Wednesday, January 31, 2018

A Snowless Mid-Winter Explore...



     So...  a basically snowless mid-winter!  So much for x/c forays.
     Instead, I enjoy laid back daze now filled with:  hanging out with friends,  and...      well, of course there's Facebook (I do love being able to keep in cyber-touch), and...
YES! workouts in the local rec. center just a short distance from home...   
     But oh HEY!!!!  An integral part of my days:
   
     The wild red-rock formations:  
     At least once-a-week, and with any luck,  twice-a-week, Robert and I enjoy hiking adventures in the wonderful hilly, rocky, beckoning wild country that surrounds Durango,  and running the river when it's not too wild.  
     We were up hiking in the wilds again just yesterday, clamboring among wild red rock formations (some so anthropomorphic you want to name them)...  The dog we took along would BOUND both up and down that wild terrain, wagging his tail impatiently as we casually explored nooks, crannies, and vast views.  Such exquisite beauty....

     As for our river:
     We used to run the wild rapids each in our OWN boat back in our agile wild days. Wow!  Got that!!!  That is enough.... 'tho if Robert were to ask me to run them in our two-person boat, I'd say YES!  ...but maybe a tad later in the season when they're not so wild.
      Swimming IN the rapids, watching your boat and paddles float rapidly FAR downstream from you as you aim your struggles for ANY shore... WAS fun... back then.         Nowadays, when I'm on my own, I actually paddle calmly UPstream where there are no other boats:  a beautiful winding river through patches of trees, surrounds of farmland, and vistas of the nearby high hills and mountains.  Often, I pass by deer grazing peacefully,  and on occasion, YES!  a bear watching me idly from shore.
     When I feel like it,  I turn the boat around and gently cruise back downstream.  I take out before the rapids begin.  I love the peaceful solitude now.