2009 The Summer of ........

Can You Guess? Our Beautiful Babes were in on it too.

2009 The Summer of ........

Can You Guess?

Ladies on YouTube!

The Summer of 2009 marked a lot of firsts for us at the Y of the Rockies! Some of us saw bears, badgers, and turkeys for the first time; some of us caught really big fish for the first time; some of us rode ponies for the first time; a n d .......... da..da..da..DA! We ladies were on YouTube for the first time! Emily got the starring role!

2009 Family Photo is Here!

This is one of my favorites; there are several!

I had the CD copied today and will get yours to you as soon as possible. I'm anxious to get your opinions of all the pictures.

First Summit of Hallett's Peak 2009

Hallett's Peak (left) from Sprague Lake

The Snow Field to the right of Hallett's is Tyndall Glacier,

one of five active glaciers in Rocky Mountain Park

Alex, Matt, and Graham rose very early on Tues, July 28 to hike to the top of Hallett's Peak. It was a fun, rewarding, and very long day! They had climbed to 12,713 ft with a 3, 238 ft elevation gain! They also summited Flattop Mountain on their way. The Flattop Mountain Trail closely follows a route used by the Ute and Arapaho Indians to cross the Continental Divide and reach Grand Lake.

First Rides on the Y Ponies

Our Sweet Little Munchkins had a Great Time riding the Ponies! So much so that they went back for a Second Ride!

Proud and Dutiful Parents guided the Ponies along Minnie Mouse Trail.

July 2009: Jim Saw His First Bear!

In The Cabin! "Our" Bear had already visited other cabins and homes in the surrounding area and she reportedly has four or five friends who frequent various parts of Estes Park. The top photo is her youngest friend, affectionately known by the townspeople as Gingerbread. Gingerbread is a cub, just weaned from its mother. Below is another friend, a three year old.

Both are Black Bears, despite their color. Black Bears are generally not agressive, and, indeed, "our" bear was on her way out of the cabin as soon as she heard our voices downstairs. However, once a bear learns he can get food from humans, he persists in his attempts, rather than go back to search for food in the wild. Unless he can be scared back to the wild, he must be killed for fear his persistent efforts could cause harm to people who, ironically, put him in that position to begin with!
These photos were taken by Richard Hahn of Estes Park. You can click on the photo to see Twitter's larger version. The one on the bottom will grace the walls of Highlander as a reminder that we should not, even unwittingly, feed the bears!

Remember the motto: A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear!