Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Trip to Colorado -- 2012 (with photos)


We had an amazing two week vacation in Colorado and other surrounding states. If you'd like to read more about the details, check out the next post. Otherwise, here is a summary of what we did.


Tuesday - June 19, 2012

    • We left for Colorado in our rented Ford Escape

    • Drove through Iowa  

    • Stayed the night in Bellevue, NE (near Omaha) 

Wednesday - June 20, 2012
  • Kearney, NE -- The Great Platte River Road Archway Museum
      • The museum
      Human Maze 
      Caleb's Punch Card
      Watching & Feeding Fish
      Explored the earth dwelling
  •  Welcome to Colorado!
    • Getting closer to our destination
  • Arrived in Keenesburg, CO (5,000 ft) -- Paul & Paula's house

Thursday - June 21, 2012
  • Lafayette, CO -- at the WOW! Museum
    • Caleb & Sonya using the pulley's
    Bankers
    Dressing up as big cats -- grrr...
     
     
  • Back at the house
    • Swimming
    The twins with Caleb

Friday - June 22, 2012
  • Headed for Colorado Springs
  • Air Force Academy (7,200 ft in elevation)
    • Air Force Academy nestled in the mountains
    Family photo at the Air Force Academy chapel
     
  • Focus on the Family Welcome Center
    • Playing in the airplane
  • Garden of the Gods
    • We're stuck!
    Posing with the kids
    So Beautiful

Saturday - June 23, 2012
  • More Garden of the Gods
    • Love Caleb's gangster pose
    Balanced Rock
     
  • Cripple Creek, CO (9,700 ft)
    • Visitor's Center
      • A view of Cripple Creek from the Visitor's Center
    • Museum to see family friend, Betty
      • Posing with Betty
    • Donkey Derby Days
      • The donkeys!
  • Phantom Canyon Road
    • Bridge
  • Canyon City, CO -- Train ride through Royal Gorge
    • Looking out from the train window
    The gorge
    Our train

Sunday - June 24, 2012
  • Skyline Drive 
    • Don't look down!
  • Monarch Pass
    • Only at an elevation of 11,312 feet
  • Curecanti National Recreation area and Blue Mesa Lake 
    • Swimming in Blue Mesa Lake
    The Gunnison River

  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Forest
    • Looking down at the river below
    Spectacular view
    Taking a rest
    Painted Rock
    Down in the canyon
    A beautiful day ending with a beautiful sunset 
      
  • Stayed the night in Montrose, CO

Monday - June 25, 2012
  • More Curecanti and  Black Canyons
    • Gunnison River
    Coal mining town
  • Crawford, CO for lunch
  • Arrived in Eagle, CO -- (Sue & Markian's house)

Tuesday - June 26, 2012
  • Hanging Lake & Spouting Rock
    • While hiking up to Hanging Lake
    Hanging Lake
    Butterflies
    Posing by Spouting Rock
     
  • Swimming at local pool in Eagle
    • Silly kids in goggles

Wednesday - June 27, 2012
  • Rafting on Colorado River -- waded in Hot Springs
  • Karlina's track meet
    • Staying cool

Thursday - June 28, 2012
  • Onward in our journey
    • Marika and Karlina with Sonya and Caleb
  • Walking Mountain Science Center
  • Rocky Mountain National Park
    • Onahu Trail Head - saw moose
      • Isn't he cute?
    • Hiked Coyote Valley trail
      • Rain clouds moving in
    • Lake Irene - saw mama moose and her calf
      • Grazing & Playing
      Running around
      So sweet!
       

      Mama
      Baby

      Lake Irene
    • Milner Pass - saw bighorn sheep
      • Bighorn sheep at the top of the mountain
      Milner Pass (10,759 ft in elevation)
    • Alpine Visitor's Center (12,180 ft) - saw elk and snow field
      • The mountains
      Elk lying in the field -- way off in the distance
      Mountain Bluebells
      Standing on the field of snow
  • Arrived in Estes Park, CO -- (Julie's place)
    • Streamside Cabins


Friday - June, 29, 2012
  • Rocky Mountain National Park again
    • Shuttle from Moraine Park to Glacier Gorge Trail Head
    • Hiked to Alberta Falls
      • Hiking
      Alberta Falls
    • Hiked to Bear Lake
      • Bear Lake
    • Alluvial Fan 
      • The Alluvial Fan
  • Swimming
  • Drove through Estes for a quick tour through town
    • Stanley Hotel -- where they filmed 'The Shining'

Saturday - June 30, 2012
  • Wyoming -- stopped at the Oregon Trail Wagon Rut park
    • The ruts carved into rock
  • Saw fires outside Edgemont, SD
    • Arriving to South Dakota
    Smoke from the fire
  • Black Hills National Forest - saw buffalo, turkeys, pronghorn, deer, & prairie dogs
    • Wind Cave National Park
      • Beautiful bridge
      Buffalo near the road
      Pronghorn along the side of the road
       
    • Custer State Park & Needle Highway
      • Cathedral Spires
      The famous "needle" of Needle Highway
  • Mount Rushmore
    • The monument
    Mom & the kids
    Dad & the kids
    Just the presidents and the sunset

     
Sunday - July 1, 2012
  • Wall Drug in Wall, SD
    • A neat place to visit
    Watching the gorilla play the piano
    Giddy up!
    Beware of the T-Rex's feeding time
     
  • Visited friends in Kadoka, SD
    • Posing with baby Jack
  • Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD
    • Corn Palace
    Everything made of corn, husks, and grasses
    Posing with the giant corn dude

  • Spent the night in Sioux Falls

Monday - July 2, 2012
  • Homeward bound!
  • Spam Museum in Austin, TX
    • That's right -- the Spam Museum
    Posing with Spammy
     
  • slept in our own beds :-)
________________________________________________________

We were so blessed to be able to go on the trip and see many of God's wonderfully made creations. Thank you for all the prayers while we were out there. We managed to just miss a few of the big fires out there. I can only think that God was involved with our plans.

-- For more photos, feel free to browse the Facebook links below --
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