Mesa Verde

The day after the Continental Divide and Purgatory adventures, the Dad's drove up to Durango to meet the rest of us for breakfast and then we all headed to Mesa Verde for the day.
We had a great time and the kids were the perfect age for their first visit to a National Park. We made the short hike to Spruce Tree House (we let the guys off easy ;)) and the kids all completed their Junior Ranger requirements and got their badges.

The Continental Divide Hike

While the Moms and kids were whooping it up in Durango and staying in a plush two bedroom condo, the Dads were on an 18 mile (yes, that is EIGHTEEN) hike to the Continental Divide. They hiked up AND BACK in one day! This was a 14 hour hike for the guys.
They were some tired, happy, sore, jubilant hikers!
Ken's calorimeter on his watch said that he burned 7,200 calories that day.
The only picture they didn't get, that I would have loved was the one when they got home where they sat in the mountain fed stream drinking their beers. ;)
These pictures were taken with Joseph's Green Bean.

Durango!

On Wednesday, we met our friends, Heather, Nick and Emma in Durango where they spend their summers. We had a great time at the Ski Resort formerly known as Purgatory. ;) We got 1/2 day passes to play on the Alpine Slide, Bungee Trampoline, Mechanical Bull and Rock Wall. I was absolutely floored that my kids tried ALL of those things!

This is Joseph and Nick at the top of the Alpine Slide waiting for their turn. Joseph on the Rock Wall. I was so proud of him! That was a LOT of work for him.

Caroline on the Bungee Trampoline.

Libby riding on the ski lift up to the Alpine Slide.

Libby's turn on the Bungee Trampoline.

Libby on the Mechanical Bull.

Caroline takes a turn with the Bull.

Cowboy Joe has a go!

Holly, the kids and I stayed the night at the resort. We got an INCREDIBLE deal by standing at the front desk and debating whether we wanted to stay there or go back to town. ;) We got a $700 a night 2 bedroom condo for $160...including tax! :D This was our view from our window. I can't imagine how gorgeous it would be during ski season.

More from the Hike

Hike to Opal Lake

On Tuesday, the Dalton and Davis Families headed out for a hike to Opal Lake. This was a 2 mile hike up to a beautiful mountain lake, through pine forests, Aspen forests and meadows.

July 4 in Colorado

The Fourth of July brought us adventures at our mountain hideaway. We explored the forest and riverbottom near the cabin, saw the first of many beautiful wildflowers, made Forest Fairies and Fairy homes and played games.

Colorado!

What a great trip! We got home last night after a long car ride, but everyone did great and we made it! :D In case you ever wondered, you can get from Santa Fe to McKinney with three children and a husband in just under 14 hours.
I am going to add posts with pictures a little at a time so that this doesn't turn into a War and Peace post.

We left early on Thursday, July 2 for our adventure. Ken drove Holly's Expedition, loaded to the roof with two families' worth of stuff and two boys. The girls (Holly, myself, Libby, Caroline and Audrey) were all in the mini-van following behind.
The girls spent most of the trip reading, listening to audiobooks and watching movies on their individual dvd players. The first day, we drove to Albuquerque which was also a very long drive. Holly's husband flew in late in the afternoon and arrived at the hotel within 5 minutes of our little caravan.
After dinner, a swim and a good nights sleep, we were off to Pagosa Springs. We made a quick stop in Chama to pick up some groceries that wouldn't have made the long drive the day before and then the rest of the way into the basin below Pagosa Springs where the cabin is located.