A Day to Relax

Our vacations are not what I would call relaxing.  We get up early, and explore a National Park or something local.  Some days are travel days with hours in the car to get to the next destination. 


After our very windy day at Mesa Verde everyone was ready for some downtime. We slept in, which means 8 a.m., and had a leisurely breakfast of muffins before loading the van to explore Dolores Colorado.

Chillin at the Dolores River

Carrie is a champion at braiding hair for all the girls!

Never too old for the playground!

Alyssa was not feeling well. Doesn't she look sad!

Showing off his climbing skills.

You have to drink lots of water to avoid altitude sickness,
so we had a lot of bathroom breaks!

Picnic at Lake McPhee

Kate practicing her rock skipping

Lake McPhee, it's the 2nd largest lake in Colorado

Skip-Bo & popcorn before watching  NASCAR

We bought carrots to feed the horses.

This slow, lazy day was much needed before we travel to Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde

Fascinating, that is how I describe Mesa Verde National Park.  As you drive from Durango to Cortez, you see the Green Table ahead of you, and it is very impressive.  Even more impressive is when you drive into the park, and you climb up the Mesa in your car.  I cannot imagine walking this area as the Ancestral Puebloans did. 

One of the canyons in the Mesa

Descending the stairs to get a closer look at Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace: a bustling area in 1200 A.D.
City hewn into the side of a rock

Kiva is a room where ceremonies were held.
It also served a place to stay warm during the frigid winters,
note the fire pit in the center

Alyssa going into a Kiva at Spruce Tree House

To get out of Cliff Palace you had to climb several ladders. 

We took stone steps, and ladders to get in and out of the cliff dwellings, but the original residents came down from the mesatop by means of hand-and-toe holds carved into the sandstone cliff. WOW!


The day we visited, there were Native Americans dancers that performed.  I've read about the costumes and instruments when I teach Native American music in Kindermusik, but I was fortunate to experience it in person while at Mesa Verde.  The dancers wear ankle bells and use rattles as they dance, just like I teach the kids!

Alyssa and I did the Friendship Dance at the end of the demonstration,
then had a photo op!

Looking into rooms at Sun Temple, A.D. 1250

A windy, sand blowing day at Mesa Verde, hence the poor visibility!

It's all about the ice cream!

It's vacation so we always splurge and buy ice cream, fudge, donuts, etc.... We even bake brownies and cookies when we stay in a house.  For my kids, it's really exciting to have slice and bake cookies or store bought cookies because I always bake from scratch.  

Yum!

Pink Popsicles for the boys!

Making smores over the fire pit at Skyline in Estes Park

So good!

Just right!

Ben and Jerry's in Boulder

Ice cream for breakfast at Enstrom's, Grand Junction CO

The Bunkhouse

When we travel we like to find houses to rent. It is usually cheaper, it allows us to spread out, and to cook our own meals and wash clothes. We have found some excellent lodging using VRBO and Home Away.  To see the bunkhouse listing on Home Away click here.  We paid $120 a night, but when I look at the site now it quotes $140 a night. It was a steal at either rate!!! 

The bunkhouse was our lodging for three nights while we were in Southwest Colorado. Our main destination was Mesa Verde National Park, which I will post about later. We really enjoyed our time on the ranch between Cortez and Dolores.  Our vacations aren't always the most relaxing, not like going to the beach...so being at a house allows us some real downtime.

The Bunkhouse

You could look out the window and see the horses in the stable!  The house is a functioning barn plus lodging.  Stephen definitely heard some horses as he was waking up.

Brandon in the kitchen...looking down from the loft

Time to relax!
Aaron actually slept on the couch, even though there was a bed for him.

Spiral staircase coming down from the loft into the kitchen

Horses to pet.

This was a working ranch.  The daughter has show horses, and they have a cow or two, chickens, and a pond on about 40 acres.

Our hostess, Rochelle, had fresh flowers on the table when we arrived

Sunday afternoon card game followed by watching NASCAR!

We bought carrots to feed the horses.

Chickens 

Behind the bunkhouse looking at Rochelle house

We found out that Jim Kelly, a retired NFL quarterback (he played for the Buffalo Bills) stays here every year for a couple of weeks. He comes to the area to hunt!  They had a framed note from him, but I didn't take a picture of it, even though Aaron wanted me to.

Kate rated this house as a 'favorite place' that we stayed during the trip!

Colorado Beach???

As we planned our Colorado trip there was some debate about whether to stop at the Great Sand Dunes (GSD) National Park. It's on the road less traveled, but definitely worth the stop.  We left Colorado Springs on Friday morning, with a 360 mile long drive to arrive at our lodging in Dolores.  GSD was a good place to get out, explore, stretch and play in the sand!  To get to GSD you have to turn off  US 160 and drive about 20 miles north on state road 150. A visit to GSD shows you what a diverse state Colorado is, and what an amazing Creator we serve. To drive up and see ALL that sand with snow capped mountains in the background was incredible.  

Windy picnic before hitting the dunes

Looks like something out of Star Wars

Did I mention it was CRAZY windy that day.  In fact, we had windy weather for several days in Colorado. But, at the Dunes it was gusting to 60 - 70 mph.  We were pelted with sand and rocks. Let's just say that not every visitor to the Dunes has the same experience that we did, but we loved it...well, except for Randy and Beth.  They got out, looked, and headed back to the safety of the van while the rest of us trudged forward fighting sand and wind.

Kids, or young adult crew as they preferred to be called

Nobles family minus Randy who was avoiding the sand

Brandon & Stephen.
not pictured: Beth  

Many people sled down the hill, but we didn't have the right equipment.
Alyssa tries sliding down the dunes

Stephen ditched his shoes and found it easier to walk without them.

Alyssa, Kate and Stephen rolled down the hill.
A and K are running back up the dunes, no easy feat.

Carrie wasn't a huge fan of the Sand Dunes, but she had to roll down too.  (Yes, that is wind you hear in the video!) Kate and Alyssa thought it was a blast.  Brandon, Aaron and Kathryn DID NOT roll, but did enjoy their time at the Dunes.

Alyssa's face after her roll down the dunes.
The girls found sand in their hair and ears for days, despite multiple washings.

Love Carrie's expression.  

Medano Creek runs through the Sand Dunes, so you have to cross it - going and coming.  It's a nice place to rinse off your feet.

Alyssa washing her hair under the outdoor faucet.

Engineering graduates from UConn. Traveling for 6 weeks before starting real life.
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