July 12, 2009
Friday, we hopped in the car and drove to Idaho Springs. It was about a 45 minute drive from our home in Commerce City. We stopped at a visitor’s center, which was closed. We ended up hiking a bit before returning home though, which was nice. Jason was happy just to be in the mountains. Ana would have been happier if we’d made it all the way up to a snowy peak though.
Saturday we headed toward Boulder. Jason wanted to visit NCAR, which was a weather and atmospheric research facility and museum. Again, less than an hour away. The adobe building was very modern and stood out against the foothills and the Flat Irons. The kids ran around the building while Jason tried to read the displays. I imagined my character Kiri coming home to a place just like the one we were in.
Anyway, Jason and I took the restless kids out for a short hike around the weather trail. After about twenty minutes or so, we returned to the suburban. Sebastian fell asleep as we drove down Mesa Table Drive, back through Boulder and then back up Flagstaff Mountain. I took lots of pictures of the scenic views.
The rest of the day was spent watching a Mythbusters marathon on the Discovery Channel. We do love our science around here!
August 11, 2009
I felt the sun on my skin and the tickle of the mountain air. Standing on the trail in the middle of nowhere, I suddenly didn’t feel so lost. Being in nature with my family was exactly where I felt at home. It was only in the overwhelming world of urban sprawl and industrial landscapes and crowded streets that I felt alone and lost.
All of us pile into the Suburban on Sunday and then we drove to Heil Valley Ranch, which is just North of Boulder off Lefthand Road. We parked and hiked the tail of the loop, which was 1.3 miles. We saw a sign about how to deal with Mountain Lions and Bears, should we run into them. There were also signs about the different types of rocks and plants found in the area as well. The kids climbed the boulders and didn’t complain much on the walk. For a brief time I felt content and at peace.
carilynn27 