miura-adventure.comLife should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

We took some wonderful bike rides. One of the best was when the kids and I went DOWN HILL that same dirt road about 9 miles and Ken picked us up. Was that ever fun!! Lauren kept talking about how beautiful the whole area was and how it was as if angels lived in the trees. So innocent and beautiful. We also too many walks on the trail around the lake. We saw some raccoons, dear and many small creatures.

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Nikki’s 11^th birthday was during our stay at Sylvan Lake. We had planned to take her to Vail until the local espresso owner told us to check out Glenwood Springs Canyon and the town. Ken and I drove through the canyon and to the town (had to do some birthday shopping!) and were SO amazed that the I 70 goes through this canyon! An engineering masterpiece as it wrapped along the steep mountain cliffs. BEAUTIFUL beyond words.
There was an amazing bike trail that hugged the Colorado river along this canyon. So we surprised Nikki and all took a bike ride along this path. We rode 10 miles of this path (which goes all the way to Aspen) and loved it. Colorado is so committed to health and providing excellent bike paths. We are so impressed!! After a yummy lunch at a Brew Pub in town we then did a little bowing before returning to our campground. A happy birthday all the way around! Next stop Colorado River State Park!! I hear the area we will venture to next is home to some great wineries!!

Hugs to all!!

Andrew took a free fly fishing class one morning along the river. He is such a fisherman!! That evening, we went to “Lily’s Lake” (a piece of heaven) and Andrew caught his FIRST fish using his FLY FISHING pole!! He was SO excited!! Now he can really say he’s a fly fisherman!

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 Our urban experience in DENVER. . .After spending several wonderful days at Elk Creek State Park, we took off for more of an “urban” experience. Cherry Creek State Park is located just minutes outside of Denver. Our camp spot had so much space around it which seems common at State and National Parks. We took a day trip into the city, with little more than a map in hand. We started at “Cherry Creek” which is SOOO cool! It’s a “village” of sorts with lots of great little coffee places and boutiques. The neighborhood surrounding Cherry Creek was filled with unique older houses. After my coffee fix, we headed downtown. We walked up “16^th street mall” (an outdoor mall with free trolleys up and down the wide streets) and made our way to LoDo (a funky newly revamped area). Feeling a need for some Denver history, we took a tour of the State Capitol and grew in our appreciation of this great state.

Other highlights of our time outside of Denver include:

A reconciliation with my dear friend from Naperville days (1999!), Holly Biggers and her family. They came and BBQ’d with us one evening as the kids all played tag well into the night.

A day trip to Boulder. Such a cool town. We really loved it. Sat outside on a patio for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant. Love that nan!

Had a great lunch of . . .Pho? I didn’t know about Pho either but Ken is crazy about it and we found a Vietnamese area with lots of restaurants and markets. Pho is a Vietnamese soup full of yummy noodles, meat, bean sprouts, lime and basil. Looking forward to having it again soon!

Took a family bike ride down a great bike trail in downtown Denver along the river. Ended with a trip to a big farmer’s market. YUM!!

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Our campground, “Ridgeway State Park” was a mere 15 minutes from Ouray so we made a couple trips into this wonderful town. In fact, Ken and I celebrated our 14^th wedding anniversary in Ouray. Instead of choosing the usual “cute” place to go for dinner, Ken and I picked the place where the locals go. It was fantastic and packed with locals and visitors alike. What a great bunch. Down to earth and friendly. Yes, this is the place I would love to live. . .in the summer that is!

One day we all went to the Hot Springs Park in Ouray. The kids had a great time goofing around in these hot pools.

Our camp spot at Ridgeway State Park was great. Definitely a popular destination as it has a huge reservoir with boating and even a great little swim beach. There was a bike path that went around the whole entire reservoir. Hobie celebrated his 2^nd birthday here and we decided to let him go for a swim in the lake to go after Andrew who was fishing from his float tube. After his swim, being thirsty, he drank some lake water. Not a good idea. We have been dealing with his, shall we say, “delicate constitution” even since and hope to have him back to normal soon!

While at Ridgeway State Park, we took a day trip to Telluride. How cool is this town?? We started by taking their free gondola rides to the top of a mountain and then down to the town of Mountain View. A beautiful river runs all through Telluride and its streets are full of “she she” art galleries and restaurants. Definitely a big ski destination as the mountains where full of ski lifts and condos. Ken, Nikki and Andrew rode there bikes for an hour while Poohnut and I hit the shops. Nice to have one on one time with each of the kids.

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