The SNOWY RANGE and COLORADO!

We were in Colorado & Wyoming for 6 days,  July 11 - July 17.  We packed in a lot of FUN in a short period of time.  Weds evening we had dinner with my sister Anne and her family in Denver.   My neice Nell made dessert - raspberry cream puffs, with raspberries picked that afternoon from their highly prolific raspberry patch.  

The happy baker with her cream puffs

We headed up to Fort Collins and spent Weds evening with my parents, and then took off for the Snowy Range in WY on Thursday morning.  We stayed at the Historic Mountain View Hotel in Centennial WY on Thurs and Fri nights.  What a fantastic place!

Built in 1907, this has been significantly restored, and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, as of 2007.

We were in the Snowy Range for hiking, and boy did we get our full of wonderful scenic hiking trails!

We did a 4 mile hike Thursday afternoon, then an 8 mile hike Friday morning and early afternoon, followed by a 4 1/2 mile hike later Friday afternoon.  Fields of columbine & lupine were abundant, plus we saw some beautiful butterflies, and gorgeous vistas as we traversed by several mountain lakes.

A clump of Columbine mingling adjacent to some Asters

Beautiful bouquets everywhere!

Sugarloaf Mountain backdrops a plethora of lakes

We spent Saturday, Sunday & Monday nights with my parents in Fort Collins and had a very nice visit with them.  Sunday evening we went to Boulder to attend the 80th birthday celebration of John Hanson.  John was Gerry's boss and mentor when Gerry worked for Abbott Labs 1975 - 1980 as one of Abbott's All Star sales reps.  (This was pre-Mary days, since I didn't meet Gerry until 1985.)  It was a fine celebration and Gerry visited with friends from the good old days!

I think the world would be a better place if there were more 80th Birthday Celebrations!