Karsten's request for the guide was to see a moose and a bear. The guide said that he hadn't seen either this year, but he would sure look hard for them. Shortly after our tour began, we saw a momma deer with two babies. Liam said 'I didn't see them because they were camouflaged." The guide was surprised that Liam was only three and using the word camouflaged!
We were headed up the mountain when the guide stopped and said bears had been in the area because he spotted bear claw marks on the tree. He pulled over and got out with Karsten so he could touch the claw marks.
I was suprised at how high the claw marks went on the tree. I didn't think the bears climbed trees, but it looks like I was wrong!
We rounded a corner to admire a lake and our guide spotted an abandoned camp fire that was still smoking. Someone was very irresponsible and could have caused a massive forest fire!
He emptied his cooler and headed over to the lake to get water to pour on the fire. Scott and the boys followed behind him until the ground was too swampy. I stopped on a rock we passed and decided to perch there rather than braving it into the swampy area.
Here was our ride for the morning - we used Above and Beyond 4x4 and were thrilled with the service we received.
The pine beetles have really caused a lot of damage in some parts of Colorado. All of the grey trees you see here are dead, likely killed by the beetle infestation. This makes things like smoldering camp fires even more dangerous since the forest is full of these super dry trees.
The boys were having a great time - even if we hadn't seen a bear or moose yet.
The road we took up the mountain was primarily used by logging trucks who were working to clear some areas of the forest that had been impacted by the pine beetle. I can't imagine driving a huge truck and load like this down the mountain road, and our guide said the operation continues to run in the winter until the snow is too high. So, these trucks are on this road when it's snowpacked - scary!
When we got to the top, we went for a short hike to a scenic overlook. It was beautiful - an outstanding view!
Our guide told us about a flock of sheep that roams the forest where we were. Apparently the flock is tended by a few large dogs that are in charge of the sheep. He saw the camper near where we parked, so he wanted the boys to stay somewhat close to us in case the sheep or dogs were near. I wouldn't mind seeing the sheep and dogs when we were back in the safety of the jeep!
After some homemade cookies and lemonade, we loaded up to head back down the mountain.
The wild flowers were in bloom everywhere and they were gorgeous. My favorite was the indian paintbrush which was a beautiful coral color and the top really looked like a paintbrush. This picture doesn't do it justice.
Unfortunately, we never saw a moose or a bear, but we did see a buck and a coyote. They both hid in the trees and watched us, but it was still cool to spot them.
It looks like we got back just in time since there was some rain moving in. We hit the road to go to Vail for lunch.
Yelp is my go-to resource for finding restaurants on vacation. I found 'The Little Diner' which received rave reviews but it was only open until 2pm. We rushed around to find it and were the last people they served for the day! It was tucked into an alley of this cool shopping area, we walked around a bit while waiting for our seats.
After an amazing breakfast, and a slightly heartbroken boy who really wanted one of their giant Dutch baby pancakes (the lady next to us ordered the last one), we cheered him up with the promise of gelato.
Liam is not a sweets guy (can I tell you how I wish I had this quality?). He picked out a few raisens from his cookie (he didn't want gelato), then pronouced that he was full.
We walked around a bit after lunch and found these cool statues and beautiful flowers. Seemed like the perfect spot for a group photo.
There were signs throughout the shopping area that cautioned you about moose in the area. I wish we would have seen a moose meandering through the shopping area - I can't imagine!
We headed back to Breck to do some shopping on Main Street. Karsten had his heart set on a reindeer Christmas ornament and I wanted to check out two tea stores.
We ended the day (our anniversary!) by getting take out hamburgers from a food stand and coming back to our condo for dinner. It was a great way to end the day and celebrate our anniversary - together as a family!
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