Burgers in Florissant

I'm on the road again in an exhausted Ford minivan.

This Friday, we're on our way to an ACA (American Camp Association) Conference to learn how to better the outdoor recreation programming we offer at the YMCA of The Rockies. Starving and needing a break from food at our go-to Commons community cafeteria, we paused for a late lunch at a gas station along U.S. Highway 6. Walking past a lifted yellow Jeep and opening the door, a woman in her late 50s accompanied by a scruffy chef cooked up $7 burgers, promising sweet potato fries, and mediocre milkshakes."We have to stretch the bun so we can fit the meat," I overheard the waitress joke to a regular. We sat four to a small square table. The burger was overpriced and tasty, what one would probably expect after not finding a grub stop after dozens of empty miles, I sat and watched the commotion. Disposing boxes was simply a method of chucking the out the drive-thru window and a corkboard near the trash can was littered with homemade posts alerting about missing dogs named Lula, Demon, and Gizmo.

Cheers,
Robby

Arapaho Bay at Golden Hour

I continue each day to have these "Pinch me, I must be living in a postcard" moments, living here up in the mountains of Colorado's Grand County.

Last week while skiing at Copper Mountain in Summit County, I was carving a bit, well, too aggressively and the DIN settings on my bindings were let's just set say...scary low. Making my way down the mountain, I hit a smaller bump to catch air and my right ski snapped off immediately once I lifted off. I crash-landed on to the hard snow, twisted on my right foot, felt a nasty pop, and slid on my back head-first. Thank, literally God I had a helmet on. Days later in writing this post, I can barely walk. I'm in a constant 10/10 level in surging pain which makes me think I must have torn something. I've got an appointment set up at a medical clinic in Steamboat Springs on the other side of Cottonwood Pass soon. With hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and sadly rock climbing out of the picture until further notice, I'll resort to exploring Colorado via my beloved wagon.

I live near this massive gem called the Arapaho National Forest, which neighbors Rocky Mountain National Park. Within its boundaries is the Arapaho Bay, located in a far corner of Lake Granby. Above the clear cold water, the Indian Peaks range shows off some of its prominent rugged points like the Twin Peaks, Mt. Acoma, and the bordering Watanga and Hiamovi Mountains.

Before eating a 6pm family-style dinner at the YMCA of the Rockies I wanted to take a quick drive through it. I'm optimistically dreaming of returning here again once I'm back on two feet confidently. I reached the bay from highway 34 just as you're approaching the town of Grand Lake, pulling my black Saab 9-2x into the Arapaho National Recreation Area. I followed a 10-mile dirt road, covered in icy snow that winds along the lake past tall lodgepole pines and craggy exposed rock faces. The sunset's alpenglow colors were humbling. The views at sunset were simply jaw-dropping, enough to give me the chills. Again, this was a reminder to me that we are ridiculously lucky to live on such a beautiful planet like this.

Cheers,
Robby

Hiking Up Snow Mountain

After finally getting used to the altitude and thinner air, I explored some mountains!

I've been at YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch, my new home and place of work, for about a month now and felt as if it's time to explore more of the immediate property that sits in the Arapahoe National Forest. Nearby Snow Mountain, also called Sheep Mountain, has five distinguishable peaks offering stunning views of Rocky Mountain National Park off in the distance, the Fraser Valley area, and on the close horizon the Continental Divide and Berthoud Pass. I reached out to my friend Chris, who works in conference services, to meet me at the trailhead. 

Our local weather forecast for Granby, Colorado called for a thunderstorm with snow set to happen around five or six o'clock, so our timing was a bit crucial on this hike. The fairly faint trail rose steeper and our path was soon crossing over a fresh blanket of snow At our stopping point on top of simply named Peak 2, we were standing at about 10,336ft. Dark clouds crept across the neighboring ridges, causing temperatures to drop and the wind grow in strength. Better to play it safe, we headed down.

Next up on my goal list is probably to climb a 12-footer (12,000 ft) or 13-footer, perhaps even Berthoud Pass in the snow or Devil's Thumb. Woot, I'm excited! Also, my GoPro HD Hero captured a few great pictures.

Cheers,

Robby