On Thursday the kids were pretty wiped out from our climb the day before so we had a mellow day. We found a trail by a lake that seemed easy for the kids to bike on. Unfortunately when we got there it was steep and then very narrow and bumpy. So we ditched the bikes and just sat by the lake. Some took their clothes off like they were going to swim but they didn't. We had a picnic and relaxed by the lake awhile before leaving. Then we went to look around the ski area. We were too late to go up the chair lift so we planned it for tomorrow. There is a 3 mile bike path back to town that is mostly downhill. So the kids rode their bikes and I ran with them. They had a ball because it was easy and paved. We hung out at the playground for awhile and called it a day. On our last day we went to the ski area and rode the silver queen chair up and then climbed to the summit. It was a mile and a half climb up. We saw a bunch of mountain animals. One called a pika, and other we weren't sure of. Like marmots or something. The end of the hike is a big scrambleof rocks which the kids loved.
The peak was 12,200 feet. You sign your name in a book for making it to the summit. We didn't linger on the mountain because the weather was threatening. It was raining everywhere else except on us and we could hear thunder so we skiddadeled off and back to base. The kids loved riding the chair lift. We had lunch at the base watching mountain bikers come down and over jumps. Afterwards we packed up and headed out of town. We found a great camp site at Lake Fork off of route 50 west of Gunnison.
Crested Butte
We are here in Crested Butte for a week, staying in the home of a friend. Here is how our week is going:
Friday: we arrived in the afternoon, loaded up on groceries and just relaxed at the house. And did about four loads of laundry.
Saturday: we had a slow start in the morning. We found an easy hike right in town called the Lower Loop trail. While James hiked with the kids (Molly decided to bike), I took the chance to do some running. I planned to do two loops but got lost and ran around and just enjoyed the scenery. The views were incredible, I ended up getting about 15 miles in. Near the end of our hike it started raining like crazy and even some hail. I was running down the road and found James and the kids hiding out in a little shelter. I took the keys and ran to get the car. The weather in the mountains moves in and out so quickly. Definitely something to consider for my race. The kids had an ok hike. We parked too far from the trailhead so they weren't on the trail too much. They found the slate River and played in it some. Molly did a good job biking on the trail.afterwards we all went into the cute old town to check it out a little. 
We were all wet and chilly so we didn't explore too much.we went back home and played around and cooked dinner.
Sunday: we packed picnic lunches and got ready to go hiking. We did a scary drive out slate River road and up to "Paradise Divide". Our mini van made it over the steep, winding, Rocky, Mountain roads, through some small streams and up very steep climbs with huge drops offs. I was white knuckled the entire ride. Once we made it to the top we did a hike to Yule Pass. It was four miles round trip on an out and back route. It was all on scree and some parts were very dangerous with massive drop offs. 
We took our time, held on tightly to the kids and after two and a half hours made it to the pass. The kids loved that they got to touch snow in summer. The views were amazing.
It was not steep, it was a very slight and gradual climb, not arduous at all besides from the footing. We made the hike back in an hour and a half. We read up on engine braking before taking the way down the hill and it worked well. When we got back down the mountain James took the kids to a play ground in town and I ran back to the house, which was 10 miles. We showered, cooked dinner and went to bed.
Monday: today we stayed in Crested Butte South, which is where the house we are staying in is located. Crested Butte south is about 8 miles from town. We went into the valley and found a few hikes. We saw a fox and walked through beautiful aspen groves. 
One was up to an old mine shaft. 
We had a picnic lunch then went into the mine. We went in about 50 yards. We were scared a bear would pop out. A bird flew out and scared us all to death! There was nothing really interesting in there but it was neat to think of the history. Then we hiked up to some caves. This was a harder but shorter hike as we gained more altitude more quickly. One cave was wide open and went all the way through to the opening in the top. The second cave we explored was very fun. It had lots of off shoots and different rooms. We had to climb up a pole to get in. 
We explored every nook and cranny. Sometimes we were on our stomachs climbing thru tiny openings to other rooms. 
Molly was totally fearless and went into little openings on her belly on her own. We were all filthy but had a very adventurous time. When we drove home we searched for a hot spring but didn't find it. We came home to shower all the mud off and are tired! We had a little fire put to roast marshmallows.
Tuesday: today everyone woke up a little tired and run down so we decided to have a more relaxed pace day. We hung around in the house, doing puzzles and the kids learned about setting up domino tricks so we did a few of those. James, casey and julia drove down the hill. Molly rode her bike while I ran. 
We met them at a playground at the bottom of the hill. The kids played on the climbing wall, playground, and there was a tiny bike track with small berms and bumps. 
The kids all rode on it a bunch but especially molly. She rode around and around for so long, getting faster and more confident. 
Molly and I came back to the house and had a lunch date and she took a a well needed nap. James and the other two went into town and ran into a herd of cattle in the road. 
Afterwards the girls and I ran into town for some groceries.
Wednesday: today we tried a more difficult hike. We drove to the trailhead and hiked to the summit of Scarp Ridge West. We hiked two miles up and gained 1,500 feet of elevation to reach the top at 12,200 feet. 
The girls were amazing and hiked every step of the way on their own. We took many breaks and it took about two and a half hours to get to the top.
Casey climbed down into a rocky pit and when she was scaling the wall she fell and scrapped her belly. It was very windy at the top but the views were great. 
We could see so far. The bowls all had a lot of snow in them still. We had lunch up top in a little spot hidden from the wind. 
The walk down was hard on the kids because they were cold and tired so we did some carrying on the way down. 
We were very proud of the girls for making it so far. When we drove back to town we stopped at a restaurant for happy hour and had chips and salsa and a beer. And we loaded up on postcards. As I sit on the deck of this house it's hard to believe tomorrow is our last full day here. We've really enjoyed Crested Butte.
New Mexico
We drove up to Taos on Thursday to meet up with Big Al, a local legend, who is very dear friend of the Gestals. Al met us and we hopped into his pick up to drive up a mountain road high above Taos Ski Valley to his horse camp. All the kids rode with us this time. Julia sat with James, molly rode with me and Casey rode with Blake, Al's assistant. We went for an hour ride up to a great vista over the valley and then came back to horse camp. It was pretty cold, we were up at over 10,000 feet. We built a big bonfire and had some snacks. The kids and James practiced using the lasso trying to rope the fake calves. We had a lot of fun at horse camp and then at dark headed down the mountain to Al's house to crash for the night. James and Al stayed up and had some whiskey. In the morning we went to Michael's Kitchen for a great breakfast and headed north. Before getting to Colorado we stopped at a place with tons of cars to see if we could get a New Mexico plate. James has been trying to get a plate from each state if he can find someone to give him one. This guy Carl didn't have any but sent us up the road to meet Duke. We felt like we were in the show American Pickers. Duke was quiet but he gave James a few states worth of plates. Then we headed up to CO. Hard to believe the travel part of it is over and now we're onto the six week stay in Colorado.
Houston and Austin
Tuesday we woke up in Houston and headed into downtown. We parked at a park along the Buffalo Bayou and got our bikes out. They have nice running and biking trails and we hoped it would be a good way to see some of the city. 
We did about a 4 mile loop. Unfortunately it was so hot and the water fountains we planned to stop in were not working. The kids were worn out from the heat so we called it a day. We loaded up on Gatorade and drove up to Austin. We went directly to the University of Texas and right for the football stadium of course! We went right in and down to the field. We took pictures and ran up and down the field. 
We ran out of the tunnel and when we were doing it we saw a player headed for the training room. A few minutes later we were kicked out, oh well. 
We drove around Austin a bit. When we were stopped at a red light a woman on the street started air punching in our direction like a crazy person. We realized we were right next to a cop and her anger was directed at him. The kids asked what she was doing and then we giggled about it because she looked silly. We drove down to the Barton Springs Pool. It is a natural cold spring that they have built a pool around. It is about 65-70 degree water but in that heat it felt great. We swam for a bit then went to a food truck festival that is held one Tuesday per month. The kids tried Mac n cheese. James had bbq sliders and shrimp tacos. Afterwards we drove north out of Austin and eventually stopped for the night in Goldthwaite, TX.
Wednesday we had a boring day. Just drove northwest through texas with stops in Abilene and Lubbock for the kids to play on playgrounds and eat. In Lubbock we found an amazing bbq place for dinner James had ribs and I had brisket. We drove just over the border into New Mexico to sleep in a town called Clovis. Off to taos tomorrow.
New Orleans
MWe pulled into New Orleans without a place to stay on a Saturday night which was also the Fourth of July. Using the app hotel tonight we got a great deal on a hotel right downtown for much cheaper than a motel 6 type place thirty minutes away. We were all exhausted and planned to go to bed early but we found out that the fireworks in NOLA are amazing so after the kids swam in the hotel pool out we went. James and I went through NOLA in 2004 and it seemed very different. Bourbon street did not have the spring break feel we remembered. 
It was gross and we wanted the kids to see it but we quickly heard to quieter streets of the French quarter. We went to the bank of the Mississippi and found spots to watch right on the water. I ran and bought a pizza and brought it back to the kids. The fireworks were great and right on top of us. They had two barges set up, setting them off in sync. The girls were exhausted at the end and we carried julia and molly all the way back to the hotel. Julia fell asleep in my arms and I was sweating a ridiculous amount. We found our hotel and all crashed. Sunday morning we had breakfast and then set out again. 
We went through the French quarter again, shopped in the French market, the girls enjoyed snow balls, and each bought a trinket. 
We wanted to go check out the cemeteries but there was some dissension in the ranks. James ended up riding the street car up canal with molly and casey and looking at a cemetery. 
Julia hadn't quite decided on her trinket yet so she and I hung back and went through every store with a fine tooth comb. She and I sat in Jackson square and listened to a great group of musicians playing and singing jazz. It felt like a real New Orleans moment and I will never forget it. Afterwards we found Cafe Beignet and tasted our first beignets. They were delicious and the cafe was adorable. 
We got an order for the rest of our family to go. We met up with them and then packed up the car and headed to a swamp tour. We had a reservation for a 4pm tour. The boats were not fan boats but longer with benches facing outwards. Right away we saw really deep swamp scenery and a few huge alligators. The biggest was about 12 feet long with a monster head. The boat drivers toss a marshmellow into the water and the gators come get it. Then he puts a hotdog on a stick and the gator will bite it off.
They try to get the gators to jump out of the water a bit to show their size. A few times he put the hot dog on the side of a tree and the gator sort of climbed up the trunk to get it and you were blown away by the size. 
The rest of the tour was more seeing blue herons and the homes on the water. After we got a hotel room and went to bed.
Monday we continued west and made a stop in Baton Rouge. We parked at the LSU athletics area and were surprised to see a live tiger in a pen right where we parked. He is the mascot and they keep him there. He was quite active when we were there which was cool. 
He walked around a lot and swam a few times in his little pond. After that James took the kids exploring inside the football stadium. They walked around in the stands and then checked out all of the luxury boxes. 
I went for a long run while they did that. The noon heat in BatonRouge is something! My run took me along a levee beside the Mississippi River. I saw a navy destroyer and the paddle wheel casino boats. After a few hours in Baton Rouge we continued west to Lake Charles LA. Here we made a quick stop at a playground and splash pad to run the kids a bit and escape the heat. That afternoon we drove into Houston to sleep.
Mobile
We spent the Fourth of July in Mobile, Alabama. We went into the downtown which was pretty and old and also a ghost town. There was nobody around, it was strange. We ate lunch at Wentzell's and ate southern food. James and I shared gumbo and fried green tomatoes. Then I had a shrimp po boy and he had shrimp wrapped in bacon. It was all good, especially the gumbo. Then we headed to the USS Alabama to tour the battle ship and submarine. We enjoyed it but it was hot and the kids were pooped from little sleep the night before. We still explored it for a few hours then drove to New Orleans. 
Alabama
We spent two amazing nights at my best friend's family ranch in Alabama. Galio Farms is a special place that I have been fortunate enough to visit several times. Now that my family gets to see it too is very cool. We had a very long car day Thursday from Asheville to Galio, about seven hours. The kids did pretty well all told. When we arrived it was about 4:30 and William, the property manager met us. Despite the heat the kids really wanted to try horseback riding. I wasn't sure what to expect given our lack of experience but after leading the kids around for a few minutes we all got on our own horses and went for a thirty minute ride together. The kids were SO HAPPY to be on their own horses and riding alone. Julia wore her cowgirl boots. Molly was adorable. Afterward we took a quick spin in the Polaris, and then showered up for dinner. Katie and Annie Belle cooked up delicious fried chicken, mashed potatoes and peas and of course ranger cookies for dessert. We took the kids out on another ride around the property after dinner in the quiter golf cart in the hopes of seeing some animals but the kids were laughing and talking so much I think they scared all the animals off. The kids thought driving the Polaris is the greatest thing ever. 
Friday morning I woke up and went for a run very early. The humidity was already through the roof. We enjoyed a big breakfast and went back down to the barn for another ride. We each got on our horses. James rode Boss, I rode Cheif, Caey rode smoky, Julia rode Dale and molly rode Little Gal. We rode for about two hours including a water break at the tea house. The kids enjoyed it so much and it made me very happy to see them having so much fun. After our ride we went to the train tracks and put pennies on the tracks. Then we met up with Mike, who works for the timber company and he took us on a visit to a logging site. Mike took us into the woods and we saw the operation up close. We were able to see the cutter cut down rows of trees so quickly and pile them up. Then another rig comes and scoops up the pile and drags it to the loader. The loader then picks up the pile and strips it off all the branches and loads it into a logging truck. 
The kids were pretty exhausted so we went back to Galio and had some lunch and naps. After naps we tried our hand at fishing but with the heat nothing was biting and we did not have the patience to wait it out. The kids wanted to swim in lake Bob so we did. We all had a ball jumping off of the dock over and over until it was time for dinner. We ate fried catfish, hush puppies and stewed okra. A powerful storm blew through and knocked the power out but Galio has a generator so we were not effected. At dark we took another Polaris ride and went to get our smooshed pennies from the train tracks. Then william called to say it was time for a firework show at lake bob. He shot off a bunch and the kids did little ones too. It was a great night and lots of fun. 
Saturday morning we got everyone up at 5am and met william and his two daughters to go pig hunting. Unfortunately we didn't get a pig but that's how it goes. We had o ur last big breakfast, cleaned up, said our goodbyes and hit the road. It was an amazing stay at Galio.
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