The Drive Back

Hector and I left Colorado Thursday afternoon and arrived in Mexico City late Saturday night. It was a long 3 days of driving but we were lucky and did not have any major problems.
The moonrise on the Colorado eastern plains.
Endo.
Eating real Mexican food at a real Mexican restaurant.

It was definitely hard for me to leave Colorado. More than anything, I miss living with nature. Upon my return to Mexico, my boyfriend and I also broke up. Needless to say, I haven't been in a blogging mood since being back until now. But stay tuned, because more post will be coming about all the great things Mexico has to offer me.

Hiking Niwot with Hector

A couple days before Hector and I began the long drive back to Mexico City, we hiked Niwot Ridge. A point to point hike beginning at Brainard Lake and finishing at my parents' house.
Hector
Me

By far the best part of the hike was during the final mile when we were on the Gold Hill Rd. From the moment Hector arrived in Denver, all he wanted was to see a bear while in Colorado. I explained to Hector that I have seen 2 bears in Colorado my entire life, one of which was on my way to the 4th of July fireworks in Nederland a few weeks ago. I had to break it to him that his chances of seeing a bear were rather slim. The morning before our Niwot hike, the Daily Camera had a picture of a bear in a tree in South Boulder. Hector was complaining that the only bear he was going to see while in Colorado was in the newspaper. So, when we were walking back on the Gold Hill Rd. and Hector turned around screaming "Oso, oso, oso!!!", I hit him and told him to knock it off. But, as I turned around, sure enough there was a big black bear crossing the Gold Hill Rd. right in front of us. It was a rather exciting experience for me and especially for Hector, who now has a new nickname, Oso. Sorry, but we don't have any pictures of the bear, we were too excited to take photos :(

Rocky Mountain National Park

A friend of mine from Mexico City, Hector, arrived yesterday to spend a few days in Colorado and then drive with me back to Mexico City.
Here is Hector with Boulder in the background yesterday.

Today we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park to drive Trail Ridge Road. But instead of ascending Trail Ridge, we went up a one way dirt road called the Fall River Road, which arrives at the visitor's center on Trail Ridge. Then we descended Trail Ridge back to Estes Park.
A photo of the river.
Another view from the Fall River Road.
Hector playing in snow for the first time in his life.

Working on the Wind Generator

My dad climbed the wind generator tower today to reinforce a part of the tower. I was his tool runner.
By chance I was wearing my cool new t-shirt. How fitting for the occasion?!

Its a . . .

Moose!!!! On my way to breakfast this morning in Nederland I came upon two moose crossing the Peak to Peak. I was able to get a photo of one of them. I have lived in this area all of my life and not until recently have there been moose. It is always exciting to see one. They are impressive animals and I hope I never get charged by one!

Trail Ridge Road

My dad and I rode from the Rocky Mountain National Park visitor's center in Estes Park to the visitor's center at the top of Trail Ridge (and back down of course) yesterday. What a beautiful ride!!
My dad approaching the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance.
2 miles above sea level, but we still ~2,000ft of climbing to go.
One of the many incredible views.
My dad led the entire ride into a pretty strong head wind. He even rode away from me a couple of times. At the age of 59, he rides harder and faster than I do. Pretty awesome.

My Cruiser

On Wednesday I took my car into Super Rupair just to make sure everything is in working order before heading back to Mexico. There are no Subaru's in Mexico and I am sure that finding parts to get my car fixed in Mexico would take centuries. So I figured it was best to have it checked out in a town where Subaru's out number any other car.
In order to get errands done while my car was in the shop, I pulled out my beloved, yet neglected, Bianchi Cruiser from the shed at my parents' house. I forgot how much fun this bike is to ride and I also forgot how bike friendly of a town Boulder is. There is truly no reason to NOT commute around Boulder on a bike 90% of the time. So go get on your cruiser bikes all you Boulderites!!!

Walking

One of the best things about being at my parents' house is taking long walks through the woods and discovering new places. On Sunday, I took such a walk with my parents.
Here are my parents at a Forest Service sign marking the boundary between their land and the Forest Service's Land. Yup, they own half of the rock outcropping.
We walked down a drainage that I had never been down before. It was beautiful. Extremely green with lots of new Douglas Furs sprouting up, which is a good thing because Pine Beetle will probably kill all the tall Lodge Pole Pines but not the Douglas Furs!! My dad and me.
These are some of the wild flowers we saw along the way. Daisies, Blue Bells, and Indian Pant Brushes.

Endo's New Bed

Spoiled dog!!!!

July 4th Apache Adventure

The 4th of July started out with a big bang for me.
It started at 4:30 am at the Long Lake trail head where I met up with Ben, Caleb, Luke, Stu, and Evelyn to hike up Apache and ski a couloir.
An early morning start allowed us to watch the sunrise. The aplenglow from the sun on the Indian Peaks was breathtaking.
Here is Ben celebrating his descent that finished with him skiing across the water just behind him. It was a great day of hiking and skiing. For a detailed description of the day, see Stu's Blog.
We finished the never ending 4th of July day by watching fireworks in Nederland. Evelyn, Caleb, Luke, an Nichole waiting for the show.
Here I am during the early morning hike and then later on waiting for the fireworks. It was a good 4th of July for sure, one that will definitely be talked about for years to come.

The Gold Hill Inn

Every summer The Melamed Family gets together at the Gold Hill Inn to celebrate birthday's, anniversaries, father's and mother's day, and just being The Melameds.
A meal at the Gold Hill Inn is a very unique experience because of its rustic ambiance and the great 6 course meal for $31.
My Mom, Dad, and brother.

Riding with the Rents

Yesterday I went for a wonderful road ride with my parents. My parents are incredible cyclists. My dad even dropped me on one climb and my mom was always a few minutes within my dad and me. Plus, we rode for 2.5 hours. Its fun to have such fit and outgoing parents. For those of you familiar with the Boulder area rides, we started on the Peak to Peak at the Gold Hill Rd. and rode to S. St. Vrain. We dropped down the canyon for a bit and returned back to the Peak to Peak via Raymond/Riverside. Then it was the Peak to Peak back to the Gold Hill Rd. Pretty tough.
Today I went for a short mountain bike ride on the Sourdough. Its rocky. The rest of the day I spent working. I have lots to get done while I am on "vacation" in Colorado.