Spring Break

Our time in the Butte was winding down quickly.  It was little tough to think about leaving.  There was still so much undiscovered adventure waiting in this valley.  The spring touring was just getting started.  The local mountain bike trails were starting to melt out.  And the fishing was getting good.

Laurel finding some spring pow

 I got out as much as I could in our last couple of weeks usually doubling down on activities just to maximize exploration time.  The MTB trails at Hartman Rocks are a ton of fun.  Afterwards I could still get in a couple hours of fishing on the Gunnison or Taylor where the big browns were starting to rise to little tiny flies.  I also skied a few more days during the transition from pow to corn.  It wasn't the best time to ski but the terrain was worth putting up with sub-optimal snow.

Amazing line, not so amazing snow

Beautiful Brown

Our break was also timed perfectly with a major mid-west event.  Grandma Armella was turning 90 and Laurel made plans to go visit her family in the mid-West.  Her mom was also able to come out so it was a good time to fly back for a reunion.

The travel logistics for getting out of CB are a bit challenging since the closest major airport is Denver (5 hrs) and shuttles there are infrequent this time of year.  Instead Laurel was able to find reasonable flights from Grand Junction, only 3 hours away.  I would drop her at the airport and stay in Moab for the week to avoid driving back and forth to CB.

While Laurel visited her family in Iowa I met Charlie and his family in Moab.  We did the normal Moab things; visited the parks (Canyonlands & Dead Horse), rode bikes and camped in the desert.  The weather was a little volatile but afternoon storms were a good show and except for a little wind and some rain spits we had a good time.  It was fun to show Charlie's girls the desert and ride a few more trails. Charlie & I rode part of Mag 7 and I squeaked a ride in at the challenging Amasa back zone.  Elizabeth even got on a bike for the first time in years and I guided her through the Dead Horse trails.

After they headed home I had a few more days to kill before Laurel's return.  I opted for departure and new territory.  In hindsight I think the weather would have been better had I stayed in Moab but I had a good time exploring some more of the areas around Grand Junction despite the stormy conditions.

Morning fog, preceded by rain

A misty day in Colorado National Monument, a day on the GJ Lunch Loop trails (not my favorite), and a day fishing in the Gunnison gorge.  Then a late airport pick-up and we were headed home for final packing and departure of Crested Butte.

Colorado National Monument