July 08 Colorado Trip
Thursday, July 3rd:
4:00 p.m. arrives at airport. Kids excited to go on the airplane. Watching them all pressed up to the glass watching the bags get loaded on the plane etc. brought back a lot of memories of time at the airport when I was a kid. Sense Doug was only here for the first weekend, we went to Dorothy’s for dinner.
Friday, July 4th
4:00 Pot Luck at my parents with Moss’s and Crosby’s. Good to see everyone. Fireworks at Kent (and Rob’s) new place, he is still doing his artwork which I think is neat.
Saturday July 5th
Day with kids and Dorthy. Talked, watched “Pride and Prejudice”, hot tub and wading pool in the front yard, Laura and Diana, Cameron and Brooke, lots of cousins running around. Doug went on a drive along with Greg – they pulled over a bunch of old ladies!
Sunday July 6th
Church with Greg and Katie. Doug leaves for Canada.
Monday July 7th
IDAHO SPRINGS
9:30 a.m. Bring picnic lunch and Meet at Ranger Station off I-70 on way up Mt Evans Road. Went on a little hike behind ranger station while waiting for Angie and Seth. Little Autumn, James and Heather hiked most of it on their own!
we went fishing and caught 11 rainbow trouts!! Heather caught the largest fish and the most fish, James caught a few too. Autumn threw her pole into the lake :) We did not have any of the guys with us, Angie and I gutted our first fish. Poor little fish, Heather crying about killing them. I did not feel too good about it either.
Went for a picnic and short hike up Chicago Creek (Camp Ground/picnic area) started raining / hail on the way back. Angie was prepared with a bunch of umbrellas. Really pretty spot.
Tuesday, July 8TH
BEAR CREEK, Heather went on her first real horse ride with Nammy, out on a trail over streams up mountains etc… James Autumn and I went on a little pony ride. The guys came up for dinner / smores over a camp fire, then camping in a yurt over night. There were howling coyotes and bats flying around. Kids had a fun time.
Wednesday, July 9th
Pack up camping stuff, went for paddle boat ride and played at beach at the lake.
We went to Tiny Town. They really had it fixed up nice, kids had a blast.
Thursday, July 10
HERITAGE SQUARE RIDES AND PICNIC
http://www.heritagesquare.info
Nice little park, no lines. James was able to ride bumper cars – first time ever. They let him in even though he was a little too young. He had some trouble, but had fun. Heather did the go-cart track. Poor little Seth, just half an inch too short to drive by himself so Angie went with him. I was a little worried about Heather going by herself, but she did great! We rode the little train, pic nic lunch.
Friday, July 11th
Angie took the kids to Butterfly Pavilion so I could go on a hike with mom and dad. Tried for James peak, ended up on Perry peak? A ridge with a couple of peaks. 13,000 ish, 2,500 gain hike. No trail, tried to pick out the best way up, pretty steep. It was peak season for the flowers. Little miniature tundra flowers everywhere, trying not to step on them. Got shoes wet crossing bottom of lake, hiked barefoot for a while to let shoes dry, the moss soft underfoot. Went bouldering, and slid down a glacier on way back. It felt so good to be in the mountains. Stopped in Idaho Springs for beauJo’s Pizza on the way back.
Saturday, July 12
Morning - CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OFF I-25; MIGHTY MACHINES on the Plaza with Katie and kids. Outside stuff – had a spot to paint a car. Before we had been there 5 minutes Autumn grabbed a paintbrush and got James full across the face / hair with dark green paint. Lots of kids.
AFTERNOON: Heritage Square Music Hall - Snow White & 7 Dwarfs (interactive/1 hour)
(We have seats in center aisle, 5th row) kids got faces painted, everyone really into the play. Afterwards, James came up to the wicked stepmother, shook his finger at her, and told her to “be good!” He was really serious and worried about the whole thing. Autumn was staring down the dwarfs, she seemed very suspicious of them.
EVENING: Arvada Center; 6:30 seating on lawn for Bluegrass music / Baxter Black, cowboy poet & large animal vet. We are taking a picnic lunch. They had a motorcycle display inside. Nice night under the stars.
Sunday, July 13th
Church with Dorothy at our old ward, nice to see some old faces. Then back home again! Mom and Dad went in airport with me, had a little time, went to TCBY, they got the kids crayons / toys for the plane, walked us up to security, then I was on my own (no Doug this time). Flight delayed from 6:30 to a little after midnight. We ate dinner at airport, then I got kids to sleep on the ground at the terminal. Everyone at the gate taking pity on me with all the little kids, they kept quiet for us so kids could sleep. One guy stole his 14yo sleeping son’s stuffed rabbit and gave it to Autumn. I asked “Do you think he will need it when he wakes up? Dad said his son was too old for it. We offered it back to the son after he woke up, but he said we could have it. Poor Doug, told him to get to sleep early around 6:30 when found out flight was delayed, don’t know how much he slept. He picked us up around 3:30 AM, then went to work.
