A Rocky Weekend

Someday, either Chris or I will be famous (hint: It will probably be me. And it will probably have something to do with me doing or saying something horribly inappropriate in a very public place) and when one of us is famous, there will be a question on a game show, "When and where did Chris first court his famous (or infamous - depending on what I'm known for) muse?" The answer is on July 16th, 1999 at the worst movie ever - Wild Wild West. Yes, folks, that's thirteen years ago today.

Oddly enough, we always seem to be doing something super cool on or around our first date anniversary. We aren't one of those weird couples that celebrate it or anything. It just so happens that last year, we were on our lovely Pacific Northwest vacation and this year, we were enjoying ourselves like crazy in the beautiful Rockies... sans children (Thank you mom and dad!).

We started out our mini vacation with an aerial tram ride to the top of some mountain. Don't ask me which one. I don't know. It was part of the Rockies.

Little known fact: I am mildly afraid of heights.

Littler known fact: I seldom let my fears stand in my way.

After the tram took us three-quarters (or more likely five-sixths... or perhaps even seven-eighths) of the way up the mountain, we hiked the rest of the way to the much touted summit. Who wouldn't want to know what was at the top of the world?

I will tell you what is at the top of the world.

Chipmunks that have become fattened to a point of near immobility by the peanuts sold in the gift shop at the aerial tram terminal.

Lots of cell towers and the like.

And this mountain man.

The next day, we hit the ground running... or walking at a good, steady pace. After we realized that the hiking trails become quite crowded on a Saturday morning, we were treated to a nice long trip on foot to the trail head. We weren't too disappointed. It helped to have a nice warm-up.

Our goal was to hike up to Fern Falls and eat our lunch in the cool spray of the waterfall. I should have known something was up when I lost visual contact with the river. We were pleasantly surprised by this beautiful lake. It was a lovely sight, but not on our scheduled hiking adventure.

After backtracking over a mile of rocky terrain to the point where we made the wrong turn, we finally got on the correct path and ate our lunch in the spray of the waterfall. It was lovely. And in the end, I'm happy that we got to see Cub Lake.

All told, we hiked over 8.5 miles, 1600 feet of relief and 53 instances of extremely bad Bear Grylls impersonations, of which I was the primary offender. In my mind, that translates into a decent quantity of barbecue ribs and sweet potato fries, which, I can assure you, tasted even better after our day in the wilderness.

I've always said that I could go to Wamsutter with this guy and have a good time, but it doesn't hurt to hang out in nature's playground.

Happy 13th datin' anniversary! May I never again have to sit through a movie as terrible as Wild, Wild  West. But if I do, may it be with Chris, who makes crappy movies and getting lost in the wilderness into the best adventures of my life. I love you, Chris!