Are you making your summer travel plans yet?
In the Beach vs. Mountains scenario, mountains definitely win at the Chino House. Continue reading
Sometimes with all the hikes, bike rides and adventures we have on our camping vacations, I overlook that one of the very best parts of camping is just being there. Sharing coffee and hot chocolate on a cold mountain morning. Sitting around in our chairs telling stories. Laughing at Grandpapa’s jokes. Watching Taido fix bikes. Doing camp dishes in bright tubs. Reading a book. Playing cards or Settlers of Catan. Letting the cool breeze from the river blow on my face. Wondering at how the kids still have energy to play after hiking all day. Throwing rocks. Building forts and … Continue reading
While we were in Colorado in July, Taido took tons of pictures of the sky from the same spot in our campsite in Crested Butte. I am thankful that he and my dad are always keeping an eye on the changing skies when we’re camping and hiking. Being caught in storms while hiking has bestowed in me a healthy reverence for the unpredictable weather. I really prefer to listen to the rain from the inside of the camper or watch the hail fall from underneath our magic tarp, but the weather changes very quickly in the mountains so we don’t … Continue reading
We took a morning to hike and bike the Snodgrass Trail in Crested Butte, Colorado on our summer vacation. Taido has wanted us to do this trail for a while, but it’s a fairly strenuous single track trail for our young mountain bikers, so we’ve put it off in the past. This year we decided we could do it! I only have one picture of the bikers because they took off ahead of the hikers as soon as this picture was taken. We hikers were a little slower, but we also had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, which … Continue reading
Oh Be Joyful. That’s the name of the valley we camped in near Crested Butte, Colorado. We’ve camped here several times before, so it was all shouts of joy in the van when we decided to return there for the last leg of our summer vacation. My parents met us there and the kids were very happy to see them. Even though we live in the same town, it is a special treat to go on vacation and have a little uninterrupted time with the grandparents. We also met up with our friend Jermaine, who we’ve known since we … Continue reading
Colorado Wildflowers Mary Polly took a lot of pictures on our trip to Colorado this year. In fact, everyone took a few pictures of their own and it is fun as I go through them to see our adventures from different eyes. The boys take lots of pictures of rocks and sticks. Mary Polly took most of the pictures on one of our hikes outside of Aspen, including this series of Colorado wildflowers. I love them! Looking at them reminds me of all the amazing color we got to see this summer, in spite of less rainfall this year. I … Continue reading
So as I’ve been going through pictures, I realized I never put up all the pictures from our trip to Colorado last summer. I even had the ones for the blog all picked out and in a folder. I know what happened. Every year, when our time is up in the Rockies, I drive home while Taido stays in Colorado for more adventures. Our kids all start school just a couple of days after we get back. We miss open house. We throw together some school supplies and last year’s uniforms. The kids go back to school. We’re all exhausted, … Continue reading
Cole turned 15 today. He stays clear of the camera for the most part but here are a couple of shots of him we managed to get on our trip. He forged the trail this year, hiking further and further away from us. And reminding me that the distance between his path and mine grows greater every year. I’m trying to get used to the view from further away. Sometimes I enjoy it more than others. I love watching him serve at church. I love that he loves to fly on his mountain bike and on his own two feet. … Continue reading
After a few glitches on the road trip out (flat tires and lost keys and such), we had a wonderful two weeks in Colorado and Utah. We saw new beauties and old favorites! Here are a few highlights of our first few days, which we spent in Aspen, Colorado at Difficult Campground. The Aspens and trails right around our campground were gorgeous. Lots of exploring happened right around our camper. Everyone was thrilled to be able to dig out warm clothes after June in Arkansas! Our second day we hiked a familiar Aspen trail, the Maroon Bells. It is breathtaking. … Continue reading
For the first time since 2007, I did not go to Colorado with Taido for spring break. We split up just like we did five years ago. Taido took the oldest (and Tara) with him for the always epic Snowcamp in Colorado and I took the younger three to see my sister in Wheaton, Illinois. My mom went with me and we got an early start on Friday morning so we could be at Anna and Robert’s by suppertime. My sister is the head pastry chef at a charming little spot called Honey and she does catering on the side. … Continue reading
I'm usually counting down the days until the next trip, but I try to enjoy every day by being grateful for small things and loving with all my heart! Our next big adventure is a move across the pond to Scotland! Want to come along? Great! Subscribe below!
