Tolkien and Colorado (a great combination)

“For if joyful is the fountain that rises in the sun, its springs are in the wells of sorrow unfathomable at the foundations of the Earth.”- Tolkien, The Silmarillion

I have been reading The Silmarillion. For those who don't know, The Silmarillion is another of Tolkien's works that tells the story of the origins of Middle Earth, how the dwarves, elves, and men came to be. It also describes the rise of Sauron and the making of the rings of power. It most focuses on the loss of jewels called The Silmarils.

It has been awesome to read this book while driving through the mountains. Everything looked even more majestic while reading about Middle Earth. Everything looked "Tolkienesk". When we first saw mountains, I was half expecting Elves to come riding over a ridge. So, here is my suggestion: If you are ever going to visit the mountains, read some Tolkien along the way.

Anyway, here are some photos of our vacation through the Rockies. I am in Greeley now for preliminary orientation, then I will fly to China on Monday.

Garden of the Gods! It was beautiful here.

The Alluvial Fan Waterfall. Sometime in the last century, a damn broke sending billions of gallons of water down the Alluvial Fan, and that is how this waterfall came to be.

With the best Dad in the world. I'll miss him more than anything when I'm gone.

We saw this view on our drive up Old Fall River Road. It was breathtaking in person.

Love this family shot!

I can't quite remember where this was on the trail, but we were up pretty high.

Jennie and I at Bear Lake

Another view of Bear Lake. It was beautiful. Afterwards, Jennie and I hiked to another lake called Nymph lake. I didn't realize when we started that it would be uphill THE ENTIRE WAY at 10,000 ft elevation. Needless to say, I was a wee bit winded when we got there.

This was a river we passed on our drive up HWY 7. It was a magical little place. I would love to live in a cabin right here and wake up every morning to the sound of rushing waters.