My Journey: Sunshine Rain and Ocean Sparkles

Wow, it’s been eight months since Emma had her knee surgery! And being around her, you would never guess she had it done. The first month was very rough, and we got a small dose of what new parents go through. We had to do therapy sessions with her early in the mornings before leaving for work, and again in the evening as soon as we got home. Her incision had to be iced 3-4 times a day, and then heating pad applications the following week. The poor girl was only allowed to come out of the crate for bathroom breaks and therapy sessions. It broke my heart because she probably thought she did something wrong. And it broke Kevin’s back because he had to carry her up and down 3 flights of stairs. Did I mention that she weighs 70 lbs?

Six weeks after surgery, she was ready to visit Mission MedVet for therapy sessions with Dr. Connie Schulte. The entire staff knew Emma by name, and she announced her arrival by whining uncontrollably because she was so happy to be there! One morning when we walked in, she was whining so loud that the girls at the front desk couldn’t stop laughing! They said, “Emma’s here and she’s ready to swim!”I took her there twice a week for the next six weeks; one day was swimming only, and the other day was rehab and swimming. I would highly recommend canine physical therapy for anyone who encounters a similar situation. The results were worth it because she gained muscle mass, rather than losing it like most dogs do during months of inactivity.

During the recovery period, our vet took x-rays of Emma’s knee at the 6-week, 8-week, and 12-week marks. All of them showed that she was healing perfectly. She was finally given the all-clear to begin doing stairs at her 8 week check-up, which made Kevin very happy! We were also able to go on short 10 minute walks around our pond, and these increased 10 minutes each week. Slowly but surely we were getting our healthy girl back.

We decided to have Emma’s surgery in Wichita at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Wichita with Dr. Nawrocki. We saved over $1,000 by traveling there rather than having it done in Kansas City. The morning we dropped her off, I think Baylee was worried when Emma didn't return with us. The day we picked Emma up after surgery, we took her back to Kevin’s parents’, and Baylee was going crazy in the back yard. When we let her inside, she ran all over the house trying to find Emma. And once she found her in the crate, she wouldn’t stop sniffing her to make sure she was OK. This was proof that Baylee doesn’t hate Emma after all!

This year's vacation destination was Estes Park, CO. Kevin and I were in desperate need of a getaway, and we had the time of our lives. We left KC Friday night for Wichita so we could drop off the pups with his parents. Bright and early Saturday morning, we hit the road for Denver. Our plan was to attend the Rockies game on Sunday, but the hotel staff informed us about the horrid construction traffic so we made a bee line north to Estes Park. We found a local eatery called Peak to Peak for our lunch pitstop. Kevin had an amazing Colorado Melt sandwhich that had melted cheese covering the outside of the bread. Delish! Then onward to Rocky Mountain National Park where beauty reigns. Our drive along Trail Ridge Road took us to over 12,000 ft and only 46 degrees! There were elk and marmots grazing and all kinds of wild alpine flowers. A short hiking trail through the tundra led us to rock formations perfect for climbing, and we even walked through a patch of snow! An approaching storm forced us back down to the car, and we were pounded with hail on our way out of the park. By then, it was time to check into the KOA campground where we set up camp. Luckily, we were able to get the tent up before the thunderstorm rolled in. We hunkered down in the tent and made PB&J's before falling asleep to the soothing sound of rain.

Monday morning we went on a 1/2 day rafting trip on the Cache La Poudre river in Fort Collins, CO with Rapid Transit Rafting. The water was flowing fast, but there were only a few big rapids. The last rapid was my favorite, The Roller Coaster. Afterwards, we headed back to the tent to change and to prepare for some afternoon hiking. And that's when we discovered Kevin's blowout. His swim trunks were ripped open all the way on his behind! After a good laugh, we grabbed some lunch and hopped on the shuttle bus to the Bear Lake Trailhead. Our goal was to hike to Emerald Lake, but we were forced to turn around due to a thunderstorm rolling in. So we hiked to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and circled Bear Lake for a total of 3 miles. Nymph Lake was covered with lilypads, and snow covered part of the trail to Dream Lake. Bear Lake, being one of the most accessible trails in the park, was very crowded. But the lake views were so beautiful and the scent of fresh pine was refreshing. For dinner, we chose Hunter's Chop House that sits on Lake Estes. I ordered chicken fried steak and a side salad, which were fantastic. Afterwards, we strolled along the water's edge and watched the sun drop behind the mountains before heading back to our camp. We had an extremely windy night, and I'm surprised the tent held up.

Tuesday morning, we were on the trail to Cub Lake and The Pool by 7 am. There was more wildlife than people along the Cub Lake Trail. We only passed one couple and three equestrians. On the way to Cub Lake, Kevin spotted a snake slithering underneath a rock. Luckily, I didn't see it since I was trailing behind him. At one point I felt like we were in a rainforest; there were ferns everywhere and creeks flowing down the mountain. Shortly after passing the Cub Lake campsites, we had an awesome view of the lake that made every step worthwhile. The lake had a ring of yellow lilypads all the way around it.

At this point, the Cub Lake trail met up with the Fern Lake trail to complete our 6 mile loop. The next leg led us out of the forest into the sunshine with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. On the hike back, we passed The Pool of the Big Thompson River, a ribbon fall, and several hikers who were just getting started. If you're seeking solitude, I recommend that you begin hiking between 6:00-7:00am. Once we finished, we drove north to Fort Collins and met up with Shawn for lunch at The Mayor before touring New Belgium Brewery. The tour was awesome! They truly know how to make their employees happy and encourage them to have fun on the job. There was a ping pong table in the bottling factory and a rock climbing wall. I'm not a beer fan, but I really liked the sour brew, La Folie. At the end of the tour, I even got to go down the slide! We left to pick up Christina and ate dinner at Charco Broiler. My side salad came out with a twist...there was chex mix instead of croutons, and it was good! Their chicken fried steak was fantastic, and our waitress, Mary, was like a grandma serving us in her own home. On the way back to Kevin's car, the tornado sirens started going off! Apparently in Fort Collins, the only sirens in the city are on the Colorado State University's campus. The sky didn't look suspicious so it was probably a false alarm, and we left for our campsite.

On Wednesday morning, we got an early start to drive to the west side of the park in search of moose. There were tons of bull elk with huge velvet racks lying in the grass along Trail Ridge Road. We had endless views of the Never Summer Mountains, and eventually the clouds burned off to reveal blue bird skies. But we didn't find our moose, so we went back to the east side for lunch. We braved the tourist trap of downtown Estes Park and ate at Ed's Cantina. The back patio was charming, overlooking the river that runs through town. After lunch, we decided to do a short easy 0.6 mile hike to see Copeland Falls. It was beautiful and getting hotter, so the spray from the waterfall felt very refreshing. We ended the day with a drive around the Stanley Hotel and dinner from Blimpie's that we ate back at camp.

Early Thursday morning, we picked up some donuts from the Donut Haus. A local suggested I try the Turtle (a cinnamon bun with chocolate throughout and drizzled on top), and it was delicious! Our goal that morning was to climb Deer Mountain at 10,013 feet. As we climbed, the sky grew darker and there was rain in the distance. The higher we ascended, the more nervous we became. Deer Mountain is known as a lightning target, so we decided to head back down. Instead, we headed for Wild Basin to hike to Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades, and Ouzel Falls. This was a beautiful moderate hike, and we got up close and personal with the first snow shoe hare we've ever seen.

Once we found Ouzel Falls, we took a snack break with some fiesty critters, a chipmunk and a Stellar Jay. We were a little disappointed with not being able to see the top of the falls, so we climbed parallel to the water to get a better view. The mist felt great! It took us three hours to hike this 5.4 mile trail. Peak to Peak was calling our names for lunch, and I had the Colorado Melt that Kevin had on our first visit. If you ever go to Estes Park, you must try this sandwich because it's a one-of-a-kind! Next, we made a stop by the rafting office to check out our photos and meandered through downtown. we stopped by Bob & Tony's Pizza for dinner before heading back to the park to watch for bighorn sheep. There is a crossing on the road where the sheep come down from the mountain to get water from the river. We waited for more than an hour with no luck.

Friday morning we ate breakfast at Big Horn Restaurant and went souvenir shopping. We went horseback riding from 11am to 1pm. My horse, Pearl, was being pissy and kept biting Kevin's horse, Cheyenne, on the rump! It was hilarious because Pearl would decide running uphill was better than walking, and I giggle when I gallop! We rode a series of switchbacks to the top of Deer Mountain, so we could at least see what we missed out on yesterday. This was a scenic ride, but I wish there were creek crossings. Afterwards, we went back to the tent to straighten things up since we were having camping guests! We ate at The Other Side Restaurant for lunch, and I had a very yummy taco salad. The building had huge windows overlooking a pond, and it had birdseed covering the railing. At one point I looked up to see a mallard duck sitting on the rail eating the seeds! We left to hang out at the campground's TV room while we waited for Shawn and Christina to arrive. It was a gorgeous evening for our first campfire of the trip. And we grilled brats and made s'mores. The perfect end to a perfect day...the first day without a single drop of rain!

Saturday morning we got an early start and grabbed some donuts from the Donut Haus again. Then we headed into the park to catch the shuttle to the Glacier Gorge trailhead. The trail led us past Alberta Falls on the way to The Loch. This was by far the most beautiful hike of all. We climbed a cliff that had sweeping views of the lake and watched fly fisherman while we snacked on our lunches. This hike was the most difficult one and became fairly steep as we approached the lake. It took us 4 hours to hike 5.5 miles. Afterwards, we went to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center to inquire about campsite availability and to pick up my National Park Passport book! Unfotunately, all of the campgrounds inside the park were full, so we decided to head back to Fort Collins to stay with Shawn and Christina. Once we arrived in Fort Collins, we went to Old Town and ate dinner at Rasta Pasta. We had a relaxing evening, and it felt great to sleep on a comfortable bed! After a good night's sleep, we awoke refreshed and hit the road for home by 7am. We were so excited to get back to see our pups!