You. You don't have a choice. You're on my blog, you're going to see some pictures!
Monday morning of our vacation started way to stinking early. I was on vacation after all. The girls were awake at 7:30. Oh well, we were surrounded by beauty and had lots to see.
We started out the day by walking around the 10 acres Dad has. Well...I was putting my makeup on. Shawn and the girls were out walking. They'd been gone for a while when I got a text asking if I could come out and take a picture of them on Observation Rock.
Dad came out with me so soon I was in the picture also.
After I was allowed to finish getting ready, we took a walk around the mile loop near my Dad's property.
We were ready for more amazing views.This is not what we had in mind.
I never knew how loud a donkey could be. He was not happy about us walking by.Awwww, there's the view.
This little guy didn't seem to mind us at all.
He even took a little sip and let me snap his picture.
I am not ashamed to say that I'm quite proud of this picture. It's already framed and in my house. Always one to be off the beaten path,
Dad took us of the road to see a meadow that had another gorgeous view.
Apparently we're rule breakers.
We were not the only ones who had trespassed though. My girls had no idea what this was and were not at all happy to find out.
I had to have a picture taken with the birthday boy. You see, one of the reasons for our trip was to be with my Dad on his 63rd birthday. I hadn't spent one with him in 26 years.
After a quick lunch we headed out to hike a trail I found on a wonderful website. We headed out to the Poudre Canyon. In my head I imagined that Poudre was pronounced with a French accent. Pou-drewr. Pardon my French. I don't know how to speak it, or apparently, type it. Sadly it was pronounced with the Hick accent. Poo-derr. We entered the canyon and started seeing the beautiful Poudre River next to the road. We would be rafting that river on Thursday. I couldn't wait!
When reading about the hike the reviews had said there were over 60 stream crossings. It also said the trail was smooth enough that sandals were safe and made it easier to walk the streams.
I wore my cute new (and amazingly comfortable) Chacos.
That of course meant that we stopped to play in almost every crossing.
It was a bit chilly to our temperature challenged McKinley.
Since the trail was 6 miles we decided not to go the whole way. So we took our time and had a little fun along the way.
And enjoyed the beautiful of God's creation. Man He did a good job!
Well, at this point I've realized if I share the rest of Day 1 this post would be forever long. And as I learned from Erma Bombeck, you have to ease people into vacation pictures!
We met my dad at the bottom of the hill and headed up.
We never would have found the place following directions.
The view of Fort Collins from the porch made all the queasiness worth it.
As the sun went down the view got even more spectacular.
But before the sun set we had a quick tour. The cabin was built over 30 years ago and has seen many additions. It all seemed to flow together quite well though.
The master bedroom.
The view of the living room from the front door. The paned glass door went into the guest room.
The girls loved sleeping on the loft bed with the view of town outside the window.
Shawn and I shared an air mattress on the floor.
The galley kitchen with the antique stove I coveted.
The dining room with its wall of windows.
And the stairs leading up to the master bedroom.
We also got a tour of the garden that Dad, Elena, and many woodland creatures enjoy eating out of.
While outside we also saw this. The old outhouse. 
The sign on the door was a Christmas gift from me.
Years ago while driving through rural Oklahoma my dad decided to follow a 'historical landmark' sign. Leaving the highway and traveling for a while he finally saw the marker. It read,
Yep, he lives on Hernia Hill! After many up and down trips, I certainly believe it!
Combine eggs, milk, and oil; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Spread evenly onto the bottom of a greased 5 quart crock pot.
In a saucepan, combine berries, water, orange peel, and remaining sugar; bring to a boil.
Turn cooker off. Uncover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Guess mothers really do know best:c)
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