4th of July

For the the 4th of July, we made our way to Crested Butte so we could check out the wildflowers in the area.  Crested Butte hosts a wildflower festival every year after the 4th of July, so we figured we could check out part of the festival and get out of town on a long weekend at the same time.  B+D were heading back from their long camping trip and it worked out that they could meet us there for a few nights of camping. 

The first night we actually spent in a hotel because it was the 4th of July and we didn't want to pack the kid up after the fireworks and wait in traffic to get out of town.  We arrived in Crested Butte about 1030A, which worked out well because the parade started at 11!  We joined about 20,000 of our closest friends and watched a pretty good parade go through town.  They have a tradition of wearing cabbage leaves during this parade, I don't know what it is about, but plenty of people had them on!  

Everyone in their cabbage leaves

No parade is complete without a guy on stilts

We went back to the hotel for a few naps, then we went down to claim a good spot to watch fireworks.  We had a picnic dinner in the park while their bluegrass festival kicked off.  The music was fun and Noah had a good time walking around and watching all the people.  The fireworks were excellent and after a short walk back to the hotel we were all sound asleep despite the unofficial fireworks show going on around us.

Playing in the field

A lot of people came out for the concert and the fireworks

The phone camera did OK taking pictures of the fireworks

The next day enjoyed the playgrounds of the town before packing up and heading over to our campsite on the Taylor River.

"I found a bench guys!"

He's a great musician

B+D were already there and had scoped out a premium spot by the river.  We spent most of that day hanging in our hammocks and enjoying the outside.  We woke up the next day and went back to Crested Butte for a hike to Judd Falls, just north of the town.  The falls were a little underwhelming, but Noah really liked the hike and being outside with all of us.  We ate a picnic lunch in town afterwards and got caught in a pretty heavy downpour for about 20 minutes.  We decided not to attempt another hike with dark clouds still looming, so we headed back to the campsite with another successful day in the books.

Getting botanical lessons from Grandpa

Noah had a good time on our hike

Noah really likes the outdoors! 

A full parking lot and a great view

Grandpa teaching Noah the proper way to roast marshmallows

We still had more time camping, so we packed up the Jeep again and headed west of Crested Butte over Kebler Pass.  I had never been over that pass, and it was an amazingly beautiful drive.  The views were astounding and we have earmarked it for a trip in the fall when the leaves change.  On our drive we ran into a herd of sheep grazing along the road and Noah loved the noises that they made.  We then made our way to Lost Lake campground to have lunch and enjoy the views.  I took a quick mile hike to find another one of the lakes up the hill.  Great day all around.  

The sheep along the road, there were a few hundred of them

Grandma teaching Noah to throw rocks in the lake

Unmatched scenery

On the way back we ran into a herd of cows being moved between pastures on the highway.  Noah loved moo-ing at the cows and it was a nice way to end the day.

Moooooo!

The next day came too quickly as it was time for us to head home.  We had a wonderful trip and will definitely make our way back to this area again soon.  Noah had a great time camping and even did great sleeping in the tent, good job little man! 

Happy waking up!

"I don't need my hat Mom!"