Stuff I learned on vacation

Had a day or two back in flatland and thick air to consider vacation. It really was all a vacation should be - lots of fun, laughter, not as much sleep as I probably needed but totally worth it, a mind full of memories and a heart that was both sad to leave and ready to come home. Saturday in Estes Park, sitting by Sprague Lake hanging with Abner (the Sprague Moose),

I shifted gears. It was time. It felt like we had done everything we wanted/needed to do soul-wise, and it was time to return to the real world. I have found that time in the mountains really does refresh my soul. There is a free and easy, peaceful, no worries and no hurries ethos that permeates the little mountain towns we hung out in, that I really enjoy and desire to bring back here. This year it feels like that is possible, maybe more than it has for some time.

I learned a lot about the reliability of God, too. I had written about our prayer to be amazed each day, and there was something daily that truly did amaze us. More on that to come...God reminded me yet again that all we do is ask, and He will do some pretty cool stuff if we will only be open to what He does. I also learned that He is involved in details. It sounds nuts, but the very things we had hoped and prayed about seeing (bear, moose, sheep, beauty) we did see. In abundance, in surprising places, and often through an odd and I guess I think supernatural leading to the moment. The moose are a good example, I suppose. Each time we saw one of these beasts, Kari or I had a sense that we needed to be in that spot. No idea why...the first one, we had left the spot she came out of the woods, but Kari had a strong sense we should go back. We did, and this beauty pops her head out of the pines...

This happened again and again...too many times to be a coincidence. I still shake my head at some of this stuff. So crazy, but that is how Jesus works. Just when you think it is too crazy to be true, He shows up. Pretty sweet, actually.

So...lots to process and take home. The big one for this morning, as I look at the planner that filled with blue ink yesterday, is that He is reliable. To the last. He will allow us to work hard, indeed, it is necessary. But He will not drop the ball. Especially when it is His show. And He cares about the details. If He cares enough to reveal His presence and care through something as 'simple' as a moose or herd of bighorn sheep, won't He provide all I need to take care of the list that is growing by the moment. Dang straight He will.

Day 8, I think?

Home. That may have been the quickest 11 hr drive ever, honestly. Our kids were road warriors. The dogs seem happy to see us. Good to be in my easy chair. Tomorrow is my last day of vacation, which includes re-entry and preps for launch Tuesday. Hoping the Colorado free and easy lasts...today, a blessing on the way down Big Thompson Canyon. The elusive Bighorn Sheep. During our family worship...

Day 7.

Unbelievable. That's about all we can say about today. Brady and I hiked up Bible Point, a low mountain that overlooks the YMCA camp. At sunrise. He was awesome, we had some good conversation and man time, and I think may have established a tradition for us. We spent the morning in Wild Basin, a southern part of RMNP that sees a bit less traffic than the rest of the park. We hiked to Copeland Falls, which was beautiful. This was our last 'hike' of the trip, and that was alright. We all have pretty tired legs from a few days in a row of dirt! After lunch, we went up to Sprague Lake to see if the Eastside Moose was around. We parked at 3:15 pm; Emy was adamant we needed to be there by 3:00 cuz that is when someone else had seen him at the lake 2 days prior. We started out to the lake, and I went back to the van to get my fishing gear; I had just started back when Brady came tearing around the corner, saying, "Dad, come quick. The Moose!" We ran out as this big boy was starting out into the lake and proceeded to snap a ton of pics as he ate his way across the lake for an hour. The only drama was provided by a bunch of people that did not clear the way when he came out of the water looking for his usual path into the willow thickets south of the lake; it appeared as though he was getting antsy with all those people blocking his path, but eventually he calmed down and made his way through the willows and disappeared. That capped our trip, frankly. It was an amazing hour...then it was downtown for greasy burgers and hand cut fries at Penelope's, and back to the Y for mini golf and loading up the van. Planning on heading out tomorrow morning early, hoping for home later tomorrow evening. I think we all have a sense of sadness knowing it will likely be a year before we come back, but excited to have been amazed daily and even more to come back and further explore parts of RMNP/Estes Valley that we have not yet...and maybe even MORE excited to see our pups and sleep in our beds.

Day 6.

So we have been praying to be amazed each morning, and we've not been let down. Today was different - no large mammals to gawk at. Instead, it was scenery. We hiked from Bear Lake up to Emerald Lake, which is at the end of the 'official' trail from Bear Lake, then back down and up to Lake Hiyaha, which sits at the base of Otis Peak and Hallet Peak, in a place known as Chaos Canyon. That is a fitting description, frankly - it looks like the mountain was dynamited and has fallen into a lake...huge slabs and boulders all over, right up to the water. We had a light lunch of salami and cheese, baked in the sun, and loved scrambling about for a bit. In total, we hiked around 7 miles between our lake hikes and the two laps we walked around Sprague Lake looking for the Eastside Moose. No luck there, but we met a great older lady from Ames who loved our kids and wanted to chat! Seems like every car is either from Iowa, Texas, or Kansas here.

Friday in Estes Park brings in a bunch more people; the downtown was crowded today and this evening. Our only real encounter with wild life today was on our way home to the Y camp; a local gal hit a mule deer doe coming around a corner. The deer was pretty badly hurt, but struggling in the middle of a busy highway. She finally lay down in the road, but it was clear she wasn't going to make it. Ended up with this big older guy from Michigan and I dragging her to the shoulder, where she struggled a bit but finally gave it up. The gal was pretty shook up, but we got the chance to talk to her (the family was on hand for this whole thing) and we left once the deer had died and she had calmed down. Suffice to say, not quite what we had expected, but I suppose we ought to be careful when we ask God to amaze us...

No pics tonight. Brady and I are headed up Bible Point around sunrise tomorrow, then one more play day in EP before we begin our trek home. Back to the real world on Tuesday, but not before another day and a half of Colorado, then the trek through Nebraska.

Day 5.

Megafauna - the biology geeky word for big animals that people come to the parks to see. Today the Park Service must have been working overtime, as the critters were out in force. We saw 5 moose as we drove thru the west side of the park; a ton of elk up high on Trail Ridge Road, and more elk and a few coyotes to boot tonight as we went in search of the elusive Bighorn Sheep of Endo  Valley. Estes Park is beautiful as always; turns out we are in the exact same room as last year, and have a plan for some waterfall hikes in a part of RMNP I have never been. Should be a ball! We drove from Frisco early this morning, taking a more cross country route through Kremmling and Hot Sulphur Springs. Much more relaxing than up and over another pass through Winter Park...anyway we are a tired crew tonight. Here are a few of my pics...

Day4 images...

here they are - from Mt. Royal.

Day 4.

Today...up early and ready to roll! We did some laundry last night that ended up locked in the clubhouse, so Kari and I made an early morning run across the parking lot to retrieve our washed duds and hang up some stuff to dry in the morning sun. Then, it was off to Mt. Royal, a 10,500' peak that overlooks Frisco and I70. It was a mile and a half up, and marked moderately difficult in the guide book. The trailhead sign mentions that this trail is all uphill...they are not screwing around. The trail was a solid climb, and an hour and a half later, we stood at the summit looking down on the cars FAR below us on the interstate. We met 2 different families from Iowa on the way up, had a great conversation about difficult things and the beauty of faith in the midst of those things, and then slid back downhill to our waiting van. Ten minutes later, we sprawled out on the leather couches at Frisco's Backcountry Brewery and celebrated our climb with some tasty bevys and nachos. Then, after cleaning up a bit, we headed over to Keystone to hang with Drew Jackson and Emily Saville, two great young people headed to Central who happen to be staying a few miles away on a cross country team trip. Starbucks in the Keystone Village, then back home to swim/hot tub/pack the van for the next leg of our journey, north east to Estes Park! What a ball we've had in Summit County - on to a different, wilder place. Hoping for moose families, bears, and lots more mountains!

Day 3.

Wow!! Where do we start? Today, Brent went for a run WAAAY early, hands numb, probably 45 degrees. The rest of us were up early and on the road by 7:40 to the Colorado River outpost up by Kremmling. We were ready for white water rafting. Kids were nervous and even more so after the safety talk about falling out accidently or capsizing. We started the float in beautiful 65 degree weather, not a cloud in the sky. There were some Level 2 rapids and one Level 3 rapids with Emersyn yelling the whole time, " Bigger rapids, more rapids. " She loved it!! Brent and I figure we will be visiting her in Colorado in a few years as she will be guiding the trips~ Brent, Brady and Emersyn all decided to jump in during the float part in FRIGID water. (So cold they told ya to yell when you came up, to clear your throat, as it will be constricted) Brady and Em hightailed it back to the raft and Brent continued to float on down. I did my good deed though and pulled him into the raft at a later time! :) We saw 2 eagles and some geese. It was picture perfect riding through the canyon. We were getting close to getting done and were on our last leg, which was an easy float. I looked ahead and saw an animal bobbing up and down in the water. It was black with a white face. I pointed it out asking if it was a dog or what? It was acting quite strange and we couldn't see any people by it. Brent said, " I think it is a bear." Our guide, Mike, was like, "No, we don't really see bears around here." Just as we were coming closer to check it out, sure enough, a momma bear came out from behind the weeds and looked at us and headed up the hill and up to the railroad tracks. The little cub, who had been taking a nice bath was curiously looking at us- we were close now and finally the little one followed the momma up the trail, crossed over the railroad tracks and out of sight. AMAZING! It was not normal, God did that for us. Even the guides hadn't seen a bear before. It was also at a safe distance so ALL were excited. The float ended perfectly. We came back in awe to the condo to clean up and head to Breckenridge for the day of shopping and eating at the brewery. We saw another crazy sight as a fox walked right across in front of us downtown. WOW! We had stuffed ourselves enough that we needed a nice evening hike up Golden Hill to cap off the night. Nice stroll up the side of a Mt and then back to the condo this evening to get the suits on and head to the pool and outdoor hot tubs. A glorious day!! (We decided seeing the bear and her cub was WAY better than seeing the moose and her baby last year- though we are hoping to see that in Estes later this week.) Thanks for reading!! See ya tomorrow.

Day 2.

Up early for a run in Ogallala, then on the road west. First stop, Golden. Our annual trek isn't complete without a stop at the Coors Brewery and a picnic on the banks of Clear Creek. We had a ball, sampling the wares and enjoying 90 degrees with no humidity. We made the run up I70 to Frisco; unloaded, ate, and went for a short hike after dinner. Blink and it was 60 degrees once the sun went behind the mountains. Completed our 13th anniversary soaking in the outdoor hot tub with the kids, and are both now fighting to keep our eyes open. A great evening; I am so blessed to be married to my best friend and to have 3 amazing kids. All of us were so excited to see the mountains, so thankful for safe passage, and now grateful for this comfortable bed. Cannot wait to run a bit in the morning cool, and then it's rafting the Upper Colorado with the fam...

Day One.

Day One - DSM to Ogallala, NE

We blew out of town on a wing and a prayer around 1:15 pm. Traffic between Lincoln and Omaha slowed us up, 30 min to be exact. Nebraska, 1; Team Osborne, 0. We hit the gas once we got through, until...

Death Storm. The clouds were building somewhere around Brady, NE; radio man says ping pong ball hail and 70 mph wind. Yep. The sky looked like a beast, truly like an animal. It was NUTS. I even pulled off for a bit...it was that foul. Along with everyone else in a mile or two stretch of I80. Fast forward 15 minutes, sunny again. So, so wild. Nebraska 2, Team O 0. Went from 87 degrees to 61 and back to 80 too.

Then, we made it to Ole's. Sweet reprieve, greasy food, and a little rest. Now it is the Super 8 in Ogallala for tonight, then to Denver, and Frisco tomorrow. Pics to come shortly...

I'm packin' up my game and I'm a head out west...

Shameless Kid Rock. Always did wanna be a cowboy, baby.

Van is loaded, save the cooler, which I did load last night in hopes of running home, throwing it in, and rolling. Mentally the checklist is almost done; just a few things stand between me and the sweet freedom of I80, Nebraska (my nemesis), and the majesty of Christ on display in the rocks, trees, and cool air of Colorado. Truthfully, it could rain all week and I'd be happy. the time to go, the time to invest in the kids, to spend with Kari, to be and to not have to be, you know?

Updates...where to begin? So much since Christmas...the dog is the dog. She is full of life, personality, and we love her like crazy. She is also certifiable. And has made me that way. I wouldn't change that, though. Bria is still hanging in, is old, cannot see or hear very well, but has a spark that keeps the puppy in line.

Kristyn is poised to enter 6th grade, plays the flute well, is beautiful and talented and growing in her sense of maturity and responsibility. She has some great friends, and I am amazed at what I see in her. What a tremendous young woman! She also loves basketball, taking after her mother!

Brady - soccer, bball, going to be a 4th grader after skipping 3rd this year. He is active, reads a ton, and is creative as the day is long. It is amazing to watch the world through his eyes. We may try to knock out a mountain together this trip - a little man time, a passing on of some guy stuff along the way. He is an amazing young man.

Emersyn is the life of the party. She is never at a loss for words, even when Daddy is falling asleep in the chair with her. She lives life with gusto, loves the dogs more than all of us, and is the first to jump in when something needs doing. She sparkles. Enough said.

Kari and I are well; we made it through another school year, I graduated seminary and will be officially ordained the end of the month. Kari ran her first 5k, and she did awesome with only a week of training! Tomorrow will be 13 years for us, Aug 8, 1998 continues to be one of the best days of my life. I got to do 2 days of RAGBRAI this summer, after missing it for 5 years due to school. Kari gifted me those days, and it was more than I could have hoped. So much fun. We also spent 4 days at Riverside, doing family camp. I would say our family has grown spiritually this summer through many avenues, but camp was by far the most profound.

So I better think about getting to work. Church in an hour. I'll be updating, as will Kari, along the way. Thanks for reading, thanks for following!

Returns.

We are preparing to head west again for another glorious week in the mountains. Two more events stand before our trek. This is a much needed vacation for Kari and I before the rush of school and fall programming. Stand by for further updates. And for a pre-vacation review of Team life since December...