Colorado Part 2

thanks for all the fun Colorado. we will be back soon.

our drive to Colorado through the lens of my iPhone

last week we took a small road trip to the beautiful state of colorado. 

the 6 hour car ride was fun. i was lucky enough to get to listen to 

bear sing me his favorite tunes for most of the trip.

after every song he would ask, do you think i'm a good singer? 

and i would respond, of course i do!  

the weather was beautiful. we watched a storm roll in and the 

clouds it created were spectacular. 

after it rained, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the distance. 

on our home trip, we stopped at a rest stop. 

bear decided that we should climb to the top of the nearest mountain/outlook. 

once we made it to the top of the mountain, it started pouring...we got soaked!

our car trip was great but our vacation was even better. more on that later! 

colorado

remember when i said that we rang the new year in while visiting family in Colorado. 

yes, we did ring the new year in; 

we always went on beautiful walks, and a snowshoeing adventure.

i just have yet to post anything about it. 

it was fun watching the heard of deer. 

drinking homemade eggnog.

snowshoeing for hours in the beautiful mountains.

relaxing by the fire.

and best of all, visiting and spending time with family. 

a little bit of this and a little bit of that

it seems as if this past month was played out in fast motion. 

it was a whirlwind of events. 

we failed to really document our trip out west, besides some measly phone pictures. 

but being that it was our 4th time driving across country; we knew the scenery, had already gotten souvenir post cards from each state, and the excitement factor faded after the 2nd across country trip.

here are those measly phone pictures documenting our life this past month. 

 

 

here we are, driving across the plains of Kansas

Entering Colorado and the beautiful mountains. 

Shento enjoying a little fresh air before getting back into the cramped u-haul

we spent a couple days with Bear's Aunt and Uncle in Ridgway Co. 

we enjoyed the small town festivals for the 4th of July.

and watched the traditional fire hose fights (above). 

i was also lucky enough to celebrate my birthday 3 different time. 

thanks to everyone who made me feel very loved and special. 

and lastly, while house searching in salt lake, bear and i tried the new smash burger. 

the selection of buns are impressive and it was nice to be able to sit outside. 

one thing that we have really loved about being in Utah is all the outdoor

 activities, scenery, and fresh air. 

waking up to the beautiful mountains 

and crisp lake every morning 

is a refreshing change from New Jersey. 

Great Company and Beautiful Views

As we started the drive back to New Jersey we stopped at Ridgway, Colorado to visit Bear's Aunt and Uncle, Vicci and Charlie. We got a wonderful surprise when we found out that his Aunt Caroline was going to be there also. We had such a great time and enjoyed ever minute with all of them. I can't express to you how beautiful the views that surround them are.  They look out to the San Juan skyway and over the little town of Ridgway. We went for a jeep ride through the old mining country and off roadin up and over big rocks and near some steep cliffs to get to our hiking path. Vicci, myself, and shento all sat in the back of the jeep, we took off the windows and let the breeze blow us away. It was so much fun. And although I got a little nervous about the steep drop offs, I knew we were in good hands with Charlie being the expert jeep driver. Our hike was stunning.  We got to see a couple old mining houses that have fallen down, beautiful streams running throughout and a crystal clear lake. Once we made it to the lake (our stopping point) we explored awhile and then sat down and relaxed. Bear tried to fly fish, however we were so high up that we were sure there was no fish living in the lake.  We ate lunch at 12,000 feet and enjoyed the spectacular views. We then headed back into the jeep for some more off roadin. We had such a memorable time. After our jeepin and hiking adventure we headed back to their house to enjoy the evening with Caroline and her friend Barbara.  Vicci made a wonderful dinner and we enjoyed the evening chatting and laughing with everyone.  Bear and I both were so grateful to be able to spend time with all of them. We miss all of them very much. Thank you for making us feel so at home and so welcome.  P.S Charlie, I had to put at least one picture up of you, and the once I chose happen to be such a good one that it was hard to resist. :)  

Ridgway, CO

This is the view we woke up to this morning. Simply Amazing.