Back to work today

It was a good vacation, but it's over now.

Car Camping

This picture should tell you all you need to know why the eating is better car camping than backpacking:

That's bacon and a tomato and kale from the garden on some of that cheese-jalapeno bread. At a campsite with this view:

Don't Worry

We're back. No mountain lion attacks, no government raids, no vehicular maleficence, and no time (yet) to stop and think. My Montana friend is going back tomorrow, after a vacation well spent. We basically have hit all four cardinal directions from town--just enough of a teaser that I hope he gets down here again for a trip with more substance.

And tonight for desert there was local mead, peach pie (from local peaches), brownies (not from local anything), and root beer floats (with root beer from one of the local microbreweries). Thus negating any beneficial effects from that 5-mile hike that went 1,800 feet up the side of a canyon wall to a few old silver mines.

I know this is wrong

To be blogging while in the mountains, but I've got three bars and I just have to let you know that we're pretty sure a mountain lion was trying to sneak up behind us while we were sitting at the campfire just now. At least, it was some sort of large critter with a white face and forward facing eyes... so between me and my friend else we've got three guns, an axe, and a big D-cell mag light... but we were in tents...

Photodump for yesterday: Grand Mesa

We had real good timing with this, last weekend was "Color Sunday," where everyone goes up on top of the Grand Mesa to look at the changing colors. Being just a few days behind was probably even better.

The top of the Mesa is above 10,000 feet; it was kinda freaking out my Montana friend that we were higher than the tallest peaks in Glacier NP but didn't feel like we were on top of a mountain (until you get to the edge and look down).

Today we're planning on hitting up the local museum in the morning and then hitting the road down to Ouray to go camping for a couple nights. So, just so I don't wind up like that moron from North Carolina who followed Aaron Ralston's lead, we're going to Ouray, and if you don't hear back from from me by, say, Monday, then it's time to start the search parties.

Photodump for yesterday: Colorado National Monument

Ute Canyon

The Coke Ovens

Kissing Couple

Independence Monument

Pretty neat place, a big hit with my Montana friend. My pass will work for a week so we may go back and hike some of the canyons.