Surf & Turf

It's that time of year again where Kent had to go down to South Texas for his annual get-together with his field guys, but decided to add a quick fishing trip in with the deal this time.  We went about 40 miles offshore from Corpus Christi for what seemed like an 18 hour boat ride to find a sweet spot to do some deep sea fishing.  As you can see, we were successful - that's one big fish!  We ended up with about 170# (only 4 fish) of Amberjack which we had fillet'd and brought back home for some fresh grilled fish tacos - YUM!  This one was about 40#.

 Kent's co-worker got the prize for the biggest catch of the day that didn't get away - 60#!



Of course, when we got back to the docks, we had to trade for some shark that another group caught from a different boat since we didn't get any.  Next thing on the menu is grilled shark tacos:)

The day before Kent went on his trip, we managed to snag some tickets for the Broncos game against San Diego - pretty sweet seats!  The Broncos lost a close game, but they at least put on a good show with their new quarterback, Tim Tebow.

Something we don't get to see very often was the fireballs and fireworks show every time the Broncos score!

Time For A Fall Road Trip!

With unspent vacation yet to burn up this year and only a couple of months left to do it, we decided to take two weeks and explore some parts of Colorado we hadn't seen before.  Our first day was kind of rainy, so we decided to take a road trip back over to Aspen and see the Maroon Bells again.  We were just a bit early for the fall colors, but the fresh snowfall leftover from the previous evening made for some spectacular viewing.  Ski season is just around the corner!!!

Along the trails, leaves are really beginning to start falling.

Near Leadville, the Jeep trail up to the top of Mount Zion was a beautiful drive.

Even the rec path around Lake Dillon was beginning to show some georgeous aspen colors.

One of our favorite rides between Frisco and Copper, the Tenmile Canyon path.

Aspens near Leadville.

Lake Dillon with Keystone in the distance.

Remains of an old abandoned mining camp along the Mayflower Trail between Copper and Leadville.  Behind those jagged peaks in the center of the photo sits Quandary Peak, a fourteener that we conquered earlier this summer.

Our next stop was Grand Junction to see the Colorado National Monument, reportedly one of the most beautiful bike rides in the country.  We arrived early enough so that we could drive around the loop and scope it out before riding up it the following morning on our road bikes.

Pretty cool monoliths, much like a miniature Grand Canyon, and yes, it appeared that the bike ride through the Park would be worth the drive!.

Balanced rock near the Fruita entrance to the Park.

Well, here's the road we're going to have to ride up to the top of the mesa tomorrow morning:)

Several tunnels and lots of switchbacks await us and our bikes!

 

 And lots of really steep roads going up to the top of the mesa.....

Nearing the half-way point going up, a look at some of the switchbacks behind us.

Breath-taking views once on top of the mesa.

 It's a long ways down to the valley!



One of the monoliths appropriately named 'kissing couple' in the center. 



Independence rock, a favorite for rock climbers in the summer.



The next morning, we got started just before sunrise and got some spectacular views while riding up on our bikes!





Trust me, it's much more breath-taking while riding along the edge on a bike than it is while driving by in a car!

On the way back from Grand Junction, we decided to stop at Glenwood Springs, park the car, then ride our bikes up Glenwood Canyon along I-70 and the Colorado River.  We saw lots of folks whitewater rafting down the river as we rode up.