Colorado Trip Part 3. I woke on Day 3 feeling great. All the soreness from yesterday’s hike was gone. I proceeded downstairs, poured myself a cup of coffee, and went to the deck to watch the sunrise. I sat in silent meditation for several minutes. Suddenly, I heard something moving behind me again. Slowly turning around, I solved the mystery of the great beast. There it was standing on the steps staring at me, a little chipmunk.
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Part 3 Of Our Colorado Trip
The wedding was scheduled for 4 o’clock, so we needed to stay close to the B&B. Sofia takes a while to get ready. I have never figured out what takes so long because she is naturally beautiful. Yesterday, we saw a trailhead close to the B&B and decided to go for a hike. The forecast was for rain, but we were told that rain in Colorado was not like Florida rain. It just drizzles.
We drove to the Elk Meadow Trailhead and parked. The sun was out and it was a beautiful, cool day. Grabbing our water bottles, we started up the mountain. The views got better with every switchback. Unlike the St. Mary’s glacier trail, this trail was smooth. It was much easier on my knees.
Look Around
One thing that I always do is take my eyes off the trail directly in front of me. I take my time to look around and enjoy the journey. Flowers and wildlife are abundant in Colorado. We saw a large bluebird that looked like the Blue Jays back home. Only this bird was much larger and had a blackhead. We were told it was a Mountain Jay, a beautiful bird.
Decisions
We came to a point where the trail split. To the left continued up the mountain, and the right would take us down around the meadow. Since we were short on time, we chose the meadow. The hiking was easy in this past meadow, and we were making good time. Sofia turned to me and said she felt a raindrop. No big deal because Colorado rain isn’t like Florida rain. The raindrops became larger and colder. That’s when the thunder and lightning started. I began to feel that we were lied to about the Colorado rain.
We found ourselves in the middle of a meadow during a thunderstorm. This is not the place you want to be. We had no choice but to keep hiking. Soaked and cold, we eventually made our way back to the car after 2.5 hours.
A Colorado Wedding
After a much welcomed hot shower, I put on a suit for the first time in almost a year. Sofia looked ravishing in her dress. I have to say we made a sharp couple. Off we went to the wedding which, was held on Evergreen Lake at the Lake House.
The ceremony was outdoors and delayed only a few minutes because of the rain. The clouds parted, the sun came out, and we watched a young couple begin their journey together as man and wife. I always enjoy the beginning of anything. It is inspiring, so full of promises. We danced, sang, laughed, and a few happy tears were shed. It was a wonderful night.
Day 4
On day 4, I woke to the most spectacular sunrise. The sun was a bright red ball in the sky. This was caused by the fires in California and the smoke drifting to Colorado. Sofia and I sat outside enjoying our coffee. We went to breakfast and met two new couples that had arrived the night before. They were very nice people, and we got along like old friends.
What A Life
Later, we had the opportunity to speak with Wilhelmina. We found out that she had lived a wonderful life. She was born in the Netherlands and raised in Australia. Wilhelmina became a dancer and choreographer and married a well-known British comedian, They had met all of the big entertainers. Even though she was 80, she looked closer to 60. She still plays golf, skis, hikes, and runs a weight loss program. She is a very inspiring woman, and I could have sat all day talking.
Mt. Evans
We told Wilhelmina that we were going to drive up to Mount Evans. Mount Evans sits between 12,000-14,000 feet above sea level. Wilhelmina told us that it could be cold up there and let us borrow heavy jackets. It was another beautiful drive through the back roads and up the mountain. We climbed above the tree line and arrived at Summit Lake.
As soon as we exited the car, we were thankful we had the jackets. The temperature was 41 degrees, and the wind was blowing. It might as well have been Antarctica to us. After stopping to talk to some Park volunteers about the mountain goats and bighorn sheep, we hiked up to the Chicago Lakes.
No Excuses
As we were hiking, we passed an elderly lady with a club foot. Seeing this lady not let anything stop her from doing something she enjoys made me realize that I make too many excuses. You should never let anything get in the way of doing something that you want to do. You can always find a way.
We took some great pictures at Summit Lake, enjoyed the views then headed down the mountain. We had made plans to drive to Denver and watch some football. Denver is a nice city, and we saw a lot of neighborhoods full of young people. This is something we don’t have a lot of in Florida. It’s called God’s waiting room for a reason.
My Best Friend
We made it to the Blake St., Tavern, a large Sports Bar. There was a good crowd enjoying the first day of college football season. People were happy they were able to gather together again. We watched my school play that evening, and even though the outcome wasn’t in my favor, I wouldn’t want to be there with anyone other than Sofia. She is my best friend. Every part of the trip had been wonderful. We were excited, looking forward to what we would see the next day. To be continued.