This past weekend I travel with my oldest son to visit his godfather and family on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in a small town near the Grand Mesa National Forest. We arrive in Denver to mostly cool and dry weather and drive a ride share the 4+ hours it takes to get to the western part of the state. Besides fresh, dry air, another feature of this land looms large: in every direction are mountains in the distance.

We arrive at our host family on Thursday and explore close to their home after a long journey. The father is a priest at a medium-sized parish in nearby Delta, Colorado named St. Andrew’s Orthodox Church. He receives us with great warmth and hospitality as we take in the breathtaking scenery near their farmhouse nestled in the valley below the Grand Mesa.

The next morning,  we pack a lunch and head one hour north up into the San Juan Mountains to the wild west town of Ouray. After a brief hike to a soaring and misty waterfall, we cooled off in the hot springs run by the town. Hot springs are several geothermal pools of water of various temperatures ranging from jacuzzi to slightly warmer than a standard pool; coming from the earth, they also possess healing properties from the rich minerals contained in them. The experience of swimming in hot springs is worth the price of admission and these at Ouray are not as expensive as many others in the state.

On the way home, we ascended 10,000 feet in the San Juan Mountains above Ouray on a road called the million dollar highway because of the cost and difficulty in constructing it. No guardrails along each side lead to many parts that are sheer dropoffs. We suspect they leave out the rails because it would be too much to maintain with falling rocks, etc. The majestic views were worth the risk of falling. The calm and peace (and lack of cell phone reception) make this truly magical.

After a hearty breakfast on Saturday, we drive only thirty minutes north to one of the hundreds of fresh water lakes situated on the top of Grand Mesa National Forest. On the way up, we worried about the forecast of rain. Two days before we went fishing the weather had reached almost 90 degrees but once we made it to the lake on the mountain it had started snowing with it being almost freezing! It was good that we all brought hoodies. And our host, the priest, showed his solidarity with the fishermen/apostles by demonstrating how to use power bait and be patient and wait for the hit. Our family up to this point has done mostly bobber fishing which involves a lot of action on the cast line and live bait that floats close to the surface. With the power bait (looks like a colorful marshmallow), the angler casts a line that has a small hook followed by a heavy weight about 6 inches further up; the line travels into deep water falls to the bottom of the lake and the power bait actually floats from there about 6 inches off the bottom. From the shore, one places the pole in a holder, pulls in the slack, and just watches for the line to move.  The rainbow trout we are seeking are much more lethargic than the other varieties, so it is important not to rush them. The 4-5 poles we have in the water bring a mess of approximately seven trout, and I am happy to finally say I have caught this variety.

The weekend finishes off with a tremendous celebration of Pentecost. The community that father leads is as warm and inviting as their pastor. It all leaves my son and I with many fond memories of majestic peaks and western hospitality.