Colorado Vacation: Day 1

 The family went to Colorado again this year. We stayed a few more days in Denver checking out some of the sites near town. The following week was spent in the Rockies. 

We had heard about Mt Evans and the draw for me was the opportunity to see mountain goats. Even though they are not native and were brought to this country years ago it's still neat to see them in person. The views driving to the top were spectacular and Summit Lake is a site to behold.

The drive to the top of the mountain had some breath taking views.

The picture above is from Echo Lake. This is the first lake you pass near the gift shop. 

There are postcard views all the way up the mountain. 

If you're lucky you'll run across these guys playing in the rocks near the road.

We talked to a ranger and they said because of the pandemic some of the babies had not associated people with danger. They actually started a program of intentionally hazing the animals to create that relationship. It makes sense but seems like a strange practice. The goats were definitely used to the crowds. They seemed to almost pose on purpose at times.

Near the top is Summit Lake Park. This place is amazing and worth stopping to hike around the lake and check out the views.

Depending on the trail conditions you can almost hike around the whole lake. There was still a lot of snow blocking parts of the trail which I found surprising since it was late June. 

We hiked to the right along the lake and could see down into a valley where I believe Chicago Lakes is.

The view was incredible and the cliffs were so cool looking.

This is the first time the altitude was really effecting me. I had a really bad headache since we landed in Denver the day before. The drive up to the to of Evans made it worse. The sensation was like having a really bad sinus infection. I made sure I was hydrated but nothing seemed to make me feel better.

At the summit I was about at the limit of what I could bare. My wife wanted to hike even further to a marker at the top of a hill. I felt worse with every step I took gaining elevation I decided to just go back to the car and take it easy. My wife got some great views at the top of the trail.

At the very top near the parking lot is a old restaurant that was destroyed in a explosion.

There is also a observatory that has events open to the public at certain times of the year. I bet that is an incredible experience. Probably a once in a life time chance to get certain views of deep space objects.

The experience overall was amazing and I feel like it's a must visit if you're in the Denver area. The drive is around 1.5hrs to the summit from Denver.

2020 Wasn't All Bad

 I'd like to say I want to forget last year but there were a lot of wonderful things that happened. My family visited Disneyworld for the first time.

 Even with Covid we were able to have an amazing vacation in the Rockies.

 We made the best of things and found time to kayak and mountain bike the VA Creeper Trail.

 I think the pandemic brought my family closer together and brought out the best and worst of us. 2020 was tougher on my kids than my wife and I. It has never been more evident that kids need the interaction of others. This generation is so spoiled and we take so many things for granted. It's easy to social distance and do what you're supposed to on paper. In reality situations make you drop your guard and not take proper precautions. The lapse in judgement can lead to a terrifying tornado of chaos and anxiety. Last year we had dinner with someone who later called to tell us they tested Covid positive a few days later. The time we spent trying to find a place to get tested until we got the final results were horrible. My family all tested negative but the guilt we experienced and the anxiety of not knowing were bad enough. 

I  hardly fished at all in 2020. I didn't tie much and fly fishing just became something I thought about but never practiced. I made so many planned trips in my mind only to have them be replaced by other priorities or be forgotten entirely. I did manage to get out a few times and my experiences were great fishing wise but the catching not so much. I don't think those experiences deterred me from further trips but I will say they hurt my fishing ego. A small pond 20min from where I live was recently stocked with trout. It's very strange because this pond will become way too warm for trout by late spring. I tried my luck there but didn't even get a bite. I was happy that I still have a somewhat decent cast but my confidence in what I'm actually doing is not the same. I've never had great confidence fishing still water and I always question my fly selection. I usually end up tying on a streamer and fishing with that the majority of the time. Even if it's not productive it keeps me engaged and my hands are always busy. 

I have more hope for this new year but there's still a lot of unknowns. I guess all we can do is our best and try to cope with what's happening.