Summertime - Album 1

Very shortly after my last post on very short hair, the Littles, Pepper and I took off for Idaho and a visit to my folks.  Life has been a whirlwind ever since.  So rather than try to catch up, I offer you the first in a series of photo albums.

Our decorated car; somehow it makes all the hours in it more bearable.

The first time we got out the camera was this wonderful park in Springfield, Colorado.  We had a little scare driving up because I noticed a man following me and he pulled up right behind me at the park.  Turns out he was the local Church of Christ pastor and a former Texan.  He was super friendly and it was fun to meet him.

The park had a truly fantastic playscape but all our kids wanted to do was drive the tractor.   Here's The Blitz!   Look at that smile!

I'm pretty sure this is a pronghorn antelope, a truly native American species.  We saw a million in north-central Colorado and southern Wyoming

This is my great-nephew Indigo in Broomfield Colorado.  He'll be moving home to Texas soon!

This is his amazing daddy, Justin.

And his beautiful mommy, Juliette, with some of our gang.  We had a fun picnic in the backyard.

Pepper and Hannah.  Did I mention that we took Hannah along on our vacation?  And that we had to leave Sunshine at home to play ball?

This is our "new" house in Boulder, Colorado on Findley Way.  My parents built this house, I think in 1966.  

That tree in the front yard is HUGE!  But dad's brick walkway and the hedges are gone.

This is the "old" house on 31st Street.  The crabapple tree is there but the white picket fence is missing.  It's getting a bit ramshackle after all these years.

Some scenes from Northern Colorado

A fantastic play stop in Laramie, Wyoming.  

What follows are the good times in the car!

More to come!

Life in the Rockies

 If you have never been to Rocky Mountain National Park, definitely put it on your "must-visit" list.  It was the first time our kids have gone and we are so glad they had the experience!  We camped in Moraine campground which was lovely.   A moraine is a valley formed by a glacier moving through, and this one is wide, lovely, and frequented by wildlife of all kinds.  The campground is actually a little above the moraine, deep in the Ponderosa Pine Forest. 

[Paul, Melissa Schmidt, Allison, T J Schmidt, Anneka Huntley]

One day we took a hike rated "easy" to Alberta Falls.  Because it was "easy" we took the family matriarch and the little kids.  Oopsie.  It was not easy.  The hike was 3 miles and though it began level, went straight up hill, level, straight uphill and ended with a scramble up some boulders that were about 6 feet high each.  That's when the hike ended for the Littles because I could not figure out how we'd get them back down safely.  I think the biggest highlight for the little ones was the shuttle bus ride to get there!

While some of the group hit the falls, the more stalwart members took a high altitude 6 mile scenic loop.   They had a wonderful time and reportedly handled the high altitude fine.  It was just under 12,000 feet!

[Maggie, Ted Uhlenkott, Gabriel]

Another day, we took a scenic drive up Fall River road - a wonderful dirt, one-way road with plenty of switchbacks.  It was slightly less harrowing than the Flatirons road I grew up on, but pretty exciting.  A few members of the party had to avert their eyes from time to time!   We had planned a day trip to Boulder --stomping ground of my youth -- but thought this would be more evocative.  That is an understatement.  It was stunning and truly inspiring.  Rarely have I felt so awed by the majesty and magic of creation.  We saw three herds of elk and a few small groups, as well as countless birds and deer.

[Bennie, Maggie, "Mamaw" (Donna Huntley, and Gabriel]

On our last day, we took the tourist's route and hit the streets in the resort town of Estes Park.  We enjoyed eating wildly expensive homemade ice cream, combing through the gift shops and taking in lunch in a locally owned joint.  The town was hopping and made us a little anxious to get back to the quiet and calm of the campsite.  While we enjoyed a taste of civilization, T J and Paul took out for Cub Lake, on foot.  En route, they encountered a mama moose and her twins.

I would have loved to see the moose but really enjoyed hanging out with my peeps in town!  Missing from our RMNP list were bears and bighorn sheep.  I was okay with missing the bears but will seek out the sheep next time.

It was a beautiful and challenging environment.  The kids gave the local wildlife a run for the money as we enjoyed the antics of the camp chipmunk, a few campground deer and a wily weasel.  On the last day they finally caught up to the poor bunny they'd been chasing all week.  We know it's wrong but they were so proud.  We think he finally just put his tiny arms up and surrendered!  Sorry RMNP wildlife; we'll grow up a little more before we come back!

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!