We spent most of this week in the (relative) lap of luxury - in real houses! Salt Lake City has some great rides, but camping was hard to find. Airbnb is a great alternative to hotels, especially when traveling with dogs. And they're usually available at the last minute, just when we've given up hope of finding a camping spot.
(If you're viewing this in an email, click here for a better viewing experience.)
 |
| Early morning along a Provo River tributary |
 |
| Our Airbnb had a huge grass yard - a dog's paradise |
Dennis has kicked into high training gear with his big race about a month away. That means fewer "wife and dog rides" and more intense, long days of climbing and living at high altitude. The dogs and I spend our days alternating between hiking and running adventures in this beautiful part of the world.
 |
| Mean geese |
Dennis came upon a flock of geese on one of his rides. They kept hissing at him as he tried to pass them, but he finally managed to blow by them at great speed. Apparently they're more competitive than we realized.
 |
| Thank goodness for iPhones |
When I'm alone on the trails without my navigator (aka Dennis), I usually do out and back routes so as not to get lost. This is my technique for remembering which trail to take. I used to make arrows out of sticks, but I learned the hard way that it's not a permanent solution!
We found a really nice campground in the Uinta National Forest called Shady Dell. On an early morning walk, we found an immense artistic wonderland between the campground and the Provo River. Scores of rocks were painted Easter egg colors, paths were created, elaborate cairns were erected. We never found out who did it, but the evidence of paint on the picnic tables attested to the creation location. The sign leading into the area, erected by the forest service, sternly warned anyone not to paint any forest items. Hard to know which came first, the sign or the art.
 |
| The mighty Provo River slows to a trickle at this time of year |
 |
| Hiking the Missouri Lakes trail high near Vail |
Our friends Karen and Joe Stermitz have embarked on an adventure that makes our summer trip pale in comparison. They sold all their belongings and plan to travel the world for the next who-knows how many years. All good adventures have setbacks, and they've had their share. Most recently, Joe had a mountain bike incident and tore his rotator cuff. This required them to spend 4 months in Avon, CO while he recuperates from surgery. We were very happy that this allowed us to spend time with them at their Airbnb in Avon, CO. They'll also admit it isn't the worst place to spend the summer.
 |
| The dogs hate being left out of pictures |
While in Avon, Karen, Joe and I did a few great hikes in the surrounding area while Dennis did his hard training rides. There are so many trails from which to choose, each one more beautiful than the next. Summer in Colorado is the place to be for mild weather, cooling rivers and lakes, and an abundance of outdoor adventures.
 |
Another epic ride, high above Eagle, CO
|
 |
| Mudd Triathlon: Dennis bikes, dogs swim, I run |
All the little towns around Vail have a wonderful summer scene. Eagle, Edwards, Avon, Minturn each have their own weekly outdoor concerts, open air markets and family events. It's a really nice sense of community and doesn't feel touristy at all. Every time I remark about what a great place it would be to live, a local always tells me, "Sure, it's nice now, but wait until you spend 8 months of winter here." I think that's their method of scaring the rest of us away. I'm still considering it.
 |
| Summer concert series in Eagle, CO |
The dogs are great travelers, sort of like wind up toys that are awake when you want them to be and sleep when they're not needed. They have the entire mid section of the van to accommodate them, but they always choose to pile up right under our feet. Rio's huge head is constantly shifting the car into lower gears, turning on the hazard lights, turning on the seat heaters, turning off the lane assist...
 |
| Despite constant cleaning, mud splatters are also a constant |
Comments
Post a Comment