We spent a full week of vacation in Colorado and have a wonderful time! We left very early in the morning to make the drive in one day from home to Leadville, CO. Our first stop was at a small town donut shop for breakfast and then we quickly moved on taking a couple road side travel potty breaks for Rachel until we reached a nice rest stop on the border of New Mexico and Colorado for a picnic lunch. We hit the road again and finally made it to our cozy cabin after several stops for potty breaks and to help a very car sick Levi (poor guy threw up about 6 times!).
Leadville was a sweet small town and we enjoyed their 4th of July parade downtown. The kids gathered a lot of candy and loved watching all the floats roll by. After the parade we were able to meet up with Meghann, one of our best friends from high school, who has lived in Colorado since college. We enjoyed spending the afternoon together, eating a yummy lunch and then strolling downtown and checking out the shops. It was so nice to meet her husband and I think they enjoyed meeting our crazy kiddos too.
The next morning we loaded up and headed to the train station to ride the historic train. Riding the train was so fun and the scenery was beautiful. On board we were able to walk around and they has a cute gift shop care where Levi joyfully purchased his first pocket knife. Half way through the trip they stopped and let us out for pictures with the train and to see the historic water tower that supplied the steam train in the mining days.
After a yummy lunch at a local joint and a quick grocery shopping trip we headed to the 4-wheel drive trail to get to our campsite. We ended up having to take our plan B trail because the first trail was too technical for a overloaded truck full of gear and a family of 6. Plan B turned out great! The 4x4 road lead through the interesting mining ghost town Winfield and then to a valley where a trail head to Mt. Huron and Lake Anne was located. We found a nice campsite near the base of an old mine and set up our tents; one for Nate and Joel, one for Levi and one for Philip, Rachel and I.
The first day of camping we explored the valley, and soaked in the phenomenal views, flowers and weather. We also spent some time fly fishing at the river. It was beautiful on the river! Philip caught three small trout and Levi caught his first
ever trout as well. Our campsite was very near an old mining camp, so we also hiked up to the ruins of the camp's cabins and enjoyed the gorgeous views and had some interesting discussions about what it would have been like to live there about 110 years ago. The boys felt like real prospectors because they found pyrite and possibly some gold and silver. They LOVED being able to find such cool rocks, and really hope they are of some value. There was a fire ban in Colorado because of the drought and forest fires, so we had to be creative with meals using only our camp stove to cook. The kids were a bit disappointed that we couldn't have campfires or s'mores, but there were so many other fun things to do, it wasn't too hard to look past. Another new adventure for us was camping with a newly potty trained little girl. Rachel did an amazing job and surprised us by being very flexible about where she went potty and not having a single accident the whole time!
On our last full day for camping we hiked the trail to Lake Anne and surprised ourselves by reaching the lake at over 12,000 feet elevation. Unfortunately, it started raining not long after we reached the lake, so we had to hike back down. But, the hike itself was fun and gorgeous, so it was worth it despite the change in weather. The kids were such troopers and although there was some whining, considering the trip was a total of over 7.5 miles round trip they all did an amazing job! We saw so many beautiful flowers and waterfalls along the way and even spotted a big mule deer and many birds, squirrels, chipmunks and marmot. We packed a lunch of fruit, crackers, cheese and jerky and took a break to have a picnic on some logs just off the trail. It was a day we will never forget!
The next morning we broke camp, loaded up and headed to the mining town of Winfield to look around a bit before driving to our friends the Foxes for a visit and some much needed showers! It was so nice to spend sometime with friends we have been missing since they moved away last summer. The kids loved playing together, and we hope to return soon! After a good nights rest, a yummy breakfast provided by our sweet friends we headed homeward. We made a short stop at Garden of the Gods and a quick visit to see Meghann and her family one last time, then we drove to Amarillo to stay the night in a hotel and break up the long drive home. As always the kids thought a stay in a hotel and a "free" breakfast was a big and exciting treat. We finished the drive home in time to get the laundry started and collapse into bed.
It was a fabulous vacation and as always, we loved our time in beautiful Colorado. The memories we made will last a lifetime!
