Day 9 - Potts Visit and Peaks Trail Hike

Each year that we come to Colorado we make sure we see our long-time friends, Spike and Pat Potts, who live on a ranch near Grand Lake.  This year they met us for breakfast at Sunshine Cafe.

When we got back from our very filling brunch, we went on a hike that we take every year.  The Rainbow Lake/Peaks trailhead is just behind our condos so it is quick and easy to pick up the trail.

The forest is mostly lodgepole pine is this area and the pine have been almost completely destroyed by the Japanese pine beetle.  The feel of this hike has changed over the past 4 years because of the beetle kill.

This is my favorite deep purple wildflower.

This trail will take you all the way to Breckenridge from Frisco, about 9 miles, mostly uphill that direction.  On this day we went about 3 miles out and back.

There was a great view of some of the Ten Peaks.

I love all the streams that cross the trail.

This was a good hike to burn off some calories and always a convenient trail because of the proximity to our condo complex.