Western Vacation Recap:: Day Seven

On Day Seven, we had to say good-bye to Granny's house, our friends, and beautiful Colorado.  From here were were going to make the six hour drive north to the great state of South Dakota!  We were all excited to make the trip because none of us had ever been to So Dak (a nickname dubbed by my good friend Maria). 

With our van packed up and ready to go, we came in to say our good-byes. 

Thank you, Helen for allowing us to stay in your home, for making us breakfast and dinner each day, and for your wonderful hospitality.  We love you!

The Reutlingers and The Galloways

L to R: Parker, Reed, Eli, Nikki, Marlee, Leah, Me, Lucas, Mike and Hannah

By ten o'clock we were on the road again, and within an hour we had crossed the state line into Wyoming.  We drove through the capital of Cheyenne and then proceeded up the east side of the state for a few hours.  Near the border of South Dakota, we stopped at a rest stop that appeared like a mirage out of the flat, sparsely populated plains.  It was a nice place to stretch our legs and play a bit. 

Playing in the "middle of nowhere"

Sweet pic of Hannah and Lucas

We crossed into South Dakota and the flat plains soon turned into the rolling Black Hills covered in Evergreens.  What a lovely change of scenery it was!  I would compare the area to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.  After another hour or so, we stopped in the town of Custer, South Dakota for dinner.  Afterwards we walked the streets of the quaint, old town.  Finally, another hour later, we arrived at our destination-- Mount Rushmore.  The sun was just beginning its descent, so we pulled in and decided to take a few pictures.

So amazing to look at!

The purple evening haze enveloped us, the air was cool, and drops of rain fell on us as we gazed up at the four presidents.  Lucas was glad to be out of the car and we all took a deep breath, wishing my mom could be with us in that magic moment. 

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Six

Our last full day in Colorado was truly spectacular.  We had been itching to really get up into the mountains, so we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Our first stop was to hike around Bear Lake.  The 3 mile trail around the lake was so beautiful, and it was not too difficult for the little ones to keep up.  The lake was clear and calm, like glass, and was surrounded by the gorgeous Rocky Mountains.  We spotted chipmunks, birds, fish, and a mother duck with seven babies!  The weather was gorgeous-- even chilly in the shady spots, and the air felt crisp and clean. 

After our hike, we found a picnic area to eat the lunch we had packed earlier that morning.  And we followed that up with an incredibly scenic drive up to the Alpine Visitors Center.  We slowly drove up mountain roads that curved and twisted and turned.  The views out our van windows got more spectacular with each turn and soon we were over 11,000 feet above sea level!  We stopped at the visitor's center which felt like being at the top of the world.  The temperature was 50 degrees and the kids went to play in the snow.  I was really glad I had packed a jacket!  The kids returned pink-cheeked and cold, so we sat and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate.  What a drastic change from the 100 plus temperatures we had been having back in Oklahoma!  I think our day at Rocky Mountain National Park was my favorite day in Colorado.  I much prefer the grandness of nature to the shiny tourist-trappings of theme parks. 

So beautiful....my photos just don't do it justice.

Me and a sleepy Lucas.  We had to wake him up from a nap to go inside the visitor's center.  Poor  little guy.

Me, Lucas, Hannah and Papa

Once again, I was so glad I had packed jackets!

After a full day outside spent hiking, walking and admiring the Rockies, we went home to do a few loads of laundry and repack our gear so we could hit the road and head to South Dakota the next day.  Get ready for more adventure on the open road!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Five

We woke up on day five, ate a hearty breakfast, and headed out to Nikki's family's farmland about half an hour away.  There is a large pond on the property as well as a canoe, so we took turns going out on the water.  It was peaceful and serene, but hot!  We spent some time exploring, throwing rocks into the river, and riding four wheelers.  After lunch, we changed into our bathing suits and headed to the Loveland swim beach.  My poor, deprived children have never, ever been to an ocean!  And although this is a far cry from the Pacific, my kids have always wanted to play in the sand.  So this thrilled them beyond words.  They played, and swam and played until the swim beach closed for the evening. 

Behold!  Lake Loveland!

Checking out the water

I think I like it here!

Playing in the sand

Official beach baby

Hannah striking a pose

Determined to pack as much fun as we could into the day, we left the lake after the swim beach closed and headed to a nearby spray ground and park.  The kids spent another good hour just running around, climbing, swinging and laughing.  We were all pretty beat by the end of the day, so it was an early bedtime for everyone since we had one more day in Colorado to live it up!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Four

Day Four of our trip started off with a drive to Estes Park.  Only 20 minutes away from Loveland, the drive was very scenic.  With each curve of the road the majestic Rockies boldly towered over us while a bubbling river whispered down below.  We were in awe of nature's beauty!  Once we arrived, we decided to go horseback riding.  It was busy at Sombrero Stables, so we had to wait and keep the kids entertained over an hour. While we were waiting, we asked the kids to say what name they hoped their horse would have.  Hannah hoped for Sugarfoot, Leah wanted Butterscotch, and Parker wanted Brownie.  Then Eli decided that we wanted a horse named, "Science! It's Everywhere!" We all got a good laugh out of that one!
Eventually there were enough horses for our group, and we saddled up.  And no, no horse was named Science!  It's Everywhere!  Instead we had  names like Mikey, Cherokee, Quarter, Gretchen, Lucy, Sarge and Black Bob. We headed up into the mountains, and the view was simply amazing-- snow capped mountains, distant lakes, and clear blue skies.  Lucas was so excited to ride a "neigh", but after waiting so long to ride, he fell asleep within five minutes after being on the horse.  Mike had to hold the reigns and deal with a sleeping two year old.  He eventually woke up and was quite surpried and pleased to find himself riding on a horse! 

A beautiful Estes Park view

After our horseback riding experience, we needed to eat some lunch and let our behinds rest a bit!  So we grabbed some food and found a picnic table near a river.  There was a playground nearby so the kids played while we sat and enjoyed the beauty of the area. 

Leah near the river

We decided to do a driving tour of downtown Estes after lunch.  I loved all the little shops and candy stores.  If I didn't have three kids to drag around, I could have done some serious shopping.  We even drove by the Stanley Hotel-- site of the infamous Jack Nicholson movie, The Shining.  "All work and no play make Jack a very dull boy!"

The Stanley

Redrum! Redrum!

Once we arrived back at Granny's house, we all took a nap, then showered and got ready to celebrate Nikki's birthday!  It was a crazy birthday week for our group!  Nikki's Granny treated our entire group to dinner at the amazing Cinzetti's Italian Market in Denver.  It was an all you can eat, Italian food buffet filled with amazingly fresh, delicious food.  I think I made five trips back and forth between the pasta, fresh salads, pizza, crepes, and desserts.  We were so stuffed!  We got back, put the kids to bed, and sat around talking late into the night.  A perfect end to a full day.

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Three/ Lucas Turns Two!

Day Three started off with a trip to the Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland, Colorado.  It was nice to be outside in temperatures under 100 degrees (It was 112 here in Oklahoma City today FYI! Blech!).  Loveland is a sculpture town with many beautiful designs gracing street corners, businesses, and parks.  Benson Sculpture Garden was not only beautifully landscaped with brightly colored flowers, ponds and walkways, but with dozens of fun sculptures as well.  We stopped to inspect just about all of them, and our kids really enjoyed checking them out too!

Checking out a very tall giraffe sculpture

Group shot with the bear sculpture

Leah carefully inspecting nature

Hannah and Papa

Inspired by all the sculptures, we started creating human sculptures of our very own.

 I call this one, "Girls Playing With Flowers"

While this has the more dramatic title,"Pensive Gaze While Clinging to Brick Column"

Afterwards, we went to another local park to enjoy a small train ride.  Lucas was thrilled to get on a "choo choo" and we couldn't beat the 50 cent ticket price either!  Then the rest of the day was devoted to this little boy.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCAS!

We celebrated our boy's second birthday with a swimming party, cookout, cake, and presents.  Just the sort party this laid-back sweet boy deserved.  I am so grateful for him-- his smile, his gentle manner, his funny little laugh.  He is growing into an active, yet thoughtful little guy.  I can't imagine our lives without him!

 His Soccer Ball cake.  We couldn't find black icing, so green had to do.  Lucas didn't mind.

 Make a wish!

 The cake was yummy!

We love you Lukey Boy!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day Two

Day Two started off with the large open spaces of West Texas and ended in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  After breakfast we loaded up in our rockin mini-vans and within a few hours the landscape started to change.  Little hills popped up at first, then they grew bigger and bigger.  The girls kept exclaiming, "Look at that mountain!"  It was impressive to us Okies who are in the middle of the flatlands.

Our first stop was Colorado Springs.  We arrived just as a storm passed through bringing with it wind, rain, lightning, and much cooler temperatures. Watching the clouds churn and boil over the mountains was quite a sight.  We rolled down our windows (before the rain became too heavy) and breathed in the clean scent.  After a drive through the quaint downtown Colorado Springs area, the storm subsided and we headed up to explore the Garden of the Gods.

The storm rolling in

Driving through the amazing rock outcroppings.

Stopping to photograph a passing deer who ended up crossing the street right in front of us!

We eventually all got out and played for awhile.  The kids were in need of burning off some energy, so it was a welcome stop.

About an hour later, we finally arrived in Loveland at Nikki's Granny's house.  Her family warmly welcomed our crew.  There was plenty of room and we spent our first night eating pizza, playing in the backyard, and chatting around the dining room table until late into the evening.  Our vacation could now officially begin!

Western Vacation Recap:: Day One

West Texas

photo by Mike Galloway



Day One of our ten day vacation was all about the flat, open skies of Western Oklahoma and Texas.  We were packed and ready to go by 10:30 in the morning, and we took off with our good friends, the Reutlingers, with a goal of reaching the glamorous city of Dumas, Texas by dinnertime.  After studying a map, we picked Dumas because it was a good halfway point between Oklahoma City and Loveland, Colorado, our first vacation destination.  At noon, we stopped in Clinton, Oklahoma for a quick lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant and finished off with some to-die-for Tiramisu.  With our bellies full we continued on toward Amarillo where we were going to begin heading north. 

Our first major excitement of our 2011 family vacation occured just outside of Amarillo.  I was driving when our rear passenger side tire blew and was ripped to shreds!  Thankfully, I managed to quickly move to the shoulder of the interstate and within half and hour, we had the spare on.  The guys took our van back into the city to have it replaced while the girls took the kids on to Dumas where we checked in, changed into our swim gear, and hit the pool.  Soon the guys returned with a new tire and joined us for dinner and swimming.  I hope that our kids learned through this small setback that sometimes you have to take life's lemons and make lemonade. 

We were all in bed early on day one so we could hit the ground running the next morning.  Oh and one more highlight of the day was a stop at good old Dairy Queen for some ice cream.  Nothing says summer like a cool, creamy, sugary, ice cream cone. 

Stay tuned for Day Two!