So much happening in August!

Checking things off the 60 list....

Continue to hike the Colorado Trail - Segment 1 from Roxborough State Park instead of Waterton Canyon  because it was a bit longer but a lot prettier (one day hike), Segment 2 (run), Segment 6 backpack to Breck.  Here's a link to some info about the Colorado Trail. 

Faithful trail dog, Mattie.

The trail is divided into 28 segments, runs for 485 miles from Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver (right by Scott's house!) to Durango. You can do the segments in any order or all at once and can hike, run, backpack, or mountain bike. In my last post for the year I'll include my stats for segments done - all with Ann and Mattie, her dog.  Making progress!

one day run to finish Segment 2 and we started in a snowstorm

Finished segment 2 as it warmed up and sun came out.

On my 60 list was to go to an outdoor summer concert at Hudson Gardens near Scott.  We saw Kool & The Gang on a warm night and found up-close spots for our lawn chairs.  A nice blast from the past with a fun crowd.

For the second year in a row, we went to New West Fest in Fort Collins with Terri & Kent and heard good music on 3 stages.  The weather was fine, decent food, and great company for a free and awesome event. 

This year the total eclipse happened across certain parts of the US.  I didn't travel to see a total eclipse, but shared the experience on Quilt Day with some buddies.  Afterwards I heard great stories and saw the pics of my good friend who moved to Florida, Cindy Wagner, and other Longs Peak friends.  Nice reunion picnic in a Longmont park.

Quilting friends in eclipse glasses.  Ha ha!

Frozen with friends - at the Buell

Another one to check off the 60 list - I saw Frozen at the Buell with Cindy and Donna, Longs Peak friends.  It was awesome!!!  May be my new favorite, after Wicked. Everything about it was fabulous.

Scott and I spent 3 nights at Breck for a little getaway, just because.  We rode on dirt twice (got rained out once and drizzled on another day) and on the bike trail to Frisco on our 3rd day. All good in spite of precipitation!  Breckenridge is beautiful in summer and winter.

Boreas Pass

My good friend's daughter, Logan got married at a park in Fort Collins.  It was beautiful and was also a nice chance for my friends from the 1980's to get together and celebrate. We all turned 60 in the past 12 months. So happy for Logan and Zach!

Me, Diane, Roberta, Lynn, and Barb

2017 July...missing Colorado

July... started out with a parent crisis and I spent 11 days in Illinois.  Mom had to move to memory care and Dad has to decide if he will move nearby to assisted living or stay home with the same caregivers we've had for both parents.  No happy endings here.

Getting old is so tough!  Taking care of parents causes me to think too much.  My goal is to be happy every day and to be so grateful for people in my life and activities I can do. 

Ladies' get together at Polcyn's

Luau at The Cottages

Favorite eatery - Taco Bell, a family tradition now

A lovely week of activities in Colorado followed my return home - bike ride, kayak, etc. 

Scott paddling up to the pelicans at Chatfield Reservoir

Then Scott and I drove to Iowa to do RAGBRAI, a week long bicycle ride in Iowa.  It's the oldest week-long ride in the U.S. and I've know about it forever but only decided to do it last year.  And then Scott came along and he's done it over 15 times!  So naturally we did it this year!   RAGBRAI = (Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Big Ride Across Iowa

We met his team, the Cutters on Day 1 in Iowa City then stayed with them at the overnights they set up.  Their Cutter Bus followed for the entire trip. I didn't realize northern Iowa is so pretty with many small lake towns. Loved the terrain of the NE corner.

Cutter bus outside a bar with lots of bicyclers

One day on the ride. Roads are closed to cars.

The route:  Start at Lake Okoboji and ride to first night in Spencer.
Spencer - we camped outside a business that was closed and we had no bathroom or water or showers.  Not a good way to start a week of biking.  Not liking RAGBRAI yet.
Algona - stayed with LeeAnn in her beautiful house on the lake.  Paradise. Liking RAGBRAI.
Clear Lake - beautiful town.  Slept indoors!
Charles City - stayed with another nice couple.  Enjoyed the patio with a view and a bedroom in the house!
Decorah - stayed in an empty old house getting updated.  Interesting.
Waukon - stayed at Ben's parents' farm house with many other teams. Nice folks and we learned that everyone makes Scotcharoos for parties, they sell them everywhere, including at gas stations.  Recipe online.  They're the bomb!
We did not ride on Day 6 to Lansing.  Back to Iowa City, then back to Colorado. 

One of the lake towns - Lake Okobji?

Inside the cutter bus on the way to the start

Inside the Cutter bus - a bar (left) and storage for our things.  Bikes all went on top.  People in the front. You see many of these team party buses on the ride.

LeeAnn's dock, Algona.  What a beautiful part of Iowa!

We got so lucky with the weather!  The week before it was 90's and miserable.  Our week was in the 80's mostly.  The humidity is crazy but it was very tolerable for Iowa in July.

nightly music

I saw these same guys on Ride The Rockies (in Colorado) in 1990!  They are still riding and hauling a grill, a bar, music, and a cooler on their bicycles. Scott knew them from previous RAGBRAI rides.  Funny.

We definitely had some interesting times since we were always the first ones in to the overnight house in whatever town and we often beat the bus by hours (and our clean street clothes were on the bus).  Once I bought shorts in a random shop so I could get out of my bike shorts in the sweaty heat!  Once we both bought completely new outfits at a thrift store because it rained hard and we were totally soaked at the end - total price for both $10.  

And once we bought completely new outfits at the J.C.Penney that was going out of business.  We looked great (our opinions - see model photo ha ha!)) and loved our bargains. 
Then my seat split apart on the ride on Day 5!  So weird and my theory is the humidity caused it to expand and burst.  Duct tape held it for one more day of riding.

Scott was a great riding partner and companion in the host towns and we laughed throughout the trip.  RAGBRAI = One and done for me!  Goodbye July.

Me with my favorite Cutter

2017 June flew!

I got home from Italy in early June and did some other fun things and then June was over!  It went by so fast.  It didn't help that I got sick after Italy and had laryngitis and a bad cold for a while...and some days I laid around and did nothing.   Boo!  Here's some of the fun to remember. 

3-day Bikepacking trip with Scott.  I was sick and not energetic so I skipped day 1, but Scott rode it.  Then I rode days 2 & 3 and we loved it! The route - from my house to Camp Dick overnight, then through Allenspark to Estes Park & overnight at Moraine Park campground, then Estes back to Longmont.  It was tough but so beautiful with good weather.

Music with Ann & her mom Kay and my sis-in-law, Lynn.

At Prospect music with my sister-in-law, Lynn. 

My first lake Triathalon - with Scott

Lake to Lake in Loveland in June.  I only did the open water swim, no bike or run - because I was still sick and snotty.  It was tough and I drank a ton of lake water.   I didn't enjoy it.  

Scott got 3rd in his age group!  He's a competitor and a really great athlete.  And he's cute.

Segment 1 of the Colorado Trail with Ann

Full Moon Kayak with Scott on McIntosh

That's the sun setting, but the moonrise was huge and incredible!

Outdoor music in the parks with Terri and Diane and Mary and other girlfriends.

Scott's first concert at Red Rocks - Umphrey's McGee

Runs and birthdays on Sundays with the Dirty Girlz.

At Stone Cup in Lyons - a regular stop after a run or bike ride

Italy's Sardinia and the Dolomites trip

Another "Larry" trip for me!  At the end of May to early June, I went to Rome solo for 4 days, then met with Kirin & Matt to meet the "Larry" group.  This hiking vacation included one week on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean and another week in the Dolomites (near Switzerland).  We ended in Venice for a quick and memorable 20 hours! 

My 3 Larry trips have all been with Kirin and Matt, with another couple from Seattle - Kathleen and Terry, and with the amazing and wonderful guides Marina, Anthony, and Nick.  I also knew 2 other couples from previous trips (Ann & Bill and Gerd & Dick) and met some new friends.  It was the right amount of hiking, scenery, food, and friends.  What a great trip!  Especially wonderful was that we were in small towns and didn't do any of the tourist track stuff.  Lucky for us, Marina is Italian and she found special local experiences.

Rome is big, noisy, crowded, and very walkable.  But 2 days would have been enough.  The pic is Trevi Fountain.

I did a day trip to Pompeii which was very interesting and worthwhile.

Venice in Marina's friend's boat - he's gorgeous.  And Nick at the helm. 

A hike in the Dolomites - on a ski area.

Kirin and Matt in the Dolomites

Stone homes of the ancient Nuraghe people are found outside a round castle-like structure.  Over 7000 sites have been found on the island of Sardinia, but most have not been excavated.  Interesting place. 

In a small town outside of Baunei, Sardinia, where the Giro di Italia just rode through...with Kirin.

We were entertained at a farm dinner by some local young men who sing in the traditional Sardinian style called Canto a tenore.  It was unique and so interesting to watch and hear.   Here's a link to it on YouTube.  This musical style is protected by UNESCO.

The fresh local foods in Sardinia were amazing.  Dinners last 3 hours, with lots of wine, appetizers, a main meat, salad, dessert, then an small alcoholic drink called a digestivo at the end.  Always too much food.

Sardinian hikes were dry, hot, and rocky & often ended at a beach.  Nice!

April showers bring May flowers

Riding the White Rim

 May included another visit to Illinois and an awesome 3-day mountain biking tour of the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in Utah, outside of Moab.  We signed up with Rim Tours in Moab and they provided great support & food.  A fabulous experience, shared with Scott.

Another highlight - we stayed overnight at ACT campground in Moab the night before the tour began.  We got to sleep in a huge yurt!  Just a fun experience at a new & environmentally friendly campground.

We left the bikes and hiked into a slot canyon.  The climb out scared me!

Bruce and I talked about riding the White Rim a couple years ago, and we finally did it!  I got to do it with Scott so that was extra fun.

Some hills just were too steep and long to ride.

We spent over 2 hours in this port-a-potty while a hug storm blew over our campsite.  Luckily we had a place to get out of the storm and fellow riders with happy attitudes.

The Giant Yurt!

I got to visit my folks and family in Illinois again in early May - and the weather was nice!  We got outside a lot and did yard work and just sat in the sunshine sometimes.  

A special treat - poor boy sandwich for lunch at Merichka's 

The meat is dripping with garlic butter - and the restaurant has been busy for 70 years.  Yum!

A visit with my folks would not be complete without lunch at Taco Bell.

Koren's round barn across the road from Ranch Oaks.  Now it's a public park & very peaceful.