Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
Lord, please give me strength. Laura has four of her closest friends over for a sleepover to celebrate her birthday (a month late). May I make it through the night because the cicadas outside are quieter than five teenagers… Happy Birthday, Laura!
Marc (from my work) brought me one of his mutantly large zucchinis. I cannot wait to make zoodles!
I went to Jefferson City to have lunch with my former boss today. Since I was off today, I took advantage and headed down. We ate at a place called The Grand Café and it was a great time! I am so glad that I took the opportunity to see Casey. On a side note, I took a picture of the Capitol building to show the kids. They have both been there and loved it. It is currently being restored, but you cannot really tell it is the Capitol in its current state.
Our vacation in Colorado has come to an end. We packed up this morning to head back to Missouri.
Our first stop before we leave Colorado is the Mountain Lyon Café in Silverthorne. If you ever get a chance to eat here, make sure to stop. It is so good! The portions are huge though. You have been warned.
Our second stop was Weldwerks Brewery in Greeley. We went there to buy some beer for one of our Columbia friends, but it just so happens that I have an old high school friend who lives about 30 minutes from there. When in Greeley, call Krea!
Our final stop was the Colorful Colorado sign. Goodbye, Colorful Colorado! We are all sad to leave you.
Now, it is time for the long drive through Kansas. We should be home about 3 am.
Big Tree Cycling took on Copper Triangle today, crossing the start line at 7:30 am. They will ride 80 miles and three mountain passes.
The kids and I headed to Center Village right about noon to eat some lunch and cheer on the riders as they crossed the finish line.
The first BTC member crossed the finish line just before 1 pm and Andy finished at 1:58 pm.
It was so fun watching everyone finish. This was Andy’s third finish and BTC had five new people who completed the ride this year. Congratulations to all! Finish or not, you all did a great job!
Someone walked onto our deck this morning and saw this.
She walked back inside and grabbed her sketchpad. She spent the next two hours on the deck.
This was the final result. Seriously. I am framing this.
It was all about Mt. Evans today. The team took off for a ride to the top at 7 am. The weather does not look promising, but I know these people will give it their all!
And, yes, I took a picture of the kids by this bear. Don’t tell them, but I have been planning this picture for a year. This is the actual conversation between me and them over this picture…
Me: Picture time with the bear.
Kids: Come on, Mom! No pictures with the bear! You are not taking our picture with that thing.
Me: Oh, yes. Yes. I. AM! Now, smile!
After pictures and the cyclists had started their rides, the kids and I took our time heading up the mountain. We stopped at Chicago Forks and explored a little. How beautiful is this?!?
We stopped at the lodge, which is halfway up Mt. Evans, for breakfast and to check in with all of the riders. For some, the lodge was their goal while others continued. Andy chose to continue, though reaching the summit was not necessarily his goal. We decided to meet at Summit Lake, which is five miles from the top. Once the last rider headed up, the kids and I loaded up and started our trek to Summit Lake. We stopped a few times to enjoy the views and have some fun.
John wanted his picture with the mountains in the background.
Not to be outdone, Laura needed one too.
We met Andy at Summit Lake and he decided to load his bike, so we could drive him down to the lodge for descent from there. The weather was beginning to roll in and the wind had turned vicious. Once at the lodge, Andy met up with two others and began the descent. Unfortunately, the rain started within about five minutes, making the descent difficult on a bike. Andy and one other chose to stop and we drove back to the bottom. Despite not reaching the summit, it was still a successful day!