Steamboat Springs & Dinosaur National Monument

 

Hello from Steamboat Springs! More amazing scenery and lots of adventure here to share with our friend Michelle who came to visit us. Our time started with kayaking the Yampa river, which in these pictures looks calm but in many spots we were navigating some fun rapids where no cameras were out.

In fact, the rapids were so rough that we had to rent shorter kayaks so they could maneuver better around the rocks. Only one of us got turned over and went in the river but it was a nice hot day and no injuries occurred!

What a great shot Dave got of this mama & fawn on the banks...good thing it was calm when we went by them! The next day we hiked to the upper Fish Creek falls for some spectacular views...and good looking hikers too!

Mountain ash berries along the trail and of course there was scat that had the berries in it too... good thing we didn't see who made it. 🐻

The trail was pretty challenging with many spots like this one with narrow paths and big drop offs, but the views were worth it!

 

I love it when these little guys seem to pose for me...so cute.

The trail was about 4 1/2 miles long but a 1437 ft elevation gain or as Dave said straight up! It was so pretty though and worth the climb.

The next day we relaxed and enjoyed the Strawberry Hill Hot Springs. Michelle and I did the polar plunge and went from the 106 degree hot springs into the cold river at about 60 degrees...burr!!!  Michelle said it was really good for our bodies but Dave wasn't buying it! 😎

 

 

Our first several days we had such great weather. Perfect temps for adventures during the day and cooler temps at night to enjoy a campfire and a gorgeous sunset.

We had a nice table outside at our campsite and of course with Michelle there you know we ate well!! The campground was right next to the Yampa river and Dave got this beautiful early morning shot.

One of the last things on our bucket list was to ride the gondola up the mountain but the weather just didn't want to cooperate. The gondola didn't run but we were more than compensated by the incredible double rainbow. I don't think I have ever seen such vibrant colors.

Not sure who loved having Michelle there with us more, Dave who got to enjoy her awesome cooking or the cats who got some extra loving! Actually I think it's me, what a treasure to have a friend for over 50 years!

We dropped Michelle off at the airport and headed to Dinosaur, our last night in Colorado.  From the road you could easily drive past this National Monument but stop, it was so worth it!

At the end of a 31 mile drive into the park is the Harper's Corner Trail. It's an easy 2 1/2 mile hike that is basically along a ridge with expansive views from both sides, plus cool trees!

These photos are of the Green River. The pictures just can't capture the depth of the canyon, it's truly breathtaking.

Not a dinosaur but a cute lizard along the trail. Then on the road back out we saw the free range cattle. Hello Betsy!

Then we saw these deer on the side of the road. I hollered out at them to go ahead and cross the road...and they did! Love that there is such good signage along the way. 😁

This was the view from our Boondockers site for the night just outside of Dinosaur.  The flowers were so pretty too.

Can't hardly beat these cool locations we get to call home for the night. We are so fortunate to get to enjoy this lifestyle! We'll end by going full circle and leave you with this video of the Fish Creek Falls.