Colorado ~ Summer 2026

 Wednesday, July 22nd

We left that evening, when Eric got off work, picking up Sarah and Owen, a little way down the road. We arrived at the cabin by about 3:30 am (Colorado time) on July 23rd.

Thursday, July 23rd

We slept in just a little this morning to recover from our late-night drive. Later that day, Lindsee and I drove in to Woodland Park to get groceries. Games were played at the cabin, and we hiked back behind the cabin in the Pike National Forest. For dinner that night we all enjoyed tacos together before playing a few rounds of the game "Spoons" and "Pounce".

Friday, July 24th

Friday, we got up, packed a picnic lunch, and drove to Canon City, Colorado. There we found a great park (Centennial Park) that had some nice, shaded picnic areas and access to the Arkansas River for floating in our tubes. After a few hours in the park, part of our crew headed back to the cabin.  The other part of our crew got drinks at Sonic and drove the Phantom Canyon Road towards Victor, Colorado and then back to the cabin. That night, we had Lindsee's chili and hotdogs for dinner. After dinner, we played some games again before going to bed.

Saturday, July 25th

Saturday morning we went to Guffy Gorge and then hiked to Paradise Cove. Paradise Cove is an area we have hiked to over the past few years. Last summer, Owen and Sarah hiked up the rocks and took the big leap into the small water hole below. This year, there were LOTS of people there climbing and jumping.  Instead of taking the big leap, we just watched some crazy jumpers and some who thought they would jump and then chickened out.  Then, we hiked back to our vehicles. Later that day, we went into Manitou Springs to do a little shopping and play some games in the Penny Arcade. For dinner that night, we all enjoyed baked potatoes with lots of different toppings. And, of course, games were played after dinner.

Sunday, July 26th

On Sunday, we stayed around the cabin for a while. Eric chopped wood. Then Owen, Eric, and I worked on the cabin road. We used the old method that my Grandpa used to use...dragging an old mattress box springs with some weight/a person on it. Then, in the afternoon, we went to the North Pole - Home of Santa's Workshop for a short visit. The kids tolerated my wish for a picture with Santa, recreated an old picture for us (so funny!), posed for other fun pictures, rode the Scrambler (one of my Mom's favorite rides), and we looked in all the fun Christmas themed shops. When we left the North Pole, we drove north out of Woodland Park to Manitou Lake. There we hiked around, Silas fished a little bit, and everyone, expect me, did some rock climbing. Back at the cabin that evening, Lily and Hunter arrived just in time to eat baked potatoes for dinner that night with us. After dinner, we played "Blurt" and "Spoons".  Sarah and Lily were the "Blurt" winners. Owen was the ultimate "Spoons" winner.

Monday, July 27th

Today, we went to Eleven Mile Canyon. We had a picnic lunch, fished, fed Chipmunks, and floated. Later that day, we went into Colorado Springs and enjoyed an entertaining evening at the Flying W Ranch. There, we tried axe throwing, archery, looked at farm animals, watched part of a live rodeo, and ate a delicious dinner that included brisket, chicken, a baked potato, applesauce, biscuits, beans, and spice cake. Dinner was followed by a wonderful performance by the Flying W Wranglers.

Tuesday, July 28th

On Tuesday, we all hiked the Crags. We played games at the cabin, (lots of hacky sack), and hiked around the cabin. Eric and I took the dogs for a hike around the cabin in the Pike National Forest that evening. We did get off the trail and got a little turned around. Thank goodness I had my cell phone and it had a signal. We called the kids back at the cabin and encouraged them to make loud noise outside so that we could hear them... and we used the Life 360 app to help us get back on track and back to our trail to the cabin.

Wednesday, July 29th

We got up super early on Wednesday, cleaned the cabin, and loaded our vehicles. Our goal was to be on the road by about 4:30 am (Colorado time), so that we could travel in the least heat as possible with our dogs riding in the back of our truck. It was a good trip to Colorado this summer. We had lots of fun with family and friends.