Monday, July 16th: Yes, I thought death was surely knocking on my door today…and I was getting to where I was more than willing to open that door. My legs and thighs were burning and my throat was beyond parched. I kept thinking, “why is this so hard?” it should not be this difficult. I am passing by scenery, that I assume is breath-taking but do not know for sure because I am at the point of delusion now. How did I get to this point in my life? Let me start from the beginning.

9:45 a.m. – we have showered, dressed, eaten breakfast and were on our way out the door. Discussing what we should do for the day, I came up with the idea to go rent some bikes and hit a trail or two. So we meander down to the bike shop and quickly were setup with our bikes, helmets, and a little buggy for Lil’ Man. We were able to pack our picnic lunch in the buggy, it was great. We were told of a trail to start out on and off we went.

The first 5-6 minutes, I was enjoying life. The breeze was blowing as I pedaled along and I was thinking, man, I could do this everyday. Then I hit minute 7. I could not figure out why I was starting to feel a little exerted. I blamed it on the 6 mile hike from the day before. I pressed on. I had been right behind my fellow bikers (L, Lil’ Man, and Mike) before long, I lost sight of them completely. No matter how many gears I shifted to, I could not get going. I felt like a hamster…working so hard and going nowhere.

When we got to the end of the trail, we were all (minus Lil’ Man) feeling like we were close to death. Especially poor L and Mike, they took turns pulling the buggy…God only knows I could not help out with that. We rested for awhile and then began the journey back…no one dreaded it more than me.

Friends, let me tell you, something amazing happened. The 3 miles back…was all downhill! No wonder the ride going to was so difficult…it was all uphill!!! Now, on the ride back, I didn’t have to pedal but a few effortless times. It was euphoric. I was enjoying the scenery around me, which was beautiful, and I could not have been happier. We stopped for a little while, played next to the river and had ourselves a little picnic. Life was good again.

We then decided to drive on out to Monarch Lake and go for a little hike. We get to the Arapaho National Forest and start out on our hike. We were half way to our destination and we noticed that there was some lightening with the already there thunder. We decided to head back to the car. Only too bad, because it began to pour down rain. Now mind you, we are already pretty wet from the heavy mist…but this rain, well it was just ridiculous. We took shelter under a tree for awhile to avoid the heaviest part of the rain. After awhile we decided it had let off a little and we continued. We finally arrived back at the van…soaked, tired, and hurting from walking that trail so fast. Mike and L had alternated carrying Lil’ Man on most of the hike, because the terrain was not the most accommodating for a 2 year old. Mike, Lil’ Man’s tio, carried him that last part through the heavy rain. Poor guy (Mike) was exhausted when he got back to the van. I didn’t think I was going to make it. Thankfully, my dear sweet husband kept pace with me ( which was slower than his normal pace) to makes sure I made it.

So, here I am. I am in my comfortable bed at a hotel in Denver and I am feeling soooo relaxed. I have never appreciated this feeling more.

Michael, my dear brother, we had a BLAST visiting you. Thank you for taking us to see so many awesome things (like the moose). I am so glad we were able to see you and hang out with you. It went by too fast. I only wish I had seen a bear too.

Driving up the mountain and through the clouds…I stuck my hand out the window so I can cross off ” touching a cloud” from my bucket list. 🙂