The "FOX" group strikes again!

Our hiking trail today was:
Lair O' the Bear Park!
Let me begin the story by telling you a story of my
nephew & his wife this past weekend.
Noy & Dawn were on a 4-wheeler near Vail, Colorado,
when Dawn saw a HORSE!
....except that when the horse turned around it
was actually a BEAR!
Well....the bear lumbered across the path and up into the mountains...
but Dawn & Noy proceeded to "discuss" whether
to FOLLOW the bear (Noy's idea!),
or TURN AROUND and get back to civilization
(Dawn's idea!)
Being that Dawn is 3 months pregnant....she won!

Our hiking plan.
(No, we didn't hike the entire park!---only about
3 hours worth!)

The path began beside a wonderful, roaring stream.
It was full from melting snow.
Would have been great for white water rafting!

burrrrr......

This was the wildest beast we saw today!

Actually, we were walking (and talking) along the path when
I heard some rustling noise in the woods...
and out ran two BLACK SQUIRRELS!
If you have never seen a black squirrel before (like me),
they are about the size of a large house cat
with long black hair!
Kinda wild looking!
(glad that was the only thing rustling in the forrest!)

Way down the path we came upon private property just
over the fence of the park property...
and there was a Castle!
It's actually a private home!

Look behind the small tree in the center of
this photo and you will
see a Water-wheel!
(I wonder if there's a moat?)
:)

My favorite picture!

The trails lead you through such beautiful scenery!
We often comment that we can't believe people can just come
to Denver to live and never really take advantage of
the beauty of the mountains---firsthand!

A....bear cave???

Here I am. (brown hair this week!)
Time for a short rest, an apple or protein bar,
take some photos....and head back down the mountain.

This is my Nancy friend.
She's the hiking PRO....knows all the trails, all the flowers, all the
bear paw-prints on the path,
(well....not really. But she can name most of the animals
by their prints or their skat.*
If you don't know what skat is....see last week's blog below this one!)
Anyway....I wouldn't leave home without her!
:)

This is my Suzie friend.....Suzanne, actually.....but she let's ME call her Suzie!
We attend the same church, both love antiques, both have daughters
(well, hers is her daughter-in-law)
who are pregnant with their FIFTH child!
We have LOTS in common!
OH....AND WE'RE BOTH FROM TEXAS!!!!!

I took this picture specifically to show that we are not the only ones
hiking the mountains! We have met groups of ladies twice now
on our hikes! It must be THE thing to do in Colorado!

Of course, we found this warning sign
AT THE END
of our hike!!!
(we especially do #2 = make lots of noise while hiking!)

Our trail this week was just outside the small town of
Morrison, Colorado.
When we come down from the mountain, we
often reward ourselves by visiting the
local restaurants and antique shops!!!

With something like 67 degrees and no humidity
(Georgians----eat your heart out!)
we ended our mountain hike at the
Morrison Grill
(which serves Mexican food!)
and enjoyed it on the outdoor patio!


Nancy tackled this Taco Mountain like she tackles
the mountains of Colorado....
like a pro!!!

"I can't believe I ate the whole thang!"
(she's a good Texan----loves Mexican food!)

Okay....who found the bit of family news in today's blog??
:) :) :) :) :)
Okay....who will come hike with us next week??

Coming Attraction: next week I will tell you what "FOX" stands for
.....which is the name of our group!