Chillin' in Ouray...

After hike up to the top of Raider's Ridge on Thursday, we decided to drive the 70 miles to Ouray the following morning.  It had been years since my mother had been, and Trevor and I wanted to do more exploring of the area since I am not pregnant this year and the weather forecast, for once, seemed to be in our favor. 

Which:  famous last words, right?



We arrived in Ouray just after noon, and headed to the the same brewery we had lunch in last August, because Trevor has sworn for a year that they have the best beer he has ever tasted.  I know, I know:  declarative statements like that usually end in disappointment, but I actually prefer the taste of dark beers and stouts and found myself very happy with my pint of Silvershield Stout.

My mother, however?  Yeah, not so much.  She was a trooper, though, and because of it, she has now learned something new about herself.  Namely, that her beer of choice is brown.  Self discovery is such an awesome thing.  Especially when alcohol is involved.

Unfortunately, because it had started to rain (stupid forecast), we didn't get to sit on the patio of the Ouray Brewery like last year.  But it was a little chilly outside anyway, so I didn't mind. 

Lunch was very relaxing, and I was surprised for the second year in a row by the food.  They MUST have typical bar food on the menu.  I know I saw a guy at another booth eating a burger and fries.  But I ended up having a spinach salad with feta, walnuts and cranberries, and it was fabulous.  And, if I am remembering correctly, I had something last year with spectacular grilled veggies.  Not that other bars don't have salads and veggies on their menus, mind you.  I was just impressed, because everything else about this place screams B-A-R, but the cuisine was much more than chips, meat and fried cheese.  The whole experience was simply delightful.

After lunch, we did a little shopping and ducked into the same coffee shop as last year so I could upload some pictures, check an email, pay our cable bill and wait out the last of the rain.  We all (except Banner) ordered caffiene in some form or another which countered the effects of the lunchtime beer nicely.  Oh, and Mom had her very first chai latte, which seemed important to mention when I first started typing this sentence but now seems more along the lines of pathetic Facebook status update.  Much like this entire pararagraph, actually.  Because the epitome of boring is a bunch of sentences strung together on the internet that discuss my mother's coffee habits and how my U-Verse account in Dallas is currently in good standing.

Lord.

But the trip to the coffee shop DID allow us to figure out how we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon (assuming, of course, the weather cleared up).  We read up on hikes in the area and Googled "things to do in Ouray".  I know most people research what to do in an area before they arrive, but I've never been that organized.  Neither has my husband, which is why our relationship works.  Because nothing drives me bonkers faster than being overly scheduled while on vacation.  I much prefer getting some place, figuring out my energy level in real time and proceeding from there.  This is even more true now that I have a kiddo, because, well, he is a baby.  We've got him on a schedule, but every now and again he likes to throw us a curve ball to make sure we are still paying attention.  You've got to be flexible when dealing with an illiterate seven and a half month old who's preferred method of communication involves poop, spit up and screaming his little head off.

Speaking of poop, the coffee shop didn't have a changing table so we ended up changing Banner's diaper on a fire escape overlooking a dumpster.  Because that is just the kind of parents we are, and, well, in addition to flexibility, I find creativity to be a perk (if not a prerequisite) for this whole mommy and daddy thing.  I used to freak out a little if I couldn't find proper diaper changing facilities.  And, well, that was a colossal waste of energy and brain power when carrying a baby armed with a blow out.  It is kind of funny how easy it is to prioritize priorities when crap is on the line.  Thank goodness for the portable changing mat is all I can say.

Anyway, armed with a fresh diaper and the sun starting to peak through the clouds, we were off on an afternoon of adventure and exploration.  Which is just a fancy way of saying that we went on a hike and saw some really cool things.  But more on that later, because it is getting late and the rest of my pictures aren't uploading properly.