The Colorado Kids

Nick, Kate, Liam and I just returned from a wonderful family vacation. We decided to try taking a trip together for no reason other than to spend time together and explore a new locale. No other family, no special events to attend - just a good ol' fashioned family trip. It truly was a "planes, trains and automobiles" trip - but I am happy to report it was fantastic and we had a great time.

A lot of people thought we were nuts taking a 4 year old and a 2 year old on such an Odyssey, but our theory was to get it out of the way, and get them used to it now. And they were wonder-kids. We flew to Denver at the crack of dawn and promptly climbed into a rent-a-car and drove 7 hours to Durango. There was not a peep of complaint from the kids and the time flew as we drove through endless varieties of scenery.

The first full day in Durango was a challenge. It poured rain, Liam suffered an asthma attack prompting a trip to Urgent Care, and as we were heading to the pharmacy to pick up his breathing meds, Kate puked all over the car. Lovely. We chalked all of it up to altitude adjustment, cleaned everyone up, settled in for a cozy rainy chilly family day in the condo and everyone got a great night's sleep. The bright side was all the icky stuff happened on a rainy day and the rest of the trip was spent truly in perfect weather and perfect health. My RA loved the cool dry air and the kids were so tuckered out at the end of each full, fun day that they crashed and Nick and I could relax on the couch with some wine and watch the GOP convention from afar - even though in real-time it was unfolding just blocks from our own house back in St. Paul.

We explored charming downtown Durango, traveled to Silverton, CO, took a Hum-V trip into the mountains, saw a cowboy show, rode a steam train, trekked to Mesa Verde, hiked beautiful trails, and so much more. At the end of the week we put our super kids back in the car for a long drive to Colorado Springs where we visited the Air Force Academy and the Garden of the Gods. I even got to connect with a Theta sister there for dinner. Then it was back to Denver for a flight home. Nick and I really were amazed at how easy it all was and how great the kids were. I guess we planned well, and that helps, but really the kids were angels. We awarded them gold medals for being the best vacationing kids ever. Below are many, many pics of our adventures. Enjoy! We sure did.