Mom Meet Hiking

I have to say I'm pretty proud of mi madre. She comes visiting out from Chicago and managed to finish a 3-mile hike with about 700 feet elevation gain at Elk Meadows Open Space near Evergreen. Not bad for a 63-year-old grandmother who lives at 500 feet elevation.



It was nice to go at a more leisurely pace than the death march I usually go. You get to see the forest from the trees and the cacti from the grass.



Finding art in nature. Or is it the other way around?





Afterward had an incredible lunch at Two Brothers Deli in Idaho Springs. I can't sing praise enough for how good the food is and how much they give you.

If you're ever on I-70, I highly suggest stopping off and getting either breakfast or lunch. It always feels good to support independent businesses with personality.

What Makes A Home

A little flair. A little mix and match. And a lot of comfort.



A decanter of wine also helps...





The madre is having a field day. I'm getting saturated with shopping and growing reluctant to spent more money. But an end table is still needed.

I swore I wouldn't do this again

After the tedious hike down the last time I hiked and climbed up Mt Morrison, I swore I would never go up Mt Morrison again.

But there I was, sucking precious oxygen as if I was tackling Mt Everest. It was my own fault; I only have one gear and if I'm not in the red zone, then I feel I'm being lazy.

But it is Easter. And for the past 12 years, I have either skied or climbed something on that day. I knew I was going to go climbing or bouldering, I just didn't know what or where.

So when a helicopter crashed this morning on the top of Mt Morrison, and media was not allowed to shoot the wreckage, well, I knew where and what I was going to do.

Having an objective in mind I made even better time up -- 35 minutes.





Amazing that the instructor and student both walked away with only slight cuts.

It got windy at the top. I got the footage I wanted so down I went. Miraculously I didn't fall this time.





I did have one dizzy moment about 20 feet up a cliff band. Got slightly dizzy because my heart rate was too high to get into highball climbing. I stuck on my slopping ledge for a couple of minutes to calm down a bit before getting to the top of the cliff.

And I swear, this time, I won't climb Mt Morrison again!