Ouray with the Brindleys & Vassars

 The town of Ouray sits in the southwest corner of Colorado. It's about a 5, 5 1/2 hour drive from Colorado Springs. It's a beautiful valley, and by valley that means it sits at 7.792ft, town surrounded by 13,000 foot mountain. It's really just stunning! If you are an outdoor enthusiast, or photographer, or both, this is the place for you. The best thing about the town is you walk up a street and you start hiking into the mountains. Our favorite was the perimeter trail, which is a 5.9 mile hike, and it is listed at streneous. I would agree. Dave and I did about two-thrids of the trail in 2.5 hours. The whole thing is supposed to take 3.5-4hrs, but we had a specific time limit and we needed to be back. Totally worth it though!

Scene from the perimeter trail

 So Dave's parents, Julie, Pete and Blake all came to Ouray too. We had a great time all together. Pete, Julie, Dave and myself went out on a double date one night. We had such a great time getting to know one another better. We hit up the Ouray hot springs after dinner. It was so much fun!
The hot springs is a must do. We learned they are doing a million dollar make-over to the pools. They look rather shabby, but they feel incredible. The water is only about 2 1/2 feet deep everywhere. They have three mineral pools. The one we are in is the warm pool averaging 95 degrees. The one behind us with the volleyball net is the cool pool averaging 77 degrees. The other smaller pool is the HOT pool averaging 104 degrees. You can feel the really hot water pushing its way through the vents warming the space. It feels incredible.

 We explored with Al & Marilyn one chilly morning. The kids were in shorts and short sleeves and they were freezing. I forgot to grab their sweatshirts. Ouray is amazing in that you can experiecne spring/fall weather and summer weather all in one day. Dave says, "No matter how you dress for Colorado, it's wrong." It's completely true.
We took a stroll along the beautiful Uncompahgre River. (I cannot remember how to pronounce that one.) The water was rushing loudly past us. We stopped to throw stones in along a bank and kept a few as a memory.

Pete and Blake on the perimeter trail

Pete and Blake looking out over Ouray

In town

 Blake is so much fun. She is 19 months and full of energy. She is obsessed with loofahs (she is holding three in the picture). Julie says they are so cheap; it's so easy to make her happy! She had so much fun playing with her big cousins, Lilia and Alex.

Pete and Dave