This week started off with perfect weather here in Idaho Springs! We hit almost 70 degrees and the sun was shining.
After attending the Arvada Vineyard we swung by Boulder and picked up Jeremiah for a day adventure.
We secured a reservation and drove up Mt. Evans. It’s a 28 mile drive from the entry point and it goes up and up and up. We were already in the snow zone and drove the windy, somewhat sketchy road up to and past the tree line. There were no rails and the drop offs were steep and high. The road was crumbly in some spots too.
We saw mountain goats on the sides of the road in a couple of spots.
The snow was so deep! I have never seen snow that deep before.
We made it to the summit which is 14,106 feet and then did a short hike to the top. The hike was the scariest part of my day. The top was covered in snow, ice, and slippery slush. My feet kept slipping and I was ready to call it quits, but Steve and Jeremiah encouraged me to keep going and I made it to where I could see both sides of the mountain’s views.
Steve and Jeremiah went on and stood on a boulder at the very top. Also at the summit there was an old castle that used to be a restaurant. There is an observatory as well.
We piled back into the truck and headed down the mountain. It was exhilarating being up so high. I’ve never been up that high before (outside of being in an airplane).
Steve and I were glad that we had no troubles breathing. Probably living at almost 8000 feet in Idaho Springs has acclimated our lungs. On the way back to Boulder we stopped in Golden, CO for some Thai food. It was a great day!
Monday was Memorial Day and we spent most of the day waiting on the trucks breaks to be fixed. We dropped it off at a mechanic in Evergreen and just took the 4+ hours it took to fix it to walk around. We got in an over 5 mile hike, ate lunch, and got a latte at a local coffee shop. It was strikingly green there and with the grass and trees really popping out due to all the rain we’ve been getting.
Steve got a contract secured this week and we will be headed to Bowling Green, MO for two months. Not exactly my dream location (I’ve never even heard of it before), but Steve feels really good about the position and we are up for exploring unknown territory.
The lilacs are finally blooming here in Idaho Springs and when we walk around town they are bountiful! It smells heavenly. The town burst into life this past weekend and we have seen so many white water rafters going down the Clear Creek river. It’s fun to wave to them and watch them tackle the rivers rapid waters. With all the rain we have been getting (every day!) the water is very high and fast.
We closed out the week with another great hike yesterday. Our son joined us and we hiked at the 4th of July trailhead in Indian Peaks Wilderness. The hike was pretty much straight up! I was prepared though, and had purchased some crampons for my hiking boots. We did encounter a lot of snow, but those things work really well in helping you stick and not slip! After around 2 miles (and 1000 feet of elevation gain) the weather at Arapaho Pass was looking pretty sketchy with 2 weather systems closing in on us. So we decided to head back down.
We were fortunate to see a coyote and a moose in the wilderness. There were several small waterfalls we encountered as well. On the way back to Boulder we stopped at Boulder Falls which were rushing with water. We also saw a very large male moose strutting through a field. It was a great day of hiking, beauty, and spending some time with our son.