Above and Beyond Ice Lake… to Island Lake

Dear Lord, I've got turquoise jewelry less turquoise than Island Lake. It sure makes a Lovely Postcard with Bobbie grinning from ear to ear.

Getting High With The Gang

Well, it was a great hike, ten hikers in all, but the wildflowers were a bust... just in the early stages of bloom, if at all. I'm bummed because flowers are more than half the draw as far as I'm concerned. But the fellowship more than made up for that, and Ice Lake was in full glory…

A Preview of Today's Hike

So this is where the Gang is spending today, Ice Lake Basin. I've never seen a lake so deeply turquoise-blue as Ice Lake. Once you see it the bar is raised and the rest are ho-hum. Ice Lake is a visual/emotional paradox, affect and effect, stir and calm, imprint and erase. For better or worse, it is the measure by which all other bodies of water will be compared. Ice Lake, however, is not pictured in this teaser post. Some things should remain under wraps—chaste, until appropriately consummated. 

Attitude and Altitude Adjustments In Lovely Ouray…

Debbie, Suzanne, Jim, Gayle, Bobbie, and Your's Truly descended en masse for a little post-hike/bike/swim beverage and sustenance at the Ouray Brewery. Jim whined about the vertiginousness of Oak Creek Trail and lack of oxygen, while Suzanne and Your's Truly arm-wrestled for the "check" (regretfully, the incorrigible Winnie Wanderer remains undefeated in that department). And, as if that wasn't enough (ahem) intercourse, another get-together was had at the BCB Mine Shack a few hours later… a welcome party for other late arriving RV contingents, Chris and Mindy (Jeepers from Illinois), and another Chris, a Lazy Dazer who we had yet to meet, and Wildflower regular John Q. and wife Joalenn.

Wildflower Potpourri

"May your life be like a wildflower growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day." Native American Proverb

The Secret Garden

Local friends, Carla and Kathleen, invited us to a summer celebration at The Secret Garden, a fine dining catering service here in Lovely Ouray. The Secret Garden blends impeccable landscaping with delectable food offerings and makes for a truly magnificent dinning experience. In a day and age of instant meals and fast food, they are a breath of fresh air. Food preparation is an art form. It takes more than a culinary school diploma to do what they do; it's about creativity and instinct.

Blue Lakes Pass or Bust

Busted. Monsoon season feels different this year. Normally, we have clear skies in the mornings and clouds build shortly after noon, with thunderstorms erupting by 2 PM. Most of those storms pass quickly; you can wait them out under a rock and then continue hiking. But this year things have changed, the "weather" is getting an early start. Take a couple days ago...