Mountain Magic Will Cast a Spell on Your Sunday Scaries

We’re coming to you live from Crested Butte, CO, for this week’s edition of Combatting the Sunday Scaries!

Jim and I (and Steve) are spending a long holiday weekend with our long-time friends John and Emily and their two kids, Elena and David!

Jim and John (owner of HaskellAcademics.com for any of you with soon-to-be college kids!)? have known each other for 20+ years; they met when they both moved to Aspen at the same time in the early 2000s, so it’s always special when we get to spend time together now that they live a few hours away.?

It has been the most gorgeous weekend of Colorado weather, and there isn’t a single Sunday Scaries to be had. Here are some of our weekend antics and outdoor adventures to inspire your week.?

I hope you’ve had a great Fourth of July!

1. Put the Windows Down?

The drive from Glenwood Springs to Crested Butte takes you off the beaten path, over two mountain passes, including Kebbler Pass, a route that’s open only in the summer.?

The winding dirt road is the perfect place to put the windows down and enjoy the fresh breeze, so the next time you hit the road, take “the back way” and roll those windows down!

2. Send Your Husband in for Snacks

Did you know you could buy a bag of pork rinds the size of your head??

Well, now you do, so you can seek it out the next time you head to the local tortillaria. ???

Gotta’ love what the men bring out of the stores when it’s time for road snacks.?

3. Buy Fruit from a Roadside Stand?

We have some amazing fruit farms in Colorado, and they set up random stands that you’ll come across here and there.?

I was hoping for some Palisade Peaches, but the cherries and some plums definitely fit the bill when I hit up a fruit stand at the gas station of all places!?

4. Frolic in Fields of Wildflowers?

Crested Butte is known for the wildflowers and we have been taking all of them in!?

A big bike ride took us through fields carpeted with Lupine (among other things), and it almost made me forget I was hauling myself up a cardiac hill on a bike. ??

5. Take Time to Smell Those Flowers

While on a hike with the whole family (kids included), we all enjoyed identifying all the different types of wildflowers. I think we saw more than 20 types of wildflowers on this hike - more than I’ve ever seen in one place - and a friendly botanist we encountered on the trail mentioned how spring and summer varieties are converging like never before.?

It’s quite an epic year to experience the special treasure of this area. Four-year-old David, in particular, loves looking at all of the flowers closely and wants to know the names of every single one of them. ??

Take a little time to smell the posies (and make a little more time to be curious about them, too)!

6. Curl Up with a Good Book (and some kids)?

While Jim and I elected not to have children, we do still enjoy some quality time with the kids in our family (blood relatives or otherwise). Elena and David are both inquisitive, loving kids who are fun to be around - and are a good reminder to look at the world through a childlike lens.?

7. Do Something Physically (and Mentally) Challenging

I joined Jim and John on a bike ride on some of Crested Butte’s iconic trails, and the two tried to kill me (LOL) by taking me up the steepest climb I’ve attempted since learning how to bike last fall. Not only was it steep, but we were climbing at over 10,000 feet above sea level, so I have deemed the ride the Crested Butte Cardiac Attack on Strava (a social network app for athletes).?

It was physically and mentally challenging, but it was equally (if not more) rewarding to get to the top and get the “you did the climb, Ang” fist bump from John.?

I earned that downhill. And the pizza I had for dinner later that evening. ??

Here’s to a great week for everyone with no Sunday Scaries in sight!

Your Friend and Coach,

Angie