Alpine Loop, Engineer Pass, and breathtaking scenery

Jeeps up on the top!

We just made the most amazing jeep trip yesterday. What can I say that even begins to describe the awe inspiring views in every direction. Alpine Loop is called the Switzerland of America, and for good reason. The views took my breath away and there were old mining towns everywhere you turned. And remember, we've been on many beautiful passes over the years. Wow. And all this gushing when we only did half!  It's 65 miles altogether and we did the Lake City over Engineer Pass to Silverton, the "upper" half, and then the rain and clouds came in. We decided to go back the regular highway. The second half will be for another day.

So lots of photos for your viewing pleasure...

And the toilet...

1880's kiln

in the market for an old mining town?

massive buck a peak over

house for sale, accessible only by bridge

sheep, thousands of them with sheepdogs and herders

the sheep and the view - Ireland? Switzerland?

top of Engineer Pass 12,800

Eureka - a mining town in restoration process

Mark took this-great

aerial ore bucket

Silverton

Lunch at Handlebar's - yum

Narrow Gauge Silverton-Durango train - need to do that!

Jeeping, rain, and dinner with good friends

And its the last few days of July-again the question, how did this happen? I adore the summer/fall here so much and deeply regret each passing day. But, making the most of it! We do not have company for awhile and plan to get in some jeeping trips, hikes and things.

Short jeeping trek up Carbon Creek towards Red Mt. to see the sights and have a picnic lunch. Haven't been since last year and was surprised to see other people, one group fishing, one group cutting down dead trees for firewood, and a lone bicyclist. Quite gorgeous,wild and isolated.

A meeting with a boy on my morning walk

Coyotes howling in the dark, cows mooing in the night - why?, and deer meandering through Star Mt. No car, train, or plane sounds to disturb the peace. Nice.

Had good friends Gail and Steve over for dinner - its been a year and we did a repeat with, drumroll please, Shrimp Paesano. Lovely excuse to make it.

Local news:
 Crested Butte doctor, Dr. Gloria Beim has been appointed chief medical officer for the U.S.Winter Olympics team.for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.She's been involved with previous Olympics and world games but this is the highest level yet. Hurray for little Crested Butte.
Multiple mountain lion sightings at the golf club in Gunnison. Lots of deer there - easy pickings?

Books read: Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson, not very inspiring, maybe translation, as she is Norwegian, An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff, great true story of a Manhattan woman who befriends an 11 year old panhandler in the streets, and Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank, pleasant, low country (South Carolina) summer read.

Lots of lovely rain yesterday and today.  A day for inside projects or just lazing around.

Whirlwind visit comes to an end

Everyone is gone, boohoo, but it was a great time. Mark is off as well, to meetings in Dallas. Whoo, time for me to catch up on laundry, bills, etc.

32oz bottles - filling all four once a day!

Also keeping to insane hummingbird feedings schedule. They're baaack...Thank goodness we got the extra big boy feeders.

We all went in different directions the last few days of the visit. Exercising, fishing, hiking, shopping, eating, and searching for the internet connections in town. Blah - we still have our slow, slow "situation" with the internet at the house.

unknown berries were everywhere - bear too?

Star Mt. hike happened with a portion of the group. Fun always to explore.

where oh where are you petroglyphs?

A group of us tried to search for the elusive petroglyphs, to no avail. These are the 800 year rock carvings that one of the professors at Western confirmed exist and are not an urban legend. I'm going to contact him and get just a little more input on location I think. Thanks for looking with me everyone.

Interesting internet session at the cute coffee/book store in CB. Free entertainment outside (bang, bang on kitchen bowls and intense strumming) - always the unexpected around here.

And let us not forget the small, very small golf contest on the driveway. No one won - hopefully no deer were injured in this experiment...