We had a wonderful trip to Colorado for Spring Break. We left on Thursday after school...headed to North Platte, NE and spent the night there. Everyone was up early on Friday ready to head the last 4 hours to Estes Park, CO. It was an easy drive and fun to see the mountains from a distance and get closer and closer and closer to them.
We had some good friends recommend the YMCA of the Rockies to stay at. It was a wonderful spot we definitely have on the list to go back to someday. It was so affordable as well, of course it is off season which helped. The resort is on 360 acres and we had rented a "Vacation Home"...which ended up being a 3 bedroom cabin at the top of their property with amazing views. It was much larger than we expected and it was nice to have so much space, and the best part....a WOOD burning stone fireplace. Oh how I miss real wood fires. My favorite. The property had a huge gymnasium, a pool, an arts and crafts center, a mini golf course, a Livery, a library and so much more. The boys loved the gym at night to shoot hoops in, the pool was a hit, the Arts and Crafts center could have kept me occupied for days...and they loved the mini golf course as well.
Friday after we arrived some of the boys went golfing...while the rest of us unpacked and bought groceries in town. We got adjusted to the new altitude and drank a lot of water. We had dinner downtown at a local pizza spot and settled in.
Saturday morning everyone was up early. We decided to go explore Rocky Mountain National Park and went for a short hike to the Alluvial Fan, which is a waterfall. In the afternoon we had lunch at a local spot called Ed's Cantina downtown on Estes Park so we could watch the Buckeye game on the big screen, our Cabin's TV was about 17 inches which the boys thought a bit small. Then we headed back to the cabin for a nice fire and quiet. The boys did go to the range to hit golf balls in town.
Sunday we had planned on going to the Chapel on the grounds for church but then opted to do an early morning Horseback trail ride since the weather was supposed to get cold and blustery later that day. Tommy and Scott opted out of the horse trip and went and found delicious donuts for us all to share after the ride. It was a beautiful ride through the mountains. Max loved it and talked the entire hour non stop. He also had his own ride before on Cupcake the pony. That afternoon the Buckeyes played again and we decided to watch the game in the cabin with a roaring fire...some of us may have napped through most of the game. It was so nice just to be in the mountains with the amazing views and the fire. We made spaghetti and snuggled in.
Monday was our last full day in Estes. We opted for another, longer hike. The Park Ranger had told me about this hike to Gem Lake. He said it was little bit longer than our first hike but a beautiful one. Ummm it was a LOT longer than the first one and a LOT steeper. My legs may still be feeling the burn 5 days later. Max did great at the beginning and quickly wore out...of course he was also ready for a nap. Thankfully we had out Ergo Baby Carrier along that he still loves and so he snuggled and fell asleep on my chest while I hiked. The big boys and Scott made it to the top....Max and I did not. Once we got to the snow and rock climbing part, I turned around with him still asleep.
Tuesday we grabbed some yummy donuts and packed it up. Headed to Ft Collins to visit with some dear friends there. Some golfed that afternoon, some napped at home, and some shopped. It was a nice quiet day. We enjoyed catching up.
Wednesday morning we had breakfast at the famous "Snooze" restaurant...at recommendation from my friend Ginnie. It didn't disappoint. From there we headed home, 9 hours later...a few arguments, several snacks and a few naps later we were home.
It was a fun trip with great memories...
We had some good friends recommend the YMCA of the Rockies to stay at. It was a wonderful spot we definitely have on the list to go back to someday. It was so affordable as well, of course it is off season which helped. The resort is on 360 acres and we had rented a "Vacation Home"...which ended up being a 3 bedroom cabin at the top of their property with amazing views. It was much larger than we expected and it was nice to have so much space, and the best part....a WOOD burning stone fireplace. Oh how I miss real wood fires. My favorite. The property had a huge gymnasium, a pool, an arts and crafts center, a mini golf course, a Livery, a library and so much more. The boys loved the gym at night to shoot hoops in, the pool was a hit, the Arts and Crafts center could have kept me occupied for days...and they loved the mini golf course as well.
Friday after we arrived some of the boys went golfing...while the rest of us unpacked and bought groceries in town. We got adjusted to the new altitude and drank a lot of water. We had dinner downtown at a local pizza spot and settled in.
Saturday morning everyone was up early. We decided to go explore Rocky Mountain National Park and went for a short hike to the Alluvial Fan, which is a waterfall. In the afternoon we had lunch at a local spot called Ed's Cantina downtown on Estes Park so we could watch the Buckeye game on the big screen, our Cabin's TV was about 17 inches which the boys thought a bit small. Then we headed back to the cabin for a nice fire and quiet. The boys did go to the range to hit golf balls in town.
Sunday we had planned on going to the Chapel on the grounds for church but then opted to do an early morning Horseback trail ride since the weather was supposed to get cold and blustery later that day. Tommy and Scott opted out of the horse trip and went and found delicious donuts for us all to share after the ride. It was a beautiful ride through the mountains. Max loved it and talked the entire hour non stop. He also had his own ride before on Cupcake the pony. That afternoon the Buckeyes played again and we decided to watch the game in the cabin with a roaring fire...some of us may have napped through most of the game. It was so nice just to be in the mountains with the amazing views and the fire. We made spaghetti and snuggled in.
Monday was our last full day in Estes. We opted for another, longer hike. The Park Ranger had told me about this hike to Gem Lake. He said it was little bit longer than our first hike but a beautiful one. Ummm it was a LOT longer than the first one and a LOT steeper. My legs may still be feeling the burn 5 days later. Max did great at the beginning and quickly wore out...of course he was also ready for a nap. Thankfully we had out Ergo Baby Carrier along that he still loves and so he snuggled and fell asleep on my chest while I hiked. The big boys and Scott made it to the top....Max and I did not. Once we got to the snow and rock climbing part, I turned around with him still asleep.
Tuesday we grabbed some yummy donuts and packed it up. Headed to Ft Collins to visit with some dear friends there. Some golfed that afternoon, some napped at home, and some shopped. It was a nice quiet day. We enjoyed catching up.
Wednesday morning we had breakfast at the famous "Snooze" restaurant...at recommendation from my friend Ginnie. It didn't disappoint. From there we headed home, 9 hours later...a few arguments, several snacks and a few naps later we were home.
It was a fun trip with great memories...
Max taking photos off of Tommy's iphone :)
Hiking at the Alluvial Fan In Rocky Mt. National Park
Hitching a ride with Daddy...
Yes they climbed to the very top, this doesn't show how far away and how high they really are...
So blessed to be their Momma...so blessed
19 years of my life with this man, love him
Hiking back down...
The pony Cupcake...on the Minnie Mouse Trail
After the trail ride, Drew loved it.
Hiking again...of course the OHIO on the top
Asleep on the hike
Saying goodbye to our cabin...
The view from our porch
YMCA....or is it OHIO?
The view from the lodge....our last morning
Makes me homesick! Such beauty!
ReplyDeleteLove all the photos! Gem Lake is a tough hike--the last 1/4 mile kills! Love the alluvial fan--someday you'll have to drive up the road a bit and look at it from across the valley--very cool! So glad it was a great place for you! Now it's in your hearts!
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