August 23, 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
I’m writing this on our patio during the
last week of summer we’re still home. Our plane to Vancouver for the
start of our Alaska trip is this Wednesday, and I’m guessing that when
we get back in the middle of September the aspens will be golden and
the air much crisper. So, while we still can, the dogs and I are
basking under a clear blue sky, enjoying gentle breezes and perfect
temperatures.
(Judy, unfortunately, has errands in Boulder where it’s closer to
90°) It’s the kind of day that makes us appreciate that we live
where we
do. We’re very fortunate. We have abandoned the notion of moving down
below, where it’s warmer, flatter, and nearer to “things.” We’ve
stopped looking at the real estate ads and are thinking more about what
we
might do to make our lives here even more comfortable. So, there.
That’s where we stand for the foreseeable future: at 8240' on our ten
acres of pine, spruce, fir, aspens, and, in the early spring, a
glorious meadow with Bhutan prayer flags that send wisdom and power and
good luck to each of you with every time the breeze blows. And it’s paid
for! Why would we want to leave?
I. THE VISITORS
At my high school reunion last fall, I had
invited
several high school friends to see for themselves what a beautiful area
this is. Two members of the class of 1957, Darla
(Grainger) and Cynthia (Quam),
decided to take us up on the invite and spent four days with
us over the Judy 4th holidays. They watched and listened to the Barker
Dam
Brass Band play in the town parade, and watched the fireworks from
a house overlooking the reservoir hosted by a fellow member of
McGinty’s Wake. Several folks brought instruments that evening and we
had a small
house concert to go along with the food and fireworks. Both Darla and
Cynthia said they
were well entertained during this very musical holiday and saw our
townsfolk for who they are. I think they had a good time.
We also hiked along the headwaters of Middle Boulder
Creek at 10,000' where the 4th of July Trail takes off for the high
country. There was still an abundance of wildflowers along the creek,
in the meadows, and alongside the road. My low altitude friends handled
the elevation
without getting giddy or dizzy. Another day we shopped Boulder's
farmers market and an outside art show, and had a lunch al fresco at the
historic Chautauqua
Dining Hall. We capped off an evening with a
private showing of the original movie, “Grampa’s in the Tough Shed,” a
short film that chronicles another event in the varied and colorful
history of our little
town. They even got up early to watch Judy finish the Trespass
Challenge 5-mile race and followed up with breakfast together at
the Pioneer
Inn.
In their thank-you notes when they returned home,
they each sounded sincere when they said they had a great time. I have
to take them at their word; I know I enjoyed seeing them again after 50
years. (I had “married” Darla in the Senior Play, Our Town; Cynthia and I
had worked for two years together on the yearbook, the high school
newspaper, and the town weekly newspaper: she did high school news and
I wrote sports.) Judy met them at the reunion last October and
enjoyed spending a longer and quieter time with them again.
Hedy and Don Bressler came for a too short visit
from their home in Florida. Hedy, with whom we went to college, has
come several times in the past (her son and his wife life in the
Vail–Beaver Creek area west of here), but Don had not come with her
before. They are both bright and delightful to be with, and we used the
few hours we had to catch up on the past year, talk computers (Don is a
cyber-guru), and enjoy some food and drink. They promised to come for a
longer stay next time.
II. THE SUMMER RACING SEASON
What a varied and interesting series of races Judy
ran this summer!
• Trespass
Challenge 5 Mile (Nederland). Judy’s run
this one before and knew to expect tough hills, rough trails, and an
overall grueling hour of demanding running. The number of runners is
usually less than in races “down
below,” but those who enter
run with fortitude and a desire to
challenge themselves at altitude. She won her age group but, more
important, ran nearly five minutes faster than last year.
• Shambhala
Peace Day Trail Race (Shambhala Mountain
Center near Red Feather Lakes). This was the first time this isolated Buddhist center has
sponsored these races (a 5K and a 15K) and the setting was
in the mountains west of Fort Collins and north of the Poudre River. We
camped a few miles away at Bellaire Lake and drove over to the site of Great Stupa of
Dharmakaya we had wanted to visit for
quite a while. The race attracted more people than we anticipated (it’s
on a series of dirt roads not close to anything and accommodations are
limited) and Judy not only won her age group but was the fourth woman
overall. (A few days
later I met a fellow runner who chuckled about the results he read in
the paper, noting that the first three women were either in their late
20s or early 30s, followed by a 66-year-old coming in fourth!)
However, what completely surprised us, in an
uncomfortable way,
was the army camp atmosphere within the retreat grounds. Unarmed
military-clad men and women “greeted” us at several points upon
entering and were prominent among the spectators and competitors
everywhere on the grounds. There were no inspections, no shakedowns,
but the climate was not welcoming. Very non-Buddhist, we thought. I
talked with one “guide” (as they refer to themselves) who explained
that their religious leader, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, who inspired the
races and in fact ran in the 15K race, had had threats made against him
while
he was in England and the bodyguards/“guides”
(some of whom ran with him as well
others who accompanied and catered to his wife at all times) grew out
of that situation. The
whole effect was weird and created a very cult-like atmosphere (to us).
We did not
feel encouraged to return. And we’re not likely to.
• Pearl Street Mile
(Boulder). Up 14th street, a
block east on Spruce, right on 15th street, and east on
Pearl to 19th street; then north a block to Spruce and west back to
14th street
and the finish line near where she started. One mile through the heart
of Boulder’s business section. As usual, thousands of folks came down
on a Thursday evening to run or watch the runners. There were five
races: a kid’s half mile race (if they can walk they can
compete), a “citizens” race (anyone who wants to enter can enter), a
masters race (for runners over 40), a men’s elite and a women’s elite
(neither of which require qualifications, but it’s presumed the really
fast runners will enter these, though it didn’t happen this year: the
fastest woman was in the master’s group!) All the times are compiled
together
and age group winners can come from any of the races.
• Wild West Relay (Fort
Collins to Steamboat
Springs). Perhaps the most memorable race Judy’s run is the 195-mile
Wild West Relay in which the twelve runners on her team for about 30
hours
in individual sections of varying lengths beginning the morning of
August 1, through the night, finishing mid-afternoon of August 2. If
you wonder what the experience was like, Judy writes about it in her
own words at <www.pigseye.com/hj/USA/WildWest/>.
III. SUMMER CAMPS
Where Judy ran, the dogs and I tagged along. The
races gave us the excuse to camp in nearby areas—some new to us, others
familiar.
• Bellaire National
Recreation Area. For the
Shambhala Peace Day Race we tried to find a site in one of the two
popular national forest campgrounds nearest Red Feather Lakes: Dowdy
Lake and West Lake. Both were filled the days we would be there.
Instead, we found an equally appealing and very comfortable
campground—one that was even closer to the Shambhala Center—at
Bellaire
Lake. Our site was near one of the spotless bathrooms with
flush toilets, and just a short walk from a gorgeous fishing lake.
Though the fish showed great disdain for expensive flies
or snappy lures, the sunsets were magnificent and the hiking gentle. We
would choose to return to Bellaire any time we are in that area.
I biked from the campground up to the town of
Red Feather Lakes
(about six miles) to hunt down some minor fishing
gear and to visit the library, whose librarians were an inspiration
eight years ago
when we were attempting to establish a community library here in
Nederland. The Red
Feather Lakes library hasn’t changed much in that time, nor has the
town, which suggests the planners looked ahead and built what they
thought would provide good service for the future.
• Steamboat Lake
State Park. Twenty-six miles north
of Steamboat Springs along the Elk River is one of the most popular
state parks in Colorado: Steamboat Lake.
Campers find electric
hook-ups, sweet water at the taps, plus fishing, boating,
swimming, hiking, and biking. We were assigned a site away from the
lake shore and while we tried, unsuccessfully, to transfer to another
site while we were there, we enjoyed what turned out to be a very quiet
and relaxing five days. Judy did a morning run most days, and I fished
(in “No Fish” zones) both at Steamboat Lake and at Hahn’s Peak Lake, a
smaller lake just four miles
up the road. We even rented a fishing boat and bought a dozen imported
(from Waterford, Michigan) nightcrawlers. I tried my luck along
secluded coves of Steamboat Lake and in deep water, but without
success, though we
saw the park and Hahn’s Peak (which we climbed last year) from new
perspectives. We bicycled over to
the smaller and quieter Pearl
Lake State Park five miles away to scout
the best campsites if we wanted to do some dry camping on what appears
to be a good fishing lake.
It’s a beautiful area of the country where
the pine
forests are, sadly, being decimated by an infestation of mountain
pine beetles
that are killing the trees, leaving patches of red-needled trees
that will have to be cut down before they burn. Only the groves of
hardy aspens keep the mountainsides attractive.
We spent most of our time doing what we tend to
do best when we camp: relaxing, reading, listing to cowboy and Irish
music, walking the dogs, and maintaining our nightly gin rummy game
(with cumulative score. Email for results).
• Stillwater Lake CG
(Lake Granby). On our way to the
Granby/Grand Lake area on the west side of the divide, the skies
darkened and the first period of rain threatened. Our
campsite at Stillwater
gave us an uninterrupted view of the lake: all
the trees that once grew within 100 yards of the shore were
beetle-kill and had been cut. Neat piles of what someone or some
group would turn into fire wood could be found everywhere between
Granby
and Grand Lake. Piles of slash have been cleared in some areas, and
campers flocked to it for kindling and to start campfires.
In spite of the gray skies and occasional bursts of
rain, we really enjoyed ourselves while we were there. We spent some
retail time in Granby at a
farmer’s market and the local thrift shop
(Judy can always find near-new designer clothing for pittance, and I
will spend a dollar for a useable long sleeved dress shirt to protect
against mosquitoes at evening
campfires and fishing.) We spent part of an afternoon in Grand Lake at
an outdoor art show; there were not many artists showing, but it only
took two jewelers to get Judy’s business. Judy got a run in every
morning and I put a total of 50–60 miles on my bike. And, miracles of
miracles, a 13" one-pound trout wandered into my usual “No Fish” zone
and was seduced by one of those Waterford, Michigan nightcrawlers. I
was as surprised as he must have been, though for different reasons,
when
I landed him, filleted him, and turned him over to the camp chef who
pan-fried him with olive oil and onions for a delicious early lunch.
Rainy weather, however, kept us
close to camp where
we read, continued the gin rummy game, listened to some Ian Tyson and
Cherish the Ladies CDs, and relaxed between drops by the campfire.
Finally, a day
earlier than planned, we decided to unhook, unplug, and pack it in
for home, just a few hours away. We had been gone only ten days, but
it felt like a month and we returned home relaxed and refreshed, ready
to pack for Alaska.
IV. ODDS AND ENDS
• Potlucks and
Get-Togethers. Summer is the season
for hosting friends over good food and drink. We enjoyed the company of
mountain friends and those “down below” (Boulder area): significant
birthdays, social group dinners, and other excuses to catch
up with each other. I don’t know why it doesn’t happen as much during
other times of the year, but summer seems to bring folks out. We always
come home saying we should do that more often.
• Music. McGinty’s
Wake had four gigs scheduled this
summer, but travel kept me away from all but one: a couple of hours of
entertainment at an annual celebration at the local Presbyterian Church
in honor of long-time residents, Lois and Brownlee Guyer. We’ve played
each year since the church built a memorial garden and we refer to the
occasion as the “Guyer Garden Gig.”
• Volunteering.
Judy and Sophie are making a popular
reputation for themselves at Boulder Community Hospital, especially at
the
Cancer Center where Monday mornings they spread cheer with all patients
and staff. Sophie has begun to show some weight gain from the treats
she expects and receives when she shows up. I continue to tell
visitors where to go and where to get off when they stop in the
Visitors Center in town. And Judy is actually working for pay (Can you
spell j-o-b?) in the county’s Senior Workoff Program designed to get
inexpensive first class help completing short term tasks in return for
a
small deduction off their real estate taxes. She works from home a few
hours here and there when we’re not traveling. Pretty nice.
V. AND SO ON TO OUR NEXT ADVENTURE: ALASKA
Judy’s
packing as I put the finishing touches on this. We have our tickets,
itinerary, side trip plans, necessary phone numbers, maps, guide books,
cameras and batteries, and a journal. We’ll find ways to share with
you all the many stories and
lots of pictures from The Last Frontier when we return. In the
meantime, we surely hope you will enjoy the rest of your summer as much
as we will.
All good wishes, Judy and
Hughes
