Judd Falls

What a beautiful way to start our walk..wildflowers and aspens

The way down got a little steep at times for Hallie's bad knees

The Final Reward...Judd Falls

A very friendly little chipmunk

He just loved to pose for the camera

Yarrow

Wyoming Paintbrush

Scarlet Paintbrush

Monkshood

Aspen Daisy

Wild Rose

Aspen Sunflower

Mariposa Lily

Cow Parsnips

Mountain Harebell or Bellflower

Columbine...the state flower and my favorite

Wild Blue Flax

White Geranium

This was a really fun hike. I have always said that the hikes I enjoy most are the ones where there is something fun at the end...like a waterfall! We did this hike with Danny which enabled us to park higher up the trail. I am too scared to drive his vehicle over the very very bumpy and twisty paths.  Parking at the bottom just means more walking, but the reward is the same. The waterfall was beautiful and we had a little rain sprinkle on the way back. The way down got a little steep for Hallie's bad knees and she used her daddy as a walking stick.

Gothic Road Drive

East River Valley

Scarlet Paintbrush

I think this is a Pinnate Leaved Daisy...it's a member of the Aster family

King's Crown

Emerald Lake

The very narrow and rough road we went through to get to Emerald Lake. This car didn't make it and ended up backing up until it could find a place to get out of the way. We were sitting and waiting to see what they would do before we proceeded.

View of the backside of Crested Butte

This is a beautiful drive that is literally right out our back door. We turned around at Emerald Lake since the access road to get there was very narrow and we weren't sure what was up ahead.

Summer 2010

We came out to Crested Butte for three weeks this summer and brought Hallie. Danny is only going to stay one week, but Hallie and I will stay until August 4th. We plan to do a lot of driving and hiking to explore the area. We have never been here in the summer and there is so much beauty all around us. I will post pictures of what we find.

Mardi Gras with family

While others are skiing, this is my view

Regan, Sydney, and Ryan with their new helmet covers

Crested Butte Resort with a mountain backdrop

Red Lady lift early in the morning

I have quite a hat collection started here

We spent Mar. 12-19 (Mardi Gras Break) with Danny's brother Travis and his family. Travis was only able to stay for the early part of the trip, but Christy and the kids stayed after he left. Their children had never skiied before but had taken "lessons" at a ski shop in Oklahoma where they lived. They found out during their lessons here that real snow is different than a moving carpet, but the kids all did really well. Reagan, their oldest, decided that he wanted to learn to snowboard having just seen Shaun White in the Olympics. This turned out to be more difficult than he thought, but after two days of lessons, he was able to go down the mountain. It was a great accomplishment. The two younger ones, Sydney and Ryan, caught on to skiing after one day of lessons and were moving down the mountain like they had been doing it for years. They loved skiing with Uncle Danny and he enjoyed skiing with them. Christy spent time with the little ones and then separated to hang with Reagan who needed a little more time on the snowboard. The resort looked really different in March than it did in January. There were a lot more people and the lift lines were a LOT longer. We also did not have as much snow as we did in January. We had a great time with the Terrals and really enjoyed sharing our home with them.

The Town of Crested Butte, Jan. 2010

A "plein air" painter setting up in town

snow piled high along the sidewalk with Mt. Crested Butte in the backdrop

January with the Howards

Joie de Vie in the snow

our view of Crested Butte

Brian, Sara Beth, and Danny

Danny helping Sara Beth find her way down...turn...turn...turn...

Victory!!

Sara Beth after a good run

Brian on the slope

Time for lunch.....whew!!

Danny and Me

Sara Beth and Brian Howard

Camp 4 Coffee, my hangout spot at the resort. I love their lattes AND hot chocolate

my buddy and me warming up by the fire at the resort

Brian and Sara Beth hamming it up in the ice sculptures at the resort

Sara Beth and me in front of the "ski fence" at The Avalanche, our favorite lunch spot at the base

We spent our first winter trip at Joie de Vie with Brian and Sara Beth Howard. Sara Beth had helped me put the house together in October so it was really fun to come back and stay there with her in January. Brian and Sara Beth had both skiied before, but Sara Beth felt she needed lessons to remember her skills. She had a great instructor and also enjoyed the help of Danny as her personal guide. I don't ski, but really enjoyed walking to the resort to watch them on the lower slopes and hanging out with Sara Beth when she was too tired to ski. We missed the company of the Lensings who were supposed to come with us but couldn't at the last minute. We stayed from the 18th to the 24th and then cleared out for Danny's group of long time buddies to come in. Danny has been skiing this mountain for about 20 years with the same group of men and was so excited to have them all together under one roof.