Justin Beiber got it right. Colorado is all about the rock, and y'all I might be in love! The landscape is breathtaking; everywhere you turn, there is something new to see, from snow-peaked pointy mountain tops to beautiful sloping desert sands. Every rock formation is different and picture worthy. No matter where the wind takes us, adventure we will find... While I enjoyed the views at Garden of the Gods, the ride through the park would have been more enjoyable if we didn’t have two small children in the back seat. “Are we there yet?” “Can I have my kindle?” “He hit me!” Those were just a few of the phrases escaping the back seat, but I could go on for hours… There aren’t enough words to share how excited I was to climb out of the truck at Balanced Rock. It’s a neat spot to take eclectic pictures, but we just let the kids climb and explore. If the air hadn’t been substantially polluted by wildfire smoke, and we were able to hike instead of drive through the park, this experience would have been magical! Typically, I would always advise against gift shops, but the Trading Post in Garden of the Gods was super enjoyable. It could be because I had a kid-free mommy moment, or it might be the Caramel Macchiato I bought… but you guys, I was in high heaven in that store! They had funny signs with little critters painted on them and tons of Colorado oddities. I took my time checking out all the apparel, and there was no way I was leaving that store without a box of fresh fudge! Now, we usually travel to warm places, but the children were crazy excited for a September snow! I even bought them some boots when I went to buy groceries. Of course, the store was completely sold out of mittens and toboggans, but it worked out okay! The kids had a great time making snow angels and throwing snowballs at me. With snow comes thoughts of Christmas. So, I loaded the kids up, and away we drove to the North Pole in Colorado Springs. The kids got to meet Santa, who already knew they have not been cleaning up after themselves. He also knew the kids had been quarreling quite a bit lately… Hopefully, Colten and Kate can still make the nice list, but I guess we will have to wait and see. The North Pole ended up being a really cool experience; the rides were super fun! The train driver even taught a few animals to follow the tracks for a nutty treat. Colten stood and watched the glassblower for forty-five minutes! Funny I should mention glass. I warned the kids, quite sternly, I may add, not to touch anything in the glass shop. Guess who broke something in the shop? Yep! I did. SMH! It feels like our family got an extensive tour of the whole state. We visited the Hot Springs in Ouray, the waterfall in Box Canyon, and Color Change Weekend in The Grand Mesa. On a side note, the Grand Mesa RV Park is the perfect location to explore the top of the mountain, but also extremely convenient for families. The owners are probably my favorite people we’ve met along our entire trip. They were so sweet to our kiddos, and they are making an incredible impact on their community. I love finding ways to support small, local businesses, and this was a great one to visit! Most of the people we meet along our journey are super kind, thoughtful people. We met a group that loved my book and were sweet souls. But, that’s not always the case. Boy, do I have a story for you! You’ll have to read RV Mama Take Two to learn about our first KOA experience. I’ll just leave you with a little hint: crashed late-night kid-free campfire that resulted in Scott needing to defend more than just my honor. You don’t want to miss this story! Bottom line, if you’ve got a bucket list add, visit Colorado. PS: Want to see more pictures from our adventure??? Go check my insta! @rv.mama
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Jennifer MillerTeacher, Author and Traveling Mom. Archives
November 2020
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