Summertime Visiting

The last weekend of June was our mini-vacation to Colorado. This was a quick trip over a long weekend, and we went so the boys could see real mountains. They not only saw the mountains, they got to go to the top of one. That was Silas’s dream - “I want to stand on top of a mountain!”. Of course, the rest of us wanted to see the mountains as well, and getting to spend time with my cousin Jesse, his wife Stephanie, and their family, was a huge bonus.

Stephanie was our tour guide going to the top of that mountain as she led us through Estes Park and up Trail Ridge Road. I had no idea we were on the highest elevation paved road in the United States. The altitude made me a bit lightheaded and caused some anxiety, but I’m so glad we went. The scenery was stunning.

We saw these guys just past the mountain summit. Traffic was stopped and the park ranger was taking pics for the people in the car ahead of us. We were able to snap some of our own.

At the visitor’s center I happened to spot this little guy on the rocks on the other side of the fence. He’s a Mountain Bluebird, and the first I’ve ever seen.

The boys got to play in the snow. It was cool, but not chilly, just perfect.

A mountain train ride topped our agenda the next day. The Georgetown Loop Railroad was a fun ride for everyone, but of course, the boys were ecstatic. A real steam engine pulled the train and we went over a bridge with a small river beneath.

There were a couple of other tourist stops – Buffalo Bill’s grave on Lookout Mountain, and the evening spent in Denver at Casa Bonita’s.

Most important, we got to spend some quality time with family members we don’t get to see often. We love those guys and treasure our times together. It was a fun weekend and the kids were great travellers. We came back to the Nebraska prairie, missing the view of the mountains, but loving the cornfields for miles.