Summer Road Trip Part 3: Telluride Phish

The destination of our road trip was Telluride, Colorado to see Phish play for two nights. Telluride is in SW Colorado, way up in the mountains. It is so beautiful there. The town is tucked in a valley, with steep slopes rising in every direction. We stayed in a condo in Mountain Village, which is at about 9200 ft. We were able to take the gondola into Telluride for free, which was super cool. Lucy's first gondola rides! The shows were great, totally rocking, with beautiful sunsets both nights. Lucy enjoyed parts of both nights, but slept through most of it. She loves her headphones, and wanted them on even before the music started! Hopefully someday we can come back to Telluride in the winter, the skiing looks amazing!

Summer Road Trip Part 2: Utah and Arches National Park

We left the hot springs in Idaho on Marc's 35th birthday, after a nice morning soak to start the day. We had some trouble finding a camp spot outside of Ogden, Utah but finally got what seemed to be the last available spot in that area. Although a lightning and rain storm met us there(and several blew through during the night), we were blessed with a beautiful double rainbow. Lucy and Marc are my personal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! We woke up early the next morning and hit the road towards Arches National Park.

Arches is nothing short of a miracle. The geology there is breathtaking. We arrived as the day was ending, and when we got there we had a nice break at the visitor center, complete with cool statues of ravens, big horn sheep and goats. I enjoyed checking out the gift shop! Then we found a camping spot just outside of the park along the Colorado River. Wow! There was an amazing 360 degree view, just amazing. The ground is so firm in that red-rock country. We relaxed, took in the view and sunset.

The next morning we arose and headed into the park. First stop was a viewpoint of Delicate Arch. It was beautiful but there were tons of people. I would say about half of the visitors were American and half Foreign. We lucked out and the hike we chose to do had almost no people. We had two arches all to ourselves on our hike, Tapestry Arch and Broken Arch (not to be confused with the arch that actually broke a few years ago). We took a hiking break at Sand Dunes Arch before heading back to the car. My photos only do it a smidge of justice! I feel lucky to have visited this place and hope to spend more time there someday. Lucy rode in the backpack for the hike. She seems to enjoy it. :)

Summer Road Trip Part 1: In Idaho...(there aint no place I'd rather be...)

In the beginning of August we took a long road trip to Telluride, Colorado. The basic reason for the trip was to see Phish play for two nights in one of the most beautiful venues in the country, but ultimately it was all about being on the road, checking out amazing parts of the west and spending time as a family. Our first night we camped near the Grande Ronde River, in Eastern Oregon. The campground was practically empty, and just beautiful. It was a good start.

The second night we went off course and camped out right next to the most incredible hot springs I have ever been to in my entire life. It was a hot springs creek through this little valley, and we basically had it to ourselves. Marc and I both feel very drawn to Southern Idaho every time we go there. There is something about the sky, the hills, the sagebrush, and the way we feel when we are there. We love it. It is a very active geothermal area with a high concentration of natural hot springs. Lucy was so cute in her first hot springs experience. :) In the above photos, if you look closely you can see steam rising from the creek, and the water in the creek is gloriously warm. There were many, many pools for soaking, and the spot couldn't have been nicer.

At night, we were able to soak in the springs and still hear Lucy in the tent if she woke up. The stars were out in full force, and there was a lightning storm way off in the distance. Sitting in the hot water, watching shooting stars and spending time with Marc is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

Grandpa and Grandma Karr time!

My parents traveled up for a visit in late July and Lucy had so much fun with them. She loves them so much! We went camping with a bunch of friends at Timothy Lake, near Mt Hood. Lucy loved playing in the dirt, let me tell you. The dirtier the better! She enjoyed seeing Baby Evan, playing in the hammock with Sophia, and digging with Samantha. Best of all was quality time with Grandma Pam and Grandpa Dave. My parents helped out with some projects around the house, and camping was fun. Thanks, Mom for giving it a shot! We are so lucky to have such good friends and family!

Summer Fun in the Sun

Marc, Lucy and I were able to spend a nice weekend at home in July. The weather was hot and it was very relaxing to hang out at our home. We set up the pool in the front yard, which Lucy loved. She sure does enjoy being outside. When the weather is nice we spend all day out there playing and exploring. She helps me in the garden, colors with sidewalk chalk, laughs at the dog, and checks out insects. One favorite activity was blueberry picking!

Northwest String Summit

In July we went out to North Plains, Oregon to attend the 9th Annual Northwest String Summit. Marc and I have gone since the first year. It is kind of like summer camp for adults (and their kids!) This year was Lucy's second. It is always such a great time, with music, camping and hanging out with good friends. Yonder Mountain String Band plays each night, and several other bands play. This year Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart were there. They were the drummers for the Grateful Dead. During Yonder's set they came out and played New Speedway Boogie into Franklin's Tower which was awesome! We were able to spend lots of good time with some good friends. Lucy seemed to enjoy herself, and she is so much fun to take out!