Saturday, August 1, 2009

Vacation in Colorado

I spent my summer leave days in Colorado and Texas visiting with friends and family. It was a fantastic trip. Colorado is incredible in the Summer and we took full advantage of all the fun outdoor activities. 

This picture is from our very memorable hike at Greyrock, near Fort Collins. It was quite an adventure getting to the top. We lost the trail near the end, did some exciting boulder scrambles, and then got to take in this magnificent view from the summit. There is a little frog pond at the top that was so serene and lovely. 

Here I am goofing around on the trail. We came upon all kinds of wildlife and wildflowers. 









One day we went in to Denver for a Rockies game. They came back in the final inning to beat the Atlanta Braves. 









At the Loveland Sculpture Garden there were many creative photo opportunities with the artwork.




Fort Collins has a very unique sculpture park called the Swetland Zoo. A farmer took the time to create amazing pieces with metal and other scraps. The entire display is so imaginative and really makes you smile. This was one of my favorites. 












This is a picture of Greyrock from the meadow that lies at its base. 
We hiked for several hours just to get to this point. Looking at it now, it is hard to imagine that we were able to make it to the top. So much fun! 


Another great thing about Colorado is the generous amount of breweries. Here I am about to enjoy one of the samplers at O'Dell's. 









The other hike we tackled was a smaller trail called Arthur's Rock. 
It was a chance to see Colorado wildflowers at their best. The hills were covered in so many beautiful colors and shapes. 


Here is a picture from the top of Arthur's Rock. It was a little cloudy but the view was great. Wish I had my horn and could blow a few notes from the top!