Colorado Springs

With most of our family out of town for the holiday, we planned a little trip of our own to Colorado Springs. We camped at a newer State Park called Cheyenne Mountain State Park. While this pop-up trailer camping, is not the camping Danny and I remember from our youth. It still gets us out with the kids and makes it possible with a new baby. The amenities at this park were quite nice, and we were even able to shower. I do miss the backwoods more rugged experience however, from a girls perspective, I don't miss peeing in the woods.

Esaias is handling camping quite well, I must say, and staying at the State Parks also means warmer weather. A little too warm sometimes, but I don't have to worry about him freezing all night long.

We chose Co. Springs due to all the fun activities to choose from. So, after a great camping egg and potato camping breakfast we headed into town for studying the Anasazi and geology. Well if that doesn't give it away for you or if your not familiar with Co. Springs then I'll explain. We first hit the Cliff Dwellings. Isaac having studied Colorado History this year really wanted to take a trip to Mesa Verde. We would have loved to indulged him, however funds and time did not permit it this year. So, we went to a smaller version. I had never been to the Cliff Dwellings before and it was a fun adventure. Although the gift shop was triple the size of the actual dwellings. Reading about the history was the most fun. They had an old advertisement that read roughly, "Only about a 2-3 hour trip by carriage or auto." Wow, can you imagine? The kids loved walking through the dwellings and seeing how these ancient people once lived.

And of course this is right where my camera had "exhausted battery." Can you believe it? One of my favorite places to go was up next, and the camera dies.

I teach Science to all the 5th graders in my school and so I couldn't help but make sure Isaac got some background knowledge in geology. Cave of the Winds is one of my fondest and youngest memories I have of my parents still married. They took me and my 2 brothers there when we were quite young. I distinctly remember the picture they have of us in the cave on the tour group. Cave of the Winds takes your picture right in the beginning of the tour. Now, in my day, it was with the whole tour group. Now, they take it with your own individual family. I even remembered exactly where they took the picture, and was surprised when they moved the picture spot. Normally, I would not buy the "way over-priced" picture, but due to a lack of my own camera, and for posterity sake to compare to my childhood photo, I had to have the picture. Well, there's a story. We had to take the picture 3 different times because for some reason our picture kept not turning out. The first time, we don't know what happened. The second time at the end of the tour was on a full card and didn't get taken, and finally the 3rd time was a charm. As soon as Danny scans it in, I'll post it. It's a dumb "over-priced" picture, but I had to have it!!! Thanks to Danny and the kids for being so pleasant about the many retakes.

Marina kept complaining before we went to Cave of the Winds that she didn't want to go. Saying it would be scary. Good thing we don't listen to her. Even she agreed. She will tell you that she thought it would be scary, but in fact it was very cool. She told me in one trip to the girls restroom. "Mom, why are mom's so smart?... I can't wait to be a mom, I'll be smart then too." I'll save that one in my memory, especially since this morning when she was mad at me, she told me I wasn't her mom anymore. That child is giving me gray hair!

Well we wrapped up the trip by watching the fireworks shot off from Fort Carson on Saturday evening.