Colorado

On Saturday we left Canadian and headed to my parents' house so we could leave early the next morning. We were on the road by 5 a.m. and arrived in Durango around 4:30 p.m. The weather was already so much cooler. It had been three years since I'd been to the mountains and man it felt good to be back.

We took Lily, the other daughter my parents never had, and she had a hard time getting comfortable on the drive up.

Mom and Dad at Diamond Belle's Saloon. We've been frequenting this fine establishment since we've been coming to Colorado. Almost 20 years now...that makes me feel SO old!

Mom and I spent the first day shopping and on Day Two we headed to Silverton.

Here are Lily and Mom stopping to smell the wildflowers.

And then on to Ouray or "little Switzerland". We wanted to take a Jeep tour from there, but we got tied up in road construction on the way there and Dad didn't think we had enough time.

Marty & Dad at the bottom of the Box Canyon Falls

Wednesday we loaded up and went to the cabin. I forget how truly amazing it is there. Life just seems so much simplier when you wake up to a view like this.

Here's a side shot of the cabin.

Mom & Me sticking our feet in the Rio Grande Reservior. It was freezing, plus it was starting to rain so we didn't terry long.

This is the view of the valley from the deck of the cabin.

One of the things my dad wanted to do was take a Jeep over Cinnamon Pass and show Marty some of the places he had hunted. It was breathtaking.

My cute little parents.

This is right after we topped the pass.

Who knew pinecones in their early stages were soft and purple?

This is the view from 13,000 ft.

Here's a nice mule deer in downtown Lake City. My dad and Marty insisted I get a picture.

I thought this picture summed up our trip. My dad is usually so anxious to get home towards the end of the trip because of all the work he has back home, but this was our last night at the cabin and he was as relaxed as could be. I think he really enjoyed having Marty along. He had someone to share his passion for hunting with and it made all the difference in the world. Plus, Mom and I could shop w/o worrying about Dad being back at the hotel w/o us.

It was a great trip. I know it sounds cliche because the world is "God's Country", but up there, it's different. It really does feel like God's Country w/ the massive landscapes and mountain ranges. A field of wildflowers amidst rough mountain peaks. He just feels closer here than anywhere else...