Rocky Mountain High

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

It was so fun to watch the sun rise this morning because as it rose we could see the gorgeous mountains!  Brody exclaimed over and over, "The mountains are beautiful!  Thank you Daddy & Mommy for bringing us to Colorado!"

We weren't the only ones up this early.  We saw several deer out for their morning stroll.

After several miles on a paved county road, we left the pavement for a 4 wheel drive road.  In the map below you can see the route that we took.  We followed the turquoise trail towards Baldwin Lakes.

 

Parts of the road were easy going and parts of it were pretty rough!  There were a few times where we thought about turning back...but isn't this what a Jeep is made for?  Here's a picture of one of the smoother patches (it was too hard to take pictures when I was really being jostled around!)

 

We finally made it far enough to pick out a campsite.  We wanted something that was close to a stream and this spot fit the bill.  It was gorgeous!!!

As soon as we set up camp, Mike and Brody headed to the stream to fish.

Barrett and I followed.  I don't know why Barrett's yawning?!  He had plenty of sleep last night!

 

I was on this trip too!  (And yes, I had to wear the ugly, bug eye glasses.  I can't wait to go to Canton next month and get a pair that actually looks ok!)

While Mike was making our lunch, the boys decided they wanted to climb a mountain.  Brody looked at the rock pile across the way from our campsite and declared that it was a mountain he would conquer.  Can you see the boys hiking in the picture below?

Mountain Man Brody 

Our campsite (yes, that's a 2 man tent that we have set up for the 4 of us.  I'm sure I'll have stories about our night tonight when I post tomorrow.  I'm afraid we might be just a little squished in there...but it's bound to be better than sleeping in the Jeep...right?!?)

Barrett & Mommy down by the stream (he wanted to go hiking in the backpack rather than fish).

 

One of the fish Brody caught (actually, Mike got it on the hook and Brody reeled it in).  This one wasn't quite big enough to be a keeper, but it was pretty!

After an unsuccessful naptime attempt (the boys were too excited to go to sleep), we climbed back in the Jeep to drive another couple miles to Baldwin Lake.  Barrett fell asleep as soon as we started bouncing around in the Jeep and I tried to prop his head up with a sweatshirt so he wouldn't jostle his brain!  It took about 45 minutes to go the 2 miles to the upper lake, but it was worth it!  It was GORGEOUS...and we were the only people there!

(Can you find Brody's bobber in this picture?  He became an expert at casting!)

Mike is in this picture.  Can you find him?  As I said before, this lake is gorgeous and the surrounding mountains made it absolutely breathtaking.

 

Mike hiking back to the Jeep with Brody on his shoulders.  (See the Jeep in the distance?)

It gets dark quick when you're in the mountains.  By the time we finished eating and cleaning up dinner, it was time for smores!!!  On our way down from Baldwin Lake, we found a stack of split firewood at an abandoned campsite.  We loaded it up and had plenty of good wood for a fire tonight and another one tomorrow.  The boys had fun eating marshmallows (I prefer the chocolate!). 

We've had an awesome day together as a family.  Bedtime tonight should be interesting.  With the 4 of us sleeping in a 2 man tent, by morning we'll be even closer as a family!