found the well used campsite as described in the guidebook just as twilight was wrapping it's way around the trees.  Settling into our campsite routines, Jim got the tent and beds ready while I bundled up and made dinner.  Exhausted, we eat by light of our headlamps and crawled into our bags for the night.
 

We no sooner fell into the deepest of deep slumbers when we both sat straight up to the sound of a bunch of sorority girls screaming as in a horror film.  I looked at Jim and matter of factly stated, "Coyotes."  He replied,"Yep, killing a rabbit."  With that, we flopped back down and instantly back to sleep.

 

End of Day 4

3 Days Ahead - 43+ Miles Behind

(Our trip was officially more than halfway over)

 

 

 

Chicken Cam!

Happy Easter!

Nothing says spring like fluffy little chicks.

So here's a look back at when we bought home our two youngest chickens last year - Scappy and Cocoa Bean.

(not so fluffy, as they were already getting their adult feathers in - more that awkward teenager look)

 

 

 

Say Goodbye to winter, girls!

The snow is gone and spring is sprung here in the mountains.

 

Hope everyone is enjoying to change of season's in their own little corners of the world!

Sand Canyon in the Fall

So last week, Jim spent hours on the phone with our Internet provider and it turns out it was their end that was super slow with our connection speed.  All this time we thought it was our connection in combination with our aging computer.  With that issue somewhat resolved, I am back to posting!

 

Another post from adventures of the past.

 

Last November, we took our friend Roy to a wonderful place not far from here - Sand Canyon.  At least, that's what the locals call it.  They (the State or Park Service or some government entity) has since officially named it "Canyon of the Ancients" - whatever the new fancy sign and trail map says it's still Sand Canyon to those in the know.  I have posted pictures of past hikes in this area but here are a few new views.

 

 With the sun streaking above the head of the Sleeping Ute mountain range, Roy sits on the edge of a steep and deep canyon carved by seasonal run off and ponders the past.  You can see the dry creek bed below in the bottom left of the picture. 

 

 Doug & Aspen found a pocket of water in the beautifully curvaceous sandstone.

 

Another critter passing though.

Aren't tarantulas gorgeous?

 

 Unlike the more popular and overcrowded Mesa Verde Park ( just down the road), here you can walk right up to the cliff house ruins.  Granted, you have to be in good enough shape to hike a few miles to get there.  Perhaps the difficult approach is what keeps them safe from the general public just driving up in their cars and damaging them.

 

An ancient granary sits nestled high and deep within an overhang that once housed a larger dwelling, as you can see the fallen walls in the foreground.

 

We love this area.  It's remoteness is what makes it such a peaceful place to visit when you just need to escape and realize how much simpler it used to be. 

 

Stay tuned for more updates on the renewed and faster connection!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

In celebratation of the infamous Hallmark holiday Jim and I decided to partake in the  "Totally Inappropraite Date Night" hosted by the Durango Discovery Museum.  The evening included beer, wine, desserts and sheep hearts.  After the hearts were passed out, we were turned loose with scalpels, scissors and other small intruments of destruction.  Our hostess gave a description of the anatomy of the heart and the function of the parts before we began.  The hearts were fresh from a local butcher, it was nice not to have the yucky formaldehyde smell and stiffness.  These muscles were gorgeous and pliable with just a hint of lamb odor - mint sauce anyone?  After about an hour of playing with our sheep heart (I know, it's not nice to toy with someone's heart), we put away the messy stuff and were treated to wonderful desserts and a lecture.  The lecture was on the chemistry of love.  Yes, the actual chemisty - hormones and chemical reactions and such.  It was definately a memorable evening.

 

 Me and the lovely fresh (no preservatives here) sheep hearts.

Eat your heart out!

I was careful to keep a valve intact. 

So delicate and beautiful, amazing that it preforms such a demanding job a gazillion times through out a lifetime.

 

Hope "Ewe" had a lovely date, too!

(pictuers by Jim 'cuz he had clean hands)

Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series

Day 3- Part 2

Lunch to Blackhawk Pass Camp

 

Hiked: 2.5 Miles

Camped: 11,700 evelvation

 

After lunch we continued on our way south towards our camp for the night.  Moseying along with no sense of urgency we took many more pictures that afternoon.

 



(as always click to enlarge photos - it's worth it!)

 

Another stunning view.

One last look back to the mountains we left behind to the north yesterday.

 

Then a look forward from the same point and catch the first glimpse of the ridge line we are headed to for the night. 

 

Amazing what you come upon while silently passing through the woods.  I stepped right into the middle of a small ptarmigan family.  The hen and her four young seemed rather indifferent to our presence.  They scooted just far enough off the trail to feel safe but not so far that Jim couldn't get some great pictures.

 



Mother Nature knew exactly what she was doing when she painted these lovely ground birds.  Can you see why I almost stepped on the little brood?

 



Closer... we're getting closer!

I can the saddle we will be sleeping under tonight.  Just on the edge of the treeline and hopefully next to a stream according to the guide book.

 

Camp!

Backpacks are dumped out.  A clothesline is strung. 

Laundry is washed. 

 

There was a stream! 

So after laundry and a frigid mountain stream bath, I set my chair in the sun to soak up some of the last warm rays on my bare skin.  Of course I wasn't idle in my sunbathing, there's always something to be done such as the filtering of water for the night's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.

Albino hairless Sasquatch?!

Oh no, that's just Jim taking his turn in the icy waters doing laundry and freshening up.

 

An early moon rise over the sensationally striped bluff to the east of our camp. 

 It was a short relative easy day.  An early arrival at camp allowed us to unpack, clean up and cook at a leisurely pace.  I had enough time to fry up enough fresh corn cakes for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.  These served alongside hot minestrone soup with bite of chocolate and a cup of wine for dessert (or a shot of bourbon for Jim) made for a nice end to a nice day.  Although, camping on the north side of a mountain means a false sunset that comes quite early and brings with it the chills of the shadows.  So it was early to bed for these weary travelers.

 

Good Night from Day 3!

(but remember there are 4 more days of trails, trees and trials....)

Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series

Day 3 - Part 1
Celebration Lake to Lunch at the saddle below Section Point

Hiked: 4 miles
Lunch: 11,810 elevation

Day 3 was a short day, only about 6.5 miles to our planned camp just below Blackhawk Pass.  So we lingered in camp and enjoyed a hot breakfast before setting out on the trail.  We hiked a bit slower and Jim took more pictures.  Hence, Day 3 is broken into two parts in order to share so many photos.
  I should also mention that the trail stays above 11,500 feet the entire day. 
Got Oxygen?!

(As always click to enlarge photos - it's worth it!)
 

Of course, we rested often and in the shade when available.

Looking forward to the south at Hermosa Peak - 12,579ft.
The trail would skirt the west side leading us around and not over (thank goodness) this mountain.

 

More heart shaped rocks!
Love abound on this trail.

 This is the trail around Hermosa Peak (left).

Weaving in and out of trees as we were at the top reaches of the treeline.

 

You have to enlarge this photo.
Like I mentioned before, you must follow the posts along the trail.
Although, sometimes there are trail guides to chirp encouragements to you along the way.

 Sitting on a bleak windblown saddle below Section Point, we ate lunch.  However, looking back to the north at the mountains we had just passed yesterday so many miles away was satisfyingly beautiful.

 

Check Back for Day 3 - Part 2

Coming Soon!