The weather in Colorado changes as quickly as the fall leaves do. We were able to sneak out of town early Friday, so we headed up to the mountains to get one last camping trip on the books. We weren't thrilled when it started snowing on our way over the mountains. I must say this is definitely the coldest weather I've been out camping in. (Of course, Sven gloated over his 4th season hunting stories and how that was really cold camping!) It doesn't matter how warm that campfire is when you're feasting by lantern-light and getting snowed on. (Yes, yes, we could have gone into the trailer, but my crazy family had convinced me "it's really not that bad out here"...... yeah, right......). We were hoping for a clear and warmer Saturday, but that's not what we really got. When the sun did peek through the clouds it was glorious. When the sun did not peek through the clouds, it was frigid. And as it goes, when we got ready to leave on Sunday, it was a beautiful day-- not a cloud in the sky and 20 degrees warmer than the day before. Despite the elements (or because of them?!), it was a rejuvenating weekend. I didn't get my wish of lounging in a lawn chair and soaking up the last bit of summer's rays, but we did achieve the goal of getting the kids out in the wilderness for one last family weekend in the mountains. Oh, and yes, a few hundred pictures of the changing aspen to share with you all. (Don't worry, I really weeded through them for you!) Don't forget to click on the following Finding Focus blog link to see the aspen photos!
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| Beautiful photo, frigid dinner! |
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| See that fresh snow up in the peaks beyond our campsite?! |
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| Is Sven in his element or what? |
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| I love to watch their creative juices flow. Do you see the makings of improvised baseball? |
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| The wind was blowing so hard she could hardly keep her line in the water. |
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| We traveled to the other side of the valley chasing the sun. We found it! This is one of my favorite places to camp. The sound of the rushing river through the canyon is beyond awesome. No rafters this time of year though! |
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| The kids enjoyed adding to the teepee we found in the woods. |
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| By the end of this hike, Nik's frown turned upside down and that made me as happy as all the pretty leaves surrounding us. |
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| Our little hiker-in-training. |
Hope you all are enjoying some beautiful weather and foliage where you are. I'm happy to share that now that we're back on the Front Range, the weather is back up in the 80s. Whew-- I'll be happy to put my winter coat and gloves away for a few more months!
