Last Princess Post

We have finished our week long Ride the Rockies adventure. I would not call it a relaxing vacation because it seemed like we were all in motion constantly and exhausted a lot of the time. We also were living in the present (for the most part - was there news going on outside of our immediate surroundings this week?), laughing, challenging ourselves and each other, and living at a speed that seemed to be 100 miles per hour. I am so proud of Team Bizzo in what they accomplished! The write up of the daily successes is informative and interesting but after seeing in person what these guys did...let me just say that they are AWESOME! At one point when we were driving over Independence Pass, as I watched other riders struggling to peddle and climb another 10 feet at a time, I told Da Boys, I just don't get it. That looks miserable to me. They informed me that although they could understand my point of view, they had a completely different one and they couldn't explain their point of view either. It was just something they did, and they enjoyed doing it...even looked forward to it! Of course, it helped all of us to be in the gorgous mountain surroundings that we were in. We also met a lot of wonderful people in our journey!

The rest of my time since my last post started in Glenwood Springs. My first night there I had a wonderful relief with a night to myself. I could actually unpack my bags (somewhat), drink some wine without thoughts to the repercussions the following day, and had a LDHH (long distance happy hour) with my good friend Ellen! The innkeepers at the B&B I stayed at were a wonderful couple. The husband had just arrived back from Iraq 2 weeks ago. He had been working there in construction for 2 years and the company he worked for had just dissolved. You can imagine they had a lot of interesting stories. He was also special forces - retired.

Fast forward to Aspen. After driving the death pass of Independence Pass twice, I hiked an enjoyable time through Maroon Bells. I started out at 8,800 feet and ended up at around 10,000 feet at Crater Lake.


Here is a picture of the Maroon Bells mountain peaks and the beginning of the hiking trail.

Here is a picture of the wooded areas during the hike. I loved these areas on the way down because I was challenged with some rain. I know, I know, you are not supposed to be under trees during storms but I WILL melt under extreme rainstorms and I figured that there were a lot of other things around me that lightening was bound to hit instead of me. I thought of my mom quite a bit during this time because she is a great lover of woodland areas.

Here is Maroon Lake. See the reflections of the mountains on the lake? Hammer isn't the only master photographer!

Here is the end of the hike, Crater Lake. I met up with some ladies here. One lady I talked to told me about her 35 year old daughter who runs this hike from where I started, over the mountains in the background into Crested Butte on the other side of the mountains in the distance (in the middle) in 80 minutes. I just stood there with my jaw hanging open. This extreme runner is also a mother of 4, the youngest being a 1 year old. WOW!

Another shot of Crater Lake with some Boy Scouts here. This, of course, made me think of my nephew, Jace and how much he would love doing something like this.

After this last hike, the rest of the trip was about "Da Boys." I tried to strike a balance between support vehicle and doing things on my own. I think I did a fairly good job and over all enjoyed the trip a lot!

Things I have learned from this trip?

* There can be such a thing as too much testosterone

* Bike knerds LOVE waking up BEFORE the butt crack of dawn

* Some people in the world like to punish, push, and test their bodies for fun

* I will never be one of those persons

* I love meeting new people and experiencing new places

* "Da Boys" can make me laugh even when I am cranky

* A reinforcement that I love being in Colorado...it is an absolutely heavenly state!

Thanks for being a part of our trip as you read about it! We've loved having your support and comments during it! Congrats to JP and Kerry on their fast coming nuptials! Good luck to Hammer in his future rides, runs and swims coming up. Also, I would like to add that Chuck (the Coach) is a STUD with a birthday coming up on Tuesday, the 26th, and he will be 49! I'm 14 years younger and not in near the same condition. What about you?

XOXO,

Lisa