Summer of Fun

As the leaves begin to turn to golden yellows and bright oranges, we realize that our summer season of visitors is waning as we welcome Fall in the San Juans. We were gone for a good portion of the summer with our extensive road trip, Barb's girl trip to Sonoma to celebrate Maureen's birthday, and a week in Austin with Brian, Megan and Gwen helping on the kitchen remodel project therefore our visitors were clustered around the end of July and most of August.

First off was the third annual Elphingstone visit. Hiking, fishing, and a fun woodworking project along with a trek to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison were the highlighted activities with Paige, Scott, Will and Reed. The boys always seem to enjoy the time outdoors with high temperatures well below the 100's seen in Dallas during the summer and we enjoy having them explore the area with us.

A day after Paige and the boys left, Roger and Susan Carollo finally made it out to Ridgway. We had a lovely dinner together their first evening here and we took them up Courthouse Mountain on Saturday. It continues to be one of our favorite hikes for those that are willing to climb some steep, exposed terrain. They both seemed to love the area and we are hopeful that we will see them here again in the not too distant future.









We had a quiet few days before Brian, Megan and Gwen arrived. The same evening Ben Scott was able to join us for a weekend after a week long conference in Aspen. The group of us did a hike in the Sneffels range to Blue Lakes. This was Gwen's first visit and she really seemed to enjoy the backpack journeys to Blue Lakes, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and the Portland & Baby Bathtubs trails just outside of Ouray. Brian, Megan and Mike also got out for a summit hike to Mt. Abrams while Barb had a grand time with Gwen in Ridgway. Gwen continued to walk farther and farther distances and was thrilled to try her skills on the stairs. Brian and Mike went flyfishing one afternoon while Barb, Megan and Gwen spent some time in Telluride. Brian caught a rainbow trout which he enjoyed for dinner that evening.











Karen and Kaivon Mortazavi made it out here for the third year in a row and were able to trailer their bikes successfully over the mountain passes this time. They were with us a few days before they headed off on their bike journey covering more than 800 miles with stopovers in Aspen, Crested Butte and Durango. We hiked with them up in Ironton and the Amphitheater area outside of Ouray as well as a great 4wd journey up to Yankee Boy Basin. They overlapped for a few days with Kay Phelps, a very dear friend from Denver who stayed with us while dropping her son Brian off at college down in Durango at Ft. Lewis. We didn't see as much of her as we would have liked but we did get to do a great hike up to Ice Lake just outside of Silverton. After Karen and Kaivon returned from their bike trip we split up for a girl's day at the Orvis Hot Springs and the guys went flyfishing on the San Miguel where Kaivon caught a few trout. Unfortunately they had to head back to the heat in Texas and we were left with an empty house.

As of now, our only other visitors will be at the end of October when our friends from Chicago - Beth, Kathryn and hopefully Glo come for a visit before the snow falls. Ski season isn't too far off at that point and the skier friends and family will hopefully join us for some time on the slopes at Telluride.

5210 Miles (plus some airmiles too)

The trip to Aaron's and Peyee's wedding in Chicago seemed to take on a life of its own as it kept growing and growing and growing. The discussion went something like this....."If we are already in Chicago, Minnesota isn't too far so let's go see Kelly. If we are going to see Kelly, the Boundary Canoe Waters Area (BWCA) is just a few hours drive so let's do that canoe trip we had always talked about. If we are going to BCWA, the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior are just 50 miles out of our way to Minneapolis. We have to drive home so lets pick the route through South Dakota and see the Badlands, Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. If we are already going that way, let's see Yellowstone, the Teton's and the Devil's Tower enroute. On the way to Chicago, Topeka is on the way so let's go see Michael's mother, Elma, and then driving to Chicago takes us near Urbana so let's see Jeff, Katelyn, Lauren and Cassidy Scott on the way." That was more or less the genesis of our trip planning. Michael piloted the car most of the 5210 miles while Barb added a pre-trip trip with a visit to Austin with Brian and Megan for Gwen's first birthday; a few days in Dallas with Paige and family; a flight to Atlanta with two days in Marietta with Pam (and a celebration of their birthdays since they were born on the same day); 4 days in Peachtree City with her sister, her brother and his entire family celebrating Marshall's graduation; and two days with Marianne and Norm in Norcross before flying to O'Hare and meeting Michael in Chicago (thereby saving herself of 1400 miles of driving and 24 hours riding shotgun).

Starting at the beginning, Gwen's birthday party was a joyous celebration but the family missed Michael since he didn't make the journey due to problems with his Frontier Air flight. Barb had no travel problems though and was able to attend the festivities. From Texas to Georgia and Marshall's graduation from McIntosh High School. He is off to Georgia Southern this fall....I am guessing that the GSU Eagles will displace the Kentucky Wildcats as the family favorite. While Barb was in the south, Michael visited Elma as well as the Scott's on his roadtrip to Chicago.

We stayed with Beth and Dave in Wilmette and they were so helpful with the pre-wedding activities including cooking 100+ brats while we were at the rehearsal dinner. The wedding was a beautiful event at Millar Chapel on the campus of Northwestern with the reception at the SAE national headquarters. Aaron and Peyee met while singing in the choir at the Chapel so it was such a special location for the wedding. The ceremony was the ideal balance of family, friends, music and the love shared between Aaron and Peyee made the day perfect (despite a bit of a storm during the reception).



After a two day drive to the BWCA with a lunch stop where we braved 38 degree weather in a downpour (leading to foul expectations on Barb's part as to the upcoming 6 days canoeing in upstate Minnesota) we arrived in Grand Marais at Hungary Jack Outfitters to go through our pre-trip orientation. It was a COLD night sleeping in the bunkroom before setting off at 9am for our 6 day/5 night canoe trip. 16 lakes and 17 portages later, we arrived back at the take-out point after a fabulous trip. It was a truly spectacular adventure (moose, eagles, loons and even a bear foraging near our campsite on an island...since we never heard a splash, we know the bear was close by all night on our tiny little island) and the weather and bugs actually cooperated nicely. We were even doing the portages in a single trip (Michael with the canoe and his big Duluth pack and Barb with the food pack and her Duluth pack) by the last couple of days. The trip far exceeded expectations.



Off to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior starting with deep water rescue training before a day of kayaking around the National Park. We circumnavigated Basswood Island after kayaking over a few ship wrecks and took a ferry to Madeline Island for a day of sightseeing on mopeds.

It was an easy drive to Minneapolis from Bayfield and we had a fabulous time in Minneapolis with Kelly. We got to enjoy the great Minneapolis summer experience in Kelly's cool ragtop, spend time in her wonderful apartment, have lunch with Michael's niece, and see a play at Guthrie theatre.

Driving west through Minnesota into South Dakota we decided that a stop at Wall Drug was a must. Rumor has it that Wall Drug is the number 1 tourist stop in South Dakota although a friend of ours was sure it was the Corn Palace. We have no need to ever return to Wall Drug but the Badlands National Park is truly stunning. The landscape seems to be from another planet. We traveled further west to Mt. Rushmore and spent time driving through Custer State Park and the Needles area in the Black Hills before heading to Wyoming. It is such an interesting area and not too terrible of a drive from Colorado so I could see us making a return visit in the future.






We stopped off in Sundance, WY to visit Devil's Thumb (aka Bears Lodge) before the drive to Yellowstone. Michael had been in Yellowstone years before (both summer and winter visits) but it was a first for Barb and our days were filled with seeing the highlights including the geysers, mudpots, thermal springs, Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and a drive out into the Lamar Valley where Michael saw wolves on a winter cross-country ski trips a few years earlier. The bison and elk truly roam freely throughout the park and the chance to see an osprey soaring below us was such a unique sight. Also included is a very short video clip of Grand Geyser erupting.






Our last destination was the Grand Tetons. Once again Michael had been there on a previous outdoor adventure but this was Barb's first time. We found a great camping spot in the northern part of the park and enjoyed both the scenic vistas as well as a great hike through beautiful fields of wildflowers.

The final drive home was a long one but we definitely made the most of our extended journey visiting family and friends for joyous celebrations as well as quiet time spent in the splendor of the North Woods and the majestic spread of the West.

Grand Stairmaster

I would have felt pretty good about what I accomplished during my recent trip to the Grand Canyon if it were not for the extraordinary athletes I met while on the trip; more about them later.

Actually the trip began almost 5 months ago when we applied for the backcountry permit. The Grand Canyon receives 30,000 requests for the 13,000 permits granted each year. I was surprised to get exactly what I requested.

After a 7 hour drive, I camped on the South Rim at the Mather campground. The sites are pretty big, the campground had quite a few open sites and I enjoyed siting by the campfire reading a good book.

I got a pretty early start the next morning, Monday April 27, packing up, moving the car to a parking lot, and taking the shuttle bus to the South Kaibab trailhead. Barb and I had hiked the first part of this trail back in October. It is quite steep, about 4800 feet drop in elevation in 7 miles. It is filled with steps as seen in the photo above but since it follows Cedar Ridge for much of the way has amazing views. In the photo to the right you can see the trail just leaving the ridge and also the switchbacks further down the trail as it heads for the lower canyon. Just prior to reaching the Colorado River you enter a tunnel that immediately connects to the black suspension bridge that carries you to the north shore of the river. The photo to the left gives an idea of the steepness as you switchback to the tunnel which is at the same level as the bridge that is just visible crossing the river.

Here I met a couple taking photos of one another. She was my age, he was much older. I volunteered to take their photo. They reciprocated for me inside the tunnel. As we crossed the bridge together I learned they were not stopping at Phantom Ranch (they were only carrying daypacks, like many of those using the cabins or dorms there) but were continuing on back up to the rim via Bright Angel Trail (9 more miles). By arriving at Bright Angel Campground by 11am, I had my choice of campsites and selected #9 right next to Bright Angel Creek which was roaring with spring runoff so sleeping was wonderful. The campground is on the left side of the creek in the cottonwood trees seen in the center of the photo on the left.

Tuesday was my "rest" day since my permit called for spending another night at Bright Angel Campground. I chose to do the 12.5 mile hike up to Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab trail that eventually goes up the North Rim. I got an even earlier start and was about an hour up the trail when I was passed by a 20 something trail runner. This portion of the North Kaibab is one of the best hikes in the park. The trail is smooth and well maintained and follows Bright Angel Creek most of the way including through the canyon known as The Box. Ribbon Falls is a fabulous sight. This small feeder creek to Bright Angel, falls over a cliff through rocks made of calcium carbonate. It dissolves in the water and then precipitates back out as it falls to create a huge "stalactite" that is mostly hollow. I climbed up and had lunch behind the waterfall. After spending about an hour and a half enjoying the falls, I set off back down the trail. An hour later, the runner from this morning passed by, asking me if I enjoyed the hike. I asked how far up the trail he had gone. While continuing to run he turned his head and answered he had gone to the North Rim. I then asked, "You started at the Ranch?" He shocked me with "No, the South Rim... I do the rim to rim every year." He was not even winded. He was gone around the bend in a few seconds.

I talked to Rangers later who had seen him at different points confirming his route: South Kaibab from The South Rim to the river, North Kaibab to the North Rim and back to the river and then Bright Angel back to the South Rim. 44 miles in one day including 9600 feet in elevation!!!!

I saw 26 different wildflower species that day as well as 6 different lizard species.

The next morning, Wednesday, I headed across the silver suspension bridge and up the dunes. The three advantages of going up Bright Angel trail is that it is mostly in the ravine caused by the Bright Angel Fault so it is shady, there is water available along the trail and you can break the trip in two parts, as I did, by camping at Indian Gardens. I arrived and again got to choose the best site. I did an easy day hike out along the West Tonto Trail in the afternoon. I saw my first rattlesnake, a beautiful pink Grand Canyon Rattler and decided it was a sign that it was time to turn around and head back to the campsite.

The final morning, Thursday, I got on to the trail before 6 am and was able to surprise Barb with a phone call from the South Rim before 9 am. The last photo shows almost the entire trip: the South Kaibab trail is just to the right of the ridge seen in the image, the Colorado River is deep in the canyon crossing from right to left about 2/3 of the way up the photo, the hike up to Ribbon Falls is through the canyon seen on the far side and around the ridge that appears higher than the North Rim in the distance and Bright Angel comes right up the center of the image.