Hiking will always make me feel close to God.  You can see God’s love for beauty.  From rivers, rocks, trees and animals. Being out on a trail brings serenity- it is my escape when life gets overwhelming,. Being outdoors anywhere in Colorado fills me with peace.

I am so blessed to share this passion with special people, friends who feel that same joy from being under the clouds and vulnerable before God.

This week was a bit overwhelming to me for many reasons. I was able to get out twice this week and soak up some sun and walk among the trees. The days were warm, boarding on hot, but filled with life.   On Thursday of this week, I met up with a precious friend for a spur of the moment hike. We both needed girl time and we both love being outside. We hiked mid-day, so not my favorite time to hike.  I am a morning or evening hiker as I do not function at my best in the heat. We had already hiked about 3 miles and were headed back.  While I was talking my friend grabbed my hand and started praying and calmly her disposition changed dramatically.  I looked over my shoulder and my heart stopped.

We had just rounded a corner at the bottom of a hill and right beside us, no more than 20 feet away was a large brown bear.  It is not uncommon to have bear sightings in our neck of the woods, it is however, truly the first time I have ever encountered one face to face. Words cannot even describe it.

Clearly we did not go unnoticed. It was ever so clear that he saw us, he did not retreat as we thought he would.  He watched us closely for good while,  we kept hiking as we tried to keep an eye on him but not lock eyes with him.   My friend was singing a song for protection as I was praying for God to protect us.

Unfortunately the rest of our hike was uphill, literally all uphill.   It was hot, my heart was racing, my mouth was cracking from the dryness, I tasted blood in my throat from the dryness.  While both fairly calm on the outside, inside I think we were both not really sure how the rest of this hike was going to turn out.   At one point in our hike we rounded another corner and headed uphill,  this hill was now parallel to where the bear ascended to keep an eye on us.  Were we going to run into him again at the top?  What would or could we do?  It is truly a pretty helpless feeling.  The only thing we could do is keep calm, continue walking and PRAY!   God was there, he was so there with us.  He protected us and got us out of there physicaly unscathed.   This hike tested me in so many area’s,  it is such a blessing to be on this side of it all, it tested my faith, my endurance and strenghtened me in many ways.  I am so thankful that God was there with us.

A dream come true

In the Shadows

Careful Observation

Fleeing the Nest

The fun part about this particular maze is that they add a fun twist and also made it a game of Clue. There was a game sheet with a list of things we needed to find throughout the maze. You know you have finished if you found all but three items. These remaining items will tell you Who the suspect is, Where they are and What tool they used to commit their crime.
A couple of times we ran into the boys and the game was pretty even, the last time we ran into them, we were getting tired and each only had a couple more things to find. Comparing notes we each had the things the other team needed. Of course, we girls were able to give them good directions to find what remaining items they needed but in true boy fashion, all they could say was, “it was over there, somewhere!”

The boys did finish first, but we girls persevered and finished not too long after the boys.  I was so impressed with how well all of the kids did.  I look forward to doing it again next year.

It did not seem like the kids had been in school very long, but we sure did welcome the Fall Break. No lunches, getting to sleep in and having fun together.

The week really was just as close to perfection as you could possibly expect. The kids had a couple of playdates with school buddies to start the week off, which is always a treat!

In the middle of the week, Kip was able to get some time off of work and the four of us, headed up into the mountains with my parents in the RV. We headed up to Cotapaxi, along the Arkansas and set up camp. I think I love Fall camping much better than Summer camping. The weather, although a lot cooler at night, was perfect during the day.

Together

A Great Place to Be

The kids brought their bikes to ride and it really was a perfect spot for them to  ride because  the camp grounds were pretty empty and lots of fun roads to ride. Unfortunately, after the first afternoon of riding both kids got flat tires from the bull thorns. They were so so bummed, but were very gracious about it.

Watching out for Bull Thorns

Zoom Zoom

The 2.5 days really flew by and our days were full.  We went for several walks, played basketball, played on the playground and hung out along the river as we watched Kip & Papa fly fish.  We played horseshoes with my mom and dad, cooked some great meals, relaxed and very much enjoyed each others company. The kids enjoyed checking out the general store whenever it was open, we rented the movie “RV” to entertain us one evening as we drank our hot chocolate.

Both of the kids were very helpful; Hayden was in charge of the camp fire -which I might add he loves.  He, along with Papa and Dad would get it roaring for us each morning and evening.  Gillian was very good at keeping things organized and cleaned up after each meal.  I enjoyed watching each of them step up to help.

Nana with Grandkiddies

Papa with the GrandKids

I was really sad to depart on Thursday, as I loved just being away from all the routine and stress of the city and being home.  To be unplugged and in the incredibly beautiful mountains was just what we all needed.  I love God’s details to color in all of his creation.  Words just cannot describe the yellows, oranges and reds that are on display against the beautiful Colorado Blue Sky.

God's Glory

Simply Stunning

Hayden's Rock

Hayden made Nana her first smore ever!

Being in the river brings peace to this man's soul

Beautiful Sunset

Thank you God for the provision of this trip and thanks to my precious parents for asking us to join them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly.”

This of course was not a worry for my Gillian, however running out of fuel was her big concern.  Especially when the train stopped a couple of times, for whatever reason. 

As a sort of last hurrah and an end to our Summer, we decided to take the kids on the Royal Gorge Railroad trip.   It was a fun, relaxing family treat for us all.  There is nothing better than getting out of the house and away from all of our usual distractions.  We loved our road trip to Canon City just as well.  The conversations and  laughter are priceless.

We were all very excited to get onto the train and get settled in.

Our seats were perfect for 4

We were immediately treated to the spectacular views along the Arkansas River and the magnificent Canyon walls.

We were able to walk out onto the Open Air Car, just a couple cars down from ours and watch as the Gorge narrowed to just 30 feet wide as we headed under the bridge.  You could almost touch the rock walls on one side.

We saw an Eagle with it’s prey, Big Horn Sheep and lots of rafters.  We also got to look up and see North America’s Highest Suspension Bridge.  It was amazing to see it from this perspective for once.

Royal Gorge Bridge

Once the train stopped to prepare for the return trip, we headed into the concession car and got a snack and headed back to our cabin.  I have to say, I liked this view of the Gorge much better.  There is something about being that high up and on that bridge that just do not sit well with me.

I highly recommend this little excursion to anyone, it was a perfect little getaway for a family.  Just the right length and it was a smooth and gentle ride.

As we debarked off the train and headed to the gates, Kip and the kids spied this precious sight.   I absolutely fell in love with this little guys.  While we watched them, their momma swooped in and brought them a little bite to eat!

It is always so fun to get them out to explore new places, they were so fun to hike with. Gillian enjoyed being our guide and leader, while Hayden along with Daddy were our photographers. As for me, I just had to make sure I didn’t fall on any ice and enjoy my family.

The park has changed a lot since we were there last and we actually hiked the other side of it and got a different view.

The kids were very excited to make it to the broken dam wall. The wall the broke in 1933 and flooded the Denver area. If you do not know the history behind this park, you really should look it up and read about it. It is very interesting.

http://www.utahtrails.com/Colorado%20pages/CastlewoodCanyon.html

Winding Path

Unable to resist the beauty and the amazingly mild temperatures we decided to get out for a Nature walk along Santa Fe Trail. What a fun time we had as a family. We all got caught up in taking pictures and eye spying animal tracks, we even engaged in a pine cone war. Yep, can you believe it? After what happened on one of our camping trips, we actually dared to pick up another pine cone!!! Thank goodness for my children my aim was not as good as it was the last time.

At a recent physical I was told I was really low on Vitamin D, so my family was helping me out and making sure I got a good dose on our walk. I am a bit skeptical now with this Vitamin D thing as it appears to be the latest medical trend. I have met several people who have recently been diagnosed. Oh well, can’t hurt…..right?

Happy Apple Farm

I love our tradition of going each year with our friends, it is sort of the ringing in of Fall for us.

It is all about the experience and being with friends because I am pretty sure that the pumpkins were shipped in once they ran out, not to mention the premiums we pay for these pumpkins.

I love to watch all of the kids hunt for their own pumpkin and run about the fields. The boys always pick out nice, big pumpkins while the little girls run far into the field to find one just their size. Once in while we time it just right  to smell the green chili’s being roasted in the big roaster, it smells so fresh and yummy. The Happy Apple Farm IS October for us.

This is the one!

Hay Ride

]]> https://www.csrussells.com/2010/10/12/happy-apple-farm/feed 1 https://www.csrussells.com/2010/10/03/working-on-the-nature-wildlife-badge?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=working-on-the-nature-wildlife-badge https://www.csrussells.com/2010/10/03/working-on-the-nature-wildlife-badge#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:18:09 +0000 http://www.csrussells.com/?p=958 This is Gillian’s second year as an American Heritage Girl. This year she gets to wear a “real uniform” and is having fun earning her badges. I have to say, now that I am understanding everything a little better, I am enjoying it a lot more . It has been a blessing to work with Gillian on earning new badges and to watch her blossom into a wonderful little girl.

Releasing a bird

This weekend we had the privilege to go on a field trip with our pack. All the girls (all ages) were working on their Nature & Wildlife badges. Each age group/level obviously had different things they needed to accomplish to earn their badge, Gillian’s group – the 1st grade Tenderhearts – had some really fun lessons at the educational ranch at Chico Basin.

Wilson Warbler

We started the day, learning & watching how birds are captured, banded, released and tracked. We learned about their migration patterns and what the different kinds of birds eat based on their beaks. Later we drove to the main part of the ranch and got to break for lunch. After lunch, we broke into even smaller groups and got to see the chickens and hens, the kids got to look into their house and see if any eggs had been laid (only one had), after that the kids got to see and hold new baby chicks, this was probably high on the list of favorites.

However, I would have to say that the number one favorite for my little girl was meeting Carrot.  Carrot is a  beautiful golden Palamino horse. Carrot was so gentle and appeared to really like Gillian and was nuzzling up to her face.

Gillian & Carrot

After visiting with the animals the older AHG’s had a surprise for the younger girls. The older girls made Nature Journals for them to use on the nature hike they were about to go on.

The nature walk took us around a pond, they learned about different plants that were growing their, they learned about ants and why they make their big ant hills and how beneficial they are to the trees and plants around them. We “got” to see a HUGE & horribly ugly spider (ewwww) before heading back to the main area. Many of the kids got a kick out of collecting bones around the area and took home their little trophy’s of the day.

I am so glad that Gillian had this experience together, she made me very proud to be her momma.

Gillian holding a baby chick