Grayson Highlands 1/25/20

Brrrrrrrr...it was so cold!  And windy!  And there was snow blowing around!  But we had a great time wandering around in search of ponies and views.  Walk faster stay warmer is what I always say!

5 people crazy enough to go hiking in the winter.  

Surprisingly, we were not the only ones out there!

Buffalo Mountain 3/24/19

We've been wanting to hike for ages, but weekends get so busy, and then there's the rain that just wouldn't go away all.  It's rained so much this year, the girls were watching ducks swim in a lake across the street!  A lake that wasn't supposed to be there...

We finally found a weekend when we had no other plans, and the weather was actually warm, so we decided we had to go hiking before the rain came back and we lost our chance.  A friend recommended Buffalo Mountain for the views, so that is where we headed.  The drive was only about an hour, and we didn't have any trouble finding the parking lot.  Knowing which trail to follow was a bit tricker, about a quarter mile in we came to an intersection of several trails and the signs weren't too clear on which one led where.  GPS signal was good though, and we were able to figure out which trail to use based on the map on our phones!  We used the GPS map at several different intersections throughout the hike to make sure we took the correct trail.

Ready to head up the trail! 

We followed the White Rock Trail Loop.  

There were several overlooks along the way. 

This one happened to be right where the power lines ran down the mountain...

There was a yellow butterfly making laps around the top of the mountain when we arrived.  It was super hard to focus on it with the zoom lens, but I tried to get some photos! 

My legs definitely let me know that I hadn't hiked in a long time!  We hiked 5.3 miles, with 1,460 ft of elevation gain.  2 weeks later the blister on my heel from all that uphill in my Chacos is still healing...I probably should have worn my hiking boots instead.  This cold rainy spring has kept me from getting my feet used to the Chacos in time for a hike!

Steamboat Springs, CO

For "Honeymoon #2" we headed to Steamboat Springs, CO!  This was a trip we had planned before we even got engaged, to visit some good friends of mine from Lewisburg.  It just so happened to be a week after our wedding. I had never been to Colorado before, so it was extra-impressive seeing those huge Colorado mountains for the first time!  So much different than the mountains I am used to.  Photos don't do them justice at all.

Day 1 : 7-15-18

On our first morning in Steamboat, we got to see a hot air balloon festival right outside the house.  Super cool to see the sky filled with hot air balloons!

That evening, we got to ride the gondola up to the top of the mountain in the resort to enjoy the view and watch the sunset.  Coming, back, the moon was so bright you could see the whole round outline, even though it was a crescent moon.

Day 2 : 7-16-18

On our second morning, we went "creeking" in Fish Creek.  This involved walking upstream through the creek, climbing over boulders along the way.  The kids were like mountain goats crawling over the rocks, I had a bit more trouble trying to stay balanced with my backpack on!  We stopped and spent some time at a super cool pool in the middle of the creek, then made our way back down.  

(Don't be fooled by the smiles, the water was so cold it was painful!)

In the evening, we took the kids for a bike ride to downtown (about 4 miles down the bike path) where we got some delicious but very overpriced gelato, then tried to race the sunset back home  (we lost the race...it was definitely full dark by the time we got back...)

Day 3 : 7-17-18

Coby and I went hiking to Fish Creek Falls.   You can see the larger falls from a boardwalk overlook, and you can also hike down towards the creek at the bottom.  After enjoying those views, we took the  2.5 mile hike up 1400 ft to the very top of the falls, at 8600 feet!

Day 4 : 7-18-18 

We were hanging out with the kids all day, so we decided to take them for another bike ride to downtown.  This time we enjoyed a pizza lunch and then found some reasonably priced ice cream.
After eating, we decided to be tourists and buy some really cool t-shirts and sweatshirts in a store called Ohana.

Day 5 : 7-19-18

Our final full day in Steamboat.  Coby and I rode downtown in the evening to sample food & cocktails at 2 different restaurants.  We also got to enjoy a really nice sunset on the way back to the house.

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Of course we also did some running while we were in Steamboat...we only made it out for 2 runs, but they were workouts!  6800 ft of elevation is no joke for the lungs!  Despite all the mountains, there was a surprising amount of flatness to run however.