With my tenure in Jeddah ending in mid-June and the Venezuela gig starting late July, I had a short summer. On top of a solid 2 weeks with Paul and the brothers in Bend mixed in with cruising around Oregon, I was able to fly out to Colorado for a couple weeks to see family and friends.
After a few days of catching up, Ben and I took Mom up to summit her first 14er. Mt. Evans (4,348m) is accessible by driving up about 99.9% of it and walking about 6 minutes to the top rocks. But we crushed it.
After soaking in the vista (we could see South Park!) we took off down the road to visit a little alpine lake.
We kept walking along a trail up to a northern ridge and were met by some wonderful mountain goats as they passed through. They were majestic, to say the least.
And a snapshot of the valley as we turned to leave.
It really was a memorable day. The Rocky Mountains are beautiful and filled with fresh air, clean water, and vibrant life. It was energizing, invigorating, and as Mom said, "ordinary and mundane." I can't wait to go back.
Love ya!