Lovely Loveland Pass

 "Stop!  Pull over!  I don't see mountains just every day ya know."

 Plaidie McPlaidsters.

 Above the tree line = headache.

Isn't there some rule about being on top of mountains in a thunderstorm?  

Just outrun the slowest person.  Oh yeah, that's bears.  

Speak softly and carry a big stick.  No, that's Roosevelt.  

Stop, drop and roll?  Not by this cliff.

Only you can prevent forest fires?  That's Smokey.

Anyway, looked like a good time to make like a tree and leave.

Downhill slalom mt bike X games trials

Saturday at Copper Mountain, pretending to be real mountain bikers.  And yes, that is a chairlift that is taking us up the mountain.  We never said we were THAT hardcore.

Right before Joel launched off the side of the wooden bridge and splashed into a huge mud puddle and swerved between 14 trees to skid to a stop right in front of the camera.

 Allie opting for the black diamond fork in the trail.

 Almost looks like Allie is about to fall!  Actually was the first and only wipeout of the day...somebody put ROCKS on the path.  What kind of crazy people build a trail with a root right next to a mud puddle?

 Maybe a black jacket would've been a better option?  Thanks to the rain we only made one run down the mountain, but it still took an hour, and now that we're pros we'll probably go back and cruise the crazy trails with ease.

Joel's 17 pounder

 As the old saying goes, fisherman like to exaggerate.  Joel's catch of the day didn't quite make it home for dinner, thanks to Allie's butterfingers.  But it sure was a beauty...

 Since Allie forgot her pole and bobbers, she had some time to play around with the digital camera, and to do some painting.

Hang it on the wall!

Return to Rollin's Pass

It all started with an hour window in the day on Tuesday...We stopped at REI for Allie's early birthday present -- a new green lumpy extra-long 24 degree sleeping bag! We were all set to camp out in Joel's recently fixed tent, but realized after trying to set up that we only had the rain fly.  Oops.  Good thing our car turns into a tent!  We just had to empty some junk into the front seats and lock a bike to a pine tree outside.  And as for our inflatable queen sized taco bed, we just might leave that behind on purpose next time.

 We also talked with the volunteer nature guide about official places for Dispersed Wilderness Camping and were thrilled to find out that we could camp near where we got engaged last September. Unfortunately that specific place has since been marked every 15 feet with Private Property signs, so we had to stay a little ways up the road.

Happy 4th, Ned.

"And last year during Miner's Day Festival, the winds were so strong, about 75mph, that we couldn't even keep the tents up, but we still had our parade.  Because in Nederland, we always have a parade when we're supposed to have a parade."  

-Ned The Announcer for the past 19 years 

(see above photo)

 If you can't be at the Land, might as well celebrate Independence Day in Nederland.  We made it up just in time to find a spot on the Parade route, which consisted mainly of old and not-as-old fire trucks, a band on a trailor, a guy who owns a Nissan Leaf and the 3-member Nederland Unicycle Club.