We expect to adopt one of these three little Australian Labradoodles in a couple of weeks. Aren't they adorable? We're getting excited but we also have a pretty good idea of how much work we're about to take on. This isn't our first rodeo and we know that a puppy will tie us down for several months!
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| Photo courtesy of GorgeousDoodle.com |
So on Thursday we went on a quick overnight trip to Salida, Colorado, about four hours from where we live in Boulder. Ben wanted to show me beautiful Guanella Pass which links I70 from Georgetown in the north to U.S. 285 in Grant in the south. It is a Scenic Byway and also the road to the trail head for Mount Bierstadt, one of Colorado's 14ers (meaning a summit of at least 14,000 feet). Ben had hiked this peak recently with some friends and thought I'd love the scenery of the area. I wanted to see the town of Salida, known as the white water rafting capital of Colorado, and we both decided we wanted to do a half day raft trip down the Arkansas River. Neither of us had ever rafted, and were feeling it was now or never!
And you can see from this photo that we had a great time.
We went on a tour with Performance Tours, which guided us down the rapids through Browns Canyon National Monument. The water was low which meant we moved more slowly than swift roller coaster ride you'd get in the spring to mid-summer, and I was just fine with that. There were plenty of "chutes" and "ladders" and other rapids and lots of paddling to do under the guide's direction to get around the many rocks. And the canyon itself was strikingly beautiful.
Here's a view of Mt. Bierstadt and nearby Mt. Evans, another 14er. Ben was right, I really did love this whole area.
We took a short walk down the start of the trail head and had the thrill of spotting a moose on the edge of a lake. He was big and brown and easy to see against the green willows by the lakeside. We didn't get any photos but here's one from the state's website for the Pass, so you can get an idea of how far away we were and you can imagine a big brown moose at the water's edge. As we walked we watched him go into the water and wade around, I guess trying to eat things he found growing there.
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| Courtesy www. Colorado.com |
We stayed the night at the historic Palace Hotel in Salida, and then had lunch in nearby Buena Vista the next day before heading home. These were cool towns and I'd like to go back to them someday for a longer visit.
I really liked the sign in one of the restaurants in Buena Vista which invited people to write in their conclusion to the sentence "Before I Die..... " Gave me something to think about on the ride home.
Linking to Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.
that looks like a wonderful place to visit and looks like you really enjoyed the white water rafting. The pups are gorgeous...I wonder if they are from Tasmania...It's the only breeders of Labradoodles I know of that send their dogs to international homes. I do hope yours brings you many, many years of joy. from me and my Labradoodle, Lila.
ReplyDeletewhat a trip! does it affect you being so high up? guess not if you could hold on to the paddle, and sleep okay.
ReplyDeleteMary - good for you to take advantage of the time to get away. And for having the courage to try rafting. It can be daunting to put your faith in the guide and the others in the boat. In my experience, lower water is much more difficult to maneuver - more rocks sticking up! So glad you saw a moose - you know it's my favorite! Thanks for sharing this wonderful visit with Mosaic Monday!
ReplyDeleteWilderness hiking and whitewater rafting, awesome! I miss doing both so I appreciate your post a lot. :-)
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