Our week in Colorado

We just got home on Wednesday from a week in Colorado. It was mountains, it was high altitudes and feeling dizzy, it was peanut butter and jelly in hotel rooms, it was hiking and rafting and seeing deer, bighorn sheep, elk and a black bear, it was seeing family and playing with cousins, it was swimming in hotel pools, warm summer weather and continental breakfasts and bad coffee.  It was an adventure. It was exactly what our little family needed.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Henry at Seven Falls. This was something we stumbled upon on our first morning while we were killing time before white water rafting. We were so happy that we found it. It was really quiet and serene and our first glimpse of the beautiful mountains and views.

The boys at the summit of Mt Cutler. 7,200 feet elevation. It was really pretty and we had views of Seven Falls from the opposite side. It turns out I've developed a severe adult onset fear of heights. I was a complete nervous nelly when the boys were near the edges of these cliffs. My entire insides and the bottom of my feet just felt tingly even thinking of them getting too close. Old lady right here.

We took a train to the top of Pike's Peak one morning. They call it the cog railway. It was freezing cold up there. We ate fresh donuts, and drank hot chocolate. Everyone we talked to said we had to get the donuts from the top. They are world famous, high altitude donuts. They were fine, but I was cold and dizzy from the altitude. 

Little boy, big world. William at Mt Cutler. He loved getting right up to the edge; the closer the better.

We went whitewater rafting on our first day there. It was so much fun and I wish I had more pictures to show of our time on the Arkansas river. We went on the most mild, family friendly rapids and no one fell out! The boys both got to paddle and also swam in the (icy-cold) river. They absolutely loved it. I'm glad our first time was so mild and happy -- I'm sure they will both want to go again. 

This tree is called a Ponderosa Pine. They have them all over Colorado. If you scratch the bark it smells like butterscotch. They have a super thick bark that is said to make them highly resistant to low-intensity fires.

Some deer grazing in a parking lot. well, hello there!

 Patrick in front of Long's Peak, alt 14, 259 feet. The day after their climb. It's the one in the far background with the flat top. 

 Here's a little bit of information about the Keyhole route, that they took on their hike. I'm glad I didn't google this before the hike: "In the summertime, when conditions allow, thousands climb to Longs' summit via the Keyhole Route. The Keyhole Route is not a hike. It is a climb that crosses enormous sheer vertical rock faces, often with falling rocks, requiring scrambling, where an unroped fall would likely be fatal. The route has narrow ledges, loose rock, and steep cliffs."

We spent our last two nights in downtown Denver. I really liked where we stayed in the city. 

At the Rockies game on our last night. Clayton drove from Boulder to meet us there. 

Feeling the fresh mountain air. It smelled so clean and pure and piney. 

It was so much fun to squeeze a little bit more out of summer and swim in this outdoor pool in Boulder. The boys loved having their cousins, Haydn and Clayton there to do tricks with too.

On Saturday when we arrived in Boulder, Clayton and his roommate took us here to rock climb. I started out thinking I was just an observer, "ooh that is neat, that looks scary", etc. I ended up feeling a little pressure to try it. But you know what? I was really glad I did! I didn't make it to the top, but it was so much fun and really felt totally safe being all harnessed in. Patrick's nephew, Clayton, is super impressive to watch. And Patrick made it to the top, by the way.

We went to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs one evening. It was beautiful and there were lots of deer out grazing.

The beach still very much has my heart, but these Colorado mountains sure won me over. It was beautiful and I loved that every day brought a new adventure. I also tend to like sharing a hotel room as a family and lounging on the king bed together. It was so good to have a week of togetherness, especially after the start of school this year and already missing my time with the boys so much.