I can’t believe it’s finally here. We take one big vacation each year and it’s always been to Colorado. This year, we are spending 14 days hiking, driving, eating, running, and exploring all over the state. However, there is one thing on both of our minds. We have a “bucket list” item we want to cross off. We are hiking our first 14,000 mountain. Pike’s Peak. Hopefully, by Friday night, I’ll be soaking my feet, drinking something hot, and posting the details of the 13 mile climb to the Summit House. Once we accomplish that, the rest of the trip will be more hiking, fishing, looking for snow (doubtful we find any), and a half-marathon for me on the last day.
I’m a little sad today. First, I had to leave Frankie at the Kitty Spa (aka…vet kennel)for two weeks. Although he did great there last year, it’s still sad to leave him. I cried like a good mother does when she leaves her baby in the hands of others. He yowled a little. It broke my heart, but he’s in the absolute safest place in case something happens. A couple of years ago, he almost died from a blocked urethra and this was while we were both home. So if dangerous situations happens while at home, I can’t leave him with a neighbor to check in on him like we did the first two years. I want him at his vets’ kennel where I can call the poor attendant every other morning to see how Frankie is doing.
I know the next two weeks will fly by so fast and then it will be over. The worst days of the year for us are the few weeks after we come back. It’s horrendously hot here and we know that we have a whole year to wait before we go back. But I’m asking for trouble even thinking about all that. I’ve got to pack! And because we are driving, we get to take a whole lot more stuff!
This is a regular sized cooler and I have this thing STUFFED. 1.5 days of driving there and 1.5 days driving back require travel food and we plan to cook or eat in several days. I can’t eat out or indulge 14 straight days. I can spend $50 at the grocery store and have several of our meals ready to cook. Half the fun is catching fresh stream trout and grilling on the back deck watching the sun go behind the summits. I’m so ready for that!
- Gatorade
- trail mix
- granola
- grill tools
- cutting board/chef knife
- coffee, filters
- cooking oil
- Cliff bars
- Blender!!
- shaker bottle
- oats
- Amazing Grass
- protein powder
- Gels/honey shots
- Thick Chewy Bars that I just made 🙂
- seasonings/spices
- cocoa powder
- hot chocolate mix
- oil sprayer
- bananas/oranges/apples
- cheese crackers
- cashews/almonds/sunflower seeds
And in the “utilities” basket: washing powder, Ziplocks, paper towels, baby wipes.
And I’m dozing off now. Next post should be from somewhere in Oklahoma.