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| Peace my Friends, Laura Bollinger Patti Buser President, NC Friends of JD V. President, NC Friends of JD |
| You know I Love this Trail I'm on ... and the Friends who Ride with Me, The Country that we're Passing Through is a Paradise to See ... A Haven for my Spirit, the Homeland of my Dreams ... My Heart flies through the Wilderness and on an Eagle's Wings ... And oh I love the Waterfall and the way the River Sings ... From Snowcapped Peaks both Proud and Tall ... Through forests deep and green ... the highway of the mountains ... The lifeblood of the land, I can hear my mother speak to me and hold my father's hand. J. Denver |
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| Aspen in October ~ 2005 ~ |
| BACK HOME AGAIN Want to join our group? BACK TO THE INDEX ... Email Me ... PAGE TWO |
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| page one |
| It's a COLORADO Rocky Mountain High! |
| Our adventure began at the Denver Airport ... Jenny came by train, then came to the airport to meet Patti & I. We headed to Estes Park, the gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park. |
| Laura, Jenny & Patti at Bear Lake |
| Laura at Bear Lake |
| Our first morning in Colorado, we headed to a little bagle shop for a quick breakfast before heading into the park ... it didn't take long ... we look at each other and smiled ... JOHN's music was playing softly in the background ... Annie's Song, then another and another. :o) Needless to say we had breakfast there then next morning, too. We spent four days exploring the breathtaking views and abundant wildlife in the Rocky Mountain National Park ... |
| It's a Colorado Rocky Mountain High |
| "On the Backbone of this GREAT Land" |
| You know I love this trail I'm on ... |
| We hiked up "Crater Trail" ... along the Continental Divide. We started at 10,759 ft ... at the Crater Overlook ... we were at 11,488 ft (acording to Patti's GPS) As we were huffin' and puffin' to make it to the top, we met up with a couple of older ladies ... Who informed us that after the snow, they enjoy snowshoeing to the summit! :o) Somehow, we started talking about John ... And how much we ALL miss him. (easy to do in these surroundings) |
| At the summit we sat a while ... listening to the wind and soaking in the beauty around us ... while we clung to the mountain side! There were still some wildflowers blooming along the trail for us to enjoy ... and a few skittish chipmunks and squirrels. |
| Crater Overlook ... 11,488 ft |
| Patti ... Keeping track of our position |
| Jenny ... and her Hawk Feather |
| Even Kermit enjoyed his Vacation |
| Patti, Laura & Jenny ... after a long day of hiking! |
| The higher we got, the more nervous Jenny became ... (she's not too keen on high places) I found a BEAUTIFUL Hawk feather on the way and ... I promised it to Jenny ... when she made it to the TOP! |
| It took us most of the day to drive the 50 some miles from Estes Park to Grand Lake ... There was something to see around EVERY corner! |
| Grand Lake is a GREAT little town ... with wooden sidewalks, old saloons and lots of little shops. We had a burger and a beer in one of those old saloons ... (note the picture of main street on the wall) we stayed at the "Lone Eagle Lodge" |
| Two of my favorite Colorado Memories so far ... being awaken by the bugling of a Bull Elk ... in Estes Park ... and by the song of a coyote ... in Grand Lake. Aaaaahhhh, this is PARADISE to me! |
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| Heck ... even the wildlife LOVE this beautiful place! |
| Colorado Memories ... from Patti It was our last night at Grand Lake. We were heading for Aspen in the morning. I wanted to go back into the park to Elk "hunt" and listen to the bull elk bugle. Laura and Jenny were tired and opted not to go, their loss!!! It was raining in town but the closer I got to the park the more it turned into snow, then the more I drove up the mountain the heavier it got. It was beautiful. I only saw a few stray elk and no bulls making noise. Disappointed, I was on my way back to the hotel. Right at the exit, a huge heard was crossing the street. I was so excited. There were several hundred of them. Found me a parking spot and watched with delight. The snow coming down, the elk running all over the meadow, cows were whinning (best way to described the noise they make) and the bulls were bugling. It was Awesome! Felt like I was in a Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom special. (only us older folks will remember that show) I called my Mom and was describing the scene to her ... she could hear the bulls. Just as I was about to leave two of the bulls started fighting. I could hear the antlers banging against each other. It just couldn't have been any better ... Well, perhaps if a good looking man was sitting next to me keeping me warm, that would have been better!!! More Aspen Memories ... Page Two |
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