After two days of driving, I was pretty doggone tired. However, not wanting to let a day get away from me, I went hiking with my host family, the Colorado Days.

We traveled out to Monarch Lake, taking a picnic lunch with us, and planning for many hours of fun in the forest. As it ends up, it was a bit of a trudge for me — about three hours of hiking near 8500′ just about did me in! It was fun, but man did my joints hurt. Those Colorado Days really know how to climb!

The Grand Lakes area (of which Monarch Lake is one) is simply beautiful. The water is stunningly blue, and seems to be a favorite fishing spot for folks — there were scores of folks drowning bait in the water. There were loads of watercraft out there, too. This is definitely on my list of places to meander about with my camera later this week.

One of the things that has surprised me about this part of the world is the number of dirt roads that are considered “county highways.” I guess that’s why I see so many 4WD vehicles out here. It seems like going to almost anyplace here involves a dirt road. Glad I like my Jeep dirty!