Last week we took a short vacation with my parents (Opa and Oma). Matt and I decided that we wanted to visit some of the Colorado sites since he has lived here for over ten years and still hasn't seen much of the incredible state. Opa borrowed a Class A Motorhome from Berkenkotter and we drove it to different landmarks and towns. It was a fun five days.
Are We There Yet? (from Nick Jr.)
We’re goin on a trip
We’re goin on a trip
It’s thrilling to be filling with such wide anticipation
Packing the suitcases and counting off the days
Nearly as exciting as the actual vacation
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
My excitement is getting stronger
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
I really can’t wait much longer
Sunday (Day #1):
We left at 11:00am on Sunday to start our vacation. Opa powered up the motorhome and we were on our way!
Our first stop was the Royal Gorge Bridge, just outside of Canyon City. We hit the jackpot right away because it was Father's Day, so Matt and Opa got in for free (saved us $50!). Steven had fun checking out the "huuuuuuuuuuge bridge." We rode the aerial tram across the gorge, which would have been cool but the tram car was packed with people so it was hard to move around or see much. When we arrived on the other side, we had fun hiking and checking out all of the animals. There were elk, buffalo, and a petting zoo. Steven had his first official horse ride on a sweet pony named Molly. He was so excited and so proud of himself!
After the animal adventures, we walked across the bridge. It is crazy to think that the bridge has existed since 1929 and that they had the tools and knowledge to build it. The bridge is strong enough to hold hundreds of pedestrians and a few vehicles (some people actually drove across the bridge!).
Grant lost his hat after we walked across the bridge (the darn wind just carried it away), and Steven was very concerned. He kept asking, "Where is baby Grant's hat?"
To finish our adventure at the Royal Gorge Bridge, Steven, Matt, and Oma rode a train around the park. It was definitely a great day! I was very proud of Oma. She is afraid of heights, but she rode in the tram and crossed the bridge with little effort. She wasn't going to miss a minute of Steven on this vacation! :)
Our first stop was the Royal Gorge Bridge, just outside of Canyon City. We hit the jackpot right away because it was Father's Day, so Matt and Opa got in for free (saved us $50!). Steven had fun checking out the "huuuuuuuuuuge bridge." We rode the aerial tram across the gorge, which would have been cool but the tram car was packed with people so it was hard to move around or see much. When we arrived on the other side, we had fun hiking and checking out all of the animals. There were elk, buffalo, and a petting zoo. Steven had his first official horse ride on a sweet pony named Molly. He was so excited and so proud of himself!
After the animal adventures, we walked across the bridge. It is crazy to think that the bridge has existed since 1929 and that they had the tools and knowledge to build it. The bridge is strong enough to hold hundreds of pedestrians and a few vehicles (some people actually drove across the bridge!).
Grant lost his hat after we walked across the bridge (the darn wind just carried it away), and Steven was very concerned. He kept asking, "Where is baby Grant's hat?"
To finish our adventure at the Royal Gorge Bridge, Steven, Matt, and Oma rode a train around the park. It was definitely a great day! I was very proud of Oma. She is afraid of heights, but she rode in the tram and crossed the bridge with little effort. She wasn't going to miss a minute of Steven on this vacation! :)
Matt, Oma, Steven, and Opa pose in front of the bridge
I carried Grant everywhere in the baby Bjorn. He was such a trooper!
One of the many animals we viewed while at the Royal Gorge
Steven's first horse ride - so awesome!
We left around 4:00pm and we drove toward the Great Sand Dunes to camp in an RV park for the evening.
We left around 4:00pm and we drove toward the Great Sand Dunes to camp in an RV park for the evening.
Monday (Day #2):
We spent the night next to the Great Sand Dunes National Park so we could wake up early and hit the sand before it got too hot (I read somewhere that in the heat of the day the sand can be around 140 degrees!). I didn't take Grant out in the sand (the perfect excuse - I didn't have to get dirty), but Oma, Opa, Matt, and Steven played in the sand and in the creek. It was okay - very cool to see, but not as much fun for playing. Steven was over it in about an hour and we hit the road again.
When we arrived in Ouray, Matt, Steven, Grant, and I checked into our hotel room. It was amazing to be right next to the mountains in such a charming little town. We quickly unpacked, put Grant to bed, and then hit the pool. Our hotel had access to water from the hot springs so the pool was so warm. It was Steven's first night-swimming experience and he loved it!
Opa stands in front of the amazing dunes.
Next we drove to the Colorado Gators Reptile Park. We intended for this to be a short stop on our trip, but it was so cool. We had to stay for hours.
When we entered the park, the first thing we saw was a giant turtle just walking around freely (these turtles were all over the place). Then we met a little gator and got to pose in front of the camera with it. Steven had a blast! He was able to feed and touch alligators, crocodiles, and turtles.
This is Morris the movie star! Morris has been working in movies for about 25 years. He starred in Happy Gilmore, Interview with a Vampire, and Dr. Doolittle 2 (to name a few).
After the gator park, we hit the road for a long stretch (about five hours). We went to Durango and then headed up north to Ouray. It was a beautiful drive!
Grant smiles for Mommy on the drive to Ouray.
When we arrived in Ouray, Matt, Steven, Grant, and I checked into our hotel room. It was amazing to be right next to the mountains in such a charming little town. We quickly unpacked, put Grant to bed, and then hit the pool. Our hotel had access to water from the hot springs so the pool was so warm. It was Steven's first night-swimming experience and he loved it!
Tuesday (Day #3):
We woke up in Ouray and enjoyed a slow morning (I had to work and we let Grant take a long nap). Around 11:00 we packed up for a hike to Box Canyon Falls. It was another incredibly beautiful day and the scenery was breathtaking. There were two hikes - one to the falls and one to a bridge overlooking the canyon. We tackled both (a little over one mile roundtrip).
The lower trail, an easy 500-feet hike via a walkway and suspension bridge, took us straight to the awesome falls!
We woke up in Ouray and enjoyed a slow morning (I had to work and we let Grant take a long nap). Around 11:00 we packed up for a hike to Box Canyon Falls. It was another incredibly beautiful day and the scenery was breathtaking. There were two hikes - one to the falls and one to a bridge overlooking the canyon. We tackled both (a little over one mile roundtrip).
The lower trail, an easy 500-feet hike via a walkway and suspension bridge, took us straight to the awesome falls!
Opa and Matt pose for a photo at the start of our hike.
Grant was a great baby on the trip! He became quite acustomed to the carrier and enjoyed the view from there. He also snuck in a few naps while I carried him around. My back was tired after a day of hiking with an extra 14 pounds in front, though!
I love this one! Oma and Opa were so much fun! Steven kept them busy and enjoyed their company.
Steven and Daddy read about pre-Cambrian rock as they cross a bridge on the way to the falls.
The sound of rushing water was so loud!
There was a walkway all the way down to the creek, so we could get very close to the falls.
The second part of the hike took us to a bridge overlooking the canyon. At the end of the bridge, there was a tunnel that was once used to transport water to a reservoir. Steven loved the tunnel.
The family takes a break to enjoy the view of the canyon.
(My eyes are closed in the picture - the sun was bright!)
After hiking, we took a break and a nap to prepare for the adventures of the evening. At 5:00 we went to the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. There were three sections at the pool: an 81-degree lap pool, a 98-degree play pool, and a 106-degree soaking pool. We stayed in the 98-degree section and Steven and Grant had a good time.
Steven played in the warm pool. Check out the scenery behind him - amazing! I love Colorado.
Grant loves his Opa! He smiled and laughed at him in the pool (and on the entire trip!).
By the end of the trip, Grant was a big fan of his Oma, too.
After the hot springs, we went back to our hotel. The hotel staff had made a mistake and they didn't reserve our room, so we didn't have a place to stay. Luckily, the hotel owner had a nice motorhome hooked up right next to the pool, so he let us stay there instead. I would have preferred a hotel room (with the comfortable bed and the space for a pack-and-play), but it was a fancy motorhome, so I didn't complain. Grant was exhausted and he went right to bed. Steven, however, wanted to swim some more (seriously, this kid is a fish!) so we took him night swimming. It was a great day!
My tired boy was ready to crash at the end of a long, busy, fun day.
Wednesday (Day #4):
Wednesday was our last day in Ouray. We started the morning with one last swim in the pool, and then we packed our bags. We were sad to leave Ouray, but we were on the road once again. We had a five-hour drive to Woodland Park. The drive out of Ouray was not quite as magnificent as the drive in, but Steven had Toy Story on the TV and Grant slept so it was a pleasant day. It was neat to drive by some of the famous 14ers in Colorado (including Mt. Antero, Mt. Princeton, and Mt. Harvard).
We found a nice RV park in Woodland Park and Grant slept, Steven played in the dirt, Oma played Bejeweled on Facebook, and Matt, Opa, and I listed to the Rockies beat the Red Sox (yeah!).
Wednesday was our last day in Ouray. We started the morning with one last swim in the pool, and then we packed our bags. We were sad to leave Ouray, but we were on the road once again. We had a five-hour drive to Woodland Park. The drive out of Ouray was not quite as magnificent as the drive in, but Steven had Toy Story on the TV and Grant slept so it was a pleasant day. It was neat to drive by some of the famous 14ers in Colorado (including Mt. Antero, Mt. Princeton, and Mt. Harvard).
We found a nice RV park in Woodland Park and Grant slept, Steven played in the dirt, Oma played Bejeweled on Facebook, and Matt, Opa, and I listed to the Rockies beat the Red Sox (yeah!).
Thursday (Day #5):
Our last day of vacation was spent at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. We had to finish the trip with a visit to Steven's FAVORITE creatures! The center was pretty cool, especially because a large portion of the display was devoted to sea monsters (Can anyone else besides Steven name five of the prehistoric beasts of the sea? If you like dinosaurs, then you have to check out Sea Monsters. Steven saw the IMAX last winter and loved it!).
Our last day of vacation was spent at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. We had to finish the trip with a visit to Steven's FAVORITE creatures! The center was pretty cool, especially because a large portion of the display was devoted to sea monsters (Can anyone else besides Steven name five of the prehistoric beasts of the sea? If you like dinosaurs, then you have to check out Sea Monsters. Steven saw the IMAX last winter and loved it!).
Steven and Daddy pose next to the tylosaurus bones (one of Steven's favorite sea monsters).
Here is Steven and a dolichorhynchops (yes, he knows this name, too).
Steven reaches for a protostega.
After a fun five days, it was time to drive home. We were all very tired, but we had a blast visiting several cool places in Colorado. Steven had an amazing trip and he still asks me (almost every day) if we can go on vacation again. I tell him, "Next year." :)
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