Checking Off the Bucket List

This weekend was a tournament weekend for soccer and the location was about an hour away.  Saturday wasn't a big deal, there was only one game.  But Sunday, Charles had a game at 7 am and another at 4 pm (with warm ups beginning 45 minutes prior).  So we decided to see what we could do in the area versus spend the day driving back and forth.  We haven not spent much time in the different burgs North of us, and we hoped to get in some apple picking, lunch and then just see what was to see.  The apple picking was immediately discounted when we got up there.  Due to the extreme warmth early, followed by a single late frost, the apple harvest this year is very limited, so there was no pick your own available. 

We began to look around at some other options.  First, we found a park that has the last covered bridge in Wisconsin.  It was a lovely old bridge, and had a beautiful park to walk around.  We saw a Blue Heron and the kids enjoyed exploring. 

As I looked at the map, I saw the Cedarburg Bog State Natural Area, so we thought we'd check it out.  We found a hiking/boating entrance and walked up the trail.  It was wet and muddy, but that was to be expected after the rain we had last night, and well, it's a bog!  As we got further up the trail the ground got squishy and further yet, it got almost bouncy.  Then we hit a 300 or so foot stretch leading up to the swamp that was simply amazing.  Have you ever walked or run on a trampoline??  Well that was the sensation of the earth under us, and as we walked up the path, we could see it ripple away from us!  Truly an incredible experience, and one to check off the bucket list, not even knowing it should have been there.  B and I discussed this at length as we all walked back toward the car.

We then took a scenic drive several miles further until we reached the Riveredge Creek State Nature Preserve.  We hiked there for a while before heading back into Cedarburg for lunch and some window shopping.  Not too shabby a way to use a day!  It was completely unstructured and unplanned and we were able to do some fun and unexpected things.

Last night before bed, Charles said...'that's one I'm adding to my bucket list', I asked what?  He said; 'being Dr. Who and seeing earth from space.'  Perfect end to the day, I can't wait to hear more of what's on his newly forming bucket list!

Bucket List

Colorado was wonderful. This time the hiking experience was different. All girlfriends, no kiddos to herd, and the season is only barely beginning. Since it is so early, we felt like we had the
Rocky Mountain National Park almost completely to ourselves.

Many of the ranger stations are still closed so we were faced with 'winter parking', which basically means that you have to hike in further to get to some of the trail heads. Those of us who were lucky enough to hike here last summer, wanted to repeat Calypso Cascades. It was as amazing as we remembered, only longer (with the above mentioned hike in), and we had to navigate the last patches of snow that the summer had long melted by the time of our arrival last year.

I found myself in a state of peace and utter awe, the kind that, I'm convinced, only comes from seeing nature in one of its truest forms. As we headed out, a young couple with full packs was just headed in. They were obviously prepared for overnight camping. I found myself trying to picture a night like that, where there's absolutely no one around, except the mountain and it's natural inhabitants. A true experience in the spirit of those who came before. That may have to be one for the bucket list.

Firsts

I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been away from B and the kids for longer than an overnight (and of those I can count only 2). I can't seem to get enough of them :) I'm headed out today with a great group of ladies for a long weekend hiking in Colorado. A first for me! Not the hiking of course, simply the girls weekend thing. Another first.... I'm traveling light. Yes, I'm leaving my trusty camera and the lenses at home! I figure, while trying new things... So this weekend I plan on making extensive use of my phone and Instagram. Let's just see how well I do! So in excitement, peppered with a little anxiety at leaving hearth and home, I wish you a happy weekend and I'm headed for the rocky mountain high!

Free Range Hiking (Colorado Chronicles)

I had forgotten how much I adore hiking.  When we lived in Las Vegas, a lifetime ago, we spent many a weekend hiking at Red Rock Canyon or on Mt. Charleston.  Now, ten years later, a hiking mountain vacation was on the agenda.  Not only did it feel oddly familiar, like riding a bike, but I also had a number of flashes back to the past as my muscles remembered the drill.  It felt like I could just glide over the terrain moving rhythmically like a pulse (which was elevated, by the way, in the altitude).  What was even more exhilarating than being back on trails, was how the kids both took to it.

It was hard to keep up with Charles.  This child has to climb everything in sight when we are not on a gorgeous alpine mountainside.  Our cabin was situated in the gully of a boulder surround.  When we kicked the kids outside to explore the first morning, what struck me most was how fearless Sidney was too!  She thrived on made up games, climbing and just being outside (as always).  I now know I can take this farm girl and put her in the mountains and she is still my outdoor girl, regardless of the location.

We were a group of sixteen, eight adults and eight children and these kids had begun to accumulate a multitude of scrapes, scratches, and bruises, which they all seemed to be wearing like a badge of honor.  Something that was hard earned, meant to be compared, and marked their passage through the vacation.  We gave them quite a bit of freedom with their climbing within a few basic guidelines.  They tended to watch out for one another and thrive when their parents gave them the ability to do a little bit of free range hiking.