Thursday 6/10/10 Andre, Pierre, Monique and myself headed up to Denver to use the free Water World tickets Andre won from Atmel. We somehow timed everything perfectly, brought our cooler full of lunch and drinks and paid for a locker so everything went smoothly. The nice thing about Water World is that the parking is always free and you are welcome to bring in outside food so you don’t have to overpay for lunch like at Elitches.
We got into the park right as it opened claimed a table with our cooler, put our stuff in a locker and headed out for the rides! We made incredible time and had finished most of the rides/slides in the park before lunch. After some sandwiches, drinks, and oatmeal cream pies we headed back out to finish up what was left in the park.
The weather was great for a water park, although it could have been a little less cloudy at times. We all had a lot of fun, and I walked away with only minimal injuries :). Afterwards we had a delicious dinner with everyone back in the Springs at Rock Bottom Brewery.
I went hiking today with my younger sister Cynthia; we drove down towards Helen Hunt Falls to hike the Mt. Cutler Trail. This trail is fairly short only about 2.5 miles for the entire thing but there is a high gain in elevation. There were some decent views of Seven Falls and the Shrine. The trail is clearly marked, but somehow we managed to get lost trying to get back. We eventually found the actual trail and made it back to the car.
It was a nice day, a little overcast so it wasn’t too hot. If you are ever in the area and want to see seven falls without having to pay $10 a person simply hike up the Mt. Cutler Trailhead and you won’t be disappointed.
Today we went fishing. It was an adventure to say the least. We left early in the morning and headed up to Eleven Mile Reservoir. When we got there we were disturbed to see the large amount of bugs flying around. It was unrealistic, none of us had ever seen anything like it… it was almost like a horror movie. We decided to park and make a run for the lake; Andre and I couldn’t make it, after about 20 bugs in the mouth we ran back to the car and sat in our enclosure while watching the swarms through the windows.
The rest of his family somehow made it out to the lake, they called us via cell phone to tell us there weren’t as many bugs near the water. Reluctantly we made it to the shore and even though there were still a ridiculous amount of bugs we did a little bit of fishing. There were HUGE fish here they were at least two feet long, but they weren’t interested in our bait. (Probably because of the smorgasbord of bugs that was available)
Shortly after we began fishing I cast my line out and the wind blew the hook into Justins (Moniques boyfriend) arm. It was slightly severe, the hook went all the way in and we could not pull it back out which resulted in us creating another hole in his arm and pushing it through. I felt really terrible as I had never hooked someone before, but Justin took it like a man and didn’t make it a big deal.
At this point the wind had died down a bit which meant the swarms were all over, and there was no escaping. We literally had to drag Pierre away from the giant fish that he so desperately wanted to catch and we drove down a canyon to a picnic table. After a bug free lunch, we decided to try Eleven Mile Canyon where there was a nice river. At first we were disappointed because we didn’t see any fish… then we hit the jackpot.
Pierre, Andre and I came across a still pool filled with about twenty or so trout, ranging from a foot to two feet. We were extremely excited… until hours had passed and we had literally tried every single type of bait in our tackle box. None of us ended up catching anything, but I have been learning more about fishing online, hopefully we will have better luck next time!
Also there is a clip in my video where you can kind of see all the bugs we had to deal with.
So we went back to Queens Canyon in Glen Eyrie today. This time we took Andre’s parents Cathy and Yancy and Pierre came too. It was an overcast day but it was perfect, not too hot, and not too cold. The last time we went we didn’t understand that you had to go past the trail to get to the waterfall and the punchbowls and we thought we were heading towards nothing. This time we were determined to see everything.
The trail is fairly short; we crossed the river several times and quickly made it to the waterfall. We were very close the last time we went, but the waterfall was really pretty and we got some great pictures. We did a little bit of scrambling and went to the top of the waterfall where we found another trail. We weren’t really sure what the “punchbowls” were but we kept following the trail and eventually came to three pools.
The trail was a bit hazardous in spots with loose footing on the river, but thankfully no one got hurt. At the punchbowls the rocks were extremely slick and most of us had wet shoes which made it worse. Andre and Yancy tried getting across the three pools but the rocks were far to slippery and Yancy fell in the second punchbowl. Overall we had a lot of fun, and this has now become one of my favorite trails. We also saw some great wild life; several bighorn sheep, giant birds, turkeys, lizards, and lots of butterflies.
Today I went hiking with Cassie at Waldo Canyon. This is my favorite local hike; it’s very long, over eight miles but a very pretty, scenic, empty and relaxing hike. I’ve never been to the trailhead parking lot and had a problem with parking (even on Saturdays). In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than 10 people on the entire hike.
If you take highway 24 about a mile past the stoplight for Cave of the Winds you will see a parking lot on the right hand side of the road. When you park you will see a clearly marked sign that reads “Pike National Forest Trailhead Waldo Canyon”, so you’ll know you are in the right spot. The trail is very clearly marked; although it is very long, the hike is easy and only moderate in some spots.
The trail starts out near the road but you are quickly guided away from it and you will hike over two miles to “the loop”. When you reach the loop you’ll see a sign that says < Waldo Canyon Loop 3 ½ miles >. I’ve always gone left; I feel the trail is more enjoyable this way. Anyways, after turning left at the sign you are taken through a pretty valley and over a couple of streams. There are usually lots of purple flowers and purple butterflies to match on this part of the trail.
Eventually the trail starts to incline again and you gain a decent amount of elevation as you approach the center of the loop. Shortly after hiking back to the top you are rewarded with some very beautiful views of Pikes Peak. As you continue down the loop you also start to see views of a canyon. When the loop ends you simply take the same 2.5 mile route back to the parking lot.
I have seen lots of wildlife at Waldo; today I saw some lizards and lots of angry squirrelss. However, the last time I went I saw a herd of about twenty deer that were literally on the trail in front of me. Some parts of the valley seem like a great place for a mountain lion but I have yet to see one… anywhere but the zoo … >
Every summer we spend a good amount of time frisbee golfing. The course we go to the most is called Cottonwood Creek and it is lots of fun. For some, especially for girls starting out can be frustrating but once you get the hang of it, it becomes enjoyable.
So what is frisbee golf? Frisbee golf is exactly what it sounds like, it is golfing with frisbees. The frisbee that you use is a little bit different than your average frisbee it’s a bit smaller, thinner, and harder. Because of these features you can drive the disc long distances easily up to 400 feet. Instead of a hole in the ground you need to get the frisbee into a metal basket.
We play with a par 4 meaning that if you get the frisbee in the basket on your fourth throw you get zero points or par. If you get the frisbee in the basket on your third throw you get -1 or birdie. Get it in on your second throw and you you receive -2 also known as eagle. On the other hand if you don’t get it in until your fifth throw you bogied it and receive +1. Obviously you want to stay in the negatives with this game. The less points you end with the better.
There are many frisbee golf courses in Colorado the main two that we know of are Cottonwood Creek and Fountain Creek which is south of the Springs. If you haven’t been before and you live near a course it might be worth trying. Check out our recent frisbee golfing trip here
I recently decided to purchase a juicer, and after a lot of research I finally found the one I wanted to purchase. I bought an Omega J8005 it is a masticating juicer which will run you around $230 online. So far I am very pleased with it and am happy that I did not go with the cheaper centrifugal type of juicer such as a Jack Lalane or Juiceman juicer.
The masticating juicers literally squeeze and grind the fruit at low speeds, usually around 80-120 rpms. This does not disrupt the cellular structure of the fruit or vegetable and pretty much eliminates oxidation preserving the natural nutrients and enzymes of the fruit.
Centrifugal juicers use a shredder, and run at high (3600 rpms) speeds, they cause oxidation that destroys important enzymes which leaves you with very few of the natural nutrients. It destroys the natural structure of the cell and gives you a low quality juice.
The juice from a masticating juicer produces higher quality juice with a more solid color, whereas the centrifugal machines juice is clearer with no enzymes or nutrients and has almost a metallic taste. Masticating juicers produce almost 20% more juice from produce than a centrifugal juicer, and there is also much less foam.
Centrifugal juicers are cheaper but you can get a great masticating Omega or Champion juicer for $50-$80 more than a high end centrifugal juicer and it certainly seems to be worth it. Masticating juicers are often capable of more than just juicing, mine can juice just about anything including soft vegetables like wheat grass, parsley or spinach and it can also make nut butters and pasta. So in a lot of ways you get more for your money ;).
