Alpine Loop Bike Trip

Christian and I embarked on kids-free mountain adventure yesterday when we biked over the Alpine Loop. This 55 mile loop encircles the mountains between Lake City, Silverton, and Ouray. Here's a little synopsis for those who want to know:

We left at 6am, with all of the kids still sleeping. Oh, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors, Ross and Mindy Smith, who watched all three of our kiddos. We climbed the 9 miles to Capital City, which was once the proposed capital of Colorado. We watched the sunrise here and ate a peach and some trailmix.

We climbed another 5 miles through the aspens and up a hill to the Empire Chief Mine, where in 1920 or so, an avalanche killed several miners. The historic mine was destroyed in another avalanche a couple of years ago. Up past Rose's Cabin and the road turned steep and rocky. 

We stopped for another snack at Thoreau's Cabin, a lovely home perched on the mountain with a suspension bridge entrance. If you're interested, it is for sale for $700,000. This is where we first saw a car, and about where the road got serious about kicking our butts. 

We stopped to admire the view of the peaks and said howdy to a high altitude shepherd and his doggies. Most folks do this loop in a jeep or ATV (for you Bama folks, that is a fancy way of saying four-wheeler). So, they wouldn't notice that the sign for Engineer Pass (the big exciting summit), is actually a lot lower than the summit. So I was saying "whoopie" a little too early. From Engineer Pass down to the town of Ouray (aka little Switzerland) is only 10 miles or so. We seriously considered cruising down and soaking at the hot springs and getting a room! But, sticking to our plan, we turned toward the gnarly part of the road and pointed our trusty titanium steeds downhill.

Now, I read somewhere on the internet, that from Engineer Pass the road went downhill and then back up to Cinnamon Pass. This is mostly true, however the downhill was so steep and rocky and held so many switchbacks, that it did not feel like the break for which I was hoping. 

We stopped above Animas Forks, a mining ghost town, for lunch and a nap. For all of you wondering, yes there's gold in these here hills, and silver. In fact, one of our friends now manages a mine here that is the largest gold ore producer in the country. Christian has milled some support beams for the mine...but we didn't get too much gold for that. The top photo is from lunch, notice the wildflowers and the marmot.

After lunch, I spent a while being obsessively thirsty, tired, and hungry. I had been training for this...but not at altitude. The two passes are 12,800 ft and 12, 650 above sea level. So, I was loosing my cool a little. I found out, to my complete joy, that I could walk and push my bike uphill as fast as I could ride it...So folks, I did.

After a long climb up Cinnamon Pass, drinking some creek water, crossing my fingers about the creek water...we pointed downhill for the rest of the trip. After we were down the steep stuff, around American Basin, ahhhhhhh....the road felt like butter. Of course it was still dirt and gravel, but not river rock and vertical!  We had a blast cruising down the road hitting the pot holes and riding the boulders. We passed some locals who were fishing an ATV off the cliff of the "shelf road". I guess this caused a little stir among our family who heard only "a couple went off the shelf road." Thankfully, it wasn't us, and the couple lived to tell the tale of their cliff jumping experience. To make a long story short (too late)....we raced home to find our kids playing at the park. We fed them and put them to bed, then took a shower and went to bed ourselves. 

What does the day after look like? Well, Christian was lifting 200lb logs all day, as per usual. And, after 11 hours of sleep, I felt fine enough to take the boys in the bike trailer up to Alpine Gulch trail head and hike a ways while Priya was in school. I love this mountain life. The price for all this adventure? One completely, utterly, totally messy house. Don't judge me, folks, I just have different priorities.

August

Weddings and first days of school and bike rides and chickens, oh my! 

Weddings: We've been to four weddings this summer (and one more to go). Many people who fall in love with each other in this town also fall in love with the town...so they decide to hold their ceremonies here, which means we can attend! One of the recent brides borrowed my wedding dress. It was great to finally justify to Christian why that thing has been hanging in the closet all these years. She looked amazing in the dress!

Biking: I tore my meniscus in my knee last October...running long distances was no longer an option. Someone recommended biking to me as a way to rehab the knee without surgery...It is totally healed and I am obsessed with biking now. With all the mountains around here, it is quite the workout...but then, there's coming down...whew, what fun! Christian and I are biking the Alpine Loop one day next week. It is about 55 mountain miles...with two 13,000 ft mountain passes. 

School: Silas and Priya started school this week. Silas goes to Pre-K, Priya to pre-pre-K. Silas goes three mornings a week, and Priya just one. It has given me a little more freedom in the mornings to only have two kiddos. Yesterday, I biked the boys up to the Alpine Gulch trail. We then hiked and picked raspberries and biked down to pick up the sister. Then, we went swimming at the lake after lunch. It felt like a mini vacation (or a triathlon).

Chickens: One of our little chickens started laying two weeks ago. She's a very good layer. About 1/2 of her eggs have double yolks. She lets us know when she's ready to lay; Silas carries her to the coop where she climbs to the highest shelf and drops her egg. She makes a big announcement and then goes back with the chickens in the yard. I hope the others start laying soon.

girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Priya had the opportunity to be a flower girl in a wedding this weekend. We decided that she would do better if she had an assistant, so Kate held Priya's hand, and the basket of petals. (You may remember Kate from a post two years ago. She was the Mary to Silas' Joseph at Christmastime.) Kate is 5, but the girls are the exact same size and looked just precious throwing the petals and walking through the trees down to the river. It was difficult to get a photo, Priya kept flitting about all over the yard. There was a little play house at the wedding location that the kids loved! Congrats Nate and Sara! What a beautiful wedding!

....snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...  

come on, you know you want to sing it!

just for laughs

We've been keeping a pretty impressive schedule this summer. I usually sleep only 6 or 6 1/2 hours a night...getting up early to bike or run or go to kick boxing class and staying up late to hang out with all the people that are not around in the long, dark winter. Last week, I logged 93 miles on the bike. I've been working up to bike the Alpine loop at the end of the summer. I need to do some more high altitude stuff before I'm ready, but it has been a fun goal. 

The kids have been having a blast swimming and tubing in the chilly river, playing with the hose, putting undies on their heads (classic), chasing and catching chickens, building towers, cooking with me, and hanging out at the park. 

(We had to set an execution date for our rooster, pictured above on our roof; he tried to kill one of our hens; and I heard that roosters don't lay eggs.) 

Christian is building some custom doors right now, taking orders for more portable saunas and other buildings, and milling up a bunch of inventory for the fall and winter.

We are attending a wedding this weekend in which Priya will be a flower girl...and then three more wedding this summer/early fall.

Summer shots

Be-bop-a-re-bob Rhubarb pie and Powdermilk Biscuits

(This Birthday dinner sponsors)

I chose a breakfast menu for my birthday dinner this year. First, eggs are the perfect food, are they not? Second, a meal that all my children love and gobble with no complaints is a happy meal for me.

The rhubarb pie? Well, it grows fresh on the alleys of Lake City and makes a lovely custard pie with raspberries!

It was a grand party with lots of friends and family. Here is a photo of Lake City's newest 32 year-old...and my two favorite Amys. 

Chickens...etc

This week: I turned 32; one of our so-called-hens began crowing at dawn; Christian got two semi- trucks of logs delivered; Priya got a nice-sized splinter in her foot; Silas mastered the art of catching two chickens at once; and Levi continued to excel in all things adorable.

If you can't read the brass sign on our coop, it says "Women Only." Apparently, one of our chickens didn't get that message...He is proving to be a real pain in the neck...getting loose and crawling under the car, etc. If he's not going to lay an egg, well....we'll just have to see how long it takes to fatten him up.

For my birthday, I rode my bike up to Capital City, which was once a proposed site for the state Capital. A beautiful spot, but even in 2010, it is only accessible part of the year!