300 miles

We had a 300 mile weekend. That's a lot for us. I guess it would usually take a few weeks for us to rack up that kind of mileage on Suby.

Saturday we went west to our favorite spots on the coast. My folks joined us for the day at the beach and it was great to share some of these places with them.



Sunday we adventured eastward out Highway 20 up Tombstone Pass to the trails at Iron Mountain and Cone Peak. This area is known for it's mid-July wildflower show, and it was seriously beautiful.



Calder did great, but was rather slow as there were many things to stop and see. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he'll be running the trails. We'd borrowed a backpack carrier which worked well when he didn't want to walk, but I will say that he was awfully heavy despite all the built-in support.



For the locals... we had originally parked at Tombstone Pass Sno-Park where the Cone Peak trail begins, but a ranger suggested we drive up a forest service road to a parking spot/trail entrance much higher up on Iron Mountain. It was a great suggestion, as that put us right in the upper elevation wildflower meadows and rock gardens as well as quicker access to some pretty serious views in all directions.



I really love this open forest...



... and the skinny trail...



... and the harsh, delicate, exposed environment.



View of the top of Iron Mountain from the higher up parking lot. We didn't attempt the summit, just wandered the trails and admired being out there. It's been ages since I've been in this type of environment. Every view was breathtaking. What a special place.