Hey there to all my past followers, and my new ones. Here's my previous blog before my account got hacked ---->   http://keribsphotos.blogspot.com/2011/

I am back! YES!
Sorry for the 5+ year absence. A lot happened.
Since June 2012, my last blog talked about the wildfire in Waldo Canyon here in Colorado Springs.

Read---> Waldo Canyon Fire 2012

During then, my mom's brother, My Uncle Bob passed away so my folks and I drove back to Southeastern Massachusetts to say our goodbyes. 

Also that year, my daughter moved in w/ her father, my ex-husband, I got a divorce, and moved into a new home w/ my folks so I could attend school. I won't sound bitter, but I will say that some people never finish what they start, and I will!!

Feb 2013, CollegeAmerica Graphic Design classes!!

 Above (and below) is Fred Tower... my design teacher. Right from day one we have bugged each other, in a good way, He's a NY accent talking Bronco's Fan, and he knew I was a Boston accent talking Patriots fan.. we got along great!!!  

 CollegeAmerica - great school... nice perks, free laptop, borrowed books each month [module or "mod"]. Holiday events, below.. is an ice cream social...yum!

 Now, while I was in school, rarely did I go photo-blogging, so Photos are slim in this 1st blog post...

A new sport I discovered, Balloon darts? Similar to lawn darts.
I followed a few around town, as they approached a big fabric X in a field, dropping a bean-bag dart as close to the center of the X as possible, lowering the balloon if possible.

 Now, I did get away a couple nights, and no, I didn't just get away, I got way away!! Out to Calhan, to watch a super moonrise!

Summer 2014:

So I graduated w/ Honors from CollegeAmerica with an Associates Degree, and for my own present I took a Bucket List adventure.
I had saved to go to Marble CO. It's settled into the mountains above Crested Butte and West of Aspen. I drove the scary ass road called Independence Pass. Did I forget to mention I have a crazy obsession for taking high as possibly drivable roads to mountain summits? Well, yeah, I do, and Yeah, I cry like girl the whole way. Good Therapy (insert eye-rolling).

Driving to the summit has you going over a waterfall, you heard me right! I also had drop off a 1,000' to my left (drivers side or course), not sure if I ever felt more scared but exhilarated!
I had places to be (off this scary ass road before nightfall, so I pressed on. I stopped briefly to take a photo, and found a lil log bench around this cute lil trail above a lil mountain stream, it was good stress-relief!
This was staring at me when I walked back to my car:

 

My 1st Wild Blue Columbine, This made my whole trip better!

 Independence City is along the way, and ghost town you can stop at and tour, I got lazy as shot these from the pull-off parking lot with my 300mm lens. This dude was sitting a lawn chair facing away from the views below and kinda staring at me. CrEePY!

Towards the end of this drive, I found some people practicing rock climbing, short wall, but I know I'd never try it.

 

 Made it to Aspen by 4pm (5 hours later than I had planned) and did you know that before 5pm you have to be bused in to the Maroon Bells for traffic control?? Hayell No!

I waited, watched a soccer lil league while chatting my mom mom for about an hour. Beleive me, I was glad I waited.....

  

 Marty the Marmot, he was so chill, he barely knew I was there.

When I got to the Bells, the sky turned ugly, fog rolled in, and it hailed on me. I was so far from my car I had an asthma attack and had to sit on a rearby boulder to get a minute of breathe, holding my camera in my already drenched shirt trying to keep in dry. People were trying to help me since I was breathless in the hail and rain, but nothing could help me. Somehow I finally made it back to my (rental) can, and blasted the heat, got my asthma under control, and then of course the sun and a rainbow came out. I was NOT trying that again. What a waste of an admission fee.

I made it to Carbondale by 6PM and I was shaken, frozen, dripping and ready for a dinner and a drink! I found White House Pizza among the town construction zone. I walked in and still dripping I asked to be seated OUTSIDE on the Christmas lit patio, ordered a pizza (it was nasty) and 2 strong strawberry margaritas to calm my nerves of the drive.

Hotel check in- not what I planned for, I asked for a 1st floor room, and of coarse that didn't happen like the e-mail confirmation a whole moth earlier had promised me. This will be an issue later on the next day, keep reading.

8am: Drove down to Marble, CO on McClure Pass, Very serene drive! I give it 2 thumbs up!

Arrived by 8:30 for my 10am Jeep Tour that would be the best 5 hours of my vacation life. I waited years to do this. It was gonna be a huge check off my bucket list.
10am, my tour guide John "Smitty" Smith tells me the jeep was ready and asked if I was ok getting up into it. Now from the deck I was looking out from, it looked small and not something to ponder over....Oh How wrong I was!!!!

I tried stepping up onto this homemade step (resembled an old tractor seat from the early 1900's), when I heard a pop and a searing pain from my right calf. I jumped down, and Smitty came running over to help. He asked if I was ok, and if I wanted my money back for the trip. $90 was the actual discounted price from the $110 I thought I'd pay, but the more passengers the better the discount.
I told him just get me into the Jeep and Let's go. I was NOT missing this trip for anything, even if I couldn't walk! (And I couldn't, at all!)


Next few hours were AMAZING! Smitty is the best guide ever! I even requested him from other's reviews on his web page. He stopped often for me (He had me sit up front since I had never been on a jeep tour and his other 2 passengers had been on his trip a few times). He Had an old 1949 "Willy" with no doors, an a fold-down windshield for the most unobstructed views. The scariest thing was no seat-belts and an old strap as a shield for us to stay in the jeep, in place of the door I said was not there. No danger there, what could possibly happen???

We drove over streams (over, and thru):

We arrived at 11.5K altitude, and I managed to hop out and hop over to shoot a few photos:

 

My tour guide is the guy in white shorts 

This view! I never wanted to go home!!!

 

 

Crystal City, a still inhabited Ghost town, complete with rent-able cabins, a book store and a gift shop as seen here with the flag. oh.... and an Outhouse out back, and since I couldn't walk - I held it! ;)

                                                        Crystal Mill!

The Crystal Mill, or the Old Mill is an 1892 wooden powerhouse located on an outcrop above the Crystal River in Crystal, Colorado. You can only get there by foot, atv's dirt bikes or high clearance 4WD vehicles, Most opt to take a Jeep tour, this road is NO JOKE!

Lizard Lake:

Didn't see even one lizard. :(

A few placed the flowers were sooo abundant and beautiful, and a couple places my tour guy reached out to pick wild raspberries while driving, not needing to stop to do that.

Beaver Lake (no beavers seen here), and Hat Mountain:

After the trip, I went for BBQ at the ONLY BBQ place in Marble (Only real restaurant in the town so.....)
The pulled pork was suggested (award winning) but I'm not a fan. I LOVED the house made Mac-n-Cheese, so I got a pint to go for lunch the next day (and the next too).
Remember when I mentioned the 1st floor hotel room would be an issue?? Well, my leg is sooo swollen now after 5 hours in a small jeep, and driving back to my hotel, I barely got back up the stairs and into my room without crying (ok, I bawled!) My Hotel's front desk lady was sooo wicked sweet, brought be 2 buckets of ice, ice packs and more to help, plus offered to have the morning shift carry my large bags and computer bags down to my car for me, they rocked!

MaClure Pass coming home was another ordeal, it was freezing raining and all up hill behind a tanker truck. I think I cried the whole time then too. By the time I drove home, my calf had swollen up 2 sizes and I nearly needed crutches (my mom still had hers) to get into my house.

            All in all... it certainly was a trip
  I'd NEVER EVER forget!