Remember September {Part 3}

Another Saturday, another amazing hike through the glorious Colorado gold.  Today (September 27th) we decided (with the rest of residents of the Vail Valley, apparently - this trail was packed!) to try out the East Lake Creek Trail.  We've been on this trail multiple times since we moved here.  It's one of our favorites to take visitors to since we drive through our favorite area, Lake Creek, to get there.  The infamous Monday Night Hike picture of Callie screaming her poor little head off (see #17 here) was taken at this trailhead.  Our first-ever Monday Night Hike over two years ago was on this trail, and that was as far as we'd ever ventured . . . until today.  The sun was warm, the leaves were blazing, and we had a very happy hiker in the backpack, so we went a little further than we had gone before, which happened to be a bridge over lovely Lake Creek (I'm just going to guess that's what it was, but I don't actually know).  We seem to like making bridges our destinations on hikes, so we parked it there for a few minutes to enjoy the view.  Callie learned a new word on the way back to the car: "wow!" and I say I'd just have to agree.

I love this little-bum view.

Can you handle the cuteness?

If you look at the next few photos really
quickly in succession (think flip-book
style) you'll see Cal's latest trick in action.

Juuuuu-

uuuummp!

My favorite part is how pleased she is.
She really thinks she's jumping.

And, because I just can't resist the cuteness, and I doubt that you can, either, 

I've got two jumping videos for your viewing pleasure:

Jump! Video Uno

Jump! Video Dos 

This one is little hazy because it's taken through the
windshield on the drive back down through Lake Creek.
But we just had to stop, because "Wow!"

Remember September {Part 2}

Since Saturday last week was such a lovely autumn day (yes, I realize it wasn't technically autumn till the next day), we decided post-hike (and lunch and nap and lounging) to venture out on perhaps our last campfire cookout adventure of the summer.  We headed back to Forest Road 700, our new favorite National Forest spot nearby and found the perfect picnic spot (a lot were being camped in by hunters, but we were able to snag a great one).  We roasted tinfoil dinners and mallows (no photos, sorry - just know it was delish) and just enjoyed being outside.  Callie discovered some bouldering talent (again no photos, unfortunately, but we did have a video from Gregg's cell phone and maybe someday I'll get that posted here) and had a grand time climbing up and "sliding" down  ("wheeeee!") the big rock near the fire.  A perfectly lovely way to end a perfectly lovely day.

Our dishy driver . . . and the view ain't too shabby either.

Throwin' out the vibe, I guess.

Pleased as punch to be outside on a rock.

Our view from the campfire.

To me it looks like she's practicing some
long boarding stance or something.

Also note that on Saturday's we don't
do clippies in the hair.  Sometimes that
hair just needs to be free!

Even more standing practice.

Cheesy McCheesester.

Sigh.  Amazing.

Remember September {Part 1}

Last Saturday, on September 20th, I told Gregg that it would be a sin if we didn't get out to hike through the golden leaves.  Callie echoed my statement with her new word-of-the-day: "hike!", and, not wanting to be sinners, of course, we headed out on a nearby trail.  It started in the neighborhood of Homestead, which is just above Gregg's office in Edwards.  We walked up a trail to the water tower, and then kept walking up, up, up till we made it to a large open sage-brush meadow.  Then we walked a little further into the trees and turned left off the trail till we were on a sort-of ridge, overlooking Arrowhead Ski Area.  Part sagebrush, part shade, and plenty of burs sticking in our socks, this was our stopping point - perfect for crawling and standing practice and photo-ops galore.  Perhaps the best way to spend a Saturday morning in September (and to stay on that Straight and Narrow).

And so it begins.

Lovely Edwards, CO.

Lovely Lake Creek.  This was the point of the hike where
we were hearing multiple elk bugles from somewhere
over the ridge.

Where the sagebrush grows.

There is sunshine in my soul today.

View of Arrowhead from the "top".

I think that might be New York Mountain in the background?

Beautiful baby blues.

I love my fam.

Standing practice.

Having fun with the weeds.

More standing practice.