Cerro Alto hike and my b-day week!

Monday was President's Day, a holiday for Matthew!

We got up at a decent hour, instead of barely still morning =), ate a hearty breakfast and headed out 41 to Cerro Alto.

Gotta love selfies!

This is part way up, you can kinda see 41 going through the middle of the picture
around that range, and then the road back to Cerro Alto follows the valley towards
this picture.

Slightly hazy, but this is Morro Rock from the summit.

So pretty up there!

Amazing view.

This is the same direction as the one taken part way up, looking towards 41 (goes from A-town to Morro Bay) and then
the road to the base of Cerro Alto

There were a bunch of college boys up there being noisey so we didn't stay long.  But this ridge caught our attention
and we saw that there was a trail heading out along it.... so....

We ventured over there! 

Quite a narrow ridge.

Looking back at Cerro Alto.

You can see just the edge of Morro Rock in the right of this picture.  Mostly it is behind the rock in the foreground.

Looking over the other side is this peaceful valley.
I want to live here! There is a small hill in the middle
where the house is nestled, and you'd HAVE to have a horse!

Here's my handsome fellow explorer! Great fun to be able to spend a day with him
out in God's awesome creation.

And here is me.

Kind of distorted, but gives you somewhat of a feel for it.  Notice the trail/road at the base of this ridge....

We stopped here to eat our snack.  Sitting against the rocks, looking out over this view, we'd occasionally hear
a swishing, swooshing sound, look up and see a buzzard glide over us so close!  Then we were startled by a strange noise. Suddenly there was a humming bird not 6 feet from us.  It hovered there for a few seconds trying to figure us out.  It was so awesome with the distant background, his blurred wings, ruby throat and inquisitive, bright eye.  We held our breath and I wished I could somehow get a picture.  But it will just be one that is forever painted in my mental album.  One of those moments nearly impossible to catch with a camera, but a gift from God to treasure in memory!

We walked along the ridge, climbing rocks and trying to avoid poison oak.  The trail had since branched down to run along the left side of the rocks.  When we got as far as we could climbing the rocks, we had to decided how to get back to the trail.  One was to push through thick bushes for quite a ways to get back to that trail.  Or we could slide and scramble down a washed out area on the right side to get to the trail/road that goes to the cell towers.  We choose to slide down the old landslide.  Pretty much like skiing with your feet buried in dirt!

Road reached!  Looking back up at the ridge where we came from.

We jogged and walked along the cell tower road until we found the trail that connects back to the Cerro Alto hike.  We took a steep short-cut trail back to the parking lot.  So sore walking down that mountain!  Whew!  We drove directly to pick up Dawn dishsoap from Mom, then home and right into the shower!  Dawn is supposed to be good for getting poison oak off.  As I was getting out of the shower, Matthew told me he'd made reservations for dinner at 5:30! We went to the Guest House Grill.

This is a silly picture, but the only one I have of the evening!
Dinner was delicious, then we went to Starbucks for tea/coffee and chatting.

On Tuesday, Vanessa-mom had a party for me with Grandma Pauls, Aunt Pam, Aunt Kris, and Cherisa, and Hailey!  She was so cute all dressed up in her purple outfit.  It was fun to visit and be with them!

On Wednesday, Lynn and Annie had put together a b-day party for me at Brenda Swift's.  The young married girls and mothers were invited, as well as Mom and Aunt Carol. Many thanks to these three who watched the kids in the back yard while the young mothers got to eat in peace with the rest of us!  Then we all went outside and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon for awhile.  Thank you all so much!  It was great to be with everyone.

Summer

Ronan

Carrisa

Bode

Brooklyn

Annabella

And me, 23 years!, with one of the flower arrangements they gave me.

Yesterday I started reading "The Winning of Barbara Worth".  Thought this quote was interesting.

And I attempted to load pictures but it gave me issues!
 Finally I left it be and Matthew fixed in 2 minutes when he got home!  

So on Monday evening when we were eating, Matthew asked if I wanted to know what he had been arranging earlier when he'd gone outside to make some phone calls.  Of COURSE!  We are going to Shaver to stay in a cabin Uncle Ron built and sold last year for Friday night and Saturday night.  Saturday we will go skiing and Sunday we'll take a hike, if we aren't too sore from skiing!  So excited!

Also, Sarah Beth borrowed Matthew's camera to take pictures of Hailey.  There are some really cute ones, of course!, and she was kind enough to leave them on the card.  BUT I haven't tried loading those yet!  When they do get loaded, she's given me permission to share them with you all!

So now I need to skeddadle and get ready to go grocery shopping with Mom to get a few things for this weekend and get started on next week.  Hope everyone is well, trusting in the Lord, and therefore resting in His peace and love!

P.S. Ryan and Paige are super excited about expecting their first baby, due to arrive in August!
And Greg and Tamee are looking forward to welcoming their third child in September!