Saturday, May 31, 2008

My Ben Tyler Trail Hike





















Friday, May 30, 2008

Hello out there

We went to Arapahoe Basin (known as A-Basin) for their closing 'beach' bash and a few more tries at skiing. I did a lot better this time and instead of trying to fall when I began going too fast for my liking, I just kept going..and going..to the bottom of the hill :) A small hill, mind you, but a hill, that I skied down without falling! I do have a wonderful and patient coach (Jason), which does help.


After A-Basin, we went and checked out the town of Dillon, where the Dillon reservoir is located. Very cool tiny town. Had dinner at a brew pub and then headed home.


I have realized in my short amount of time here that it is going to take me a life time to explore Colorado! There's so many places to visit, climb, learn about, hike, bike, and of course an endless supply of great live music streaming through!


Quick note - I landed a job I've been trying to get out here ever since I found out we were moving to CO! I'll be working outside under the bright blue Colorado sky all summer as a forestry aid on a trail crew, mainly working in Guanella Pass! More to come on that..for now, I hope everyone is doing well, and enjoy these photos from our road trip Memorial day weekend.

xoxoxo





Yes, that's a sign declaring we are entering an "Avalanch Area"



I would like to say I skiied down this hill, but we actually took this mini lift up (you stand on it, like at the airport)..and this is the view from the top of my hill I went down..

Arapahoe Basin..notice the Colorado license plate barely hanging on to the ski bum's red audi on the left...classic!


My fiance and world class instructor, pointing out that he is indeed #1


Giving me lessons on a $3 pair of Rosignol skis that are as old as I am. This requires skill. And patience. Lots of patience.

Taking a break and enjoying wearing short sleeves while skiing.



A kiss for being patient.



Driving home at sunset


The quaint town of Dillon, CO





Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Good Times


I am back from graduation weekend. What a perfect trip! Flight went great, I was able to visit my wonderful Aunt Sandy, the weather was sunny and warm for the graduation ceremony, and best of all, I spent some much needed quality time with my parents and brothers! The only thing missing was Jason, and my sister-in-law Katie, & Eli- we all missed them so much!

Tennessee and North Carolina were both absolutely beautiful. Everything was in bloom and just bursting with life! A big change from the snow I had left behind in Bailey.


I finally have my car back and am feeling a little better about driving everywhere now, since my car is a little more fuel efficient than our Toyota Bandit (camper) I was driving around for the past 2 months. The highest gas price I ran in to was $3.99when I crossed the state line from Indiana in to Illinois. Eeek!

I hope people will take a close look at who's in office right now and then take a look at our economy and everything going on around us..and get out there and VOTE this year.
Below are a few pics from my camera, I took most on my brother's camera and will post once he email them.

By the way, if anyone is thinking about coming out to Colorado to visit, the next few months are going to be amazing! High in the 70s today with a refreshing breeze and sun, sun, sun!

xoxoxo

View from my parent's back yard in TN


Rest stop entering NC

Me & Dad at dinner after Trev's hooding ceremony

A sighting of the famous white squirrel

Mom & I at our golf resort in Brevard

Me, Trevor, & my twin bro Schuyler - celebrating after GRAD

Trevor, awaiting his hooding

Trevor, just hooded by his soccer coach and mentor, Coach Nelson


Kansas..wind turbines

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

You're Awesome!


I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to my little brother Trevor, who will be graduating from Brevard College this weekend! Congrats Trev, I think you've realized you're capable of a lot more than you ever thought you were. Always keep up that mentality and you will go far in this oyster of a world. :)
Tomorrow I will be flying from Denver to Nashville - I can't wait to see my family and visit beautiful Brevard, NC again! I am also picking my car up and driving it back to Colorado, should arrive back in Bailey Monday or Tuesday.
In other news, we woke up to about 5 inches of snow yesterday. Flakes continued to fall well into the afternoon. The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, blue skies, in the 50s. Tonight we have a 70 percent chance of snow/rain, same goes for tomorrow. What is today's date, you might be asking? May 14th. That's right. And it's snowing. We're not in Florida anymore, Toto!
Jason's birthday was Monday, he's been a bit under the weather so I made him a cake and we had our own little celebration here at the apartment. Pictures and more new later!
Much love xoxo

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Our 5 o'clock Rainbow

State park ranger interview tomorrow! Could this be a good sign?




Sunday, May 4, 2008

Weekend Warriors

Hello!

What a wonderful weekend we had. We were both ready to relax and enjoy our time off - I started a job at Camp Santa Maria, a ymca camp about 20 minutes away. I'm really enjoying my time there but it is...work. More about that later!

Saturday we darted into a yardsale at a local church and found some Rossignol skis that are about as old as I am, along with some boots, for $5! The boots fit great and the skis are, well, skis. Nothing special, but they'll get the job done. We headed back to Breckenridge in the rv and stopped in the great tiny town of Alma on our way. Here's some interesting history on Alma -

This mountain town sits at the feet of five 14,000-foot peaks. Located along Route 9, north of Fairplay and south of Hoosier Pass, the current town lies downstream from the original Alma, or Buckskin Joe, as it was known during the mining heyday. At one time, area mines produced over $1,500,000 annually, before the ore petered out and a smallpox epidemic all but wiped out town residents.Relics and spirits remind Alma visitors of the town's mining history. The Sweet Home Mine still produces world-class specimens of rhodochrosite, a mineral known for its beautiful pink rose color.Like oft-told tales of lost ore veins, Alma ghost stories abound, including that of Silver Heels, a mining camp dancer who stayed behind to nurse ill residents during the smallpox-induced exodus. Near the epidemic's end, she contracted the disease, which left her beautiful face scarred. She was never seen again, but to this day, residents and visitors alike claim to have seen a veiled figure walking among the graves of smallpox victims.Today Alma welcomes mountain-hiking enthusiasts, ghost hunters and tourists from Leadville and Breckenridge. Must-sees include Kite Lake, at a crisp 12,400 feet, the ghost town of Buckskin Joe and Alma's spooky cemetery.

Alma is also the 2nd highest incorporated town in the United States, at an elevation of 10,578 feet. The town held on to the number one spot until 2006 when Winter Park, CO became the highest incorporated town due to its annexation of a ski area. We stopped in at a great saloon and grabbed some food and drinks and made it just in time for some Derby festivities.

We proceeded on to Breckenridge, had a few hours of sunlight left and found a hill to hike up. We strapped on our boots and skis and proceeded to hike until we reached a decent elevation. It was so peaceful and serene up there..perfect for my first ski lesson! Jason taught me a few basics and all was going well, until I started going a little too fast for my liking and fell..the wrong way! Instead of falling to the left or right of my skis, I fell in the center of them, and pulled a tendon in my knee. It was growing dark out so we called it a day and snuck in to a really nice outdoor hot tub at the Beaver Run resort. My knee pains immediately went away as I floated around in the 100 degree water while the air temperature was about 30 degrees and stared up at the clear mountain skies. Camped in the rv that night and boy was it chilly! Jason claims I yanked the covers away from him all night long, which I have no recollection of..but wouldn't doubt it. ; )
The next morning we had a delicious breakfast and then proceeded to trot around Breckenridge and explore the boutiques and even went in to the Breckenridge museum and learned a lot of interesting background on the town. I never realized how much of a mining town it was before a ski town. On our way back to Bailey, we stopped in South Park City and explored. Here's a link you may want to check out on the city, another old mining town http://www.southparkcity.org/ghosttown_history.htm
Enjoy the photos! xoxoxox