It's been a while since I've posted. What can I say? I've been living and loving life! A day trip back home, a book signing/birthday party, two going away parties, two baseball games, the Great American Beer Festival and a road trip to Boston. A little bit of trouble and a whole lot of fun!
Thinking about all those things, made me think about all the friends that were involved and even those that weren't. I have some really good friends, and some friends that may not be so good. Some friends that I can count on for anything, and some that are flaky as hell. I have friends that will be there during the bad times and others that will be there during the good times. Friends that I don't keep in touch with very well, and others that I see and talk to on a regular basis.
As I am writing this, it's an hour into my birthday, and already the birthday wishes have started rolling in.
My point is, I am a lucky person to have all the friends that I do. To all my friends, you know who you are, I hope you read this.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Absolutely Breathtaking
Day three of a three day weekend...normally I would be relaxing, preparing for the week ahead. Instead of letting life pass me by, I decide to jump right into it.
I woke up at 8am and Devin and I were in the car by 8:30, pit stop to pick up Tierney and off to Estes Park to go to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park in itself is worth the trip, but we took it a step further. Well quite a few steps actually.
After a nine mile drive into RMNP, we hit the Bear Lake trail head. Bear Lake is pretty, and it's a .6 mi loop around the lake. Back to the trail head we headed up to Nymph Lake.
Nymph Lake is only .5 mi from the trail head, but it is all uphill. When I was there in June, I remember a fellow hiker telling me about when she was there last August and how it was filled with lily pads. This memory was triggered by the sight that met us when we finally reached the lake.
I can't say that I have ever seen a lily pad before today, in fact, I was kind of disappointed with the lack of frogs lounging on them, in fact I didn't see a single frog. In the background is Hallett Peak, which is in some of my Bear Lake photos that you can see in facebook photos. Until today, I never made it passed Nymph Lake, but we decided to keep on trekking. Next stop, Dream Lake.
Dream Lake was a lot bigger than I was expecting. Once again, another breathtaking view. That is Hallett Peak again, in the back right corner. At Dream Lake, you can actually fish, of course it is catch and release only, but you can do it. In fact today we saw several people wading in the freezing cold water catching and releasing.
Next stop and final stop, Emerald Lake. Unfortunately my camera stopped working, hence the photos via iPhone. In addition to that, my iPhone is about dead. It won't hold a charge very well, and if I use it frequently it will die. Of course it died when we were leaving Dream Lake, so I have absolutely no photos of Emerald Lake. You will have to look it up on the internet. I kept pointing out Hallett Peak, because I never realized how close to it I would actually get. When we finally got to Emerald Lake we were at 10,080 ft. We were also at the base of Hallett Peak, elevation 12,713 ft. I wish that I had photos to show, it was just amazing.
All in all, we did 4.2 mile round trip, which includes the loop around Bear Lake. From the start of the trail head to Emerald Lake, it was a net elevation gain of 605 ft. What a day!, But wait, there's more. The whole point of the trip was so Devin could see a live elk, not in the zoo. We only saw one, but it was at least a 6 pointer. Of course, once again, no pictures. Uuuugggh. I have got to fix my camera situation soon. Back into Estes Park for lunch and a trip on the aerial tram to view Estes Park from 1100 ft above.
If you ever make it to Colorado, I highly suggest that you spend some time here. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Oh, did I mention that Estes Park is home to the Stanley Hotel, you know, the one Stephen King's the Shining was based on? In fact, in the far right of the photo, that sprawling estate painted in white, that's it. REDRUM!
I woke up at 8am and Devin and I were in the car by 8:30, pit stop to pick up Tierney and off to Estes Park to go to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park in itself is worth the trip, but we took it a step further. Well quite a few steps actually.
 |
| Bear Lake (Photo taken by yours truly last June) |
Nymph Lake is only .5 mi from the trail head, but it is all uphill. When I was there in June, I remember a fellow hiker telling me about when she was there last August and how it was filled with lily pads. This memory was triggered by the sight that met us when we finally reached the lake.
 | |
| Nymph Lake (taken today, by yours truly via the iPhone) |
I can't say that I have ever seen a lily pad before today, in fact, I was kind of disappointed with the lack of frogs lounging on them, in fact I didn't see a single frog. In the background is Hallett Peak, which is in some of my Bear Lake photos that you can see in facebook photos. Until today, I never made it passed Nymph Lake, but we decided to keep on trekking. Next stop, Dream Lake.
 |
| Dream Lake (taken today via my iPhone) |
Dream Lake was a lot bigger than I was expecting. Once again, another breathtaking view. That is Hallett Peak again, in the back right corner. At Dream Lake, you can actually fish, of course it is catch and release only, but you can do it. In fact today we saw several people wading in the freezing cold water catching and releasing.
Next stop and final stop, Emerald Lake. Unfortunately my camera stopped working, hence the photos via iPhone. In addition to that, my iPhone is about dead. It won't hold a charge very well, and if I use it frequently it will die. Of course it died when we were leaving Dream Lake, so I have absolutely no photos of Emerald Lake. You will have to look it up on the internet. I kept pointing out Hallett Peak, because I never realized how close to it I would actually get. When we finally got to Emerald Lake we were at 10,080 ft. We were also at the base of Hallett Peak, elevation 12,713 ft. I wish that I had photos to show, it was just amazing.
All in all, we did 4.2 mile round trip, which includes the loop around Bear Lake. From the start of the trail head to Emerald Lake, it was a net elevation gain of 605 ft. What a day!, But wait, there's more. The whole point of the trip was so Devin could see a live elk, not in the zoo. We only saw one, but it was at least a 6 pointer. Of course, once again, no pictures. Uuuugggh. I have got to fix my camera situation soon. Back into Estes Park for lunch and a trip on the aerial tram to view Estes Park from 1100 ft above.
 | |
| Aerial Tram Ride 1100 ft above Estes Park ( via my iPhone) |
If you ever make it to Colorado, I highly suggest that you spend some time here. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Oh, did I mention that Estes Park is home to the Stanley Hotel, you know, the one Stephen King's the Shining was based on? In fact, in the far right of the photo, that sprawling estate painted in white, that's it. REDRUM!
Friday, August 27, 2010
What Happened??
Okay, here is the scenario: It's my Friday. I have a 3 day weekend. I get to leave work a little early, That's great news in my book. I get home by 1:20, leaving the whole day ahead of me still.
Now here's what happened: Since I had to be up at 3 am, I decide to kill two birds with one stone. Pool time with a built in nap. The pool was fantastic, and the sleep was good too. It's still early, only about 4pm. Still plenty of time to get stuff done before meeting up with friends for (much anticipated) drinks later that night. A little drained from being out in the sun for an hour and a half, I decide to cop a squat on the sofa and check out facebook for a minute. Next thing I know, I fading in and out of sleep. Finally about 7:30pm, I wake up and decide I need to start getting ready to go out to Vinny's to meet up with my friends. Somehow, making my way to the shower, I ended up in my bed and woke up at 5am this morning. Really?? How did I manage to waste away all that time?
The end result: This blog. I am making (yet again) a vow not to watch life pass me by. So many things I want to do or keep meaning to do, but keep putting off. Hopefully this blog will help keep me honest and help me live life to the fullest. Going to bed soon. We have a big day ahead of of us! Elitch Gardens and a baseball game.
Watch out life. Here I come!
Now here's what happened: Since I had to be up at 3 am, I decide to kill two birds with one stone. Pool time with a built in nap. The pool was fantastic, and the sleep was good too. It's still early, only about 4pm. Still plenty of time to get stuff done before meeting up with friends for (much anticipated) drinks later that night. A little drained from being out in the sun for an hour and a half, I decide to cop a squat on the sofa and check out facebook for a minute. Next thing I know, I fading in and out of sleep. Finally about 7:30pm, I wake up and decide I need to start getting ready to go out to Vinny's to meet up with my friends. Somehow, making my way to the shower, I ended up in my bed and woke up at 5am this morning. Really?? How did I manage to waste away all that time?
The end result: This blog. I am making (yet again) a vow not to watch life pass me by. So many things I want to do or keep meaning to do, but keep putting off. Hopefully this blog will help keep me honest and help me live life to the fullest. Going to bed soon. We have a big day ahead of of us! Elitch Gardens and a baseball game.
Watch out life. Here I come!
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