
Hello folks! Sorry for this update taking so long, life came at us 1000 miles an hour last week and I am just now catching my breath.

Or last adventure in Mineral County was to take the 4 wheel drive trails up to the top of Mt. Bristol Head. Instead of cramming all of us into Jackson, Mom and Dad rented a friend for Jackson to play with.




The drive up was beautiful! We wove through the high meadows and the spruce groves. Granted the groves were littered with dead spruces that were killed by beetles years ago, but it was nice to be in an area untouched by the fires.



We stopped just shy of the tree-line for a picnic. Caitlyn spent most of it taking pictures. Grant spent most of the time playing in the soft, sand-like dirt. I fed my face like a fat kid. We all did exactly what we wanted.









As you can see, the top was absolutely breathtaking. Both Pretty Lady and I got some amazing photos!

I’d like to take a moment to talk about this one in particular. While Caitlyn and I were taking photos, my mom kept an eye on Grant. I absolutely love the above photo. They were standing close to the edge and they were talking about everything from birds flying to why the mountains looked so small. When we get the shop up and running I am calling this photo “Grandma Why?”




The Drive down was just as beautiful as the drive up. I drove most of it and Caitlyn kept having me stop so she could take photos. We also may have sent Grant ahead in the other jeep… There were just too many artistic opinions in the vehicle on the way up…

At the end of the trip, we stopped and took turns driving across the river. I am pretty sure this is another one that we’ll end up with in the shop. I just love the way that the water is interacting with the tires, the open sky with enticing clouds, and a very happy woman enjoying feeling like a badass who can’t be stopped. I think I’m going to call this one “Try and Stop Me”


Last weekend we finally started our stumble home. Our first stop was the Great Sand Dune National Park. It is exactly what it sounds like, they are massive piles of sand. When I say massive… I’d like you to note that the photo of the dunes above is taken from about a half mile from their base and they are blocking the mountains behind them… They are big.

Our first night was camping in Colorado Springs. We also had a lovely evening doing a socially distanced visit with my friend Hannah, her husband Zach, and their daughter Ari. It was great! We hung out in their back yard, had dinner, caught up, and watched the kids fail to social distance. That being said, it was an amazing time and Hannah has set the bar high on being a gracious host.

Next stop was in Kansas City. On our way to Kansas City, Grant could not keep ahold of his chicken nuggets to save his life. We tried twice and both times he got 1 bite, and then lost all of them on the floor. The first time I notified Caitlyn that the nuggets were down. I have to tell you, if you have never driven 1300 miles with a 3 year old, it truly turns everyone’s brain to mush and the phrase “nugget down” will make all parties involved laugh hysterically.
Once we arrived in Kansas City, We stayed at KOA (against my better judgement). We had breakfast the next morning with my friend Amanda, her Husband Jake, and their Daughter Liz. Once again it was a pleasure the Adults talked and the kids destroyed Amanda’s living room. Breakfast was great and the added bonus was that it wore Grant out so he slept a bit more on the drive than we would have expected.

Speaking of Grant sleeping in the car. How the hell does he get comfortable in some of these positions? I mean I understand that young children are more flexible than us adults, but it’s not fair that I wake up hurting if I spend too much time asleep with my arm under my head, but he can sleep slumped over with both of his feet above his head and a blanket covering his entire body. It’s just not fair.

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