Road-Trippin' to the Rockies
July 24, 2017
Colorado and the Rocky Mountains are a somewhat close destination for Oklahoma travelers looking to escape for a few days, so the landscape probably isn't new to you. It wasn't new to us, but to our 2-year-old visiting for the first time, it was a whole other world.
One of our goals for Bryson is to introduce him to new places, activities, people and cultures at an early age. Travel is a passion of ours and we are blessed enough to take a few vacations each year.
While we're not very well internationally traveled yet, we do enjoy exploring the good ole' U.S. of A. By the time Bryson turned 13 months old, he had already seen six states. We added three more to this trip and will add six more in the fall when we travel through the Appalachians to the east coast for a work conference. After discovering he's a rockstar road trip traveler, we can't wait to plan even more road trips when he gets a little older.
Day 1: Oklahoma to Colorado
We didn't know how Bryson would respond to being in a car all day, but we were SUPER surprised he did so well!I was a little over prepared with games, activity books, puzzles and of course technology for back-up. But to our surprise, he didn't cry one tear, didn't scream to get out of his car seat and was just a pleasant traveler. We didn't have to break out the iPad or DVD player one time. He really just loved looking out the windows as the mountains came closer.
5 a.m. and road trip ready!
Day 2
Rain was pouring most of the second day, but luckily we had only planned to relax that day. Once the rain passed, we explored some rural roads near the house we stayed in and found countless fields of wildflowers!
Day 3
We had a professional photographer — the wonderful Shirley Consedine of Shirley Kay Photography and a native Okie! — snap some memorable photos of our family. We absolutely love these and are so grateful for Shirley's patience while dealing with two 2-year-olds (one certain redhead who shall remain nameless was quite a pill for the first part but ended up taking some great photos)!
Here are my favorites:
Here are my favorites:
Later that afternoon, we hiked around the small town of Gothic, just north of Mt. Crested Butte, explored a grove of Aspens and played in the town's park.
Day 4: Independence Day!
The town of Crested Butte and its citizens put on quite the celebration for the Fourth of July. We started the day with a pancake breakfast that benefitted the local fire department then, along with about 10,000 others, lined Elk Avenue for the Fourth of July Parade.
That afternoon, we drove Kebler Pass (the area's #1 Thing to Do on TripAdvisor) and took a detour to Lake Irwin. The views, you guys. Stunning.
Day 5
We rented a Jeep in Lake City, Colorado, and took it up the Alpine Loop — an off-road trail at over 12,000 feet in elevation open only to 4x4 vehicles in the summer months. Corey had been wanting to do this excursion for quite some time and we all got more excited as it neared.We were again in the car for about 11 hours this day and weren't sure how Bryson would handle the constant jarring while climbing the rocks. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised with how much he enjoyed it. Here's a video of how much fun he was having:
Stunning scenery
My dad, an electrical engineer, on Engineer Pass
Bryson had fallen asleep on the way up to Engineer Pass, although we can't figure out how he did it because it was a rough climb.
More wildflowers
My parents in the Jeep behind us.
We had the best picnic at Animas Forks.
American Basin was breathtaking.
Day 6
Our final full day in Colorado, we had to experience whitewater rafting. We decided to do a scenic raft on class I and II rapids so the boys could come with us. The timing interrupted Bryson's nap time — which did NOT make him a happy camper — but once we got on the river, he calmed down and enjoyed himself, with maybe a little shut-eye.
Such a fun time!
Sweet boy loves his naps.
Day 7
The final day consisted of more traveling. While we all had a blast, we were all ready to get home and get back into our routine.
This was such a fun, memorable vacation with our entire family and I cherish these memories.
Next up: A journey through the Appalachians during the peak of the fall foliage season to Charleston, South Carolina — with a stop in Bryson City! How cool?!
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