We took the kids on a family vacation this weekend to Colorado. Our family packs our van pretty tightly now, especially with camping gear and car seats. It's hard to travel with so many bodies cramped in such small quarters for so long. These smiling faces weren't smiling all the time, that's for sure. A DVD player in the minivan is one of the best inventions ever!! LOL. But regardless of the rough times in getting there, all of us were excited to go someplace new...
When we arrived on Thursday, we set up camp and went to grab a bite to eat for dinner. We lucked upon a fun outdoor concert in a park with several varieties of food trucks. We tried a few different amazing menus and annoyed the scenery. The kids had fun running around on free bounce houses and playground equipment and stretching their legs. Even in our best efforts to keep tabs on all five kids going in all different directions, Isaac got lost. A nice couple found him and took him to the front of the venue to find out who he belonged to! Agh! We turned our heads for just a second and he was gone! I was so worried. Luckily I didn't have to worry long.
Ouray is a beautiful little town surrounded with amazing mountains. It has a cute old-town feel and is very relaxed. We camped the whole time and I never felt out of place looking slightly ragged, dirty and smelly. It was nice to not have to worry about hair and make-up for a few days! We fit right in, everyone else looked the same!
On Friday morning, we started the day at baby bathtub falls. It was a short hike...perfect for our young group. It provided great grounds for exploring. The trail head for this hike wasn't far from our campsite and Jackson said he wanted to walk on his own, so I said we would meet up with him there. BUT When we started to drive there, after getting the rest of the family packed up, Eli said Jackson went the opposite direction from where we thought he had gone. It was a frantic moment-- thinking we had lost him in some trail system and had no idea where he went! Turns out, he went exactly where he was supposed to go, he was headed in the right direction. We just had a little will goose chase thrown in the morning adventure.
After baby bathtub falls we went to a much larger waterfall hike in Box Canyon. This waterfall was amazing. It powered the whole city of Ouray. The waterfall was interesting because it started at the top like a normal waterfall, then it disappeared behind rocks for a while and then became exposed again at the bottom. It was a nice cool reprieve from the sun. The water was loud, and Calvin liked to walk around with his ears covered. It was another short hike, but it wasn't all on earth trail. It had parts that were on railings next to canyon walls with short head-space.
The last part of that day was spent at the hot springs. Famous in Ouray. Jackson passed the deep water swim test so that he could venture into areas restricted to age 13 and up. He's becoming a great swimmer. There was a floating water obstacle course that he and Brian had a ton of fun on. Floats and slides were also big entertainers. Our kids loved the slides until the lifeguards checked their heights and said they were too short to use them, it broke our kids' hearts not to ride them anymore. They were so bummed. We brought diving toys and stuck with that for a while. They didn't want to leave.
We topped the night off with a campfire and s'mores!
On Saturday, we took a trip to Silverton. It was an amazing drive through the canyon. The mountains were so majestic and beautiful!
The kids loved going on an old gold mine tour. They got to pan for treasures, Zoey found copper and Eli found crystal! They each got a bottle of some kind of metal or another. Isaac was not fond of the mine tour, it was cold, dark, wet and loud. I stuck with him in the mine cart and fed him crackers... we've learned our lesson for next time that the whole family doesn't have to be involved if it doesn't appeal to all ages :)
After the mine tour we did a short hike around our camp and finished the day back at the hot springs and played games at camp. The hot springs have one of the best views in town! The kids were always so hungry after our busy days that dinnertime was a complete gorge fest of food. We pounded burgers and fries that night!
The next morning we drove home. Tired and happy. It was fun to meet up with Ryan and Annie and spend time with them in Colorado. i hope our kids have good memories of it!
We may visit again, but vacations with the whole family are really hard right now. It's fun to get away and see new things, and I think the kids enjoyed it, but it is so hard to pack, listen to the fighting, and deal with the lack of sleep on all ends. It might be a few years before w e do something again :) Isaac is just really hard to travel with right now. He is a screamer and has a large set of lungs.
Happy Father's Day to Brian who drove us all the way home :) He's the best!
A few moments of peace....
