Today we headed in different directions – Mari went to a garden in Denver with Mar-Mar and B-Bob, Susan, Elliot, and Andrew hung out in Boulder with Jill, Holly, Elsie, and Henry, and I, Rob, went for a day-hike with Will and Alex.
Today we headed back into RMNP to explore more of the park. We made our way to the Alluvial Fan where we enjoyed climbing up the river bed. After that we ate lunch and then went for a short hike for a different view. We ate dinner in Estes Park and then drove back up to Bear Lake.
Today was Susan’s graduation from the Lifeways program that she has been participating in for the past year. The kids and I headed to Boulder in the morning for a beautiful ceremony and a nice lunch. After the ceremony we headed back to Monika & Paul’s so Susan could collect her things (and eat one last helping of milk rice). Then we headed back up the hill to Nederland.
With ‘The Hylands’ (what we will call the Cincinnatians from now on) being new in town we decided to start off the trip with a simple hike and then running some errands in Boulder. We had a nice hike the Chautauqua Park and then we split ways with the Hylands. The kids and I went swimming at a city pool in Boulder and then met Susan to go to a pot-luck with her Lifeways crew. It was a great evening and the kids had a lot of fun.
We were up early this morning, got the campsite packed up, and hit the road. We stopped in nearby Alamosa to have our car looked at. The mechanic said that our radiator had a leak and we should dry Barr’s Stop Leak to see if we could plug it. We got the Barr’s in and started driving. We lost a little more fluid on the drive to Nederland, but all-in-all we did OK. We were thrilled when we made it to the house.
We arrived just after dinner time, got the car unloaded, and then waiting for Mar-Mar & B-Bob, Jill, Will, Elsie, Holly, Alex & Henry. The kids were excited to see their cousins.
Andrew put together this summary of our trip to the Sand Dunes.
After a long day at the dunes yesterday, we were ready for some downtime today. We spent the morning attending ranger programs at the dunes so the kids could finish their Junior Ranger requirements. After that we grabbed lunch and then headed for a hike to Zapata Falls. It was a long drive up-hill to a short hike. I think the bumpy, gravel road took its toll on our car because by the time we got to the top our radiator was leaking. We had a good time hiking to the falls, though the water was very cold and I had to shuttle the kids around the creek to get them in.
After the falls we headed to the Sand Dunes Pool, which is nearby and is fed with water from a hot spring. The water was really warm and the kids had a great time. The pool was nice and big and by the end of the day we had almost the whole thing to ourselves.
Today the kids and I went to the Great Sand Dunes and had a lot of fun.
Today the kids and I hit the road, headed for the Great Sand Dunes. It was a fun drive through the mountains. I was hoping to find somewhere just north of the Sand Dunes where we could camp, but I came up empty and we ended up camping just outside the park, at the Oasis Campground. It turned out to be a great place to camp, though the winds where playing games with our tent the first two nights.
We had some very nice neighbors who invited us over for s’mores shortly after we got our tent set up. It was a good day to end what had been a long day.
Today Paul, Johannes, and Georg led the kids and I on a hike in RMNP. It took us a little while to get to our destination, but it was worth it. We all enjoyed the hike from Bear Lake past Nymph Lake to Dream Lake. We ended up finding a nice spot near Dream Lake where we could eat lunch and the kids could play in the lake and on the snow.
We began the day with a hike up Mt. Sanitas. It was a great way to start the trip. In the afternoon we went grocery shopping a huge Whole Foods store and then Johannes took us to the local bike park, a park full of different courses for cyclists of all levels.
Today we drove from Des Moines to Boulder, CO. It took us about 11 hours. It was great to get to Boulder in time to get out for an evening walk.
