July 2024

Happy 4th of July!

We started off the day with our tradition of going to the parade in Monument. The kids decorated their bikes and scooters and rode the parade route before the real deal started. Lexi's friend, Joy, and Jennifer joined us this year. We headed to Dave's coworker's block party in the Broadmoor, then Mom and Dad's for a patriotic dinner, followed by fireworks in Flying Horse. Busy day!

Crested Butte to Aspen and Back!

This is one of the most beautiful hikes we have ever done. Dave and I have been preparing for months for this hike, and it did not disappoint! We drove to Crested Butte and spent the night in a hotel there, then drove to the trailhead the next morning. We left our car there, hiked over the mountain pass, through the Maroon Bells, and ended at Maroon Bell Lake. From there we took a shuttle into Aspen and spent the night in a nice hotel, and turned around the next morning and did the whole thing backward. On the way there we started at the wrong trailhead and added a few extra miles to our trip, but it was so beautiful that we didn't mind. On the way back we managed to reach the summit before the afternoon storms rolled in, but got caught in the rain for the last few miles of the hike. We were wet and muddy when we finally made it back to the car, but honestly it was so beautiful when it rained because all of the streams filled up and the water made everything bright green. All in all, we ended up hiking about 25 miles round trip. We would do it again in a heartbeat!

Our starting point (wrong trailhead). At least it was still beautiful, and we made it into Aspen before the afternoon storms.

Found the right trailhead!

Wildflowers were in full bloom!

We passed by a moose just hanging out in the mountain pasture by the stream on the way there.

Almost to the summit! This was probably the most brutal part of the climb.

We made it to the summit! #CoupleGoal. It was a beautiful saddle where you could overlook the Maroon Bells and the valleys on both sides. There were countless little streams and waterfalls everywhere from all of the melting snow. I love hiking with streams around; it made for a very fun hike.

Nothing like hiking through snow in the end of July...

So many little stream crossings!

This was one of the not-so-little stream crossings that we had to do. Thankfully we had prepared and brought some sandals to wade through the stream in so we didn't have to get our hiking shoes soaked on the way there. There was one other large stream that we had to cross. I managed to make it over hoping on large rocks, but Dave wasn't as successful and fell in. A little water didn't dampen his spirits though.

I now understand why they call them the Maroon Bells - the rock is literally purple! The Aspen side of the pass was much more rocky, and we saw many marmots (try and find the one in the picture below) and picas just hanging out on the rocks. The picas were much harder to get a picture of, but you could hear them squeaking the whole time we were near them. They were darling!

These rocks sounded like they were alive - we could hear the picas and see them moving, but they looked just like the rocks.

Purple and turquoise rocks lined the trail.

We made it to Maroon Bells lake (before the storms hit)!

The next morning we took the shuttle from Aspen to the Maroon Bells lake and started our day off nice and early. We also borrowed hiking sticks from the Maroon Bells Lake visitor center, and they made all the difference in our hike! Who knew that hiking sticks weren't just for old people?! We actually hiked the way back faster than the way there, despite it being 7 miles uphill to the summit and only 4 miles downhill to the trailhead from this side. I think it took us about 7 hours on the way there and 6 hours 40 minutes on the way back. Lots of stopping to admire the scenery though.

There was a large beaver damn at the lake that was really cool to see.

Crater Lake on the way out of the Maroon Bells area.

Some parts of the trail we had to duck into tunnels through thick bushes and trees. It felt like we were Alice in Wonderland or Hobbits.

So many waterfalls!

Summit - part 2. Can you see the massive storms rolling into the valley behind us? It was absolutely stunning to watch from the saddle, but we quickly scampered down the steepest part so we didn't get stuck there in the storm.

We hiked a few miles in the rain, but we were prepared with ponchos. Everything was so vibrant and green.

A porcupine friend on the side of the road.

Pike's Peak Rodeo!

The kids love seeing the cowboys and cowgirls doing their thing. It's such a different world than the one we live in here in the suburbs. We took a bus to the Rodeo Arena, and Grandma and Jennifer came along.

Puppies!

Mom and Dad just got a couple of puppies, Tilly and Tucker. They are a hit with our kids!

July Fun with the Beutler Family

Our ward primary took a trip to the Denver temple and did a tour with the temple workers around the grounds. My nieces were visiting from Oklahoma so they were able to come with us. Cole, Lexi and their cousin, Katie, did baptisms for the dead while the rest of us took the tour.

Ava, Macy, Clara, Ellie, Alice and Benson

Cole, Ellie, Macy, Katie and Clara

Grandpa Blacker, Benson and Ava

Alice and Clara

Macy and Ellie

We have been living out here this summer. Can you find Lexi and Alice?

Monster making with Grandpa and the cousins.

Benson and Ava giving Grandma Blacker snuggles.

Our chicks are now teenagers, but they all want to sleep in the nesting box together instead of the roosting bars inside the coop. Hopefully they outgrow this funny habit!

Making boats and racing them down the stream has been a constant source of fun for the kids. Lexi and her friend, Joy, made some particularly colorful boats.

We got our fire pit ring up (still working on the surround), and had our first fire tonight! S'mores and fire colors followed by camping in the backyard made it a fun evening.

Jennifer and kids made a yummy Dutch dessert for us. It was lady fingers soaked in raspberry syrup with layers of cream in between, topped with white chocolate and fresh raspberries. Yum!

Nighttime neighborhood walk.

Macy lost her first tooth! Clara helped her pull it out - such a proud big sister!

Clara went to play with a friend and came home with several salamanders! Apparently they have a pond near their house and the girls enjoyed catching them. They lasted for a week or so in our garage before I made Clara let them loose near our stream.

Chicken fun with Autumn and Johnny.

Clara and Macy learned how to make bread in a fun class taught by my friend, Emily.

Lexi loved her first year of girls camp. She was the youngest one there and got spoiled royally.

Jennifer's sisters, Roxanne and Lindsay, came for a visit from the Netherlands! They stayed with us for a couple weeks during their trip.