Author: sgeddis

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Molly Lake

July 6, 2011

Molly Lake has become a favorite place for us. It is close to the house and the walk to the lake is only 1 mile from the trail head. Mom can run the trail for almost 5 miles one way and a couple of times we hiked to Elk Creek after stopping at Molly lake.

Molly Lake

I just can't stop from running to this little lake for a splash.

Did I tell you I love to swim?

Here is Molly Lake

Sometimes we hike to Elk Creek

On the way to Elk Creek is a great meadow to run around.

Elk Creek Meadow

Here is Elk Creek. Did I tell you I love to play in water?

Here is Mom and Dad near Elk Creek.

On our way to the creek one day I chased a Squirrel and did not come when Dad called me. On the leash I went. Squirrels are hard to resist.

Great wildflowers, a purple one here.

The state flower of Colorado, The Mountain Columbine. Beautiful.

A puff ball.

We really like this short little wander about on days we are not hiking a mountain.

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Lone Pine Trail

July 4, 2011

In honor of Independence Day we hiked the North Lone Pine Trail to the Mount Baldy Overlook. We hiked 5 miles roundtrip in a little over 3 hours.

Where we started

The trail passed through 20-foot fir trees and 2 foot pine trees in a part of Roosevelt National Forest that has recovered from forest fires and logging.

Map from Trail.com

We crossed a creek three times on the way up.

Did I tell you i like to play in the water?

Colorado is sure full of beautiful wildflowers

Here is Mom at the overlook

Mom got me a drink of water and a treat!

Here is Dad at the overlook

Here is our GPS map from Google Maps

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Red Feather Lakes Colorado

Sunday July 3, 2011

We headed off to our final destination, Red Feather Lakes. Red Feather Lakes is a small mountain community surrounded by the Roosevelt National Forest just west and north of Ft. Collins. Dad has a very good friend named Idalynn who generously let us use a house she owns in the area. After a quick stop at Subway for lunch and Walmart in Ft. Collins for supplies, we arrived.

The house was great. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an upstairs, washer and dryer and full kitchen all on 8 acres of pasture and horse property. The best parts are the views of the mountains, the great cool weather and the quiet. I met Idalynn a couple of months before this trip and knew she was nice but boy howdy, she was so nice to let us stay in such a great place!

Our home away from home

How great is Idalynn to let us stay here? Wow!

Side of the house

All set up for horses. I just loved running around in there.

The chicken coop is big enough to rent out as a room for a guest.

The porch was one of my favorite places to hang out.

The view from the upstairs porch was great. Dad and I hung out up there too.

Dad enjoyed the porch too!

If I had a penny for every time I went up and down the porch stairs to go investigate the pasture

Mom and Dad bought the little dinning table, chairs and a lamp at Goodwill. It looks great and only $30 total.

Stella from Lone Pine Realty calls and has found a couch someone is trying to donate, so she brings it over. A queen sleeper. The place is looking quite homey.

Dad and I came home from Lost Lake one day to find the yard covered with hail

The post office where Mom and Dad picked up mail addressed to General Delivery.

Mom and Dad spent several afternoons here in this great little community library. They had WIFI so they could get computer work done. The people working there were really nice.

There was even a little hardware store

The trading post had supplies, DVD's for rent, gas and fishing tackle.

Mom loved to visit this little thrift store. She even found a great leather jacket that looks great on her.

The Red Feather Golf Course. Sand Greens!!

I don't understand why I can't drive once in awhile.

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Yankee Doodle Lake

Friday July 1, 2011

The first day we were in Boulder Dad and I traveled back to Rollins Pass Road to try and visit Yankee Doodle Lake. On the way Dad told me a story. I guess when he was about 10 years old and lived in Golden Colorado with his Mom, Dad, his sister Lynn and his brother Mark the family went on a picnic and drive in the mountains in their 1959 Pontiac station wagon. They drove through Rollinsville, down Rollins Pass Road to the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel and then up the road to Rollins Pass. Rollins Pass is the old railbed of the Denver/Salt Lake Railway that was abandonded in 1928 with the opening of the Moffat Tunnel. The Pass is at 11,660 feet. As his family drove to the pass they visited several small alpine lakes. One that has stuck in Dad’s mind ever since is Yankee Doodle Lake (10,715 feet). Also making that trip memorable was what happened next. His Dad decided to continue past the lakes to Needle’s Eye Tunnel, a short high altitude railroad natural rock tunnel. On that beautiful sunny day they drove through the Needle to find blizzard like conditions on the other side. The narrow dirt road was covered with ice and snow and visibility was limited. Dad remembers the next hour as quite stressful. Some arguing and a decision to turn the car around on the narrow slippy road. His Mom would not stay in the car. All ended safe but a memory was created.

In 1990 the Needle Eye Tunnel was closed after a rock fell from the ceiling injuring a Denver firefighter. Since then Rollins Pass Road has been closed as a passage from Rollinsville to Winter Park. This leaves the road unmaintained and hard to drive. But Dad was determined so off we went.

We drove from Boulder to Rollinsville and then down Rollins Pass Road to the Moffat Tunnel Portal. There our adventure began.

A sign at the start of our up hill trek.

This was the bumpiest road I have ever been on. Pot holes, rocks and all uphill. My teeth rattled all the way.

As we went up the scenery looking back down on Rollins Pass Road below us was spectacular.

Up we go.

Bumpity bump and up and up.

Here we think the road ends and we will end up on foot. Dad and I get out to look and find a way around the snow bank.

But I got to play in the snow!!! How fun is this?

Another mile up the road it really does end. So we park the car, grab some food and water and set out on foot.

The road is pretty open after we were blocked and wished we had not gotten held up by the ruts, snow and rocks. It was cold though.

Not far and we found the road blocked by snow. We hiked over the snow drifts. I should say Dad hiked, I played and ran and just had fun in the snow!

Along the way we saw where rivers and lakes are made. The water from the run off was cold but I got a drink, playing in the snow makes you thirsty.

We hiked for about an hour and as we come around a bend there is Yankee Doodle Lake!!!

Dad sure seemed happy to have made it. I could tell he felt a sense of accomplishment.

Dad being happy made me happy but I am still not sure what all the hoopla was about - a frozen lake you can't even swim in. I guess maybe I will have fond memories of my childhood too.

On the way back down we saw the train coming from the Moffat Tunnel, how cool!

We got back to the car and Dad fed me a little and shared water. All in all a great adventure. I will never forget playing in the snow.

We drove back to Boulder stopping in a little restaurant in Nederlands on the way for lunch (I got to sit on the patio with Dad). I am glad Dad shared this hike with me.

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Avalanche Creek Trail

Wednesday June 29, 2011

When we got up this morning Mom and Dad told me we were headed for a hike on the Avalanche Trail before we leave for Breckenridge. The trail head is a few miles north of Redstone and we hiked 2.7 miles from the trailhead to the bridge over Hell Roaring Creek for an out and back of 5.4 miles. The altitude at the trail head is 7200 feet (if you didn’t already know, it is a lot higher than Phoenix) and the bridge crossing was at an altitude of 8269 feet. The entire hike was along the creek and surrounded by lots of trees and wildflowers. We sure weren’t in the Arizona desert! I got to splash in the creek and run up and down the trail (boy is it fun running down hill on the way back!) Here is a map and some pictures.

The start

Description of the trail

Map of Avalanche Trail Creek

Elevation

At 0.5 miles we enter the Wilderness

Avalanche Creek

A Wood Lilly

A Sticky Geranium we saw along the trail

This was Dad’s first long hike and not easy for him!

What is a vacation without pictures to help you remember it by? This is Hell Roaring Creek Bridge.

I sure love these guys!!

Hell Roaring Creek. It was loud.

Here is a view from above the Hell Roaring Creek Bridge

Did I tell you I love the water??

Dad made it!! Over 5 miles at altitude

Now this is how to finish a long hike, BELLY RUBS!!!

After the hike we drove to Breckenridge and checked into the Breckenridge Lodge and Spa.

What a cool hotel. They love dogs!! I could hang out with Mom and Dad in the lobby and lounge areas. Mom especially liked this place because we got “a real deal” on the room. Gotta love it.

The view from our room in Breckenridge.

In room pizza delivery and off to sleep. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

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Redstone, Colorado

Tuesday June 28, 2011

After a very fun but long day we pulled into Redstone, Colorado a small community along the Crystal River on highway Co-133 south of Glenwood Springs.

We found a really cute little motel called the Crystal Valley Manor right next to the river

Behind our room was a great little patio on the river

We walked down the street for dinner and they let me sit on the patio with them. I sure like going to dinner so I don’t have to stay in the room alone. Dad was really relaxed and having a good time.

Another great day comes to an end. Tomorrow I guess we are headed to a place called Breckenridge, Colorado. I am gonna get some sleep so I am ready.

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Telluride Colorado

Tuesday June 28, 2011

We headed north toward Telluride. The drive was breathtaking.

The mountains around Telluride are really big!

Colorado Highway 145 near Telluride

Cushman Lake along Highway 145 near Telluride

We spent time in Telluride walking around the town. There were a lot of other people with dogs on a leash. Here are Dad and I.

I heard Dad say how much fun it would be to shoot hoops with Dustin (whoever he is) on this basket.

Mom and Dad needed lunch and went to a restaurant that did not allow me to sit with them, so, I sat under a shade tree and waited.

I ran a lot but it was hard to breathe sometimes. I heard them say we were over 10,000 feet. Here is Mom on the trail

Above Telluride at 10,000 feet

And of course if there was water I was going to swim!

Did I tell you I love to splash and run in water?

Boy was this fun!!! And the day wasn’t over. After we played and hiked we headed north again toward Redstone, Colorado.

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Monument Valley Arizona

Monday June 27, 2011

Today we got up early and after breakfast and a walk loaded back into the car.  They said we were heading to Colorado and would drive through a placed called Monument Valley.  I laid down and took a nap.  I like naps! When we stopped we were in a place that reminded me a little of the Navajo Reservation where I was born.  It was really beautiful with lots of big rocks in the desert.

Here I am with Dad. I am camera shy and they keep trying to get me to look at it. But isn’t that rock beautiful.

Here is Mom being goofy giving me a hug

We stopped at the Kayenta Community Center. We sat on the playground, picnic area while Mom and Dad ate lunch and I got to run around the playground, it was a lot of fun!

Then off to Cortez Colorado through the Canyons of the Ancients.

This is a picture of Medicine Hat Rock on the way. It is beautiful but I did not see it I was taking another nap.

In Cortez we stayed at the National 9 motel. It didn’t look too nice but it had two rooms, a refrigerator and two beds. Mom and Dad went off to dinner at the Main Street Brewery and left me alone in the room. I got really scared and ended up chewing on my bed. I didn’t mean to but it was a strange place with strange smells and I didn’t know for sure if they were coming back. I wish they would have left me in my kennel. They didn’t seem too mad when they got back and even took me to a park where I could run around and swim in a little lake.

Maddy swimming. Cortez City Park, Cortez Colorado

They told me tomorrow I will get to see real mountains!

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Colorado Here We Come!

On Sunday June 26th Mon and Dad loaded a lot of stuff in the car and asked me to get in the back seat.  I found my sleeping pad and bed in the seat and off we went.  I was nervous at first but settled down and and when the ride made my eyes  heavy I fell asleep and took a nap.  We stopped at the Travelodge in Flagstaff.  When I went in the room there were lots of new smells, so ok some not so good.

Mom and Dad fed me and we headed back out to a restaurant called Macy’s where they let me sit outside with them while they ate.

 

 

That night I spent my first night in a motel, I still didn’t like the smells but it was fun sleeping there with Mom and Dad.