Hike finished.

Our hike complete, we were happy to see the bus that would take us back to our car.

The parking lot was by then full and we were happy to see the car, though Matt was too tired to express his happiness for the photographic record.

We stopped at the first restaurant we found and ate very large lunches. And dessert.

It was a great hike.

Lake Haiyaha to Bear Lake (2.3 miles) via Dream & Nymph Lakes.

The hike to Bear Lake was a bit of a slog. I kept reminding myself to have correct posture, as I was prone to slumping, and Matt spent a lot of time discussing what "wind" he was on.

Matt points to Dream Lake and Nymph Lake.

Matt at Dream Lake

Portrait at Nymph Lake. This was my favorite lake.
It had lily pads and lots and lots of dragon flies.

We almost didn't go to Bear Lake because we were tired. But it was 256 feet from where we were standing so we made the effort. Matt refused to "be a bear" for his photo.

But I was a great bear.

Mills Lake to Lake Haiyaha (2.6 miles)

As we hiked from Mills Lake to Lake Haiyaha, we encountered a lot of people going in the opposite direction. More than one said, "You are doing this backward." But I don't think we were. From Lake Haiyaha to Bear Lake is a large difference in elevation, and I was happier coming down rather than walking up. Plus, there were many less people.

While hiking and discussing racism inherent in casting movies, I looked up to see a woman ahead on the trail grinning at me. It turned out to be Matt's Aunt Mary Elizabeth, who had made plans to meet up with a hiking group, but missed her connection and was hiking by herself. In a huge park with over 200 miles of trails, it was funny to run into her. Alas, our self portrait casts her in a shadow. Matt also ran into her at the airport when he was returning the rental car.

We made it to Lake Haiyaha. There was a goodly amount of bouldering to get to our perch. I settled in for a rest, but Matt wanted to make it to a big rock further out. Once he got there, he pointed out a rock that he wanted to take a picture of. He wasn't satisfied with my picture (wrong angle, he said) and so came back, grabbed the camera and headed off to take a better picture. You can see all of this in a short slide show:

The picture he took of the rock. Oh! I'm in it.

Alberta Falls to Mills Lake (2 miles) +750 total elevation gain.

We continued on our journey to Mills Lake. We were particularly excited to see the Lake because we heard it was the view on the Colorado Quarter. (Note that I cannot find anything that officially says that on the Internet, but we will go with it.)

The lake was very clear. We ate a snack and then took some fun pictures.

Does it look the same to you?

Our state quarter commemorative photo.

Glacer Gorge Trailhead to Alebra Falls (.6 mi) +160 in elevation.

Confronted with too many pictures and too little time, I must turn to a technique oft employed in the fabulous blog Pike Schemes: the Picasa Collage.

We headed out for Mills Lake, via Alberta Falls. After my wheezy hiking experience at Lily Lake, I was nervous as to how I would do. But we hiked slowly and I had acclimated somewhat to the elevation so it was fine. I headed up the expedition to set the pace, and we took a goodly number of water breaks.

At Alberta Falls.

Rocky Mountain National Park.

It just so happens to be free national park weekend! We we warned it would be a full house, so we got going early. Matt in the mostly empty parking lot at 8:30 on a Sunday morning.

I was very impressed with Rocky Mountain National Park's shuttle bus system. Here, we wait for a bus to take us to the Glacier Gorge trail head.

It's always good to read the warning signs before you go.

And about the various maladies affecting the park.

On the bus. In discussing with another passenger, we decide to alter our intended route to include Mills Lake. This was a great idea and is a good reason to chat with people in National Parks.

Wedding Reception.

The cake. Which I'm happy to report was two layers with peanut butter butter cream, and one layer of Chai Cake with Agave Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting. I tasted both and both were delicious.

A reception portrait.The table settings.

There was a great bluegrass band that played.

Signing the marriage license.

Noticing they have attracted a crowd, Thad & Jill point.

Matt signs.

Our party favors.

With personalized M&Ms

Matt gave the toast and I helped.

We had BBQ-style dinner which was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the baked potato.