Mountain Babymoon in Crested Butte

Crested Butte is one of Jason and I's favorite places in Colorado.  If you haven't been there, you gotta go.  It's a small town in a super stunning section of the mountains.  You look in almost any direction and your breath is taken away by mountain vistas, gorgeous valleys, and in the summer, wildflowers that are simply off the hook... there's a reason the Wildflower Festival is held there.  And true to our shared passion, the CB area is known for its fabulous mountain biking trails.  CB is one of the birthplaces of mountain biking as a sport (think people putting knobby tires onto beach cruisers with coaster brakes and you have a pretty clear picture of late 70's CB mountain bikes), and the legacy lives on today, with a town always overrun with MTB'ers from all over Colorado and beyond.  Yeah there's an adjoining ski resort and pseudo-town (Mt Crested Butte), but CB itself is a badass little town with a lot of character.  We love to get out to CB at least once per summer, and we weren't going to let The Muffin's pending arrival stop this pilgrimage!

Washington Gulch had some pretty sweet flowers.

Hiking in aspen tress on Snodgrass.

Jason and I headed out to Crested Butte for the 4th of July weekend for a 4-day weekend.  CB is a 4-5 hour drive from Boulder, close enough that if the baby had decided NOW we could come on home, but far enough away that it was a special trip.  We did this trip at 36 weeks of pregnancy, just on the edge of the "maybe you shouldn't travel" barrier.  We felt good about going to CB ... pretty sure there's been babies born in CB before.

The weekend did not disappoint.  The Muffin made no sign of wanting to be born, so the weekend was ours. Whereas normally we camp, this time we stayed in a condo with friends for my comfort; I wasn't willing to sleep on the ground with these uncomfortable hips and back and belly.  Daytimes were outdoor beauty and exercise and sunshine, followed by romantic dinners out on the town in the evening. Ahhhh.

Here's the view from the condo.  Not too shabby.

The weather was fabulous, and we both got out on mountain bike rides for all 4 days of our trip.  On one day, I worked and did a short ride with a friend while Jason went out and did one of his famed "Jason epics" where he links together a bunch of trails for a 30+ miles, 5+ hour ride; I believe this ride totaled about 40 miles.  I love these rides but late pregnancy isn't the time to try and keep up with the big boys, so Jason headed out with three other friends. All returned with salt deposits on their shoulders, out of water, with big smiles on their faces, and happily recounted sharing Jason's beers at the top of the day's toughest climb (yes, he carries beer in his backpack for big rides).

The other 3 days, Jason rode with me.  Jason's my favorite ride buddy, and with pregnancy and all his springtime work travel, we hadn't gotten to ride together much, so 3 rides over 3 days was a special treat.  I'm slower than ever on the uphills with these tiny compressed lungs and extra 25# of not-muscle, but I still feel extremely comfortable on a bike - I daresay more comfortable than walking!

showing people how it's done on the 401 Trail.

Jason's proud of his Fuzzy and his Muffin for shredding the descent.

weeeee for wheelies!

Exploring - on our way to the 402 Trail, which we've never heard of before.

Personally, I felt so lucky to have this one last mountain adventure with Jason before The Muffin came along.  So much of our life together has been adventures just like this - weekends in the mountains, biking and exploring and sharing the beautiful Colorado outdoors together, exhausting our bodies and filling our outdoorsperson souls by day, then capping off the awesomeness with great food and great company (and early bedtime!) in the evenings.  Days like this are when I most appreciate my life in Colorado.

a perfect end to the trip - leftover Secret Stash pizza at the top of Cottonwood Pass.