Colorado - The Summation

I'm sorry I didn't have the opportunity to post anything new while we were in Colorado, but we were busy little bees! But hang onto your hats, cause the rest of the week was wonderful and full of exciting adventures. On Monday, we took Nicholas and Jillian on a steam engine ride at the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The weather started out atrocious, with wind and pouring rain. But we stuck it out and the rain stopped just before we boarded. So, it ended up being a very pleasant ride. The kids absolutely loved it and spent the entire hour with their heads out the window watching the train chug along. Nicholas loved getting to say "All aboard!" for real!! Later in the day we let them do a little swimming in the hot tub at the house. Nicholas was clearly feeling a little more confident in the water. He was walking around on his own and even jumped to Daddy a few times. I think we've made great strides this summer and I'm so proud of him!

On Tuesday, Cindy, Jillian, Nicholas, and I took off on a little hike and picnic in the mountains. This particular trail, Sapphire Point, is known for the thriving Chipmunk population. Everyone comes to feed them, and let me tell ya, they were everywhere! Jillian was diligent about feeding them and Nicholas was intent on catching them. The two of them were quite a sight. That evening, we took them out for their new favorite thing - throwing rocks in the river! Those two would spend hours throwing rock after rock if they could. Unfortunately, we had to leave at some point so I gave Nicholas the warning that the next one had to be his last one. He picked up that precious, final rock, gave it a hug and a kiss, and lobbed it in the water. Love him!

Hiking makes you HUNGRY!!!!!!

Wednesday, we were able to find a wonderful park right next to Lake Dillon where the kids could burn some energy. They enjoyed it so much that we ended up there twice that day.

The next day, Thursday, was a chance for us to break away from the kids for some couple time. Mimi & Papa watched Nicholas and Jillian while Ryan, Cindy, Greg, and I took a guided fly fishing float down the Colorado River. I'd never fly fished before and I was quite nervous, but I think I did pretty good in spite of that. The weather was a little rough throughout the day but we had rain gear and waders on so we managed to stay dry. Floating through the canyons was an amazing ride and we even had a bear sighting. I got a picture but it was pretty blurry due to the distance and not worth posting. Greg and I had also seen a bear on the drive up through New Mexico so we were really excited to get all that action!

Still with me? Okay, on to Friday......about 30 minutes east of us was the highest paved road in the US to the 14,000 ft. summit of Mt. Evans. This was definitely one of the most memorable things I've done to date. But I have to say the drive up was a little frightening. It was a tight 2 lane road with absolutely no barrier, or even a buffer zone, to protect your vehicle from flying off the edge of the mountain! I'm usually pretty good with heights but I definitely felt some vertigo with this one. You just don't have any idea how high that is until you experience it first hand. When we started at the entrance gate it was around 65-70 degrees. By the time we "summited" it was about 45 with a biting wind chill. Amazing what a difference there is! We walked around taking pictures and enjoying the panorama but Nicholas just wasn't himself that day. The night before he had started running a high fever and complaining of severe leg pain. We're pretty sure he had a touch of altitude sickness, which caused him (and I) to sleep very little. By this time, he was suffering from exhaustion and just wanted to sleep. After we finished up, we headed back to the house so he could rest. He fell asleep in the car around 1:45 and slept until almost 6:00 that evening! He continued running a fever the rest of the day but was feeling much better the next morning. But, Mt. Evans was still an amazing excursion and I would definitely recommend it if you're traveling in the area.

Before we knew it, our final day had arrived. As you know, Nicholas loves his boat, which he pleaded for all week long. So, we decided to take him on a water taxi ride across Lake Dillon Saturday morning. Excellent choice! He was so happy to be back on the water and in his element! The ride was about an hour long and then we headed over to the Dillon Marina for some lunch at the Tiki Bar. Okay, Nicholas had lunch and we had cocktails. Liquid lunch counts though, right? The best margaritas!! The whole scene was so calm and relaxing that I didn't ever want to leave. No stress, no mess - that's how I like it! Then, we rounded out the day, and the vacation, with a family dinner out that night. It was so sad to see our incredible week coming to an end.

I hope this post wasn't too long. It's hard to bundle that much merriment into anything smaller. I've included some links for our outings in case anyone has a trip planned to that area in the future. It was a truly amazing week and I loved watching our boy experiencing more of the world and having so much fun while doing it!

Here are a few more pics to enjoy:

Our gorgeous mountain house!  AMAZING!

Twinkies

Both Nicholas & Jillian just loooooved the backpacks!  They would
put them on and trot around the house chanting "Go hiking!"