Jan 14, 2012 - Winter Park Colorado Ski Week

Second "Annual" Colorado Ski Week with Jen and Chris (Rochester friends). The lack of snowfall across the country made us a bit nervous about our Downhill and Crosscountry ski week. Wouldn't you just know that we both ended up driving in snow to get to Winter Park? Jen and Chris had the greater challenge of getting to the condo as I-70 was closed out of Denver but they found an alternate route and made it to the condo at about 9:30PM Saturday evening for the start of a very fun week! Highlights: * Preparing for the week and "catching-up"...

Sep 18, 2011 - End of Season is Nearing

We are rapidly approaching the end of this very special summer. Next to Yellowstone, this has been right at the top of our summer experiences. It is very tempting not to commit for next summer. We officially close the first of Oct. but most of the seasonals have pulled out and the workampers will begin pulling out this week. Jean is only working 3 days a week while I toil 4 or 5 (ah, poor baby). We have a lot of projects to complete before closing. Last week we replaced a sliding glass door in a 90 year old cabin with a 6+ inch sag in the...

Sep 2, 2011 - Shadow Mtn. Lookout Hike

Ten miles,1550 vertical feet,altitude at summit-9975 feet. The preceding were the statistics for today's hike. We started in the cool of the morning-8AM. We began by following the eastern shoreline of Grand Lake for about a mile. We then turned up and back as we followed the 3.9 mile trail upward along a moraine before it then ascended a long ridge constantly up toward the summit. The last tenth of a mile consisted of moderately steep switchbacks to the summit where stood a scenic and well constructed stone fire tower. The trail was full of...

Sep 1, 2011 - Kayak Grand Lake

We were delayed by heavy cloud cover this morning but finally the sun broke through and we were able to kayak Grand Lake. It is about a 4.5 mile trip around the lake. It is a very scenic setting with Shadow Mountain and the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park as the backdrop. The shores here are quite filled with lake homes-some very large and beautiful. The town of Grand Lake is on the northern shore and is very old. It was originally established in 1881 as a supply point for mining camps. Today it is a tourist destination since it...

Aug 31, 2011 - Rocky Mtn. National Park

Today was a splendid driving and walking tour of Rocky Mountain National Park. Countless people have been inspired by this geologic creation. When one wants to discover his inner soul he only needs to experience the awe of this special place. John Denver's famous song, Rocky Mountain High is the perfect emotional expression of what beholds the eye. We started our tour from the west entrance near our campsite in Grand Lake. We drove the famed Trail Ridge Road east across the rugged landscape to the eastern valley town of Estes. We had lunch...

Aug 30, 2011 - Kayak Shadow Mtn. Lake

Jack Frost visited our campsite this morning and left chinks of ice on our kayaks. I could see my breath as I busied myself readying our gear for today's kayak journey. It was a short drive to Shadow Mountain Lake in downtown Grand Lake. Lake Granby is a natural lake on the Colorado River and is quite large. Shadow Mountain Lake is a holding reservoir created by a dam in 1944-1946. Water is pumped up from Lake Granby and serves the surrounding area. There is a tunnel in Lake Grandby that diverts water to the east slopes of the Rockies and...

Aug 29, 2011 - Steamboat to Grand Lake,CO

It was 95 miles across the mountains to Grand Lake,CO. What a beautiful drive. We had to chug up Rabbit Ears Pass which is a 7% grade that climbs for 7.5 miles. The day was rainy and we got some dramatic views of mountains in the clouds. We wound through a twisty canyon of towering granite and then along the shore of Lake Grandby before reaching our campground-Elk Creek RV Park just north of Grand Lake. Our coach and car were drenched with sandy red trail dust. We were led to our campsite which sits amongst fir trees and willow bushes. The...

Aug 27, 2011 - Corvette Show in Grand Lake

2011-08-27 Corvette Show in Grand Lake Every weekend there is something going on in Grand Lake, Co. If you haven't been to Grand Lake, do yourself a real favor and make a visit. I was first there in the summer of 1965. We had just gotten married and I had two weeks of US Army Reserve Summer Camp at Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver. One of the guys in my unit had an uncle who took us on a 2-day tour of the Rocky Mountains on our days off. One of the stops we made was Grand Lake. In 1967 I took Linda there and we spent a week in the...

Aug 26, 2011 - August Almost Gone

August is almost gone and we are very past due for an update. We have busy at work and at play and if I can get through a couple more work days without breaking something, I will set some sort of record. Our first fun adventure was an overnight trip to Georgetown, where we went on a Dinner Excursion on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Prime Rib and Shrimp served on a restored narrow gauge rail car, while parked on a bridge overlooking a river. The following week Terry and Marie Platts from Florida, Doug Thiel and his friend Carol from...

Aug 26, 2011 - Grand Lake

2011-08-26 Grand Lake Mark & Sandy arrived at WWR while we were in town doing a little shopping. We met up with them and drove together to Granby and back. We ate a late lunch of City Market chicken and salad bar. Tonight Linda & I have tickets to the opening night of Almost Heaven, the music of John Denver, at the Rocky Mountain Repretory Theater. The RMRT has just completed their first summer season in the new theater building. The new building is fantastic! Later, Gary

Aug 25, 2011 - Back at Winding River Resort

2011-08-25 Back at Winding River Resort Today was another travel day, mostly driving through some of the more barren parts of Wyoming and into north central Colorado. Once we got back into the mountains and climbed over Willow Creek Pass the scenery was much more interesting. Got to WWR about 2:00 and got set up; then visited with old friends. Later, Gary

Aug 23, 2011 - camped over

August 23, 2011 camped over Winding River Resort We drove into the Colorado Rocky Mountain National Park, stopped at Holzwarth Historic Site, walked half mile back into where the Holwarth Family created a rustic ranch in the 1920’s, and turned it into NeverSummer Ranch. All the buildings are original and all the stuff inside the home is just as they left it, from the crochet doiles, quilts and even their photographs on the wall, it was very interesting. We then stopped about midway at the top elevation over 11,000 feet and boy could we feel...