Aspen

We moved over to Aspen on Saturday.

I ran there and James brought the girls and unpacked and hit a playground. There are tons of biking paths and parks to explore. James took the biking and hiking and they got caught in a giant rain storm.

I can't remember everything we did each day. Monday our car was in the shop all day getting the rear glass replaced. Tuesday we went up to Indepenence pass. It was so windy and cold up there that we couldn't hang out for too long.

We descended a bit and explored the old mining town of independence. James and I were so interested in how much glass was around the site. In the store there they have an intact Budweiser bottle from so long ago. We also spent a lot of time at the grottos. This area is by the Roaring Fork River and has lots of beautiful waterfalls and places to explore.

There is also a slot canyon we went into. We couldn't go too far because there was waist deep water and James and I didn't really feel like getting soaked.

Molly stripped down and was ready to go! We had a great family dinner outside which was so nice. I just love the Colorado weather. Wednesday morning we set an alarm and went to Maroon Bells early. Getting up early pays off, we saw a few elk on the way up. Right off the bat I understood what all the fuss was about. It was GORGEOUS.  

The lake was so clear you can see the bottom all the way across. The mountain reflected in the lake. On the far side of the lake there was a black bear walking along and we followed it on the far side for as long as we could see it.

It was really cool. Then we began hiking up to Crater Lake.  The hike was pretty easy. The lake was ok, not amazing compared to the lake down lower but the scenery all around us was awesome. We stopped for lunch and kept on going up the trail.

We went a bit further then decided to head off the trail and hike up to a patch of snow. It was very steep but we sat by a nice waterfall and had snacks.

Then we threw rocks at the snow to try and break parts off of it.

After a nice break we headed back to the car. All told we were in there for 7-8 hours. That night we went back to the rodeo. Our hope was that julia would get selected for mutton bustin this time and she did! I took her back where they suited her up with a helmet and protective jacket.

Julia was not afraid at all. She went second and hung on for dear life. She didn't last too long but she loved it and it was a highlight for me of the entire trip.  After a very long day Wednesday we had a slow day Thursday.  We went for a bike ride and run in the late morning to a new playground.