TAKE A HIKE...

Take a hike. Turn over a new leaf.

What other bad word play titles can I come up with?

Last post I was bemoaning the fact I had not taken a hike all summer.  So on Monday I did just that. Took a hike. The nurse I work with and I skipped out of work an hour early and drove up to Twin Lakes north of Buena Vista. (I went to a derby party back in May at the historic Twin Lakes Inn.) Cheryl is an avid hiker and I've been asking her about places I could go that didn't require calves of steel or the endurance of a mountain goat.  She suggested Interlaken, a "ghost resort" on the far side of Twin Lakes, as the perfect baby hike. It is only 2.2 miles each way and mostly flat. We followed the edge of the lake so there was no chance of getting lost.

Gratuitous Colorado tree pic not from this hike. 

I'm surrounded by trees. 

The leaves are turning early this year, not from the cold but from stress.  While the rest of the country has been swimming, Colorado has been very very dry.  The lack of rain and summer heat have put the trees in a tizzy, particularly the aspens.  But....their yellows and golds sparkle no matter what the cause.

This may be my Christmas card. 

Doesn't it look like this little conifer has ornaments? 

In some places, the leaves are already falling. 

I would like to add right here that I am grateful to work for a company that not only doesn't care if we skip out to hike, they practically encourage it. "The weather is beautiful. We should be out enjoying it!"  There was no question as to why we weren't at our desks...just where did we go and what did we see and how were the leaves? (And no patients were neglected in pursuit of our hike. It wasn't a clinic day.)

Our destination was the Interlaken Resort. It was a pleasant walk (Meaning I was only huffing and puffing a tiny bit. Twin Lakes sits at 9000 feet above sea level.)  from the trail head to the resort along the Colorado Trail and we were surrounded by aspen of varying shades of yellow the whole way.  We marveled at how low the lake was, a victim of our dry summer.

Normally there isn't that much beach. 

See the patches of aspen on the mountains in the background? 

And then- the resort. Built in 1879 and expanded in 1883, the hotel was a popular stop for those heading over Independence pass or traveling to the nearby mining communities. James Dexter bought Interlaken in 1883, built himself a cabin next door, and provided travelers with an array of options to entertain themselves. Horseback riding, fishing, and fine dining were offered in addition to boat rides across the lake in the summer. There was even a six sided privy with separate doors and rooms for each person/potty.  Stop and think about that.

The actual resort is boarded up. 

But can't you imagine the hustle and bustle of ...bustles?!

The resort closed in 1950 and the salvageable buildings were moved in 1979 so they would not be lost underwater due to the lakes being dammed for the Mount Elbert Power Plant. Interesting fact about the power plant: during the day water flows from the Mt Elbert Forebay reservoir down to the power plant at Twin Lakes, generating some nice expensive electricity.  At night, when power costs are low, the water is pumped back upstream to Forebay where it will then be returned to Twin Lakes the following day, generating more electricity. And more money. It's like a giant circulating fountain.

Mt Elbert Forebay, above Twin Lakes. 

A couple of the buildings that survived the move are open to the public. Of course, I consider "not locked" to also mean "open to the public" so maybe we explored more than we were supposed to. Dexter's cabin was a treat. Gorgeous woodwork gave way to plainer woodwork as we reached the second floor. The third floor was tiny and minimally adorned. The hinges and locks were spectacular on the first floor-so ornate- and I could not get my camera to focus on any of them.

Look at the alternating woods comprising the slats of the floor and wall.

See the carving in the door jambs? And those hinges were to die for. 

I'm a sucker for a door arch. 

The back of the resort was no where near as fancy as the front. 

The actual hotel is not open but the barn was. (Well, it wasn't locked, so....) Old sleds and assorted tools littered the stalls and there was a ladder to the hay loft which I did not have the nerve to try. A few other buildings were scattered around in varying states of disrepair.  I would have enjoyed more time to explore and imagine but since we started our hike about 4pm and the sun starts down about 7pm, we wisely headed back.

Obviously boards fit into those slots...was it to make a stall? 

The remains of a sled are at the bottom right. 

The ladder to the hay loft was wayyyy in the back, in the dark. 

In addition to the gorgeous lake and aspen views, we met this darling pair on the  trail. Olaf and Elsa. Their owner was with them but I didn't get her name. I'm guessing she was a "Frozen" fan.

Elsa in white, Olaf in black. 

They were HUGE!!!

Returning to the car right before dusk, Cheryl drove us quickly up to Forebay so I could a) see where the water travels to and from and b) catch the sunset.    Here's the sun doing that "Heavenly" thing and shining from behind clouds and mountains.

First there was color...

 then a glow. 

A fabulous afternoon. Beautiful hike. My legs were only a tiny bit sore the next day. Definitely worth taking an hour of paid time off.

Enjoying Colorado (and my mobility) as long as I can.

True to My Word

True to My Word...

Last I wrote I was contemplating taking the rest of the summer off. And I did.

My goal was to enjoy the most of a full Colorado summer and I did the best I could. This is the first time I've spent an ENTIRE summer here.

While I still had to work a 40 hour week I managed to tick off some boxes.

Camping (once)

Sunset at the campsite by Lake Deweese.

Fishing (once)

Also at Lake Deweese. 

I confess I was not enamored with this style of fly fishing although I did catch one fish.

Dinner outside (lots) with visitors (not enough)

Visitors, neighbors, friends. 

This was my favorite dinner spot. 

And I came up with a new favorite recipe:

shrimp tacos with mango salsa

Trips (A couple that required plane rides, others that did not.)

It's a miracle. I had leg room on the way to visit these chicas...

Destiny and Bunny in Oxford, MS.

They were kind enough to include me in Bottomless Mimosa Sunday.

Live music outside

Second generation Allman Brothers Band kids at Riverside Park

(Devon Allmän and Duane Betts)

Also at Riverside, the US Air Force Academy Band

Live music inside

Pike and Sutton at the Steamplant

Planted a not very successful garden

The garden needs amending and more rain.

Next year.

Had dinners at new places and old favorites, spent time with friends and family

 With Libby at Bar Louie in Sugar Land

Also in Sugar Land: Jean Mom, the Big Guy, Bunny, me and a bunch of great nieces and nephews.
(Even though Belle lives the closest to me, she never stopped by long enough to have her picture taken.)

With brother Steve in Breckenridge

and Bunny even made it to the cabin for a couple of hours to hug Carlos.

(Carlos HATES to have his picture taken)

Accomplished some home improvement projects - the most exciting of which was new windows.

Drew- the window guy extraordinaire. 

Not one window in this cabin was done correctly- but now they all are.

Or maybe it was my blue dinner table.

Dinner with a view. 

Or my blue bedroom wall

Love how a little paint can make such a huge impact.

Or the doors on the shed

 The shed is part of the view out the front window. 

These doors make me so happy.

Even if they don't match.

I saw the start and finish of a burro race!

A fuzzy contestant

And they are off. 

13 miles on a mountain trail.

Went to the hot springs but I never got into the river to raft. I wanted to hike but I didn't. Next week.

All in all it was a great summer.  Work started out awful and confusing and mostly STRESSFUL. Now it has settled into a routine and has once again become kinda fun.

Heading into fall I have some decisions to make. My job is great but the pay is awful. The cabin is paid for and I love it but it's also in the middle of nowhere.  New job? New city? Or figure out a way to make it all work?

We shall see.

Here's to fall. My most favorite time of year here.