The End of September

Geese have been flying over our house in the hundreds this weekend! The same birds that annoy me in local parks over the summer have the ability to call to my wild spirit in migration. I think of nesting grounds far north, of the marvel of flight and miracle of migration, of how much these birds must put forth simply to survive. I always feel sad to see them go, and their flight makes me wish I lived someplace I could watch the cycles of nature every day.

My vegetable garden, while still giving me carrots and the occasional cucumber, has reached the end of its yearly life. I was able to freeze plenty of green beans and tomato sauce for the winter, and my mom canned tomatoes for me (she helped harvest the tomatoes before we left for Colorado, and very kindly took the tomatoes home with her to can them so they wouldn’t go to waste!). I am only doing a fraction of the vegetable-growing I’d like, though. I still dream of growing enough carrots and onions to store them through the winter, of growing garlic I can braid and hang for the year, of working harder to extend the growing season in both the spring and fall, so we can eat more of our own vegetables. I am inspired by all the years of watching my mom. She has been a workhouse this fall, canning and preserving an endless amount of food. It seems every time I call her she is making something new – for instance, have you ever heard of beet jelly? According to my parents, it’s very good, so I will have to try some next time I go north … these are the adventures of the Reeds!

I was up north last weekend, though it was for a conference, not to visit family or have fun outside. I felt so safe being in Duluth. Comforted. I even slept soundly in my hotel room. I was disappointed by the rainy, foggy weather that made me not even want to walk along the lake. I vascillated between two thoughts, sometimes thinking, “oh is this what Duluth is really like, fog and rain? – then maybe I shouldn’t want to come back here!” and sometimes thinking, “this is so unfair that I don’t get to even enjoy Duluth while I’m here – I never get enough time in Duluth!” The fall colors were gorgeous. My coworker Angie and I were in love with every colorful stand of trees we saw on our way back to the Cities on Wednesday. I bet this weekend is simply gorgeous on the north shore – and I’m not there to enjoy it!

Instead, Matt and I both worked at weddings yesterday. His was a much more intense 9-hour day; I only shot a 4-hour wedding. It was nice to have a camera and photograph such a happy day for the couple! At the wedding I met Sarah Trotter, a local wedding coordinator. I liked her instantly, and over the course of the day I watched her take care of every detail, making the day flow seamlessly and taking a lot of stress off the couple. I left wishing we could have hired her for our wedding – it would have made things easier on folks like Tracey and my mom, that’s for sure! I never thought I’d hire a wedding coordinator; it seemed like a waste of money. However, for anyone who’s getting married, I would strongly suggest meeting with Sarah – she’s awesome!

Speaking of weddings, last weekend was our first anniversary! Matt presented me with these flowers in gorgeous fall colors – aren’t they pretty? We picnicked at Gale Woods Farm (where we got married) and celebrated a year of “being official” – it doesn’t really seem like our “first anniversary” when we’ve been together five years and lived together for over three of those. Still, it was a very special day, and we got to spend it together, enjoying each other’s company.

Since I shared the picture of the above flowers … here is a bouquet my mom put together for me. Since she works for the florist that did our wedding photos, I had asked her to put together a bouquet similar to my wedding bouquet, so I could oooh and aahhh over the pretty colors again. Even after a year, I am sad that day is over – everything about it was so beautiful and perfect and happy!

I'm now thinking of October ... on our calendars so far:

• Matt will photograph the Twin Cities Marathon
• Jenn will work at a cyclocross race
• Jenn and Hannah plan to visit family up north and do some hunting
• We will all be in Two Harbors one weekend; Jenn for a scrapbooking retreat and Matt to do some photographing

A sun-loving as I am, I am ready for crisp fall temperatures. I mean, if the sun is going to set so early, we might as well have the cold nights and fresh air to go with it! I have my locally grown apples all ready for apple crisp, and am ready for fall evenings by the fire with Hannah :).

Al Franken and Taxes

My friend Tracey shares this story about her son's impression of Al Franken. Made for a good laugh - thanks Nate!

New Photographer

I was in Duluth this week for the MNAPA conference (unfortunately it was rainy, gray, and cold - so much for spending time sitting/walking along the lake!). I stopped at Waters of Superior and fell in love with the work of a photographer I'd never heard of before, Randy Larson. If you like beautiful nature photos, I suggest checking it out!

Jenn's Top Ten for Gunnison County

As our Colorado trip was winding down, I started a list of my favorite things to do and places to see, so I could recommend them to friends and family. Some of these I mentioned earlier, but felt the need to place them in my own top ten list ... I thought I would share these here:

Jenn’s Top Ten for Gunnison County

10. The north end of Taylor Park – Intimate mountain beauty, with little mountain streams and waterfalls. We spent a wonderful afternoon enjoying the scenery!





9. Mirror Lake – We heard from our Colorado friends that this is a glacial lake, and it is so deep no one is quite sure how deep it is. On calm days it mirrors the mountains around it.





8. Monarch Tram – You can see for over 100 miles after taking this tram to this peak on the Continental Divide. You are surrounded by mountain ranges, plus it's fun to take the ride ... and they allow dogs!




7. The Castles – These are some amazing rock formations south of Ohio Pass in the West Elk Wilderness. Super cool!






6. Cumberland Pass – You can drive to the top of this pass, and walk from there around the alpine meadows - you feel like you're on top of the world. You can also see some old mines on both sides of the pass.









5. Tincup Cemetery – The cemetery is probably the most unique one I’ve ever seen, with a “Protestant Knoll,” “Catholic Knoll,” “Jewish Knoll,” and “Boot Hill” – the latter being the place where people who “died with their boots on” or didn’t profess to any religion were buried. Some graves are marked with a pile of rocks, others with blank slabs of wood, some have fallen logs around them and others are fancier with iron fences. Not to mention, some amazing scenery.

4. Winetasting in Paonia – Paonia is in the heart of Colorado wine country. Although it's not technically in Gunnison County, it's just to the west, and is on the West Elk scenic loop (see #3 below). We had some fabulous wines, and were thrilled at the sight of vineyards with gorgeous mountain backdrops. The area is also famous for its peaches, which were in season for our trip!






3. Kebler Pass Road – Kebler Pass Road stretches from the town of Crested Butte west to Highway 133 and the town of Paonia. Along the way, you'll find aspens (one stand of which is among the largest living organisms on earth), gorgeous views of the Ruby Range and East and West Beckwith Mountains, and nice detours to mountain lakes - Lake Irwin and Lost Lake. You can also make a loop drive by connecting with Highways 92 and 50 to the south, and coming back through the town of Gunnison.

2. Gothic Road – It was a tough call between Gothic Road and Kebler Pass Road, but I finally decided that this is the prettiest drive in the county. The road is surrounded by lush mountain passes and colorful rocky mountains around every turn. Take the one-lane road all the way to Schofield Pass and you’ll be rewarded by the sight of Emerald Lake.


1. Horseback Riding at Fantasy Ranch – this Ranch is located at Mount Crested Butte and came recommended to us by a local. Chuck, the owner, is a great guy and took us on an amazing trip. We went off-site and rode up Beckwith Pass, which was quite the ride for an absolute beginner like me, but I trusted Chuck! We also heard that their rides on Snodgrass Mountain, at their stables, are great.

Honorable Mentions for the list include The Bean in Gunnison, Oh-be-Dogful Dog Ranch, and all the great shopping and restaurants in Crested Butte. Plus, did you know the area has a whole host of pet-friendly lodging? In addition to the ones on the list, it seems like most cabins and resorts allow dogs!

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Other Top Lists

It seems that I couldn't stop at just my overall top ten! Here are some more "lists" from the trip:

Top Five Lakes
5. Taylor Reservoir
4. Lost Lake
3. Mirror Lake
2. Lake Irwin
1. Emerald Lake

Top Ten Mountains
We actually saw more mountains than I could count ... and many of them we never learned the names of. Here are the top ten of the ones we could name and remember:

10. Mount Crested Butte
9. Monarch Peak
8. Collegiate Peaks
7. Gothic Mountain
6. West Beckwith
5. Red Mountain, Almont Triangle (I think this is the correct name; it's either Red Mountain or the generic one named "Peak" on our map)
4. Ruby Range
3. Avery Peak (including mountains around it – the Elks)
2. Red Lady
1. East Beckwith

Top Five Mountain Passes
5. Kebler
4. Monarch
3. Schofield (largely for the beautiful scenery on the way to the pass)
2. Cottonwood
1. Cumberland

Hannah's Colorado Fun

At least once a day, we took Hannah off-leash in Taylor Park, where she could run (like a little bullet) down dirt roads and through grasses and shrubs. On one of the last walks I took her on, Matt snapped this series of photos of Hannah running. I thought that the series was perfect in conveying some of Hannah's sheer joy! You can click on the photos to enlarge them; notice the expressions on her face, her body movements, and how in one photo she is even turning away, distracted by some scent or movement in the grass.

Adventures in Rain and Snow

Our last three days in Colorado were greeted with rain and fog, more rain and fog (with glimpses of sun) and then ... snow! On the third morning of rain, we woke up to snow covered mountain peaks. The size of this picture doesn't do the photo justice, but this is what Taylor Park looked like:


Our scheduled horseback ride was postponed due to rain and fog. Even though the ranch's policy states that the ride will happen "rain or shine," Chuck was nice enough to offer to reschedule our ride. We ended up spending most of Wednesday in the cabin. I was pretty depressed about this, feeling cabin-fevery, and spent several hours feeling sad and kind-of grumpy (my poor husband!). All of a sudden, the sun burst into the cabin window. There was something about the angle and timing of the sun, and I looked at Matt and said, "rainbow?" He went to the door and came running back for his camera. Sure enough, there was a FULL DOUBLE RAINBOW just to the east, arching over the ranch. I've never had a rainbow touch down so close it felt like I could walk over and touch it! Absolutely breathtaking.


We did get some clearing in the skies on Thursday, and went out riding! This was my first horseback ride, and as Matt said later, "even I hadn't done any riding like that!" We went into the West Elks Wilderness, up Beckwith Pass. The trails were rocky, sometimes steep, and wet, so all the hills were muddy. Not only did I get the very basics (i.e., learning how to get into a saddle) but I learned how to ride a horse down steep muddy hills while he's slipping and sliding down them! Matt even had his horse end up on his knees a couple of times. Yet my horse, Amos, did fabulously, and carried me safely on the 3 1/2 hour ride. What an anxiety-ridden adrenaline rush.

Amos

Matt took this photo of our group of riders; I'm directly
in front of him in the brown sweater. This was one of the flat
sections of trail, so he was able to take a picture; neither
of us took pictures on the trickier parts of the trail!

Jenn on Amos and Matt on Dallas, with two of the dogs traveling with us.

Despite protesting bodies, we wanted to use the break in the rain to do some more sightseeing. So, we picked Hannah up at daycare and traveled up Gothic Road, which stunned me with its color and beauty ... and that's saying a lot after having been in Colorado for a week and a half, where I thought I had grown accustomed to mountains around every turn.


We had some rain, sleet, and hail fall on us, but none of the precipitation lasted long, so Matt felt comfortable continuing down Gothic Road even after it turned into a one-lane track along the side of the mountain. Near the end, close to Schofield Pass, we were rewarded with Emerald Lake, a true gem of green in this colorful Eden:

Emerald Lake - again, the picture doesn't do it justice

And on the way back, we had this short rainbow appear along the roadside

Gothic Road even showed us some fall color. This is the gold colors we had been hoping to see this entire trip; little did we know that "everything" in Colorado - including fall colors - is a couple weeks behind its normal schedule.



Of course, I love the colorful grasses too and couldn't resist snapping this photo:


Our last day in Colorado, the morning we had snow, we got up and left the cabin quickly to see what remaining sights we could see. We drove once more along Kebler Pass Road, to see if any aspens had turned yellow and to see if there were snow-covered peaks there, too.

Aspens along Kebler Pass Road

We diverted off to Kebler Pass Road to stop at Lake Irwin and Lost Lake. Lost Lake has history for Matt; campsite #2 is where his family camped many times when he was little.

Matt taking photos from campsite #2, over Lost Lake and surrounding mountains.

Across the road from campsite #2

Fall foliage at the campground included these little
plants, which looked like tiny purple maple trees!

We took a different route home, and were rewarded with views of The Castles, something we had seen on the horseback ride but couldn't get photos of. Pretty cool rock formations!

The Castles

We kept calling Hannah "the watcher," as whenever we were going slowly or on dirt roads, she was alert, watching for cows (which often grazed along the sides of the roads) or little critters or birds. Every time we stopped the car to get out, her whole body would shake with anticipation of all the fun and smells in front of her! By our last day in Colorado, Hannah was begging to go outside non-stop, and could run faster and further than when we first arrived - all the fresh air and exercise has been good for her!

The watcher on duty

A few more photos and a book recommendation

It’s been a pretty quiet couple of days here. Part of this is because of our energy level (sleeping in more) and part of it is the weather, which has turned gray, foggy and rainy.

I thought I would share a few photos from the last couple of days.

Matt at Cumberland Pass … always at home in the mountains

Hannah enjoying all the sights and smells of Cumberland Pass, elevation 12,000+ feet

The alpine ecosystem has very interesting plants!

I also loved the colorful grasses on the mountaintops

Another view from Cumberland Pass. The fall vegetation makes the mountains look so colorful!

I just loved this old tree stump alongside the road

Coming down from Cumberland Pass, we stumbled upon an old gold mine.

There were several old log cabins around the gold mine. This is the view through the front window from one of the cabins. That view might have been worth more than the gold they were mining, hmmm?

One of the logs in an old cabin

Hannah in the front yard of our cabin, with her head deep in a ground squirrel hole. She’s obsessed with the ground squirrels and will lie patiently outside the holes hoping to catch one!

Matt and Hannah outside our cabin

Holt’s Guest Ranch

With all the free time we’ve had around the cabin the last couple of days, I’ve been able to finish one of the best books I’ve ever read: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. Her writing is engaging, humorous, deep, and adventurous. I was compelled to follow her on her journey, and found myself inspired to embark deeper into my own spiritual journey. I highly recommend it!

Peace in the mountains

Maybe it’s because we’ve been here long enough, or maybe it's simply because I had released the expectation of relaxation, but today felt very peaceful. Matt slept in, so Hannah and I spent the morning knitting (can you imagine her paws with knitting needles? ;) ) in the sun outside the cabin. I felt so wonderful being out in the fresh air working on something so meditative!

We finally got going, and drove down to Monarch Pass, east of Gunnison, to take the tram up the mountain. Dogs can go with you in the tram!

Moses family at Monarch Peak - it was SOOOO
windy!

Jenn showing Hannah the sights out the window of the tram

After that, it was a couple hours spent outside the laundromat in Gunnison. We brought our books and had some nummy coffee from The Bean to keep us happy.

Matt and Hannah outside the laundromat

Oh, and I almost forgot – we had dinner last night at Don and Shirley’s, with wonderful conversation, and took this picture of our Colorado friends:


And tonight, I sit on a porch swing outside the camp office, where I am able to access their internet connection. The sun has just set. The half moon lights up the entire sky, and as it is a Sunday night, there is silence everywhere … except for the crunching of feet as Matt and Hannah just walked up, and the howling of coyotes in the distance. I can’t imagine a more peaceful night.