Date Hike Saturday Night!

It took a month, but we did it. No we didn't make another baby. We found a sitter! This is a major victory. It is one thing to take a quick recommendation about a sitter you don't know. It is another thing when you don't know the recommender either. I thought I would be ok, but it took me a month to pull it together. We had plans to go to a couples night/ dinner club thing with some couples from church. In the end, the couple we were going with got sick. We took the chance to use our newly lined up baby sitter -- ditch the church folks -- and see more of Ouray. Also, it felt a lot better to stay close to home the first night away with semi sick kids and a potty training 2 year old. We went on a hike around the perimeter of Ouray with plans to hit dinner and the hot springs before our 9 am curfew.

Now, the perimeter trail is this great hike around the perimeter of Ouray. It has ups and downs and all kinds of views. But the first time I learned about this trail was when I was looking for some hikes for us for our trip last August. But the page with the description also had a picture of people walking happily on a sidewalk. Even when I knew the truth that the trail is pretty rigid, I have never gotten that image of a walk in the park out of my mind. Each time we headed up switchbacks or straight up a road, I thought of that magazine and got a laugh and a little pissed at the same time. But really the walk is really fun. The first mile is right behind our house, but as we walked further, it was amazing how many kinds of mountain and terrain we walked through. There were rolling mountains, forest paths, steams to cross, water falls to walk under or around. This one area near some falls was so moist, it felt like a rain forest. That is also around the time when it started to rain for real. We didn't mind at first. I had a waterproof thing for my pack, and Tim used his jacket. The rain stopped after a little bit ... and then it came back and poured on us for 3 miles. We laughed most the time, but by the end we were freezing and starving. We had a great time. We were all alone on the trail, and we had a lot of time to talk about life, future plans, goals and things. We talked about parenting and all the things we want to do better. We planned our next hikes and committed to getting a sitter for weekly adventures. We stopped a few times to pee, and I used the tool that changed my camping life -- the girl funnel. It works great, and we both cracked up whenever I pulled it out to soil a tree.

The picture of me at the look out is the top of the hike and when the rain really started. At least the storm was on the way down. I couldn't believe how cold I was when we got back to the car. We wanted to hit the springs first, but Tim had hiked several miles that morning and seriously needed food. We ate at one of Ouray's many crappy restaurants. Bien Tiempo. The Mexican joint with dollars on the ceiling from a cool trick they do there. The wait was long (which might have been my fault for not ordering fast enough). We ate for 2 minutes, boxed it up, and were out of there. Still freezing and in very wet clothes. We ran -- literally -- into the hot springs with 10 minutes until closing and curfew and with beautiful clear skies. Best 10 minutes ever. Love that pool. We made it home and sat, relaxed, and slept until midnight when Paw Bear -- as the girls named him -- started bang on doors, eating trash, and hanging out in the mud room. Great night! We had a really nice time together, and I was in shock at the beauty that is just right behind these mountains. They look beautiful and simple from the front porch, but there is so much inside them. You will die when you come visit .... From the beauty ... not from a bear attack.