STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Mrs. Bop received the news she passed the Bar exam in early October. As a retirement present to me, we went to Steamboat Springs to visit some friends for the weekend. We went on a short hike to Fish Creek Falls. These are the falls on the Coors beer can.

The weather turned nasty while we were visiting. We were there for the first snow of the season. I am glad to be in a place that has all four seasons.

LIL BOP'S BIRTHDAY

We celebrated Lil Bop's 6th birthday at the Butterfly Pavilion. This place was very cool. They had a girl come to the party room and show bugs to the kids. They were much more interested than the parents. After the bugs, we went into a huge atrium that took me back to Texas. Apparently, butterflies like hot and humid weather. I thought I had given that up when we left Texas. We got to see many beautiful and interesting butterflies and moths. We had some friends come down from Steamboat for her party, and afterward, we all went out to dinner. Lil Bop wore her favorite of the presents to dinner.

FALL FOLIAGE

We went on a drive to view the aspens changing a couple of weekends ago. We drove the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway. The views were spectacular. The drive started in Estes Park and ended in Blackhawk. We started the day by walking around Estes Park. While waiting for a crosswalk light to change, we saw the most interesting sign.

After driving for 2 hours, the Bops needed a break. Mrs. Bop was kind enough to take a picture of Lil Bop and I in front of a changing aspen grove.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

We left Rico on Sunday. Yes, the holiday weekend lasts until Monday, but I like to rest from my vacations before going back to work. It takes 5-6 hours to get from Rico back to Denver. We stopped about a half hour into our trip for this.

The big nipple in the background is Mt. Sneffels. I climbed it. That's awesome. Once we were back on the road, the "get home now" mentality set in. And that's what we did. One bathroom break and 5 hours later, we were resting comfortably in our home. I think Lil Bop's self-portrait during the ride says it all.

GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA!

The Telluride Film Festival happens over Labor Day weekend. Mrs. Bop (AKA - Celeb Gossip Hound) wanted to go into town to look for any celebrities. During the gondola ride into town, we listened to some ladies complain about how this festival is so unlike the rest of them. You have to wait in line with the rest of the "people" and you can't just flash your backstage ho pass and walk in. I had the toughest time not saying anything. Once in town, we strolled along, checking everything out. From the obviously out of place Californians to the mountain hippies to everyday schmoes, the town had some interesting visitors. But, alas, our search was in vain. No celebs. We saw someone being interviewed, but if you don't recognize them, are they a celebrity? The gondola ride back to the car was equally exciting. We listened to two ladies discuss how great Daniel Day Lewis is and how the tribute was wonderful and how her husband actually edited the film. BARF! Mrs. Bop and I had a nice day enjoying each others company. However, during our tour of the town, I found my true calling.

Someday. Someday.

IT'S YOUR HOME!

It's mighty nice to walk into the house with out bustin' your ass on the ice during winter. So says Mrs. Bop. This is the hole the Xterra sleeps in, for now. It's a luxury for one we can afford right now. One of these days, the Xterra is going to have to share.

LIL BOP'S PHOTO SCHOOL

So, as I said before, the camera was a huge hit. She loves taking pictures of anything at anytime. She was lucky enough to catch the elusive pre-coffee Dbop.

More photos to follow as the artist completes her works.

BEAR CREEK FALLS HIKE

So the next day, we all went to Telluride for a relaxing day in town and a short hike. Our short hike was actually 5 miles round trip. The reward for such a long hike the day after climbing a 14er was sharing some beautiful Colorado nature with my family. We parked at Mountain Village and took the gondola into Telluride. From the bottom of the gondola, it's a quarter mile walk to the trailhead to Bear Creek Preserve. Two and a half miles in, two and a half miles out. The hike in was not without its trials and tribulations. Lil Bop tends to jump, skip, and do anything but pay attention to where she is going. Needless to say, this means that Doc Bop had to put in an appearance.

Once we were bandaged and ready for more hiking, we made our way to a wonderful waterfall at the end of the trail. We made this hike 5 years ago when visiting from San Antonio. Mrs. Bop enjoyed it this time much (MUCH) more than 5 years ago.

We finished this hike, spent a little time in town, and returned to Rico to have dinner and celebrate Lil Bop's birthday. We did it a couple of weeks early because Ma-in-law was visiting. Lil Bop received as gifts a nice sweater, long johns, and a digital camera. The camera was a huge hit.

FISH OUTTA WATER!

After climbing Mt. Sneffels, Gman and I rested in Ouray (soaking sore feet in a freezing stream--much needed). Mrs. Bop, Lil Bop, and the Ma-in-law went to Durango to do some shopping and we all met up at the house in Rico after lunch. So after climbing a 14er, how to relax? How about a little fishin? Gman and the Ma-in-law watched Lil Bop while Mrs. Bop and I headed down to the Dolores River which runs right through town. After walking around a bit, I settled on fishing upstream from a small bridge to a neighborhood. As we moved closer to the bridge, we found a friend.

Wish he was mine. He was very friendly, but five minutes later, he was gone. I wanted to fish just to relax and unwind for a litte bit before dinner. I wasn't expecting to catch anything. But, after two or three casts, I had one on the line.

The wife was so impressed. I'm a stud.
So, 13 day tally: 4 lakes, 1 river, 3 fish, 1 hangover, 1 concert, 1 mountain.