Sunday, October 25, 2026

Snow Mountain Ranch Part 3




If you read my first post--click here--about our drive to the YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado, you would know we took a trip up into the Rocky Mountains at the end of September to enjoy the beautiful fall color that begins early in that part of Colorado at high elevation. We stayed in a comfortable private room in the Indian Peaks Lodge at the ranch.

My Part Two post about the ranch--click here--was about our drive that day through the western entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, a half-hour drive from our lodge.

Today, I'd like to show you what we did on our first full day at Snow Mountain Ranch.



 We woke up to a beautiful alpenglow on the distant Rocky Mountains.  There are many activities available at the ranch, but since this was our first visit to Snow Mountain Ranch, we were most interested in exploring the area to see the local scenery.


We drove past the ranch's horse stable, where one could pay to book a guided horseback ride.
.
We drove along a dirt road to admire the beautiful aspen trees changing color from green to shades of gold.

 As we drove along, we saw signs cautioning that horseback riders might be on the road... 


... and soon my husband said, "I see a man riding a horse ahead."


Only it wasn't a man; it was a female moose!


She looked as surprised to see us as we were to see her!


As the moose came closer, my husband began to reverse our car, but, happily, she soon ran into the roadside willows and disappeared.


As we drove on, we could see mountains in the distance.


We came across this old gold mine excavation along the road. The placard says that the mine was dug by a man named Charlie Greitzler, who once lived nearby and who had a vision that gold would be found there.  Sadly, I don't think he was successful.


Soon, we approached the Gaylord Reservoir.

 Sadly, after a long year's drought, the water level was low. 

Snow Mountain Ranch offers catch-and-release trout fishing at Gaylord Reservoir - no license required.

The reservoir area was very scenic...


...I loved the rugged mountain views in the distance!



We then came upon this interesting Gisela Velarde Ley Chapel at Columbine Point. According to the YMCA Snow Mountain website, the chapel has long served as a gathering place for worship, reflection, and connection with nature. Thanks to donor support through the Climbing Higher Campaign, the newly dedicated and remodeled chapel is now a beautiful place for special ceremonies.


It truly was a beautiful outdoor memorial chapel to visit!


Sheep Mountain, better known now as Snow Mountain, in the distance.

Sheep Mountain, also known as Snow Mountain, is located in Grand County, Colorado. It is the highest point in the YMCA of the Rockies' Snow Mountain Ranch. Although USGS maps officially name it Sheep Mountain, it is informally referred to as Snow Mountain in honor of the ranch. Sheep Mountain is notable for its elevation and seasonal weather patterns. It stands at approximately 13,292 feet (4,051 meters)



As we drove back to our lodge at Snow Mountain Ranch, we enjoyed more mountain views, saw one of the Yurts for rent nestled in pine trees, and noted some dead-tree wildfire mitigation. 


We toured a few of Snow Mountain Ranch's recreation offerings to see the indoor heated pool, climbing wall, archery area, aerial challenge course, roller skating rink, and craft center. We ultimately decided to take it easy and play the 27-hole miniature golf course. 
This time, an iron statue of a bull moose watched over us!


After dinner in the ranch's cafeteria, we relaxed in our room's patio chairs, enjoying the evening's sunset glow on the hills, which lit up the distant golden aspen trees. 


It was such a wonderful day! 


I can also be found on




Posted by at 8 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Denver Broncos Football at Empower Field at Mile High

 


My husband and I were invited by the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank (RMLEB) to attend the Denver Broncos against the Seattle Seahawks football game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, last Thursday. We were given tickets that gave access to the indoor lounge, Bud Light Champions Club, and outside stadium seating. Food and drink were included, and we enjoyed a delicious buffet selection of food before the game.

In 2015, I became a cornea transplant recipient through this eye bank, and I am forever grateful for the gift of sight that my cornea donor gave to me. The eye bank representative told me a cornea donor family was also going to be at this game and that it would be nice to meet them to tell them about my experience receiving a transplant.

After dinner, we went outside to our assigned seats and enjoyed a wonderful end-zone view of the field. It was exciting to see the new live Andalusian breed horse mascot, Thunder. This is the fifth horse to be the mascot, a Bronco tradition since 1993. He gallops across the field after every Broncos touchdown.

The Broncos also have a character mascot named Miles, photo in upper right of the collage above, who leads the crowd in cheers from the field and sidelines.


There's plenty of fun opening-moment hoopla and fan-cheering fever before the game begins! 


One exciting pre-game display is by members of Thunderstorm, the official Denver Broncos Skydiving Team, the only professional skydiving team in the National Football League.

You can watch a video at this link, taken by one of the skydivers as they fly into the stadium. It's amazing!




The US National Anthem begins the game. Both the American Flag and the Colorado State Flag are unfurled as the crowd sings along.



As we watched the game, we also saw a beautiful sunset over the distant Colorado Rocky Mountains.



There were some exciting plays and ...




...a spectacular halftime show called "Rock and Glow"!

We were given wristbands with lights that synced to flash with the music, glowing orange and blue--the Broncos' colors. Dancers in glowing light costumes danced on the field, and fireworks exploded all around the stadium rim. 

My video of the show is very long, but I found a short YouTube video you can see at this link. 




The best part of being at the game was speaking with Danette and her husband--the cornea donor family who were also Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank guests. It was wonderful to tell her how much my donor's gift of sight meant to me. 

Click here if you are from Colorado or Wyoming and would like to know more from the eye bank about being a donor.



The game was a cliffhanger that went into overtime, but the Broncos won, 17 to the Seahawks 14.

If you are interested in watching an official video of all the game highlights. click this link. 

It was so much fun to cheer along with the 76,000 + fans for the Denver Broncos in person at Empower Field at Mile High, and I am so grateful to the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank for sponsoring these wonderful events to encourage more of the public to consider organ donation in your area. 

If you would like to donate to the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, click this link. 

I can also be found on


Posted by at 26 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)