Itโs been a little while since my last update; nearly a month, in fact, since October 4. Since then, Durango has welcomed a lot more snow. We've even had a few mornings where the ground outside our apartment was dusted white. Scraping snow and ice off the windshield before heading to work has quickly become part of the daily routine as we adjust to the colder climate.
The highlight of the past month was definitely having our long-time friends Miranda and Robert Estrada visit from California. Back when we lived there, they were only five minutes away; we shared countless movie nights, pizzas, and laughs. Since our move to Colorado, we hadnโt seen them in about five months, so their five-day visit was something weโd really been looking forward to.
It was especially meaningful for Jenifer, whoโs never lived far from her family and friends before. Having Miranda and Robert here felt like a little piece of home, and it meant the world to her. We packed the days with all the good stuff: pizza, movies, board games, margaritas, and long conversations.
On Friday, October 25, I took the day off work so we could rent some Jeeps and go off-roading in the mountains. What a blast! The photo with this post is from that unforgettable day. We attempted to summit three different mountains: Smelter Mountain, Kennebic Pass, and Middle Mountain.
Smelter, which overlooks Durango, was snow-free and gave us fantastic views from the top. The other two werenโt so kind, the snow proved too deep, and we had to turn back before reaching the summit. Still, it was a day full of fun, scenery, and adventure.
We capped it off with a visit to the โplaygroundโ - a rugged area on Middle Mountain featuring jumps and steep climbs made for off-road vehicles. Letโs just say, we definitely put the Jeeps through their paces.
