Gold Rush!

Yesterday we visited Idaho Springs, which is a town right off of I-70. I remember driving by it as a kid, but I'm not sure we ever stopped there. It is another cute little mountain town with lots of shops and restaurants--and, of course, rocky mountainsides at the end of every street. There is just something that is so lovely about these towns, which, if they were in rural Indiana instead of rural Colorado, I would think twice about stopping and strolling through the streets.

We started our day with a stop at Berthoud Pass, which is right on US-40 going into and out of Winter Park and is part of the Continental Divide Trail, and, I assume, the Continental Divide. We took the obligatory pictures. (Ryan is so good about humoring me and my need to document in photo every minute thing we do!) The best part for the boys was that there was still snow on the ground so they were able to touch it. Snow is so much more fun when it's summer and a novelty versus when it's winter and same old, same old! The bad thing was that they also felt the need to walk in it with their shoes on, so their shoes got all wet and muddy from the melting snow. Yuck! Jack wanted to touch "clean" snow, but there was no way I was going to let him walk that far up the hill!

touching snow in June!

Yes, one more mountain shot--the view from the Pass (That winding road is the road we take between I-70 and Winter Park. It was a bit nerve-racking the first time we drove it, but now it's no big deal.)

They'll still pose for these pictures! Give it a few years, and I know I'll get the eye rolls!

So, for the second half of our adventures yesterday we toured the Phoenix Gold Mine. Apparently it is from the 1870s but could still be productive today. It was interesting, but I think perhaps the boys need to be just a bit older to enjoy and appreciate it. The tour group was a bit too big, and one of the guides, who happened to be the owner, was quite the (long-winded) story-teller--not a good combo with three whining, tired children.

This is one of the most gold-packed sections of the mine. I realize it just looks like rock, but there is a little bit of sparkle that you can see if you look really closely. Apparently if a mine is able to produce 5 oz. of gold for every ton of dirt mined, it is a highly productive mine. It just blows me away to think of all the work that goes into getting gold!

There was a "lucky bucket" that we could touch on the tour. The boys both made their wishes: Jack wanted a guitar and Grant wanted his B.B. (his bear). It's funny what wishes kids make!

One of the things that set this mine tour apart was that we could pan for gold in the adjacent stream. I had never done it before, but after doing it I have much more appreciation for the people who would try to strike it rich by spending hours upon hours panning. It is tedious, laborious work. I only did it for a little while because it's hard to focus on panning and making sure my kids don't fall into the creek. They just seemed to enjoy throwing their pans like frisbees into the stream. Needless to say, we did not leave the mine experience with our kids' college tuitions in our pockets!

the boys when they were still interested in scooping up rocks and water

Ryan working hard to strike it rich for us!

Childhood memories

I have many memories of trips to Colorado to visit family and see the beauty of the mountains. Today we took a walk down my childhood memory lane by doing a couple of things that we often did on our visits. We began the day by taking in the Red Rocks Amphitheater. I don't think I really appreciated it so much as a kid, but as an adult I can honestly say the theater and the surrounding rocks are breathtaking. The great thing we did this time that I'd never done was go onto the stage. It's awesome to know that acts like U2, the Beatles, John Denver, and Dave Matthews have performed on that very stage where my boys were fighting. Yes, they fought on the stage, and I'm sure with the great acoustics more people heard them than I would have liked!

Another thing we never did was climb on the rocks. I think this was an area where climbing was allowed and would not lead to a $900 fine and/or jail time. At least I hope so since that would make me a bad mom for telling my kids to stand there for pictures!

Here we are enjoying the stage. I love that there are rocks behind the stage, too.

I love this view from the stage.

And here is the view from the top

Yes, I know that you cannot see us in this picture, but I just had to put the obligatory family picture in this post!

I have to say, though, that my favorite part of the day was seeing my grandma and going to Casa Bonita. I have SUCH AWESOME memories of that restaurant, and seriously, if you are EVER in the Denver area, you HAVE to go there! It is a great place, especially if you have kids, but it's still fun even if you don't. Can you tell I love this place?

We took a picture in front of the waterfall, but you cannot see it in the background. (There are cliff divers that emulate the ones in Acapulco. That's why there is a tall waterfall in the background that you cannot see!)

My sweet grandma took us to Casa Bonita and put up with all of us for the afternoon. The kids had a great time at her house playing with all the toys I used to play with when I was little, and Jack said he didn't want to leave when it was time to go. Maybe that's why his smile is so big in this picture! Thanks, Grandma, for sharing your day with us and our energtic kiddos!

Getting back to nature

So part of this post will cover an event in which I did not participate, but I figured we still havc some cute pictures. Apparently Ryan had on his "bucket list" both camping in the Rockies and camping with our sons. I didn't know that this was the case until the week before we left for CO. He made reservations to camp with the boys, and I said, "More power to you!" They left for the site at around 6, stayed up until 10 playing games and reading books, and woke up at 5:45 to a chilly morning (around 45 degrees!). I think they all had a fun time and made great memories. I'm not sure that I'll be up for the next camping experience, but we shall see. You certainly cannot beat the view!

Ryan and the boys with Grand Lake in the background

the campsite--It was a bit different than Indiana camping with open space instead of trees and gravel instead of grass on the ground. Ryan was glad to have a mallet to drive in the tent stakes!

the view from inside the tent

another view of the campsite--as you can see, not too many trees

The next day we decided to go hiking to Adam's Falls over by Grand Lake. Ryan had heard from someone that it was a good hike for kids so we figured we'd give it a whirl. When we saw the sign that said it was only 0.3 miles, we knew we were in the right place--especially when Grant refused to walk and had to be carried in the Ergo!

Here is Caroline's first experience in the hiking backpack. She did great! I always love seeing people's reations to babies in hiking backpacks. We hiked in Rocky Mtn. Natl. Park when Jack was Caroline's age, and this is such a great thing to do! We've decided it's much harder when they are out of the pack and get tired easily.

Here is a view from the top of the falls, but it's hard to see how beautiful and powerful they were from this angle.

We found this great place to eat a picnic lunch. The boys touched the water and pronounced it "ice cold," which is to be expected when it's coming from the snow melting in the mountains.

Having fun in the mountains!

Chugga Chugga

Today we decided to fulfill Grant's three-year-old, train obsessed dream: take the Georgetown Loop Railroad for an hour-long ride through the mountains. I have to say, it was a lot of fun, albeit somewhat pricey, and a great way to spend some time enjoying the gorgeous beauty of Colorado. Grant could hardly contain himself and was so excited he was almost in tears! Once the train started rolling he was completely enthralled! It was fun to do something that mostly for Grant since he seems to get a lot of Jack's leftovers. Being the second (and laid-back) child is tough when you've got a dominant older brother!

Before I share the pictures from today I have to show the awesome view from our resort. This was taken from the parking lot as our windows look out onto the typical pine and Aspen trees that litter the Colorado mountain landscape. I do love the sounds and smells of the trees, though.

Here is the train. It is an actual steam engine that needed to take on more water before looping back to the original station. We loved seeing that because Grant's Thomas train set has a water tower. Now we know how it works!

The boys were so ready for the train to move. It was hard to be patient!

The train passed under this bridge before travelling up the hill to go across it.

The Ticket Master actually came around and punched the tickets. How cute is that!

We sat further back in the train so we were able to take this picture of the engine passing over the bridge.

Here is my beautiful crew with the engine. Grant was so happy to be on the train he didn't even scream with Jack's strangle hold, which, if you know Grant, is pretty amazing!

We also went through the Eisenhower Tunnel today. The boys had been excited to see it, and I remember thinking it was so neat when I was younger. Here is the view that greeted us as we exited the tunnel. And yes, I realize that I have posted lots of mountain pictures, but I think it's such a novelty. We don't see much of these back in our neck of the woods--or cornfields, as the case may be!

Winter Park or Bust!

Ten years ago Ryan and I got suckered into buying a timeshare with the thought that we could use it for our honeymoon. Within a week we had buyer's remorse and wondered what in the world we had done! So here we sit, ten years later, preparing to embark on our yearly family vacation. I have to say, though I don't recommend buying one to most people, we have stayed in some great resorts and taken more vacations than we would otherwise: Disney, Ft. Lauderdale, Hilton Head, Charleston, Estes Park, and Big Cedar Lodge (outside of Branson, MO). These have been great times of creating memories and having fun for all of us. (Am I selling you on a timeshare? If so, we have a week available to rent--just kidding!)

So this year, when we were trying to figure out what to do, we took into consideration our family in Denver (especially my grandma who is 88) and our fun time at Estes and decided to do another Colorado trip and go to Winter Park. This time, however, we knew we'd have to drive. Google maps said it was a 19 hour trip, which, of course, is timed without children!

The boys were ready with their backpacks stuffed full of treasures.

Here is how our car looked--yikes!

On the way we stopped at a McDonald's with a play area. We've been to this one before on our way to St. Louis so Jack wanted a picture with Ronald.

We decided to let Jack play the video games that were on our van DVD system. He didn't really know how to do it, but playing occupied a little bit of time.

Grant listened to the video game sounds but didn't get a chance to play for himself. It's hard to be three!

And finally, after two long days of driving, we finally made it to Winter Park! Yay! We are looking forward to a week of fun, adventure, and memories.

I bet you wish you were here to see these spectacular views and the beauty of God's creation!

One last picture--how crazy is this! The marshmallow bag from Indiana is full of air! Perhaps it's the altitude.

Happy Father's Day!

I was going to title this one "The Evolution of a Father" and put pictures from the past 6 Father's Days in it. The problem is, after reviewing our photos, it appears that we did not take pictures on each holiday--oops! So, I think we have Ryan's first and latest. I guess I could title it "A Series of Pictures" as you cannot, with three children, get a nice picture of all three of them!

Ryan's first Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to an awesome husband, partner, and father! We are so lucky to have you, Ryan!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Well, I suppose it wasn't really a ranch, and we were not even at home, but if you'll remember, Ryan was in Colorado having a fun (??) time grading 680 AP essays while I crashed at my parents' house. Here are some highlights in pictures of our time there.

My dad's company has luxury suites at Busch Stadium, and there was a lunch to introduce the suite holders to their new menu. My dad couldn't make it, so my mom and I sacrificed and enjoyed a delicious lunch and heard Tony LaRussa speak. Afterwards the two of us had our picture taken on the field--so cool!

We went out for ice cream, and Caroline ate it for the first time. She seemed to like my peppermint ice cream but didn't want the plain vanilla. (Do you blame her?) While we were there I noticed that my mom and Caroline matched. Aren't they cute?

Grant was a little fish--thank goodness for the life jackets since the child has no fear!

Caroline and I hung out at the baby pool, which was perfect for us. She liked climbing up and down the stairs and giving me hugs. What more could you want?

We also spent some time at my parents' lake house, which the kids loved! The problem is, with the time change, the boys never really adjust, so they are exhausted the entire time we visit. This picture seems to show a wiped out Grant--too tired to even eat his granola bar. B.B. (Grant's bear) even looks tired.

Papa helped Jack set up his fishing pole, and Jack said fishing with Papa was his favorite part of our time in St. Louis. Next time maybe they will even catch a fish, though that may freak Jack out.

I just think this picture is cute--Caroline liked sitting in these chairs and feeling like a "big girl."

She enjoyed swimming in the lake, but the sand and water on the shore were almost more fun.

The fun thing about going to the same place year after year is that you get to see the changes in your kids' interests. Jack has really warmed up to the idea of building sand castles, and I envision lots of fun with Daddy when he's able to join us on the beach!

So...lots of thanks to Mimi and Papa for letting us stay with you and ruin the quiet of your house with our noisy chaos. Thanks for feeding us all day--seriously, the boys' favorite thing to do lately is eat ALL day!! Thanks for putting up with coloring on the basement carpet--sorry about that--and smiling a teeny bit over the other coloring. Thanks for lots of love, lots of hugs, and lots of time together! We love you!!