"Heaven"

This is the the amazing Colorado town I told you about- It is very small down in the town, we stayed in the Mountain Village up above. Notice the mnts all around the town except the one road in. The town has passed laws that you cant change the front of any of the old buildings and no fast food chains or big names like target, chilis, can ever be built here. Very few cars, most people bike everywhere.

You can buy one of these 2 million dollar homes but you cant change it much.

Like I said we stayed up in the Mountain Village so they made 4 gondolas to get you down into the cute town.
We had a nice place with a kitchen so we didn't have to eat out. We bike 3 days and one of those days we even did an 11 mile hike to a lake. (all told we did over a 100 miles in 5 days of road/mountain biking) The town is at about 9000 feet.

This is an old mill on a cliff- we drove to the mill on old mill 4 X4 roads.

This the waterfall coming out of the mill- look n the top left waterfall- you will see the mill house where people still live- INSANE!! I would have died just building it.
This is the view of Heaven from the mill. It is amazing. You can just barely see the town in the back right corner.
It is a mining town. Little mines everywhere- notice the train tracks going into the mountain. And the talings (or the leftover stuff they didn't use) after they mined out the stuff they did want.
So we hiked and gained over 2,000 feet in elevation in 5 miles. Darren stood in one place and took the next two pictures- up to the peak we were right below when finished...
And to the other side of us, the cliffs above tree line. Lakes and waterfalls everywhere- and old mining cables, buckets, etc... and lots of green rocks- Ang- what is in the rocks to make them green?
This is Blue lake - why blue- because the miners dumped stuff in the lake and the chemicals made it pretty blue. There are two small mines right behind the rocks you cant see (on the shore)
It rained and sprinkles almost our whole trip but it was perfect for biking and hiking- no heat exhaustion! But when we finally reached the lake after being drizzled on the whole way up we turned around to this sky.

Can you see the valley below us...

Can you see those white clouds that are low right in front of us....

While those clouds engulfed us in minutes. We could hardly see in front of us. Then it started. The worst storm I have ever been in. We are above tree line...

Do you see any trees around us???

We ran down a path that was now a stream. To the side of us we both see lightening strike right next to us. Then the loudest and longest thunder I have ever heard.

We finally found a group of trees. I know, don't hide below a tree but it was us be the tallest thing or hide below it! Just as we reached it another bolt and more thunder. We sat under that tree until we could see in front of us again. and until the hail stopped.

Then the sun came out half way down the trail and we were glad, but pretty wet and COLD!

So I have discovered my new heaven! Pictures never do a place justice, but this place, this place made us turn in ahh at every corner. The people and town were even very nice. And I will be back many many many times~