The ABCs of Colorado (A-L)

We traveled to Colorado in July for an all family, all fun vacation.  Here is a recap ABC Style.  M through Z will be arriving soon.  In case you are wondering, there will be something for EVERY letter.

A is for

Aria

ARIA, ANDREW, and ADAM’S FALLS.

Aria is our sweet and fun loving niece.  It was so much fun to see her in action as a big sister and little cousin.

Andrew is Dan’s cousin.  We hadn’t seen him in years.  We missed seeing his wife, Thea, and oldest son, Danny, but it was so great to be able to catch up.

Adam's Falls

Playing in the creek at Adam's Falls

Adam’s Falls is just outside of Grand Lake.  We made two trips to play in the creek there.  The first trip was just a hike to see the falls.  There was no plan to get wet, but we did.  The kids dressed in swimsuits for the second trip, and though I didn't, I should have.  I slipped on one of the rocks and sat down pretty hard in the middle of the creek.  That water was COLD!  

B is for

BLACK BEAR and BINGO.

One evening, while Dan and I were out at the fire pit making s’mores and taking pictures of the scenery, I saw something moving through the neighbor’s driveway.  My mouth finally caught up with my mind after a few moments.  I was able to point and tell Dan that there was a bear.  “A bear!”  The bear walked through the yard and went down the hill.  We only saw him for about fifteen seconds, but it was amazing.  Unfortunately, it was nearly dark and the smoke from the fire clouded all of the pictures that Dan tried to take.  Later in the evening, we talked to the neighbor as she was walking home from the theater.  She was a little scared that the bear was using her driveway for a path, but she wasn’t surprised.  In the past she had a black bear sniff her while she was working in her garden.  She never noticed it.  Another neighbor told her about it later.  Apparently black bears aren’t interested in people; they are more interested in finding food in our trash.  We kept a watch out for the rest of the week, but we didn’t see it again. 

Bingo

There happened to be a Bingo game in the park on one of our first evenings in Grand Lake.  It was part of the local celebration that was going on.  We didn't win anything, but we had a good time anyway.

C is for

CHIPMUNKS AND MT. CRAIG

Eating an almond from Joe's Shoe

Chipmunks live all around the house that we stayed in.  I would guess that they know there is a baggie in the house full of almonds that is marked “chipmunk food.”  All four of us enjoyed sitting quietly on the patio and “planting” almonds in interesting places for the little cuties.  Some of them even climbed right up on us to get to the food.

Mt. Craig is locally known as Mt. Baldy.  We were mistakenly calling it Bald Mountain the whole time we were there.  Baldy is a major part of the landscape at Grand Lake.  We (Dan) took loads of pictures of it at all times of day in all states. 

D is for

Aunt Diane, Uncle Keith, Ender

DIANE.

Aunt Diane and Uncle Kieth are the reason we were able to take this trip.  Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home at Grand Lake with us and for hosting a wonderful lunch at your home in Boulder.  Reconnecting with family is truly a blessing.

E is for

ENDER, ELLIE, and ELK.

Joe and his little cousin

Early risers, Dan and Ender

Ender is our amazing little nephew.  He was born on June 10^th, so he was only a little over a month old when we visited.  It was already apparent that his disposition is very chill.  He rocked a life jacket on our boat ride that was about 20 sizes too big, and he never got upset.  He really loves to be held, and all four of us took advantage of that for the few days that we were together.

Ellie is Andrew’s second oldest.  She was a big hit with Lynn and Aria.  They played a great game of hide and seek at Diane and Keith’s in Boulder.

Elk in the Rocky Mountain Nat'l Forest

Elk were abundant on our many drives out and about in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.  We were so taken back by the beautiful scenery at one point  that we  nearly overlooked an entire herd. 

F is for

FIRE PIT, FISHING, and FOX.

The fire pit at the house in Grand Lake is a favorite for the whole family.  Who doesn’t love a campfire and all that goes with it? 

Joe and Dan have recently picked up an interest in fishing.  They went out several times and though they had little luck, they still had a great time hanging out together.  Lynn and I joined one excursion, and everyone decided that Lynn just isn’t a “sit and wait patiently” kind of gal.

Though we didn’t see the Black Bear come by again, we did see a fox in nearly the same place.  The neighbor’s drive way seemed to be a highway for forest friends in the area.

G is for

GRAND LAKE.

This location provided for one of the best and most relaxing family vacations our family has ever had.

H is for

HAIRCUT, HUMMINGBIRD, and HAIL.

Auntie Liz treated Lynn and Aria to a Curly Girl haircut at a salon in Denver.  Having someone cut Lynn's hair who knew what they were doing was a treat for me too.  I was so confident that her hair would turn out fine that I stopped watching and enjoyed snuggling my little Ender for most of the appointment.

The hummingbird feeder was a huge attraction at the mountain house.  We got to see so many of the little guys coming in for a snack.

 

We had one heck of a big hailstorm one afternoon.  Thankfully we were able to watch it from inside the garage.  The storm gave us a reason to head back to one of our favorite places in Grand Lake.  See “L” to find out where that is.

I is for

ICE CREAM.

There is a great little shop that has Kid’s Cones for $1.00.  We made a trip everyday.  Joe found a new liking for Cookie Dough Ice Cream, while Lynn stuck with her old favorite, Mint Chip. 

J is for

JON, JOANIE, and JAKE.

Jon and Aria chillin' on the pontoon

Jon is our awesome brother-in-law.  He always has a great board-game ready for us to play.  This trip we played a strategy game that involved super heroes and villains.  I don’t recall who won, but there were grown-up drinks and lots of laughing.

Jake, Joe, Ellie, Ender, Joanie, Lynn, Aria

Joanie and Jake are Andrew’s two youngest.  Jake and Joseph hit it off immediately, bonding over Minecraft, while Joanie was a hit with the two little girls.  She and Ellie were so patient with the girls.

K is for

KEITH.

Keith and Ender

Uncle Keith is the mastermind behind the fabulous home at Grand Lake.  He has such a kind, sweet soul.  We all just love Uncle Keith.

L is for

Lynn and Liz driving the pontoon

LIZ and LIBRARY.

Auntie Liz!  It was such a blessing to get to spend time and unwind with Liz and her awesome family.  She is such a fun loving mom and aunt.  

The Juniper Library of the Grand County Library system is the most relaxing and lovely place.  We were able to use Diane and Keith's library card to check out DVDs to watch in the evenings.  We read and did puzzles in the Children's Area and generally chilled out.  It was one of the few places in town to get a wi-fi connection so we actually avoided it for the first half of the week.  We knew if the kids found out that they could get on the net there, they wouldn't want to be anywhere else.  However, the weather was a factor on a couple of occasions.  There was heat one day and hail another.  We set a time limit for being on the i-pads and then we all settled in.  My favorite spot was a window seat that overlooked the gazebo in the town center.  There is just something about being surrounded by books and information and other people quietly enjoying them with you.  One of the bumper stickers given out by the library said it all: Came for the Peaks Stayed for the Library