Labor Day Weekend: Ouray Hot springs and the Ranch

This past labor Day weekend we spent our time up in the Colorado mountains. We stayed at Colby's aunt and uncle's ranch (Bart and Natalie Skalla). While there Natalie let us ride their horses and she took some really cute photos of us! She was basically our photographer for a photo shoot except the horses didn't want to cooperate. hahaaha! We then took a ride in the razor and enjoyed the hot-tub, trampoline, ping pong, basketball and hammock. We also spent a day at in the beautiful mountains of Ouray Colorado and enjoyed the hot springs!

View from where we camped in New Mexico at 3am!  

After 9 hours we made it! Hooray! Now we still have 3 more to go! 

Ouray, Colorado! 

Hot Springs! 

Slam dunk! 

You know you've made it to the ranch when you see this monster of a longhorn! I wouldn't want to get on his bad side! 

Razin it

The rodeo that we didn't get to go to :(  But Brynne won first place in barrel racing! 

Desert oasis

Colby and I took a quick 2 day trip to the Fort Davis Mountains and to the Balmorea Springs. We had a really great time and enjoyed the nice cool weather. It was perfect for camping, hiking and swimming! Balmorea is a spring that has been in the Texas desert forever!! Its a little oasis in the middle of no where and gorgeous. The water is perfectly clear and has tons of tiny little fish! I can't wait to go back.

Hammock naps are my thing

The Davis Mountains

At the top of an of an igneous intrusion. It gave us a 360 degree view complete with cross sections for my geologist! 

At the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis.  This area has some of the darkest skies in North America! It's a great place to see stars!  

We went to a star party, but unfortunately it was too cloudy, so we took a rain check! I can't wait to come back and look through all their  HUGE telescopes! 

The next day we headed to Fort Davis which is one of the "best remaining examples of a frontier military post in the southwest." 

  

The original mud blocks they made and used to build their buildings for the fort. 

This is the Commanding Officers home where he lived with his family. The officers were able to live with their families at the Fort and the enlisted men had to live in the barracks. 

I was sad because this horse refused my apple. What kind of horse refuses an apple!! 

The next day we went to the Chihuahuan Desert Research Center and Botanical Gardens. This place was mostly a garden for desert plants like the cactus.  

We are hiking along and they have this sign about  the largest wildfire in Texas and it happened to be on the day we got married! We thought it was an interesting! Colby say's it was because of our burning passion and love! hahaha

Cactus Green house. I didn't really know what to think....It was super hot because they have to keep the greenhouse super, super dry. I did not stay very long. 

The prettiest plant we saw in the gardens.