Flopping Leaves

Last weekend we did our annual trip up to look at the aspens with Gavin and Sarah. Unfortunately the two sources we consulted about when the leaves would look the best were both wrong and most of the leaves were still quite green. There were patches here and there of gold, but only a few trees were sporting the brilliantly gold leaves we were seeking. It was an odd mix of leaves. Many aspen at higher elevations were greener than their counterparts at lower elevations. So we're going to try again this weekend. We'll see what happens. Last week, we met in Bailey and then drove up to Kenosha Pass. The parking lot for the trails was full and the leaves were green, so we continued over and then headed through the colorful town of Como. That led us up Boreas Pass, which was pretty, but predominantly evergreens. We did come down into Breckenridge, which was sporting some golden colors. We took a walk and grabbed lunch before continuing over Loveland pass which is devoid of aspens. So, it was not too successful. This week we're starting out in Golden, hoping that the auspicious name of that town will lend its tint to our trip. We'll head up towards Golden Gate State Park (there it is again) and then meander from there. Unfortunately we spent our time budget last week, so this has to be a quicker trip. We have disgusting bathrooms to be cleaned and pies to be made that demand our attention. And on a limited culinary note, I made some ginger lime grape ice cream. The grapes were the base, but all you can taste are the ginger and lime. It's very tasty, but not what I was expecting. I think to get grape flavor, you may have to go with artificial flavors, or at least tarter grapes. But ice cream season is winding down. Perhaps now I need to be focusing on bread. Hmm...