Travelogue - "Out"

I can't believe we've already been home from vacation 6 days!  I just caught up on the laundry!  And it was soooo worth that mountain of wash.

We left home on Saturday morning bright and early;  I was so proud of all of us for getting on the road a few minutes before 8:00.  We headed out in a decorated car -- thanks, Bigs -- spending the morning on Hwy. 183.  We had plans for lunch in Friendship Park at Hords Creek Lake near Coleman, but it turns out the picnic areas are not trailer accessible.  Ooops.  We headed on toward Winters and had a fun lunch at Elk Creek Reservoir picnic pavilion.  It was fully shaded and paved;  made for a good game of bouncing ball.  There was also a playground close by so the kids got their road legs worked out.

We made it to Lubbock around 4:30 and stayed in the Lubbock RV Park off the interstate..  They had fantastic prices and warm friendly service.  It was "dirty" more than grassy so we may not choose to stay there in summer again.  The pool was clean and refeshing;  just what we needed for our last 100 degree day for a while.

Sunday was our "big" driving day and we took off for Pueblo, Colorado.  We decided to have a play stop to break up the long day.  There is a fantastic playground in Conner Park in Canyon City. Dad and Sunshine played ball in the shade while Pepper and I sat on a "porch swing and watched the Littles play.

Onward, we drove through the Rita Blanca National Grasslands (yawn) and stopped for a crazy hot picnic at Thompson Grove in the protected lands.  It's probably good to see the natural prairie but oh my gosh it was so uninteresting.  And did I mention hot?  Hot, hot, hot;  shade was of little help.  I am definitely not tough enough to be a pioneer and we will not make this stop again.  Bet it's cold, cold, cold in winter, too!

We passed through New Mexico and into Colorado in short order after Thompson Grove.  I was thrilled as always to cross the pass into Trinidad; a picturesque little town that says "Colorado" to me.  Woo Hoo!  The drive through New Mexico and up to Pueblo was peaceful as 4 out of 5 blissfully napped.

It was a 560 mile day.  Quite a lot with 5 kids!  We spent the night at Lake Pueblo State Park.  It was pristine, beautiful and quiet.  The "B" loop in Arkansas camp ground is the best with great lake views.

We had planned a short, straightforward drive to Loveland on Monday, where we'd meet up with the folks for some shopping before the final 30 minute drive.  However, we'd had a bad surprise the night before;  Paul noticed the driver's window had mysteriously disappeared into the door.  He was able to get the door panel off and after consulting with my amazing nephew, T J Schmidt, we determined a new window motor assembly was needed.  So on Monday, we detoured through Denver to pick up the part at a local dealer and got a great deal thanks to TJ's negotiating.

In Loveland, we met the folks at Sam's Club and Dad and dear Hubby took off to have lunch with the kids at Namaqua Park.  It was a pretty park, underutilized, with lots of space and shade.  The shopping took longer than we thought it would but we landed at Rocky Mountain State Park by late afternoon. It was good to smell the mountain air and though the locals were complaining about the 80 degree weather, it was bliss to us.

Those are the adventures on the way out.  More on the family reunion and the beautiful scenery next time!