Colorado

Now it's time for some narration to go along with the pictures below.
The first group were taken in Rocky Mountain National Park, on the Wild Basin Trail south of Estes Park. We hiked up to the Calypso Cascades, which was about 2 miles. We intended to go further to Ouzel Falls, a 40 foot fall, but the sun was fast setting and we didn't want to be stuck on the mountain during the dark. We may get up early Saturday and go back, as I don't fly out until Saturday evening.

Dinner Saturday night was at an Ethiopian restaurant in Ft. Collins. One word can sum up this experience: Spectacular! The injera is what they use in place of utensils. It is a spongy crepe like bread made from a grain called teft, which has its own natural fermentation. This gives it a slighly sour flavor. You tear off pieces of the injera and scoop the food up with it, roll it up, and eat. I can't remember the name of everything we had, but it was all good. Our favorite was a mushroom dish with zucchini and onions. I also liked the roasted lentils--very tasty. We ordered everything 'Ethiopian Spicy', which is how they eat it. It wasn't necassarily hot, but used lots of spices--lots of flavor. I hope we have a chance to go later in the week--this was an awesome meal and the service was spectacular. My friends are regulars there and have gotten to know the cook's 3 daughters, who often wait tables. Genuine friendliness (not the fake "I'm just working for a tip" kind is always nice to see!

Sunday, C and I did a hike closer to home. It was in the foothills and didn't provide as much shade. The views were pretty, but not as much so as the previous day's hike. It was more strenuous--maybe because of the lack of shade and the super hot sun. I'm glad I packed that one pair of shorts--I needed them!

After the hike, we decided a nice big salad would be great for dinner.


Can you guess all the ingredients? I think we had about 10 or so...it was yummy and hit the spot.

Monday was spent working--C had to work, her husband was off flying (he's a pilot), and I slept in and got some papers graded. I made CL's (10/05) Creamy Tomato Balsamic Soup (yum) and grilled cheeses for dinner and then we saw Lord of the Dance. It was fun--I've never been to anything quite like that.



Tuesday, I woke up to a cool, dreary morning--the type of weather I was hoping for when I left Dallas! I got around and drove to Littleton and am now at my uncle's place. We drove around earlier today and had a beer and a bowl of green chili downtown at a bar called The Hornet. It was tasty and hit the spot on this cool afternoon.

That's about it for now.....