Birthday Backpacking

                     

 

Crater Lake

This hike allowed us through open meadows, sparse forested vistas, magical woodlands, ponds, 13,000 ft. mountains and more than 5 varieties of mushrooms! We camped at the first lake pictured with the rocky peaks & early morning fog. The second lake we stayed at the night before.  

Wood Decomposers! The third mushroom is Auricularia Auricula. What's known as a jelly fungi Auricula is the only jelly fungi edible in North America, we declined this time! 

WILD ABOUT WILDFLOWERS!

                                              We had some friends in town and decided to go wildflower hunting. High up at 12,230 ft they are in full bloom. Thank you mother earth!

I am still identifying some and will post when I know  The lavender and white flowers are the Colorado state flower the Columbine. The white flower is called biswort

4th of July!!!

                  

 

I have crossed off something I have always wanted to do HOUSEBOAT ON LAKE POWELL!!

Lake Powell is part of 1.2 million-acre Glen Canyon National Recreation area straddles the Arizona and Utah border, dominating the landscape with its dramatic rock formations.

We rode in VIP style, motor boats, jet ski's, paddle boats, motorrafts, and that was just at base camp. 

Cliff jumping, tubing & fireworks & natural sandstone arches filled in some of the time. 

We got a little wild and the ladies went stag(explains our stashes). 

Carver's Rafting

Last Thursday friends I work with and I got offered to take a run down the river and we did just that. We had one swimmer and it was raging. Peak flows on the Animas have come up with temperatures this week, and the river was running about 4,500 cubic feet per second at midday on Thursday. The Spanish named the river "Rio de las Animas Perdidas", "River of the Lost Souls". It is also the last free-flowing river (un-diverted) in Colorado.

Pics coming soon

Summer Solstice Full Moon Float

We went floating with the full moon in celebration of the summer solstice last Wednesday 


                                                                      you can vaguely make out the bow of my boat on the right.

Gems and Music

Last weekend we went right up the road to amazing La Plata Canyon rockhounding with a friend who helped us to find Purple Fluorite and Quartz 

                                                                                                                                                                      

Sunday after a day in town we went up to Silverton at 9,000+ft. for the Silverton Jamboree. Reverend Horton Heat, Mofro and JJGrey, Motet, Papa Grows Funk. In the moutains with river streams, and sunshine!

Wonderful Weekend

Friday we climbed in town at sailing hawks (the enchanted forest)

Saturday after the Market, we all went camping at La Boca Farm  & Center for Sustainability.

Sunday we floated the river and laughed all day. 

We headed to the one of the best concert venues by night/biker bar by day (Mishawaka) and along the way we camped, picked up our new truck,and passed through one of the highest towns in the country (leadville), this was some of the scenery.

Exploring Ghost Towns

It's actually spring and we went about 1.5 hrs. north just past Silverton and found snow! Explored the rich ore river and biked a little. 

Mountain Biking

Camping and Biking Sand Canyon

 Canyon of the Ancients, Colorado

Tree-ring dates indicate that the site was occupied from AD 1250 to 1280. Monument contains the highest density of archaeological sites (an estimated 20,000 of which about 6,000 have been recorded) in the United States!