Brush Creek 2

Curly Goldenweed

Larkspur

A form of Thistle

Storms all around us

Fireweed

Please mom, i think we can get across!

nope, too much water for mom

Flyfisherman in the lower left corner

Trailing Daisy aka Whiplash Daisy

Hallie and I decided to take another stab at the Brush Creek trail and see if the water had slowed down so we could cross. We waited until the afternoon which was not a good idea. It was hot and showers started to pop up all around us. It turns out that there was more water than a couple of weeks ago and despite Hallie's pleading to try and cross, we turned around and went back. We also noticed that the flowers are not as bold and beautiful as they were a couple of weeks ago.

Soupcon

Chef Jason always brings out a "little something" to nibble on. This was a bit of filet mignon with a reduction sauce and drizzle of truffle oil...yum!

Me and my girl

Last night together

Fabulous salad with blueberry vinaigrette and cinnamon toasted brioche croutons

Hallie's Elk with Truffled Potatoes and Asparagus

Filet Migon with Frites and a Stilton and walnut stuffed portabella mushroom cap

I love french pressed coffee...decaf of course

Laurie's Strawberry Napoleon with rum laced whipped cream

Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte with Dulce de Leche Ice cream and Raspberry Coulis

Goodnight Crested Butte

Yet another of our favorite restaurants is Soupcon with owner and chef, Jason. The menu changes seasonally which makes it really fun to visit and taste what's new. We have yet to eat anything that doesn't rival our favorite restaurants in New Orleans. We sat next to a lady whose uncle was born in the restaurant, when it was his home, 70 years ago. Last night was Laurie's last night with us so we knew this would be the perfect place to finish her visit.

Summit Hike...oh my goodness!

I can do all this through him who gives me strength....Phillippians 4:13

See that Peak up there....that's where we are hiking to today

Black slopes up ahead.

I will take any opportunity to photograph these little guys

A curious Marmot

My friend the chipmunk

This is a Pica gathering foliage and flowers for what reason we do not know.

Mountain Dryad aka White Mountain Avens

The view of the trail behind us

Alpine Phlox

Hallie taking one of many breaks

Alpine Sorrel

Windflower

Whew! Taking another break

and it begins...hand over hand over boulders

We think we can, we think we can

See that red stick in the upper right corner....that means that things are about to get really difficult

We made it to the Peak!

Hallie on the Peak

Laurie calls Andy to brag

one of a few plaques on the mountain peak

We did it! So excited!

the resort down below

Hallie and Laurie use the "slide" method on the steep downward paths

Looking down on the path below

Sky Pilot

Dusky Penstemon aka Whipple Penstemon

and the Silver Queen Lift back down

Hallie, Laurie and I couldn't imagine a greater challenge than climbing to the Peak of Mt. Crested Butte. Hallie had tried once before, but was rushed too much to be able to complete the climb. She thought she needed more time to negotiate the rocks and asked if Laurie and I would try it with her. We agreed, but decided not to tell the men in our lives just in case we failed at our attempt. Laurie and I were both quoting scripture to each other as we worked to overcome our apprehension! We had no idea how long it would take to do the hike, so we arrived at the ticket counter when it opened at 9 a.m. The Silver Queen lift would take us up to the trail head at 9:30 a.m. We started our hike at a few minutes before 10. The sign for the trail head said to allow an hour for the peak hike, but it actually took us 4 hours from the time we left the lift, to the time we got back on the lift because we had to take a lot of breaks to rest. We had packed a lunch which we ate on the peak of the mountain. It was the perfect time for a big rest so we could prepare ourselves for the journey back down. The hand over hand on the boulders was absolutely exhausting for us. When we reached the bottom, we still couldn't believe that we actually did it, but we have the pictures to prove it. As Laurie says...there is a great sense of accomplishment when you overcome one of your fears. It's even greater, when you trust God to be in complete control.