Not much happened in Pagosa Springs. We ate, we slept, we lounged around in bed watching tv. I have planned the trip around skate parks so that Enzo can continue practicing his BMX tricks. Saturday the skate park was a bust because there was a competition going on and Sunday Enzo hurt his thumb pretty much right away so he was done for the day. A day or two at the condo was nice. I read a whole book in one day. I haven’t done that in years. But Norm and I both agreed that we were getting bored and couldn’t wait to be back in the woods. Monday we headed back to Telluride. I prayed the whole way that we would get a spot at Town Park campground. We lucked out and the camp had not yet filled up after emptying out from the Rise Festival. With our pick of sites we almost choose our previous spot, but decided to move down one space to a very large campsite. It’s pretty nice to have all of this space. As soon as we pulled in the boys raced to get their tent up so they could leave for the skate park and the little kids started building a fort in a wooded area next to camp. After dinner Norm and I took a walk together (a habit we have formed that I will miss when we go back to Arizona). We went a new direction and discovered the trail going through the park and city continued on for a very long time. We walked all the way to the abandoned mining building at the edge of town. At this point you can take the road to Bridal Veil Falls, which of course I wanted to do, but we needed to get back to camp and I was wearing flip flops (and maybe had too much wine at dinner…). I was so excited to tell the kids we could hike to the falls. Unfortunately, they were not as excited as me, but they agreed to go with us. We had also discovered a great place for Sinjin to play in the water on the other side of camp. This he was excited about and off he went!
Enzo before he got hurt
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The parks in Colorado were really cool! And even the tiniest of towns had large park.
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Fort Building in Telluride
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A beautiful place to play!
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Tuesday
Norm and I had our coffee and then back to camp to wake up the kids. The older boys had been out too late at the skate park or something and decided to skip the hike. Sinjin was less than thrilled with the idea of hiking so I made him a promise. I knew the kids would be so happy once they got to the top of the falls – I really wanted them to go with us. “Hike this with me today and you do not have to do any more hikes the rest of the trip.” This would later bite me in the ass! Sinjin was actually hiking pretty fast and we stopped several times to wait for Norm and Ava to catch up. We had gone about 2.5 miles up hill (not steep, but definitely climbing) and we see a lot of activity on the road. Then we realize there is a front loader with a heavy load backing up to come down the pass. We just stand around with all the cars blocked from going up the pass. A man with a safety vest (this makes him official, right?) comes over to tell us that the road is closed for the day. Sinjin didn’t know if he should celebrate or cry! He had walked all that way just be turned away, but on the other hand I promised he didn’t have to hike again… Back to town we go with a little frustration.
Norm and I had our coffee and then back to camp to wake up the kids. The older boys had been out too late at the skate park or something and decided to skip the hike. Sinjin was less than thrilled with the idea of hiking so I made him a promise. I knew the kids would be so happy once they got to the top of the falls – I really wanted them to go with us. “Hike this with me today and you do not have to do any more hikes the rest of the trip.” This would later bite me in the ass! Sinjin was actually hiking pretty fast and we stopped several times to wait for Norm and Ava to catch up. We had gone about 2.5 miles up hill (not steep, but definitely climbing) and we see a lot of activity on the road. Then we realize there is a front loader with a heavy load backing up to come down the pass. We just stand around with all the cars blocked from going up the pass. A man with a safety vest (this makes him official, right?) comes over to tell us that the road is closed for the day. Sinjin didn’t know if he should celebrate or cry! He had walked all that way just be turned away, but on the other hand I promised he didn’t have to hike again… Back to town we go with a little frustration.
Sure - take the kids - no worries!
Wednesday
Wednesday we decided to hike up to Tomboy Ghost Town and we took Enzo with us. The hike was challenging for Enzo, but we had a lot of fun. The plan was to go all the way to Imogene Pass, but about a half a mile from the ghost town Enzo started to fall apart. He had a really bad headache and was feeling a little dizzy. He had finished all his water and luckily I had not really touched mine because he ended up finishing that off too. Norm had a lot of water in his pack and he did some drinking out of the falls. I knew from past hiking with Enzo to be conservative about my water because the altitude effects him a lot more than me. We also kept plying him with calories. We made it to the ghost town and he was a mess. He told us to go on to Imogene Pass with out him. I didn’t want to leave him, but after some food and water he was much improved so we left him and headed up. After 25 minutes I was worried about Enzo getting cold just sitting and waiting. We started running back down, but there were roads going everywhere and we kept taking the wrong one. Terrible parenting! When we got back down to Enzo he was definitely cold. We get him up and walking and heading back down to Telluride. The weather had been cloudy all day, but on the way down it started to rain – hard. We took cover under a tunnel and waited for it to let up a bit. But not too long after we started out it started to hail! We laughed as hail bounced off our bodies. It was small and not painful thankfully. I decided we just needed to move. “Run!” I instructed! Enzo loves to run downhill and can pretty much keep up with me on the downs. We had to step off to the side to let someone pass and she stopped – asked us if we wanted a ride. We all looked at each other and said sure! We squeezed into the back seat with Sarah’s mom (she was the driver and her dad was next to her.) We enjoyed our conversation with them on the way back to town. Sarah, like so many, had come for the summer and decided to stay. This was her parent’s first time on an alpine pass and while they enjoyed it, they never wanted to do it again! We expressed the same sentiment about our one trip on an alpine pass. We compared the Ophir Pass to the Tomboy Road to Ouray. And we learned Bear Creek is for the highly advanced only and people regularly die on it. I’ll stick to hiking my alpine passes thank you very much!!!
Wednesday we decided to hike up to Tomboy Ghost Town and we took Enzo with us. The hike was challenging for Enzo, but we had a lot of fun. The plan was to go all the way to Imogene Pass, but about a half a mile from the ghost town Enzo started to fall apart. He had a really bad headache and was feeling a little dizzy. He had finished all his water and luckily I had not really touched mine because he ended up finishing that off too. Norm had a lot of water in his pack and he did some drinking out of the falls. I knew from past hiking with Enzo to be conservative about my water because the altitude effects him a lot more than me. We also kept plying him with calories. We made it to the ghost town and he was a mess. He told us to go on to Imogene Pass with out him. I didn’t want to leave him, but after some food and water he was much improved so we left him and headed up. After 25 minutes I was worried about Enzo getting cold just sitting and waiting. We started running back down, but there were roads going everywhere and we kept taking the wrong one. Terrible parenting! When we got back down to Enzo he was definitely cold. We get him up and walking and heading back down to Telluride. The weather had been cloudy all day, but on the way down it started to rain – hard. We took cover under a tunnel and waited for it to let up a bit. But not too long after we started out it started to hail! We laughed as hail bounced off our bodies. It was small and not painful thankfully. I decided we just needed to move. “Run!” I instructed! Enzo loves to run downhill and can pretty much keep up with me on the downs. We had to step off to the side to let someone pass and she stopped – asked us if we wanted a ride. We all looked at each other and said sure! We squeezed into the back seat with Sarah’s mom (she was the driver and her dad was next to her.) We enjoyed our conversation with them on the way back to town. Sarah, like so many, had come for the summer and decided to stay. This was her parent’s first time on an alpine pass and while they enjoyed it, they never wanted to do it again! We expressed the same sentiment about our one trip on an alpine pass. We compared the Ophir Pass to the Tomboy Road to Ouray. And we learned Bear Creek is for the highly advanced only and people regularly die on it. I’ll stick to hiking my alpine passes thank you very much!!!
Me and Enzo
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Norm tries the water
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We find Enzo a house...
Tomboy Ghost Town - it was so big and crazy to think people use to live there!
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Success! I made it to a snow field!
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| Thursday This was our last full day in Telluride. Norm and I sat discussing moving to Telluride over coffee. We have been talking about it for the last 2 weeks. We love the small town feel and safety. We know there are downsides. But every city has it good and bad points. We had seen a house that would accommodate all of us and we could possibly afford so we decided to take a walk to check it out. It is on the edge of town as you come in to Telluride. Not ideal, but we can’t afford in town. It would be a start. With the walking/biking path to town it really wouldn’t be too bad. One mile to town and two miles to the park. We had been talking about jobs in the paper for a few days. I applied for a job with the school district. Norm emailed a guy about a job. Ava is ready to move here tomorrow. Sinjin is on the fence. He doesn’t want to be far from his dad, but he loves the freedom he has in Telluride. Enzo only wants to move to California. BTW – how do you run in the winter here??? We took the kids on the gondola ride to Mountain Village. Ava loved it and Sinjin wanted it over as soon as possible! The library here was hosting lunch for patrons today. We got a free lunch that was delicious! Hamburgers and hot dogs with a choice of veggie burgers and gluten free buns if needed. The librarian also stopped us to tell us very wonderful things about our children. That always makes you feel nice! I have been trying to find a hotel or condo any where between here and Silverton, but no go. Looks like we are back to dispersed camping the night before my race. Not ideal, but I’ll live I suppose. I am not expecting my race to go very well anyways. 
The dandelions are huge and abundant!
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Gondola ride to Mountain Village
Free lunch for library patrons
I planned this trip around the idea that 3 weeks of running trail at altitude in Colorado would make me a stronger runner. I put a lot of money into this trip with the goal being to see the rewards the rest of my race season. Unfortunately, I have hardly run at all. I have walked my ass off all over Telluride. And we have done a couple big hikes. In the end, I don’t feel like this trip has benefitted me as a runner. More concerning – I really wanted to do well at Kendall Mountain to score points for the US Sky Running series, but I am not feeling good about the outcome of this race. I have cried more than a few times about the money I have spent and the wasted opportunity. Anyways, back to today. We got a chance to talk to the grocery store clerk that we have become friendly with about living here in the winter. He lives in the same condo building we are looking at – too funny! We spent the rest of the day pretty mellow. We bought Sinjin a new game today called The SES-QUI-PE-DAL-IAN. After Norm and I had gone to town to get food for dinner we played the game. I will miss these days with Norm and our time together. Going back to Phoenix will start the rat race again. I have to get ready to teach 2nd grade and an Intro to Psychology class at Gateway Community College. We have to get Enzo ready to start high school and Ava and Sinjin ready to start at their new school. Norm will go from working two part-time jobs to one full time job (this will actually be a good thing!). |
| Friday Today we packed and left for Silverton. It was a beautiful drive. We definitely want to come back to spend time in Ouray. We went back to the same camping spot outside of Silverton and set up tents. I was getting a little angry because it was so late in the day and I had not eaten lunch yet! Back in town, I can’t even remember what happened, I think I couldn’t find my Cliff bars, but I totally lost it. Crying I headed down the street to meet Sabrina at Mobius so we could go on a shopping trip for Jamil in Durango. (Don’t be alarmed – I always cry the day before a race about something inconsequential. My lovely family just hugs me and tells me they love me.) Going to Durango with Sabrina was exactly what I needed. We got some girl chat in and had more fun that should be allowed on a shopping trip. Sabrina and I typically have all of our fun doing mundane things like shopping. Jamil sent us with this ridiculous list of food and drink he needed for the race the next day. We were quite the sight at Walmart with our 2 over following baskets. I also had my first Starbucks in 3 weeks. YUMMY!!! We had pizza for dinner at Avalanche brewery. Gluten free crust for Ava! Sabrina came to join us for a drink. I was a little bummed I needed to get back to the tent to go to sleep. I was really enjoying the view, the company and relaxing. To see how the race wet you will have to read my Kendall Mountain race report. | 
Avalanche Brewery in Silverton
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Saturday
Sabrina and I had talked about hiking Handies after the race. It was one thing on my to do list that I was really sad I hadn’t done. But the weather was turning early in the day and after a less than great racing day I just wanted to get out of there. I hung around longer than I wanted because Sinjin was having a blast helping with the race and Ava was playing with friends. We ended up leaving town later than I wanted and trying to pack up camp and the car in the rain. In the interest of truth, I mostly sat in the car pouting while Norm and the teenage boys did all the work. The car ride home started with me talking about how I was giving up competitive racing and ended with me looking at going back to Colorado this weekend to race. A long drive home, plus we had to stop in Flagstaff so I could pick up my car to drive back to Phoenix. We arrive home to the overwhelming smell of cat pee! One of the cats (and I am guessing it was the new kitten) pissed in all the beds and every place we keep extra towels and sheets. Evidently, our 3 week absence displeased her. (Do not be concerned the cats and chinchilla had a daily visitor and sometimes 2 visitors a day.) It’s 11:30pm there is no food, we can’t sleep in our beds and we are all feeling very cranky! We went for Taco Bell (sorry Ava – nothing for you to eat) and slept in sleeping bags with the windows open. I am already missing being homeless in Colorado! Back to the real world.
Tuesday
We have been home a couple days. Already the craziness has started. Trying to get ready for my two new jobs, driving Enzo and his friends everywhere because nothing is close. No more sitting around talking about nothing and laughing with the family. We are all busy with things to do and places to be. No more walks in the evening with Norm. My kids didn’t necessarily appreciate our three weeks in the tent, but I loved it. If you know someone who wants to rent a house for the summer in Phoenix next year – let me know because I am planning an even loner trip next year. But don’t tell the kids.
Sabrina and I had talked about hiking Handies after the race. It was one thing on my to do list that I was really sad I hadn’t done. But the weather was turning early in the day and after a less than great racing day I just wanted to get out of there. I hung around longer than I wanted because Sinjin was having a blast helping with the race and Ava was playing with friends. We ended up leaving town later than I wanted and trying to pack up camp and the car in the rain. In the interest of truth, I mostly sat in the car pouting while Norm and the teenage boys did all the work. The car ride home started with me talking about how I was giving up competitive racing and ended with me looking at going back to Colorado this weekend to race. A long drive home, plus we had to stop in Flagstaff so I could pick up my car to drive back to Phoenix. We arrive home to the overwhelming smell of cat pee! One of the cats (and I am guessing it was the new kitten) pissed in all the beds and every place we keep extra towels and sheets. Evidently, our 3 week absence displeased her. (Do not be concerned the cats and chinchilla had a daily visitor and sometimes 2 visitors a day.) It’s 11:30pm there is no food, we can’t sleep in our beds and we are all feeling very cranky! We went for Taco Bell (sorry Ava – nothing for you to eat) and slept in sleeping bags with the windows open. I am already missing being homeless in Colorado! Back to the real world.
Tuesday
We have been home a couple days. Already the craziness has started. Trying to get ready for my two new jobs, driving Enzo and his friends everywhere because nothing is close. No more sitting around talking about nothing and laughing with the family. We are all busy with things to do and places to be. No more walks in the evening with Norm. My kids didn’t necessarily appreciate our three weeks in the tent, but I loved it. If you know someone who wants to rent a house for the summer in Phoenix next year – let me know because I am planning an even loner trip next year. But don’t tell the kids.
Sushi for the ride home
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Post race, long ride home
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