A bad day that also had a good side...

The bad part: A child ran in front of me this morning, while I was riding my bike on the city bike trail. I didn't quite hit the child, but there was an accident, and it left the child very unhappy. I gave the child's father my business card – and left, feeling like a piece of shit. My bike suffered some kind of major problem that will take a couple hundred dollars to fix.

When I got home, the last thing I wanted was to be at home. So, I decided to hike to Greyrock, which is only a half hour away.

The good part (not that it wiped out the bad): Have I mentioned it was an overcast day, with rain predicted for the afternoon? OK. It rained during the hike. But, by the time I got to Greyrock Meadow, which is behind Greyrock Mountain, the rain had stopped.

The elevation is probably 7000 feet, and in the meadow the Rocky Mountain Iris (Iris missouriensis), along with other wildflowers were all in bloom. The photos tell the story.

All the trail guides I've seen – including the one hyperlinked above – advise you take the Meadow Trail up to the base of Greyrock Mountain and then return to the trailhead by the Summit Trail. I prefer the reverse. IMHO, taking the strenuous Summit Trail up to Greyrock Mountain and then returning by the gently descending Meadow Trail makes for a better, more pleasant hike.