A Very Quick Trip

How many times have I said this?  So very many (tapping my heels together)...

"There's no place like home."  

Travel is fun -new sights, new sounds, smells, and tastes - but to me, the absolute best part is coming back home.  I start to get so excited the day before we head for home and my brain fills with all of the little projects I want to start/work on/complete when we get home.  Also - I start to really miss my furry and feathered friends.

All that said - Colorado was awe-inspiring.  Those mountains!  I have never beheld such grandeur - and on such an enormous scale.

So much runs through my mind as I peer down at the ground from almost two miles up into the air - I am filled with reverence and gratitude for the beauty of this planet that we call home. 

 And I am reminded just how small I am - I am but a tiny speck on the surface of an enormously vast earth.  It's humbling.

We spent our weekend with Amanda and Tim in Boulder, Colorado - enjoying the vibe of that quaint, buzzing little town.  It was great to share a piece of their life for a couple of days since they are so very far away these days.  

On Sunday we hiked at Loveland Pass - over 12,000 feet above sea level.  It was remarkable how difficult strenuous activity is at such an altitude.  Amanda and Tim are in great shape and quite used to the altitude.  Hubbs and I had to work pretty hard (our hearts pounding - trying to get oxygen to our muscles)

We stopped on the way for some tea at a small coffee shop and I saw this cute scene...

It's good to have a friend, AND a place to sit!

Monday, Hubbs and I drove our big black rental van up into the Rocky Mountain National Park.

We followed the Trail Ridge Road... a winding road that travels up, up, up

 into the heart of the mountains.  Because of heavy snow, this road is only open to drive from Memorial Day (or after) until October.

Along the way there are breathtaking vistas...

until, finally you reach the highest point of the road 12, 165 feet above sea level. 

 So high you can touch the clouds!  Luckily, there were none while we were there. 

 For those of you who wondered what temperatures we encountered in the mountains, I will tell you... that, while Boulder was sweltering in 93 degrees, we had jackets on at 12,000 feet.  It's quite cold and windy that high in the mountains.  I believe on Monday it was in the 50's, but that was in the afternoon.  When we had hiked on Sunday, it was in the 40's.  After the long, hot summer we have had here on the farm, I was in heaven there in the cold, windy mountain air.

And, sadly, we saw no animals... no elk or moose, etc. -  most likely because we were there during the afternoon when most of the animals are hiding.

Our vacation was a quick one, and we boarded a flight back to Philadelphia early yesterday morning.  For as many troubles as we had encountered getting to Boulder, our trip home was a breeze.  A quick 3 hour flight, followed by 2 ½ hours in the car and we were back home in the midst of our beloved friends! 

Upon arrival, I threw all of our clothes into the wash and hopped into the shower to rid myself of travel cooties.  It was so good to be back home with the germs I know and love!

There's no place like home!

And the icing on the cake is that we are promised a little cooler weather for the next couple of weeks.  I can almost hear Autumn whispering in the woods... it won't be long!