Yeah, the Rockies were great. A totally different environment from the Cascades yet lots of little similarities, reminders. I saw Oregon Grape in the forests, fir trees, wild roses. One of my favorite plants was the Brook Primrose, they grew next to cold mountain streams, a little rosette of leaves like our garden primrose with a tall stalk carrying a whorl of large hot pink 5 petaled flowers. I also loved the fat Alpine Sunflowers and the many different penstemons (like Monkey Flower if you know that one). I had to tease the Coloradans about their 'teeny' mountains: "14, 000 feet? But they start at 6-7,000. Our 9-13,000's start at 0! Got any volcanoes?" Being used to hiking up from the Nooksak Valley from 3,000' to 6,000' in 3miles those 30-something Coloradans couldn't keep up with me on the trail from 9,000' to 12, 000' in 6 miles. Sorry to throw all those numbers at you but I enjoy the map-reading, the calculations of mileage, speed, elevation gain, etcetera. They were impressed that I was 48, said I was a "machine". Ha, Ha! : ) I thought I was out of shape!

Anyhow, I think I only saw one glacier, on the last day. I was only supposed to go for a walk in the red rock hills but had not had my fill of the Rockies. I got out my maps and drove to the closest entry to the National Park. It was full of wild cascades (Thus, Wild Basin), dry forest, huge boulders in the woods. I broke out into a fire burned ridge where I saw multiple high snowy peaks including Mt. Meeker, second highest in the Park. [Sorry, i didn't have a camera. : ( ] This is where the Thunder storm hit and I had to run for cover. Now I felt like I was in the Rockies! I was glad to fit in one more strenuous and scenic hike.

Now I am back. Taking measurement on my new studio, pondering renovations. I supplied a nice deep soaking tub which has been installed, walls built around a small bathroom, an on-demand water heater hooked up. I need to paint, caulk some gaps in the barn boards, maybe do some tile in the bathroom, put up some more drywall to make it less "barny", ad some cabinets, a closet, a new bed. It is funky but I'm going to leave it much better than I found it. This will be my new "garden" and I hope to throw at it the passion I had for my actual garden. I'm learning to embrace change, lose attachment, find passion in the challenges. Aho! Hopefully I will be able to have guests over soon with a couch or futon for sleepovers. Hope to see y'all soon! - Rich