Saturday, August 18, 2007

End of Summer Day Trip

A few weeks ago my mom asked DC if he would be willing to take her and Dad on a Saturday trip to the mountains, including a cook-out breakfast. Of course, my husband is willing to do anything that has to do with going to the mountains. And he is wonderful to my parents.

Today was the day. I wasn't thrilled last night when he woke me up to set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. - I get up earlier than that every work day, so getting up that early on Saturday was not in my plans. But he had told my folks we'd pick them up at 7:00. We didn't get everything packed up last night (including gassing up the minivan), so he thought we needed that much time this morning. We could have waited till 6:00 to get up, but we got a very early start to the day and arrived at my folks' at 6:40, before they were ready to go, of course.

We headed for the hills promptly at 7:00, discovering on the way north that we (read I) had forgotten the pancake syrup. I reminded him that this was his party, and I only offered to help, not remember everything! We found a grocery store just a mile out of the way and headed out again.

It was about 8:30 when we found the first good spot to cook our breakfast and eat. It was a beautiful spot! We began cooking the sausage links. I was gazing across the river, noting that there was a bush swaying back and forth. It wasn't windy - what was up? Suddenly I spotted a very large black "blob" against the rocks. I couldn't believe it when I realized what it was:

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We enjoyed watching the little guy (girl?) as long as he/she was across the river! We finished preparing the pancakes, eggs, sausage, orange juice, and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast - everything tastes better outside!

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The river was just gorgeous, sparkling in the morning sunshine.

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DC was on a mission - a surprise mission. This is one of his favorite places in the state - the canyon he drives up many times a year, especially in the winter to go cross-country skiing. He has also hiked many of the trails in this area, and knows the mountain peaks by name. He wanted to surprise us with sightings of moose. We were fortunate to spot two - a male and a female.

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As we headed back down the mountain at the end of the day, we saw the male still sitting in the same spot, just taking it easy. I said, "Well, what else does he have to do?" Then I had these thoughts:

I want to be a moose.

No meals to cook.

No dishes to wash.

No bathrooms to clean.

No floors to mop or vacuum.

No clothes to wash, dry, fold, iron, put away.

Nobody to take care of.

Then I thought some more about it --

BUT --

No air conditioning in the summer.

No heat in the winter.

No shelter from the storms.

I think I'll stay a person, the way God made me.

We found a great spot for lunch. As we were fixing the fried potatoes, baked beans, and hamburgers, I was snacking on Cheetos. We soon had a visitor, with whom I shared one. He kept coming back for more, and soon the animal grapevine took over and we had two of them. We decided they were vegetarian, because they took the Cheetos and the hamburger buns, leaving behind the chunks of burger.

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The clouds were just gorgeous today. There were different varieties, all at the same time, in layers.

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Some random beautiful views:

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It was a great day. For some reason, I was exhausted when we got home and I took a nice long nap before going to the grocery store. We had some lovely rain down here. We had spent quality time with my parents. We enjoyed God's bountiful creation. We saw a coyote running across a field, besides the bear, the moose, and the chipmunks. I hope you've enjoyed the vicarious trip with us.

Have a wonderful Sunday!


23 comments:

nancygrayce said...

What a beautiful day trip! I love the pictures of the bear.....I know what you mean about not getting up quite so early on Saturday! I'm sure it helped keep your mind off of other stuff though. :)

Susie said...

Sounds like a delightful way to spend a Saturday. Seeing all that wildlife was really a bonus too!
You are so blessed to be able to spend this time with your parents :)
xo

Judith said...

Thank you so much for a front row seat to this outing, and for the pictures, too. How loving of you to take time to give this to your family.

Glad the bear wasn't closer. Once on Trail Ridge, I saw a moose so big, It was huge.

Pear tree cottage! said...

O! Dawn I am ever so pleased to come to your blog today and read every word of this wonderful day out when I saw the picture of the black bear I was thrilled and the meal looked ever so delish!!.....BUT it was the moose that did it for me how wonderful you lucky things to see them how beautiful thank you for sharing them with us (with me) today I am thrilled truly I am......then your photos stopped loading down for me and I missed the rest so I am going to come back tomorrow and hope they all show themselves to me as I want to see more of your trip to the mountains.

thank you again you mde my day.
Lee-ann.

Baba said...

Wow>> Dawn, What a great way to spend time with your husband, your parents and the wildlife.All of the pictures are very good.I would have been nervous that the bear would swim across the river to get the food or Me!!! Thanks for sharing. Baba

Mall Worker said...

What a wonderful trip! The pictures made me feel a little more relaxed. I just love going out in nature like that. I'm glad you had a good time!

Carole Burant said...

I was expecting the last picture to be of the black bear sitting at the picnic table with you! hehe Oh Dawn, what a wonderful day you all had...to be one with nature like that is the best!! I agree with you, I've always found meals cooked outside taste so much better:-) You got to see such wonderful wildlife all in one day...perfect!! xoxo

Midlife Mom said...

I LOVED THIS POST! What a wonderful day out in a beautiful setting seeing all of those wonderful animals!! You sure hit the jackpot! What a great day for your parents too to be out with you and enjoy all of it with you. You have some landscape pictures there that should be framed. Good job!!

Gran said...

Your day trip pictures are simply beautiful. They would make nice posters or enlargements for framing. Ahh, the beauty of God'd hand in your photos.

I agree with you, anything that you are eating tastes better outside.

It was so pleasing to see that you were able to spend special time with your parents on a day trip.

Have a wonderful new week!

Nancy said...

Dawn, this is exactly what you needed... a day away enjoying God's beautiful world. I am amazed with the wildlife. Were you just lucky or do you always see this many animals in your area? That is a blessing indeed and I am glad you shared with us.

Barb said...

I can't even imagine a better way to spend a Saturday. Aren't you glad you live so close to all this beauty you can make a day trip out of it and still get home in time to go grocery shopping? Absolutely beautiful photos. All the animals - wonderful!

How very sweet of you two to take your parents out to breakfast, literally "out" to breakfast. Rob took me out to breakfast Saturday for my birthday but somehow there's no comparison between Village Inn and the restaurant you all went to. :-)

Diane@Diane's Place said...

(Shhhh.....I'm back!) ;D

I had to comment on this one, Dawn. What gorgeous scenery for your day out, and I love the pictures! Whoever took all the pics (you??) did a great job and got some beautiful shots. Much nicer than the ones I took of my camping trip.

No post tonight, but hopefully tomorrow....

Love and hugs,

Diane

Sharon Lynne said...

Wow. Breakfast AND Lunch! That' a lot of cooking...and eating. What a nice tradition...to go to the mountains for breakfast. You're parents must have really enjoyed that!

And God sent some entertainment! That small bear. And the moose.
Not to mention a cute chipmunk or two.

I know just what you mean about how wonderful life would be without cooking, going to the market, laundry, etc. Glad you had a good nap. Too bad you had to go to the grocery store later!

Tammy said...

Dawn, these photos are breathtaking! What gorgeous scenery on the mountains where you live...and to see a black bear, and all that other wild life...wow. We have that same wild life in the mountains around here, but I guess I have never ventured that far into the true wilderness.
What a blessing it was for all of you to experience this..and to do it all together!

Profbaugh said...

Oh my goodness! I'm not quite sure how I stumbled upon your blog, but I was truly blessed by these breathtaking pictures. I live in St. Louis (grew up in Chicago area) and there are NO mountains. Oh my goodness. . .I know I said it again, but words jus fail me. Thanks so much for sharing these.

~Cheryl
St. Louis

Anonymous said...

I need to come visit you if this is what you encounter on a day trip! How awesome! Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos.

My husband enjoys the whole "outdoor eating" thing, too. He's an earthy guy!

Blessings,
Denise

Diane Viere said...

What a beautiful trip!!!!! And the wild-life! WOW!!!!

The photos are amazing! Have you ever thought of writing for a travel magazine...you're a triple threat...a great writer, an amazing photographer....and a passionate (while sometimes reluctant!!!) traveler!!!!

So glad you had this amazing day with your parents.

Pancakes in the outdoors???? I feel sorry for myself if I have to make pancakes at home...instead of going to the Original Pancake House!!!! What a great day!

Diane

Linda said...

It sounds like just what the doctor ordered. I'm so glad you had that lovely day Dawn. Your pictures are spectacular. I felt a bit like I was right there with you. What a perfect spot to have breakfast. These are the days you can pull out to remember on the days when things are a bit gloomy.
Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful day.

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

That bear is pretty cool! i love the chipmunk though!

Linds said...

Such wonderful photos, Dawn! I agree that it must be great to be so close to the countryside. Especially when it is so beautiful. That is something I am appreciating here. NZ is the same landmass as the UK but has 4 million people compared to 62 million. It is wonderful to listen to a silence out there!

Jada's Gigi said...

what a wonderful day! and a wonderful idea to cook out along the way...Colorado is so gorgeous!!
sounds like you needed a relaxing day after the week you've had...praying for your babies

groovyoldlady said...

Sounds like a perfect day once you got past that early alarm and missing pancake aggravation!

I live in Maine. I've lived here for 15 years. We hike, we climb mountains, we explore woods and yet I have NEVER seen a black bear.

I am majorly envious!

I'm also still praying for Kristen and fam...

kpjara said...

You're so right...I love the pictures. I'm praying for Kristen and the babies, and you're right, we got dumped on again...it was like an on-ground hurricane...weird!