Rocky Mountain National Park

Today we drove into RMNP. Surprisingly, I don't think I've ever been all the way around the park on Trail Ridge Road. Or even spent much time at all in the park itself.

Several weeks ago we all had to log in to their website right at 8 a.m. to get limited car passes to drive up Bear Lake Road and to the trailhead. This was the main attraction, and although it was a decent drive all the way around to the other side of the park, it was definitely worth it.

Not much else happened on the drive there and back. There were a few stops, but being locals, it was just another pretty view and one similar to what you can see on any number of 14er hikes. However, the trail to Emerald Lake and back was exceptional. We had lunch out of the back of our cars before catching the shuttle to the trailhead.

Grandma stayed behind with Huey while the rest of us hiked past Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. Dream Lake was my favorite of all of them. It had crystal clear waters and the best backdrop. We all found a good spot for a family picture down by the water. I would definitely recommend doing this hike.

KowTown Gravel

KowTown was a fun event. Matt, Justin and I did the short course, which took me about and hour and a half to complete. That's pretty much the perfect length to have fun, go hard, and not wreck yourself for the rest of day or weekend. I ended up winning the overall on the short course.

The race went well despite my bike computer wanting to send me off on various random turns. Somehow the reroute feature was turned on and it had trouble finding where I was at. That's not a great combination with never seeing the route before and not knowing where you're supposed to go. 

I took a wrong turn at one point up the first hill (per my computer), but other riders yelled at me to turn around. Later on I found myself at the front of the race alone, but had to pull over and wait for second place since my computer was telling me to go left and I didn't think it was right. Always fun to be out in the lead alone and chased by other people to the finish line!

4th of July in Granby

This year the entire family planned a short vacation over the holiday weekend. There were lots of festivities for the 4th, a gravel race for me, and Rocky Mountain National Park all within a short drive of the Air BnB we rented for the long weekend. Michelle and Huey even joined from California.

The first event on the calendar was s traditional small town 4th of July Parade. There were lots of horses, big vehicles, and even a few Denver Nuggets Cheerleaders were involved. Near the end we were treated to an unexpected flyover by two F-16s. In the end, the dogs were even involved.

Stacey also took a nice picture of the kids in front of Grand Lake, which was closer to where we were staying. This area on the backside of Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite places in Colorado. It's harder to get to, so quieter, but it has some of the best water and scenery around. I'd like to go back again and do some exploring on my bike.

Dillion Team Ride

Today we had a great team ride around Lake Dillion. Gorgeous scenery and really nice bike paths around the area, including to and from Dillion and Copper Mountain. Over the years I've mentally collected rides that I will be adding to my "greatest hits" list, and this one has definitely been added to that list and one I'll try to do every year.

Summer Vibes

This one was a scorcher! This event up in Lyons was aptly-named Summer Vibes. Pretty Coll concept for the weekend with running events (including with your dog), cycling events, camping, live music, inflatable pools, and lots of vendor tents kept everyone entertained.

As far as the race, it was more of a Roubaix style event with paved roads and good gravel. In fact, there are a handful of other events that use these same roads, including Boulder Roubaix. Being familiar with the roads and events, Justin and I opted to use our light and fast road bikes for the short course, while most everyone else used gravel bikes.

There were a few corners that felt a little squirrelly, but as long as we made it through unscathed and with the lead group, the podium was all but secured with miles of paved highway to the finish. We kind of just stayed with the lead group through the dirt sections, and no one really attacked then, so it was hard for anyone to get away on this relatively flat course.

The run in to the finish line was escorted off of the highway shoulder, but we turned off when two ladies started to walk across a cross walk in front of us. I was at the very front, and had scouted out the run in, so I punched the gas so I wouldn't get stuck hitting the brakes at that crucial moment. There was a 90 degree left turn shortly after that, and then a straight run in up over a small bridge to the finish line. You can see from the last picture that it wasn't very close.

As a side note, they had some sweet podium prizes. We all won matching denim jackets that retail for about $150. Easily one of the most expensive prizes Justin or I have won.

Pikes Peak

This week Jonathan went to Eagle Lake Camp. I got some great pictures of Pikes Peak after a rain storm on my way to pick him up early. Ended up that the whole camp had to be shut down and refunds issued since they had an outbreak of the norovirus.

Jonathan's 15th Birthday

Happy Birthday Jonathan! Today Jonathan turned 15, and since he had completed the necessary classes, we were able to get his driving permit at the DMV the same day.

Children's Hospital Volunteer

In prep for a potential degree and career in nursing, Julia signed up to be a volunteer at Children's Hospital down the road from our house. Way to go Julia!

8th Grade Graduation

Today we celebrated Jonathan and the end of middle school for him (and all of us). We had the ceremony in the school gym, a special award, and then we went out to lunch.

Jonathan finished middle school in style, earning all (or almost all) "As". In addition, he was a finalist for the CTMS Citizenship Award, given to only one student of hundreds in his entire class. We thoughthe was going to win, since the teacher awarding it wanted to make sure that he was going to be there and ready, followed by a twinkle and a wink in her eye.

The award is given out by the Daughters of the American Revolution for characteristics such as: Honor, Service, Courage, Leadership and Patriotism. Congratulations on the award and finishing up middle school, Buddy!