Aspen

On my birthday Cal surprised me by telling me he had planned and arranged for he and I to go on a fall trip together.  At the end of September we went away for a weekend.  We stayed in Glenwood Springs, but spent most of our time in Aspen, hoping to see some pretty fall colors.  We were a little worried we would be too late and miss the leaves, and it may have been a little past it's prime, but it was gorgeous.  We took the shuttle up to the Maroon Bells and hiked around a bit.  By the time we caught the shuttle and got up there, it was past lunch time and we had neglected to pack more than a couple of light snacks, so we didn't spend too long there.  It was pretty crowded anyway.

 

There were lots of signs of beavers in the area.  There were lots of beaver dams and we found lots of tree stumps like this that beavers had gnawed down.  Pretty impressive!  

There was this huge beaver lodge at the lake too.

After getting some lunch in town, we headed up another canyon to the ghost town of Ashcroft. The drive up was spectacular.  

These aspens were incredible.

 

This was about as far up the canyon as you can drive, and close to Ashcroft.  So pretty!

Ashcroft was a silver mining town in the 1880's.  It is at a really high elevation and sounded like really harsh living.  The town didn't last very long...

 

I love ghost towns!  They are fascinating.

View from inside the old hotel.



RMNP

We love to go on Fall drives in the mountains to see the leaves.  This year we didn't make it up to Golden Gate Canyon State Park, like we usually do.  Instead we decided to go to Rocky Mountain National Park so we could also see the elk.  This time of year there are tons of elk out and it is fun to see them and hear them bugling.  We've had a lot going on, so one Sunday afternoon we threw some things in the car and went for it.  It was not optimal timing, as it was getting dark and was cloudy and cold, but it was fun anyway.

 

 

We thought about hiking a bit, but decided to just take it easy and play around.  We had brought a picnic, but it started raining and got windy and cold so we huddled in the back of the explorer to eat.  It was pretty fun.  :)

 

"Look at the leaves!"

It was so dark that the pictures are not good, but it was very pretty up there!

Golden Buffs

Zach loved soccer so much in the spring that he was anxious to play again in the fall.  We put him in the same YMCA league.  His team was the "Golden Buffs" (the league is the Jr. Buffs, and they had golden jerseys).  His team was made up of all friends (Kira, Preston, Ethan, Raquelle, Lauren, Jaycee), except one girl we didn't know before the season (Tyler), with Kira's mom coaching again.  He really like to play with so many friends!

 

He did great, and everyone on the team seemed to understand the game a lot more than in the spring, making it much more competitive.  Zach still seems to have a preference for playing defense.

 

He was in a really silly mood the day I brought my camera.  He kept making funny faces and doing funny things...  Maybe it was a scare tactic?  :)

So much fun!!

Turning the ball around.

It has been so great to watch him play.  We can't wait for more!

 

Boys on Bikes

We got Zach a bike for his birthday, but gave it to him at the beginning of August so he could enjoy it.  He had ridden Austin's Strider bike for a week or two, adjusted for him, and did really well with his balance.  The bike shop where we got his used bike suggested not using training wheels at all, especially if he had used a Strider before.  He took the pedals off the bike and Zach used his bike as a balance bike for a couple of days until he was comfortable.  Then we put the pedals on and he was off!  It was really amazing to see.  He has done great and is getting braver and stronger.  He really loves it!

 

So... we have been riding bikes at least once pretty much every day we can.  The boys LOVE to go on family rides, and so do Cal and I.  It is a dream.  SO fun!

 

We took the boys to an easy area to ride on the dirt one evening and they loved it and did well.

Our typical bike rides initially were to a cul-de-sac right around the corner from us, as our street is kind of busy, and definately not a good place to learn.  This has progressed to riding up the street a bit, then up a path to a park we call Pirate Park.  Overall it is about a mile loop, but we have been adding in to this a lot too.

Once we're at the park, there is a hill right above the playground that we like to hike up.  Austin decided to ride down it one day and we have done it a lot since.  They only go 1/3 up the hill, but it gets pretty steep.  Zach likes it, but Austin loves it.  He is our dare devil.  He bounces down with a big smile on his face.  (this is the same place as that video we posted...).  It is impressive they can balance well enough for it.

Headed down another path home.  Now we head off this path into some other trails in open space too.