Day 4 - Taking on the Arkansas River

Today was a major adrenaline rush! I mean WOW!!!! We went white water rafting down the Arkanasas River and it was so EXTRAORDINARY! We found a great deal on line and booked the trip while we were still back home. We traveled with a company called Kokopelli and I would recommend them to anyone! It was only our raft, two guides (one was training) and kyaker. The river was extra high due to the snow melting and it was EXTREMELY cold. We booked an all day trip which included 16 miles on the river and lunch somewhere in between. It was a perfect day and just kept getting better and better. Here are the highlights from the trip:

1. Our guides names were Justin and Cha Cha. (Cha Cha was probably around 50)

2. It was only the 6 of us in the boat.

3. Scott and Harper road in the front of the raft the entire trip. They got smacked around quite a bit, but they were both quite amazing.

4. About half way the first part of the trip, Harper was incredibly cold (the water had to be around 50/55 degrees) Even though we were given both wet suits and jackets, the cold just seemed to pierce right through her body. It also didn't take much longer to do the same for TOrii. Both of them had to really fight through their discomfort and find ways to enjoy the ride. They did!!

5. The scenery was GORGEOUS!

6. I almost fell out of the boat twice. The second time I literally fell out of the boat backwards and Cha Cha came over and saved me. While I was falling backwards, Scott and slipped into Harper and almost took both of them out. I was crazy.

7. Lunch was great as we made sandwiches and thawed out in the sun. We also put on fleece jackets which made all the difference. We wore these the rest of the trip which made it even better.

8. The girls really pushed themselves and when push came to shove they both really loved it.

9. We actually rode through two class 4 rapids and survived!

10. We laughed A LOT.

After the trip was over, which took 2 hours less than usual because the river was flowing so heavily, we got in the car and headed towards Colorado Springs where we will spend the next 3 days. Harper fell asleep in the car, we saw a Coyote running along the side of the highway, and we enjoyed some beautiful scenery. Once we got back to the hotel, we sat in the hot tub for about 20 minutes and then came upstairs to watch a movie. We were exhausted to say the least.

(Sadly, I do not have very exciting picuters.)

Day 3- St. Mary's Glacier/ Breckenridge

Today was a great day as we traveled from Boulder to Breckenridge. We spent a great deal of time bonding together as a family and laughing a lot. It was so much fun. It was definitely a calmer day when compared to the others we have spent here, but it was still amazing.

As I have already said, this was a day of traveling. So here is what we saw or did along our way to Breckenridge:

1. We stopped off at Boulder Falls. This was a beautiful fall located just off of a main highway. WOW!!

2. Golden Gate State Park: Here we went to Inspiration Park, where we sat and just took in the beauty. We also found a great place to sit and have lunch by a quiet little pond where we watched a dad and his kids fish. (Once they left, Scott and the girls skipped rocks until we left.)

3. St. Mary's Glacier: This was my absolute favorite thing we did so far on the trip. St Mary's Glacier is located at 10,000 feet in the mountains. In order to get to it, you must first drive to up into the mountains and then climb 3/4 of a mile. Since this was a year of record breaking snow, this hike was once again done in snow. We were a little more prepared for this one. When we got to the top, we were blown away by what we found. Snow covered slopes, a glacier that was mostly frozen surrounded by trees that would only appear in a movie. We watched as people hiked in places around us and just took in the perfect views. We all hated to leave, but we knew that we must.

4. Finally we made our way to Breckenridge. This was a great skiing town, and has such a wonderful feel about it. We walked around the town, ate a great dinner, and then played a little ping pong together before we headed off to bed.

Tomorrow is WHITE WATER RAFTING!

Day 2- Boulder/Rocky Mountain National Park

Day 2 – Boulder/ Rocky Mountain National Park

Well, I have to say if I could ever plan THE perfect day, today would have to be it. I honestly do not think it could have been any better. It began with us getting up around 7:30 (9:30 Orlando time) and having a great breakfast at the hotel together. We then packed up the car and headed out towards the Rocky Mountain National Park through Estes Park. Unbelievable!

The trip really began when we stopped off at a panoramic overlook just outside of Estes Park. It was so beautiful and the views were breathtaking (I can say this about the entire day actually.) While we were there, we noticed a family feeding the chipmunks out of their hands. We had a great nut and berry mix so we grabbed it quickly and began feeding them ourselves. Torii and Harper really loved it. By the time we left they both were feeding them out of there hands while the chipmunks sat in their laps. It was sooooo cute. Later in the day, we found a sign that said we shouldn’t feed the wildlife. . . Oh well. We made some amazing memories. J

We then traveled into the town of Estes Park. Oh my goodness, HEAVEN!!!! We were heading out towards the park when Scott looked down at the golf course in the middle of the town and he noticed something VERY unusual. There was a large number of elk walking down the course. They were grazing in the fairways and enjoying the day. We got out of the car and went a small walk around the course and found many other elk in the nearby woods including some little babies. (On a side note, we also saw the hotel where the movie The Shining was filmed. It is suppose to be haunted.)

By the time we finally got into the park, it was almost 12:00. No worries, we were just going to live for the moment anyway. We went to this area that Scott had read about called Bear Lake and Alberta Falls. We didn’t know what to expect. The snow was just beginning to melt in the area we were and so the hiking trails were covered under snow. I mean buried. The lake itself was still frozen and the snow was a high as the trail markers. It was crazy, but we weren’t through yet. We then headed to the falls. It was a 1.2 hike to the falls and when there wasn’t snow, I am sure the hike is easy; however, the majority of the trail was under anywhere from 3-10 feet of packed snow. We had to take our time. AND we did. There was even a place where the snow was beginning to melt and there was a little creek in the middle of the path that we had to jump across. But let me tell you. . . It was worth it. I can’t even begin to try and describe the falls themselves because they truly took your breath away. People who were from the area told us that they didn’t usually look like this, but with the snow as high as it was for the season the falls were even more wonderful!! Once Scott and the girls could rip me away from the beauty, we headed back. It was so much fun. I will say that everyone fell at least once and Torii sat on her butt to slide down one area. I don’t think any of us will forget that moment.

When we were finally back at the car, we decided to have a quick lunch. We made peanut butter sandwiches and drank water. I am not kidding when I say those were the greatest sandwiches we have ever had!! I mean it really. Even though the bread dried out quickly in the dry air. They were great.

After the hike, we decided to go on a ride through Trail Bridge Rd. This was especially exciting because as of last week there were still 25 ft. snow drifts. 25 FEET! We couldn’t wait to see what this road would look like and where it would take us. Again, we saw things on this drive I have only seen on movies. We drove through parts of the road where those snow drifts were still as high. . .on both sides of the road. The mountains were still a beautiful white and the views were literally indescribable. I think we stopped at every pullover spot that was available and made up a few of our own along the way. We hope to see more snow soon.

The day ended with dinner and shopping in Estes Park. The girls bought souvenirs and we enjoyed a slow leisurely walk through the town. It was so much fun. With all the walking and fresh air, it si not surprise that we all slept very well.

Day One- Denver/ Boulder

Okay, let me first begin by saying that I am sorry I did not get this posted yesterday. It was a very long day and by the time we got back to the hotel, I had to go to bed right away. As a matter of fact, I was in bed before the girls. I was wiped!!!

So here we go. . .

We got up at 4:30 am. Yes! 4:30!!! Crazy! Our flight left Orlando at 7:10 and we needed plenty of time to park the car, get through security and whatever else may have arisen. Once we were on the plane it was smooth sailing. . . Literally. The girls played games and movies on their iphones, Scott slept, and I just enjoyed the ride. It was great. We actually arrived a few minutes ahead of time, so who could actually ask for more. Once at the big top airport, we got our luggage, picked out our car, and headed on to our first adventure. It was quite smoggy in Denver, so it was difficult to see the mountains. Both of the girls were disappointed because they were expecting instant beauty. We had to explain that they would see it soon, and we were right.

We decided to go to the Colorado Welcome center first. It was only 9:00 am in Denver when we arrived so we had to kill a little time. Besides, Scott had found a deal on line that let us get free hats if we took a certain form to the center. . .We love Free. The greatest part about this little "Trip" was that the closest Welcome Center happened to be in the Red Rocks. I mean right next to the ampitheater. It was AWESOME!! Immediately the girls perked up because not only did we get to drive a little ways into the moutains, but they got to see the Red Rocks. WoW!! After a little hiking around the grounds, we weren't dressed for a lot of hiking this day, and getting our hats,we were off to our next destination, CASA BONITA!!! Yay!!!!

I LOVE CASA BONITA! It is so cheesey and silly. . .BUT, living in Denver as a small child, it was my favorite place in the entire world. It is like Chuck E Cheese's, but it serves Mexican food including the greatest sopaipillasyou have ever had, and it has cliff divers. That's right. They perform right in the middle of your meal. It is crazy fun. We took the girls here when we came to Wyoming and we all agreed we had to go back. I am pleased to say it has not changed. NOT AT ALL!!! We ate our share of sopaipillas, went into Black Bart's Cave, watched 4 cliff divers shows, and moved on. The girls were great sports and pretended like they enjoyed themselves. I appreciated their efforts. :)

Boulder, Colorado was our final destination of the day. We first went to our hotel, decided we didn't like said hotel, and then booked a better hotel closer to Estes Park. It was great. We checked in, and they headed over to the Celestial Tea factory. Harper and I love tea, so Scott thought we would love this tour and he was right. While we were waiting for the tour to begin, we had the opportunity to try any of their teas. I think by the time we left Harper had tried close to all of them. It was funny. Torii on the other hand is not a big fan, so she just hung out and walked through the gift shop. The tour, itself, was great. It was quite interesting and we really learned a lot. I think all four of us would agree about that.

After we had drank enough tea to last us a lifetime, we decided to go out and look for Mork and Mindy's house in downtown Boulder. This was a lot of fun because we got to go through the housing area of the this spectacular town. We saw some wonderful places, and I let Scott know that if he would like to move to Boulder, I would be glad to live just about anywhere. We did end up finding the house. It was beautiful. At first Torii and Harper thought it was weird that we wanted to take pictures, but eventually they thought it was pretty cool. (We had shown them a couple of episodes on line, so they knew what we were talking about.)

Finally we went out for dinner at a local micro-brew place, went grocery shopping for lunch stuff, and then went back to the hotel to crash. It was great. It was a great way to start the vacation and we couldn't wait for Tuesday to come around.

Now, I would love to tell you about today, but Scott is falling asleep on the couch and it is really late. So, I will have to tell you about today. . .tomorrow. :)