Day 1 ReCap — Cog Railway up Pikes Peak (14,110ft), Ash & Tom’s engagement, Garden of the Gods drive-thru AND an hour-half lantern tour at Cave of the Winds. Kick back on Days 2 & 3? Nope, not on my watch 🙂
On the road at 730am, family breakfast, then up Hwy 36 to Estes Park for a day in the Rockies. Driving thru Rocky Mountain National Park on 4th of July weekend is about as all-American as it gets. Lotta picture opportunities this day. Wrong time of the year to see wildlife – but still viewed chipmunks, marmots & elk (far in the distance – good to have a zoom lens). ALSO kinda fun for folks to see snow & bundle up in sweatshirts and long pants in July.
Stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center for souvenirs & snacks, then back down the mountain, quick chocolate fix at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, dinner at Mimi’s Cafe, followed by game night at the hotel. LOVE LOVE family game night 🙂
- Youngest player starts with 2 extra cards (unspoken rule)
- Never wear glasses (safer to struggle & squint)
- Never go the bathroom (will return to extra cards in your hand)
- Stay alert (or you may miss a turn)
- Volunteer to be the score keeper (less chance for math errors in my favour)
Gotta say Uno ‘house rules’ did not help this year – all kids are now grown & wise to my ways 🙁
Up again early on Day 3 for a high altitude hike (it’s a vacation, right?) The 20 & under crowd stayed behind (& slept) while six of us older folks ventured to Chautauqua Park in Boulder. Plan A – hike to Devils Thumb. Plan B – hike to Royal Arch. Ok, ok these are Flatlanders (and family) – so went with Plan C: Mesa Trail to NCAR.
2.5 mile (one-way) hike through Ponderosa pines & panoramic views of Boulder at 6,200ft. Super fun day hike — very proud of my fit family. At NCAR, 3 of us trail ran back to Chautauqua to retrieve cars — in only 38 minutes!
Showers, hotel check out & airport departures. Unfortunately all good things come to an end.
Ro enjoyed last minute family time while Ash, Michaela & Maddie showed off souvenirs purchased for cousins who could not attend this year (closest to $40 total without going over). This year’s games winner: Madeline.
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- Day 2: Estes Park & RMNP
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- gal cousins
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- Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park
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- she picked the right brother to ask for a ride 🙂
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- Mile High smile
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- Beeeeutiful!
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- Ute Trail jazz hands
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- father/daughter love
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- don’t let the shorts fool ya – she was cold! HA!
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- quick – everyone take a picture!
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- marmot
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- Mushroom Rocks (RMNP)
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- Victory!
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- just another day in the Rockies – LOVE it!
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- Day 3: Chautauqua to NCAR day hike (Boulder)
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- our sweet Ponderosa pine (smells like butterscotch)
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- Ro enjoyed the extra lovin’ – Come Back Soon!
Down from Pikes Peak just after noon; too early to head home. So much more to see in Manitou Springs!
Lunch & souvenir shopping followed by a quick tour of Garden of the Gods. No matter how many times I visit Manitou Springs, still amazed by the sheer diversity of Pikes vs Garden of the Gods. Majestic snow-capped mountains distanced only 20 minutes from Grand Canyon-like colour & eroded rock formations – omnipotent, inspired, serene.
Unfortunately our drive-thru was interrupted by a freak rain storm – which turned into a flash flood within minutes. Torrents of water collected and rolled down roadways. Spent 30 minutes in the Visitor Center waiting for the storm to pass, stopped briefly for 3 last photo opps within Garden of the Gods, then on to Cave of the Winds.
Our group lantern tour started at 5pm – no rest for the weary. [Next time I host a large group, probably need to scale down the activity schedule, it was definitely jam packed. Didn’t plan enough time for meals – takes an hour longer to secure tables & coordinate food likes/dislikes. Live & learn.]
Cave of the Winds: might have forgotten to mention that we’d be ducking under 4 foot rock walls 🙂
That said, nobody backed out as we crouched low and listened to spooky cave tales of George & Nellie from our guide Alec – all while carrying flamed lanterns. Super fun adventure.
Hour-half drive back, dinner – then games? Nope, not this night. Everyone crashed & had no intention in starting tomorrow’s journey before 730am. HA!
LOVE LOVE sharing my Colorado home with family. Best day!
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- lunch queue – Adams Mountain Cafe
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- Balanced Rock
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- same rock, less balance 🙂
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- Garden of the Gods 2013
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- yikes, lightning!
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- flash flood – whole lotta water
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- Garden of the Gods enveloped by Pikes (in far background)
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- quick – everyone take a picture!
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- park pic fave
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- next stop – Cave of the Winds
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- did I mention it’s dark & only 4 feet high in places?
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- everyone got a lantern?
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- spooky stories told in an underground cave – LOVED it!
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- very scary – LOL!
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- Mom navigated this cave like a champ
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- stalactites
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- cave millipedes?
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- Cave of the Winds 2013
Hey didn’t you just hike Pikes Peak a week ago – 28 miles, right?
It was 6 days ago yes, but this time I brought family via the Pikes Peaks Cog Railroad from Manitou Springs. July 4th holiday week is the time my family has set aside annually to gather since 2008. Christmas holiday can be a tough time to travel & if you’re married, there’s the added pressure of multiple in-laws to visit. PLUS there’s so much to do during the summer, no matter who hosts ‘the Games’. (That said, I argue there are super fun outdoor things to do during all 4 seasons in Colorado :))
Focused & hopeful, I put out feelers with my family in April & this year I got the nod to host our annual gathering – in beautiful Colorado! So much to see & do – but with only 3 days of ‘game time’, I needed to bring it.
Goal: Everyone goes home with a lasting Colorado memory.
Folks arrived at various times on the 4th so our first ‘get-together’ happened in early evening. Dinner, card games & fireworks. Late night. Too bad, ‘cause ya’ll know I’m an early riser 🙂 Dropped Ro at Camp Bow Wow & hit the highway. Destination: Colorado Springs. No time to be late – we had reservations (& prepaid tickets) for the Cog Railway.
The Manitou and Pike’s Peak Railway (also known as the Pikes Peak Cog Railway) is an Abt rack system cog railway in Colorado, USA, climbing the well-known mountain Pikes Peak. The railway is the highest in North America by a considerable margin. The railway was started by Zalmon G. Simmons, inventor and founder of the Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company. The company was founded in 1889 and limited service to the Halfway House Hotel was started in 1890. The summit was reached the following year.
Ruxton Creek, Lake Moraine, Mount Almagre – above treeline: bristlecone pine, marmots & bighorn sheep. BEAUTIFUL!
You are allowed 30 to 40 minutes on the top of Pikes Peak. The reason for this is that most people begin to feel the effects of high altitude (slight nausea, headache) after about this amount of time. We recommend that you budget your time accordingly.
High-altitude donuts, quick walk thru the gift shop, group photo, then followed Ash & Tom to the ‘America the Beautiful’ monument (song was inspired/written here & I completely missed on last weekend’s hike).
Drama begins – I hear Ash say ‘are you serious?’ I grab my camera & catch 16 seconds of memory as Tom drops to one knee & pulls out a ring. Will you marry me? – at 14,000 feet. WOW!
Talk about setting the bar high on Day 1. HA!
CONGRATS Ash & Tom! You’ve changed the way I’ll look at Pikes Peak forever.
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- ‘America the Beautiful’ – written on Pikes Peak (1895)
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- WOW, what a view!
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- family summit pic
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- the Proposal
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- YES!
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- young love
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- look at that rock 🙂
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- sharing BIG news on train ride return
