Our friends, Gail and Harley are vacationing in Eastern Europe and asked us if we would like to stay at their cabin while they are gone. WOULD WE??!!! We were thrilled to be able to spend this kind of time up there. The cabin is located at The Retreat, between Drake and Glen Haven, only a few miles from Rocky Mountain National Park. It is heaven on earth. We spend our time walking, reading, playing gin rummy, and just loving our time together.
 |
| Selfie with Boo |
 |
| The Lyons fabulous new cabin-Yatahai at Streamside |
 |
Harley and Gail started this project before the floods of 2013
and have only recently moved in. They are still completing
some of the work, such as the front railing. |
 |
| A long wonderful deck to wile away the hours |
 |
| The dining/living area |
 |
Upstairs loft area-note the beautiful pine beetle kill paneling.
There are two comfy chairs up there to help with the hard
work of reading. |
 |
| Another view of the loft |
 |
| A first class kitchen with all the amenities |
 |
| The comfiest bed ever! And that's a sauna on the left. |
One of the many lovely things that Gail and Harley said to us before they left was, "bring your friends up-we'd love for you to do that." So, we invited the kids and Meg, Chris, and their kids up for a weekend night when they could get away. Erin and Todd couldn't make it but Jason and Sarah, Athena and Josh and Julie did, too.
 |
This is Jason and his girlfriend, Sarah. We had a great time
visiting, taking walks and enjoying some good food. |
 |
| A romantic moment caught on film :-) |
 |
| Julianna, Chris, Jameson and Meg at breakfast |
 |
| Beautiful Julianna |
 |
| And awesome Jameson |
 |
The kids loved the sauna. It was Jameson's first ever.
We really liked it, too. It is so different to have your own
than sharing the experience with a bunch of sweaty strangers! |
Julie Thorpe came up for the night. We had lots of laughs, lovely meals on the deck and a fabulous walk up on the northern part of the Miller Fork.
Last, but not least, Athena and Josh were in Colorado for the week and spent a few days with us.
 |
| Thena's only request was that we have s'mores! |
The walks around here are simply wonderful. You can literally walk for miles from the cabin.
 |
| My sweeties |
 |
| That's Boo taking a dip-he blends in well! |
Our favorite is along the northern section of the Miller Fork.
There was a tree that would have had to be cut down to make room for the deck. They had a great
idea for using the tree as a piece of art. Native artist, Bryan Red Moon created this fabulous totem for them.
There is lots of wildlife around....
 |
This grouse and her family live on the property. Boo is
fascinated with them. |
 |
They have many birdfeeders and birdhouses. This stellar
jay was a regular at this feeder. |
 |
| Mom and her teen just a few doors up from us. |
Larry and Polly, who live down the street, invited us over to see the creative landscaping of their property. They managed to turn this magical forest into a work of art.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
We watched the Republican Presidential Debates last night. It took up the whole night! Too bad we learned about streaming TV on the computer. Jim was exhausted by the hilarity of the event and fell asleep with Boo in his arms. Have you ever seen anything so sweet?!!
The next morning was a little overcast so we decided to beat the rain by starting out early for our daily hike. There are all kinds of signs warning to be aware of bears and mountain lions. You are supposed to back up quietly if you see a bear and, if it attacks you, fight back. Oh, yeah-with what? My hiking pole? We saw lots of squirrels-the remains of their work is everywhere-but little else in the way of wildlife. However, the wild ones leave evidence of being around in the tamped down grasses where they spend their evenings.
 |
| Fall is here! |
Since it was raining (only one day), we decided to take this opportunity to drive up to Glen Haven since I hadn't seen the flood damage from here to there. Take note that the flood was two years ago! Amazing how much road and creek work is still being done. We just can't get over the enormity of this project. And, it will probably be another year before the clean up/rebuilding is complete.
 |
We were stopped just a few hundred yards from our street
and waited about 20 minutes for the pilot car to lead us
and many others through all the construction. |
For the first time, (other than a quick trip about 2 miles up the road to see the destruction and construction, above), Sunday of our last week was the first time I ventured into the real world (or the unreal world, I should say!). We went to Estes Park, hoping to hike to Bridal Veil Falls but, alas, no dogs allowed. So, we went into town, went to the arts and crafts festival and then to Ed's Cantina by the creek. It was wonderfully dog friendly-there were about 4 dogs at one time on the somewhat small patio in back.
 |
| Loving a ride in the car on a beautiful day. |
 |
| First glimpse of Estes |
 |
| Lumpy Ridge |
 |
| River Walk |
 |
| Arts and Crafts Festival |
 |
| Nachos and a margarita with my honey |
 |
| The river sparkled! |
Alas, our final days at the cabin ended after a wonderful visit with Athena and Josh and we were back to reality, getting prepared for being away for the winter. What a grand time it was! Thank you, Gail and Harley!!!!
