​Gruben! No need to hang around here for long.  Breakfast was early in the morning, so we got up, put our bags out, got our hiking stuff on and grabbed some breakfast. As soon as breakfast was over, we headed out and UP! We were one of the first groups out of the hotel and we hiked with speed up the mountain.  We hiked up and up, and up some more. We had to go from the valley floor all the way to the Augstbordpass. The start of the hike was through beautiful pine trees that helped distract us from the fact that we were going straight up. We continued up and up through the mist toward the Augstbordpass.  We were glad that it wasn’t raining. We came upon a heard of cows that were sneaking in and out of the mist.  It was kind of cool to hear the bells and then see a cow pop out of the mist. The trail got steeper and we had to go up over some steep rocks. One of the annoying American couples was gaining on us, and we were determined that they would not pass us and beat us up to the top of the pass, so we huffed it. We hiked as hard and as fast as we could to the top of that pass and we beat them to the top. Suck it young, fit American couple with no kids!  

The top of the Augstbordpass was very misty and we headed quickly down the other side into an avalanche of rocks. The hike down was ridiculously hard and crazy. I imagine the views on a clear day are spectacular, but hiking through these impossible rock paths in the mist was somewhat awesome. The trail was really quite amazing. Definitely don't want to fall off the side of this mountain. Eventually, after quite a long hike on the rocks, we made it to a little town up in the mountains. We came into a courtyard area with fountains and a pond. It reminded me of a scene from Legend of Zelda. We looked for treasure chests, but there were none that we found. It was starting to rain and we headed over to the cable car….which was closed. We deciphered the timetable and it seemed that at 1:00 PM it would open back up. Since everything in Europe closes during lunch, this seemed like a safe bet. Some other hikers passed through and were inpatient and started the 1.5-hour steep hike down to St Niklaus. We waited and were rewarded with an easy ride down the mountain to St Niklaus. The guy from Portland was in the cable car with us. It was so great not to have to hike down the steep trail (and it was ridiculously steep). We figured that one of the girls in the group that didn’t wait probably pushed the guy off the mountain during the hike down because he didn’t want to wait. Wrong move for sure.  Plus, we got to see the drunken fat French guy running the gondola. He was one drink away from death. Good to know we were in his tender care as we moved down the mountain over impossibly steep cliffs. 
 
In St Niklaus, we looked around the town for a few minutes and then caught the train up to Zermatt. The train ride up to Zermatt is so amazing. The German conductor guy wouldn't accept our transfer tickets, so we had to pay, but it was just so great to be on a train. We arrived in Zermatt and it was rainy. Zermatt is a big tourist town, so it was full of people from all over the world with their luggage and stuff. We were back in civilization. Just a few hours earlier, we were in one of the quietest places on the planet and now we were back in civilization with credit card machines, trinkets, and train schedules. Although it is great to be pampered, there is something wonderful about being alone in the mountains. We hiked over to the Hotel Ginabelle and plopped down onto our luxurious beds. It was definitely nice to be back in comfy beds compared to the Hotel Schwarzhorn.  
 
Dinner was phenomenal and over the top. The Swiss take food seriously, and it was wonderful to have a great meal after hiking in the mist and the rain. Every hike we did on this trip was fairly strenuous.  Wonderful food is a great reward for hiking over the steep passes between the valleys.

​Breakfast was wonderful and we sat out on the veranda taking in the majestic views we were starting to take for granted. We left the Hotel Bella Tolla and headed up to the Funicular where dozens of hikers were eagerly awaiting the quick trip up the mountain. We were very glad to not have to hike up from St Luc.  We hopped off the Funicular and started our ascent to the Cabana Bella Tolla. We decided to take a slightly longer route to the Medipass by going to the lakes and around. The thing that struck us about this part of the trip was that it was almost completely silent. As we got closer to the Medipass, there was absolutely no sound. No birds, no cowbells, no wind, no cars, no people. It was as quiet as any place we had ever been in our whole lives. You could spend all day here just being quiet out in the grandeur of the world. It’s amazing that something so big can be so quiet. The hiking was rather easy and a pleasant change from the immensely steep climbs of prior days. We made it to the Medipass and clouds were moving in so we ate some lunch at the top and then headed down the trail to Gruben. We had made it into the German speaking part of the Swiss Alps. No more pleasant French conversation, just harsh German that neither of us could understand. The hike down into Gruben was fairly steep and we were thinking that Gruben was going to be this horrible place but it turns out that Gruben was quite a delightful town sitting on a little river. At the hotel, we had ice cream sundaes on the veranda looking out to the mountains and the river.  It was SO good. We both got our own. The hotel Schwarzhorn where we stayed was more like a hostel, then a proper hotel, but it was great to have a place to stay and the showers were warm. How people do this trip staying in huts is beside me. Hotels are definitely the way to go. The mailbox where we mailed our daily postcard noted that August 31st would be the last day for pick-up this season. Winter is coming!
 
Dinner was in stark contrast to prior dinners. We were grateful for dinner, but we missed the delicious food of days past. There were lots of hikers here because there were no huts so all the hut hikers and hotel hikers converged into one space here. We quickly determined that Americans are loud and mostly annoying. There was an investment banker from Portland that we said hi to….we would see him randomly for the next 3 days in different places.

​A rest day! What a marvelous idea. Breakfast was not in the dining room, but rather in the 2nd floor salon.  It was as decadent and over the top as the dinner the night before. All the usual assortment of goodies was found in abundance with the addition of crepes! The best part was the stacks of oranges that you could cut and then juice. There is nothing better than truly fresh orange juice in the morning. Why can’t store bought juice taste like this?!

​The hotel had given us a town venture pass, so after we ate breakfast, we headed up through the village to see if we could take the cable car up the mountain and then down into Zinal. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we hiked back over to the bus stop and took the Post bus over to Zinal to start our adventure.  Fortunately, the hotel pass made the bus ride free as well. We headed further up the valley to Zinal which sits on the other side of the ski mountain from Grimetz. Since it was fairly early in the morning, we headed out of Zinal fairly quickly and up, up, up into the forest. The initial ascent was rather steep and we decided that the Swiss just didn’t have time to put in switchbacks, but probably should have at some point done that. The path followed along the path for a marathon that ends in Zinal. That would be one tough race. Once we gained the ridge, however, the remainder of the hike was fairly gentle and flat as we hiked the rim from above Zinal to the Hotel Weisshorn. The views back toward Zinal were ridiculous and it was hard not to stop and keep looking back toward the mountains. We met a family from Belgium on our way around and enjoyed the watefalls, eating chocolate, and the views. After a rather long hike, we made it to the Hotel Weisshorn where we had Fondue.
 
It turns out, we didn’t know how to eat Fondue, because no sooner had we started to eat, a rather obese French man sitting next to us came over grabbed a piece of bread and taught us how to eat Fondue properly. He mostly used gestures and grunts to teach us, until he discovered that Mike spoke French. At that point, he used words to do the instructing. Just watching his big meaty hands break the bread and dip it in the warm melty cheese was somewhat surreal. We would see him and his wife later hiking down into St. Luc. We will always be grateful for the random man who decided to put his hands all over our food so that we would no longer be stupid Americans eating Fondue incorrectly.  
 
Interestingly, our waiter was from Portugal and Mike got to speak Portuguese with him. We headed out from the Hotel Weishorn with the intent of taking the Funicular down into St Luc, after all, we were pretty hammered from all the hiking. However, it was about 45 minutes to the Funnicular and 45 minutes to just hike down to St Luc, plus, the family from Belgium told us it was a pretty hike, so we headed down. It turns out, that it was a pretty hike and it was a nice way to end a long day of hiking with a leisurely stroll down the mountain. The weather was amazing, and the views wonderful. What a great place to be and a great time to be alive.  

We made it into St Luc and hiked past the Funnicular station straight into a Wes Anderson movie at the Hotel Bella Tolla. It is hard to describe a place like this and do it any justice. It is a storied boutique hotel wherein everything is perfectly appointed and prepared so that you can enjoy a quaint and terrific day in the mountains. The staff was prepared for our arrival and knew us by name as we walked into the hotel. Our bags were waiting for us in our rooms with a bag of fresh fruit and a personal note from the host and hostess welcoming us to the hotel. What a great place to spend a couple of days. One thing of note throughout our trip was that the room keys in Switzerland are all attached to giant items. At the hotel Bella Tolla it looked like a peppershaker for Andre the Giant. Where do people put these giant-ass keys?
 
Once we had gotten ready for dinner, we were greated to a phenomenal meal that was more a celebration of taste and design than anything in recent memory. The décor of the dining room, the service, the presentation of the food were all over the top. The host and hostess came to each table, speaking fluently in several languages making sure the guests were not only well cared for, but felt that their stay was personally important to the hotel. It was a sight to behold and to experience. After dinner, we sat outside under the stars and a furry blanket listening to the piano music drift into the night sky. You could imagine that the stars in the night sky wished they could be so cozy and warm.

Grimentz was a pleasant surprise as it is an incredibly beautiful little ski town nestled on the side of the mountain. It was so striking, so fun, so pretty that we spent the rest of the evening just walking around and admiring the quaintness of this little village. Even the souvenir store was charming. We stayed at the Hotel de Moiry and had dinner there. The thing that struck us most was the guy standing by the fire with a block of cheese the size of a Volkswagen with a giant samari sword of a knife sheering melted cheese off the side of the block of cheese onto plates. It looked like liquid heaven. We had another wonderful dinner and walked back through the town getting pictures and admiring the views, the flowers, the neatly stacked woodpiles, and the quaint old cottages. We would spend the next few days here in Anniviers, and it would be well worth it. ​

We were up early and ready for breakfast.  Again, there was wonderful bread, cheese, granola, and fruit to get you ready for a day full of hiking. Heading out of La Sage was spectacular. The skies were bright blue and the mountains stood in brilliant contrast to the clear skies. We hiked steeply up through the farmland above La Sage. With each step, more mountain peaks came into view and it was hard not to stop and constantly be taking photos. We were glad to be in the trees for much of the initial climb because the climbing was tough and we got warm quickly. Soon more glaciers came into view and we arrived at a little collection of chalets on the side of the mountain. The path wound further up the mountain until we came to an amazing lake with waterfalls all around. We only had to hike through a herd of bulls to get there. It was a little intimidating! This part of the trail reminded us of New Zealand! We took advantage of the gorgeous view to stop and eat some cookies and enjoy a little rest. After leaving the lake we climbed steeply from there up to the Col du Tsate, which is a pass at 2868 m. We hadn't ascended too far from the lake when we heard a boy scream at his parents because he couldn’t make it. Even in Switzerland, parents torture their children by making them hike in the mountains. We were tempted to yell back, "You can do it," but decided against it. With the lake in view we came across the most beautiful butterfly who joined us for part of the ascent. It landed on Mike's hiking pole and stayed there for quite some time.  We loved our little orange buddy.  

​The views from the top were spectacular. We could see the lakes down below and began to see the Glacier du Moiry around the bend. We were excited to get down to the water!  It was a steep hike to get down! As we hiked, more and more of the Moiry glacier came into view. It stood with its immensity at the top of the valley and was truly magnificent to behold. I don’t think we realized how many glaciers there were in the Alps, but they were stunning. The lakes were dotted with little flowers and we were glad to be off the steep part of the mountain. We had just missed the bus that went from the Glacier back down to Grimentz, so we decided to hike along the lake to the dam. The water was a rich copper toned color of blue that it was hard not to just stare at it. Looking back toward the lake with the the glacier in the background, it was hard not to be overhelemd by the grandeur of it all. The hike was quite long and our feet were quite tired. Sara had a close photography encounter with a cow, which was nice because it was hot down in the valley and the sun was beating on us. By the time we made it to the dam, we were spent.  The thought of hiking another 2 hours to Grimetz was daunting, so we decided to take the Post bus down….and oh how grateful we were for that bus! Even with its snarky English driver.  We took the bus down the impossibly steep terrain into Grimentz.

​A gentle downhill day to start! Or at least that’s what we thought. It turns out there is no gentle grade in Switzerland. It’s either straight up or straight down…nothing gentle about it. We awoke and had breakfast at the hotel (more bread, cheese, granola, and deliciousness!). From there, we headed out along the lake.  There were lots of people fishing from the shore, speaking in French, smoking, and generally looking very European. We turned behind the Hotel Alpina and started heading down from Champex to Sembrancher.  Our legs were quickly reminded of the many miles of steep downhill we had done just yesterday. The views, however, today were excellent. The clouds had lifted and we could see well the peaks of Valais. It was truly breathtaking. The trail followed mostly grassy fields down the mountain. Along the way, there were many benches that allowed you to sit, relax, and enjoy the amazing views. It was fun walking through little farming communities with their victory gardens, large farms, and quaint chalets. It was so green and so majestic. It was hard to take it all in. This place was truly a beautiful and pastoral part of the earth.  ​

After winding down the mountain ,we made it to Sembancher. It was exactly 11:00 AM when we were supposed to meet our driver, so we hurried through the town square as the church bells rang out the hour to make it to the train station. We didn’t want to be late! Fortunately, we weren’t late….in fact, they had totally forgotten about us, so we sat around for an hour before calling the tour company. Eventually, someone called us back and 3 hours later, they came to pick us up. We got to go back into town and walk around a little more, down to the river, but it was Sunday, so nothing much was open. We did enjoy the vending machines in the train station, especially the pregnancy test called, “Maybe Baby”. Finally, a girl from Nampa, Idaho picked us up and took us back down into the central valley and onto the next valley to La Sage.  

Unfortunately, we got to La Sage a little late in the day, so we decided to go for a stroll through the town and down one of the country lanes. La Sage is at the feet of a few peaks and is truly one of the most striking views to be seen on the planet. There are 2 peaks that sit right at the end of the Val d’Herens.  They rise above the green farmland and truly blow your mind. It is so big, and so sudden that it is hard to imagine being around something so grand. These peaks sit in a backdrop of other peaks forming a little fiefdom of grand vistas. We took this time to go on a little hike through the farmland and made the bend toward the glacier that feeds the river that comes down through the Valley. We enjoyed the farmland and the little chalets and of course the ridiculous views of the mountains. We made it back to our hotel, Hotel de La Sage, in time for dinner. Dinner was magnificent and was punctuated by a chocolate mousse that we both inhaled so quickly we were sad that it was gone. The dinning room windows faced out over the peaks making the food taste all that much better because the views were so immense. After dinner, we got packed up for the next day and went to sleep.  ​

​Of course, being excited, we didn’t realize that we took the hardway to Champex Lac over the Fenetre d’Arpette instead of the easy way up the valley. This ended up being great, because the views and the scenery were amazing. When we got to the end of the flat trail, we found ourselves at the base of a glacier and a beautiful river running from the glacier. The water has a milky white appearance and the thing that surprised us was just how much water there was and how green everything was. Everywhere you turned you could see waterfalls, lush vegetation and sharp mountain peaks. From the stream, we started to make our way up the mountain. The trail was amazing, hard packed dirt winding up through trees and stones that appeared like they had been borrowed from a Lord of the Rings movie. The weather was overcast and the misty mountains would stick their heads out now and then to remind us that we were small little dots climbing up formidable terrain. After a few miles, we came to a mountain hut that overlooked the glacier and the river. We sat on a bench and ate some chocolate and cheese. Some other hikers were making their way down from the pass and they looked fairly haggard and beleaguered.  Undaunted, we continued our climb toward the Fenetre. The path grew steeper and steeper and it seemed like the Swiss didn’t believe much in switchbacks. Further and further into the mist we climbed until we made it to the pass. The views weren’t great due to the mist, but just making it to the top was exhilarating. It even snowed a little at the top. It was a steep climb! We could tell that this trip would be no joke. After a quick lunch, we started down the other side toward Champex Lac. We could see why everyone looked so destroyed coming down the other side….this side was steep and boulder filled! It must have been terrible coming up this way. We continued down until we were back amongst the trees and flowers. We saw a hiker eating huckleberries but didn't’ try any ourselves. We continued down toward our destination and made it into some area with some cows and came across our first Swiss electric fence.  It was kind of cool because it was a solar powered battery that was attached to some line that was electrically charged. It looked like it was easy to move around and change depending on where you wanted your cattle to graze.  

We continued down (it just seemed to keep going) until we came to a beautiful waterfall. After some pictures, we ambled into the lake town of Champex. It’s a little village / ski resort that sits on a pristine mountain lake. The water was so clear you could see everything in the lake. We found our hotel, with our luggage waiting at the hotel du Glacier. We ate a wonderful dinner filled with salad (watermelon southern salad to be exact), meat, and cheese and then went for a walk along the lake. We came back to our little hotel, talked with the kids, and then fell asleep. It was quite a hike afterall! ​

Speaking of which, Geneva airport looks like it fell out of the 1970s.  The 1970s will forever be known as the era where all construction should have been halted. It produced the ugliest buildings on the planet, with the airport in Geneva being one of them.  Now the approach into Geneva was beautiful. Flying along the lake, mountains in the distance.  But the airport is not much to look at.  You deplane and hop on a little bus and then go into the arrivals hall and border control. Soon you are waiting for your luggage and then zipping off to find out that your van doesn’t leave for another 1.5 hours.  Fortunately, the Geneva airport has many spots to get bread, chocolate, and other expensive and tasty things.  We opted for chocolate (having just had breakfast on the plane).  Eventually, it was time for the AlpyBus.  We followed the guy out to the bus and then he took roll call….Michelle?  Michelle? Eventually, Mike stepped forward and said, “Michael?”.  He responded, “In France, you are Michel.”  So it was and off we went on the bus to Chamonix with six other lost souls starting their next adventure in the middle of the Alps. ​

From Chamonix, you ascend at a ridiculous pace and angle on the cable car with swoons of other awe struck tourists from all over the world. Interestingly enough, the Indian tourists were the pushy ones cutting in line and trying to squeeze ahead for some mysterious purpose. In the end, we all made it to the top and all got to see the amazing views of Mont Blanc and the valley below. The entire experience was much more grand than we could have realized. The first cable car takes you only so far, and then you change to a smaller car and then take an elevator to the top. It is ridiculously high and with each ascension you get another ridiculous view of the stunningly beautiful Alps and the overwhelming Mont Blanc. While waiting in line to do “standing in the void” (a glass box hovering over the abyss), Mike ran into some Brazilians and chatted with them for a while. Once the view and selfies and pictures were done, we descended back down into the now gathering clouds to go back to Chamonix. We walked around the town, which was fairly crowded with tourists and touristy shops. We did find a cool shirt for Sara that was for the Tour de Mont Blanc, which is an ultra race that goes all the way around Mont Blanc. The race looked well organized and seemed like something that would be fun to do at some point in your life. As always, its fun to see the butcher shops, pastry shops, and super markets which are so different than what we have and do in America. After walking around and looking in the various shops, it was time for dinner. Mike had made reservations at at little restaurant called Panier de 4 Saisons. It is a cute little restaurant well decorated with the feeling that you are in a well-appointed ski cabin. It was absolutely charming. We ordered the set dinner and quickly dove into the fresh bread. Everything was delicious and immaculate from the salad to the desserts. We both got the duck and it blew us away. You can’t go to France without having a great dinner. If only we knew that our gastronomic vacation was just beginning.  From dinner, it was back to the hotel. Having been awake for a long time at this point, we were ready for bed…and ready for the next day’s adventures.  

I love having such great friends to run with.  Even though the others are training for their various marathons I still try and jump in on their speed workout days.  Today we did a 5 mile tempo and it was tough but I'm so glad I stuck with it.  My mile pace was between 6:50-6:59 for 3 of the miles and between 7:03-7:05 for the other 2 miles.  Not so bad for not being in peak training mode.  

I was driving back from home from Utah with the kids and as we were getting off the freeway in Grand Junction I was careful to follow the speed limit of 55.  Then out of nowhere the speed limit changed to 45mph and as I was slowing down I got pulled over by a stupid speed trap.  The cop didn't really care that I was actually slowing down after seeing the sign because apparently there had one more sign 3/10 of a mile up the road.  It was a cheap move on his part.  Clearly he was trying to get in his quota.  To say I was angry was a complete understatement.

I love it when we decide to cook Japanese food for dinner.  Mike and I have perfected making Katsudon and the kids all love eating it.  I never get tired of eating Katsudon.  

Since Peter got his drivers permit he hasn't gotten a whole lot of time behind the wheel.  Mike decided to take Peter for a drive in his truck.  Peter was super nervous but handled it well.  There were a bunch of girls that walked by and when they saw Peter driving they all turned to look at him.  I guess that is what happens when a cute boy is driving a pimped out car.  

The girls love getting their haircut by my friend and hairdresser Lexie.  She always does such a great job giving them a little style without having to do anything too drastic.  

Abby was super excited to go to Back to School Night to meet her teacher and see who was in her class.  She was beyond excited to find that a couple of her best friends were in her class this year with the teacher that she wanted.  

It was so nice to have Grandpa Al visit with us before heading off on his mission to Taiwan.  The kids enjoyed spending a few days with him before heading off to school.  

​Loves to take walks outside and blow bubbles with the bubble gun. She loves to wear her boots outside even though it is too warm to wear them.  She loves to say hi to the owl statue in our neighbors yard. She has no problems walking the loop behind our house without getting tired.  She loves to walk on the grassy sections next to the sidewalk.  She started running this summer and can run pretty far before she gets tired.  

Madeline loves learning.  She loves to sing, read books, color, sing and play with her toys.  She is becoming a creative independent player.  As long as I’m close by she will play with her toys without me having to play with her.  I love that she is learning how to play independently.  She loves to line up her toys whether that is blocks, people or her doll house furniture.  One of her favorite toys is her dollhouse.  She loves to put all the furniture in the house and does a pretty good job putting them in the correct places. She loves the little baby and will sing to her as she puts her in the tiny crib.  One of her other favorite toys is still her Little Einstein people and the big rocket.  Quincy is her favorite one of the kids.  By the end of the summer she was calling all of them her kids. This summer Madeline learned how to do the simple puzzles.  She loves all the puzzles with the animals but particularly likes the puzzle with the doors you can open.  She likes to find the cat.  

Madeline loves animals...especially cats.  She can recognize most major animals and tell us what sound they make. She also loves her soft elephant and sheep (which she calls sheepie) and sleeps with them in her bed.   When it’s time for bed she lays them down in her crib and when she gets up she wants me to take them out of the crib for her.  They travel with her to wherever she is playing.  
 
Madeline is still a great eater and will eat most anything we give her.  What she loves more than eating is bath time. Sometimes she will not eat all her dinner just so that she can have a bath.  She never forgets to tell me that it is bath time after dinner.  She loves to grab her towel off the hook and then turn on the faucet in the tub.  She is always quick to remind me to put bubbles in her bath.  She loves bubbles.  After I take her clothes off she puts them in the laundry basket. Then she sits on her little potty.  She got her first little pink potty this summer and loves to sit on it so that she can flush the silver handle and hear the flushing sound.  She doesn’t have any patience for actually doing anything on it but that’s ok.  
 
Towards the end of the summer Madeline developed a love for cooking with me in the kitchen. She always grabs her apron and makes me put mine on as well.  She loves to help put the ingredients in the bowl and turn on the mixer.  At first the mixer was a little loud for her and she would cover her ears every time it was on.  Then she would tell me we were all done when she turned the mixer off.  It was cute.  She loved making cookies and eating the cookie dough at the end.  I would only give her a little bit and she would keep asking me for more so I had to be quick getting the cookie dough on the baking sheets.

After a very busy summer of fun vacationing in California and Utah, attending camps, going on hikes, and participating in swim team, the kids were reluctant to go back to school.  However, I know that Andrew was excited to start his Senior Year, Emma and Peter were excited to NOT be in the youngest grade in their respective schools, and Abby was thrilled to be at the top of her school as a 5th grader.  Abby was the only one to start school on August 15th this year.  The rest of the kids started a day later on August 16th.  Everyone had a great first day of school and were pretty excited to see their friends, have new classes and teachers, and have a fresh start.  

ABBY:
5th Grade . Mrs. Lynch . Landsharks Cross Country Team . Rapids Swim Team . Piano . Voice Lessons . Stake Children's Choir, Selected to be in Mary Poppins, the school musical, as Mrs. Smythe . Excited about going on the Ameritowne field trip . Most concerned about understanding Math . Favorite class is Writing and Science

Nestled in between Breckenridge and Mount Quandary is a great hike in the Colorado Mountains.  Colorado has a dearth of water, so any hike with a river and a lake is going to be popular pretty quickly.  Fortunately, we drove 2 cars.  When we got to the area, we all piled in Mike’s car and 4-wheeled up to the start of the trail. We passed hoards of hot, smelly people making the trek up the crazy 4-wheel drive road.  Sorry Subaru outback owners, you don’t have a real Colorado car. The trail was beautiful and when you don’t have to hike up the road, it's just better.  We set off at a silly pace because all of our kids are athletic and found the first lake rather quickly.  It turned out not to be the first lake, but just a little pond. The second lake, took a little longer and was really quite steep.  Madeline did great in the backpack and when we finally sat down to eat lunch, the sky was blue, the day was perfect, and the cheese and crackers and grapes delightful.  I often wonder why we don’t spend all our time doing great things like this….oh yeah, work and school.  We played in the stream a little and then hiked up to the second lake, which was so cool. We played in the lake and then hiked above it to the cliffs off trail and the view was pretty great.  Certainly, this was a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.  We hiked down and got back in Mike’s truck.  We were so glad to not have to hike down the road.  Madeline really enjoyed the off road…bumpity bump!   We went into downtown Breckenridge and got some ice cream (so good…especially the peach/blueberry).   It was the perfect day in a wonderful place.

The girls had their 2nd swim meet with the Falfins today.  It was another in house meet so they swam against the other kids in the Falfins summer swim team. Both girls improved significantly since the first meet.  Emma used the diving block this time and showed us how strong she is in the breaststroke.  She swam in the 50 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke, and the 50 freestyle.  Abby did well this time around too.  She swam in the 100 freestyle, 100IM, and the 50 backstroke.  By far Abby's favorite event is the 100 IM.  She loves to swim all the strokes.  Abby improved this time by swimming all her events without stopping.  I couldn't be prouder of these two girls in giving it all they had during their events.  At the end of the meet each one of them got pictures with their coaches.  Being a part of this summer swim team was really good for both Emma and Abby and showed them that they could accomplish great things with hard work.