Colorado July 4th

The morning of  July 4th we all got up and got around.  We had big plans for the day, which included wearing our matching tye-dye shirts we had made, Cripple Creek, a mine tour, train ride, seeing family, and watching some fireworks in the mountains together.

On our drive our to Cripple Creek we saw some Big-Horned Sheep up in the mountains, near the road.

Below, our 4th of July selfie....

We had about 45 minutes to an hour before our mine tour at the Mollie Kathleen mine started.  So, we looked around and had a little bit of fun together.  I had been down in the Mollie Kathleen mine when I was in middle school but none of the rest of our crew had ever been down in a working mine.  The excitement was building.

The views of the mountains all around Cripple Creek are AMAZING!

The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is a historic vertical shaft mine near Cripple Creek, Colorado.  The mine shaft descends 1,000 feet into the mountain, a depth roughly the height of the Empire State Building, in New York City.    

Here is a LINK to the MOLLIE KATHLEEN GOLD MINE if you would like to read more about it, plan a visit, or see more pictures.

Everyone going down in the mine is required to wear a hard hat for the entire tour.

To go up and down in the mine there is a tiny caged cable elevator system.  Eight of us went down in one cage and eight in another cage.

Below, some of us exiting out of the cage into the mine.

Our guide was full of information and demonstrated several mining tools for us to see how they work.

There were many shafts off of the main shaft that we walked through.  We even saw gold veins that had not been mined out.

We each got to take one gold ore sample.

And, we rode in an air powered mining car.

Below, our crew, left to right, David, Shawna, Mandy, Felicity, Silas, Sarah, Abigail, Stacee, Phoebe, Eric, Traci, and Steve.

At the end of our tour we all loaded back into the caged cable elevator car to head up and out of the mine.

Next we drove up above the Mollie Kathleen mine to view another kind of modern day mining that is happening all around Cripple Creek now, Strip and Surface mining.

We spent a little bit of time walking around the main streets of Cripple Creek and going into a few of the old shops that remain.  The majority of the old shops and buildings have been turned into casinos now.

Lindsee and Will drove down from Denver and met us in Cripple Creek just as our train ride was about to begin.  Yay!  They made it.  Will was very excited to ride the train until the train whistle blew...then he was a little scared and thought it was TOO LOUD.

The steam from the train was a little smelly.

Below, one of the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad engines, and our kids.  Left to right, Shawna, Sarah, Will, Abigail, Phoebe, Felicity, and Silas.

Back at the cabin later in the afternoon, we played some whiffle ball, frisbee, built forts, and had fun playing with Will.

Will liked going inside the fort with the big kids.

Will liked "beeping" our noses...except Uncle Eric's nose, which he (Eric) mistakenly made it say "HHhOOoNNK", and scared him a little.  From then on Will was a little more cautious when reaching for Uncle Eric's nose, and Will was sure to tell him "beep" before it "honked" again.

The guys were in charge of cooking dinner tonight for us all.  They made delicious grilled pork chops, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob.  Way to go guys!  THREE of THE BEST HUSBANDS right there folks!

When it got closer to dark we all headed into Woodland Park to watch the fireworks display over the mountains.  We found a great place to park and spread out our blankets and settled into our spots to watch the beautiful explosions in the sky against the mountain backdrop.

What a beautiful way to end a fantastic day with friends and family.  

Happy 4th of July and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Colorado July 3rd

The men headed out at daylight to hike Pike's Peak.

Beautiful views and we even had to cross some snow.

We could not see the "Hot Moms" from the top, but I guess they saw us.  When they received the text that we were at the top, they took a picture of themselves, and Pike's Peak in the distance, waving at us and text it back to us.

The last 1000' feet of elevation up the mountain took a long time because I started getting nauseous.  For every 30 seconds hiked I would have to stop for 30 seconds.  We were told by a couple hikers about 1/2 way up that if you get nauseous on the mountain, it will completely incapacitate you.  I am glad I listened to their advice and played it safe.  After 6 hours, we made it to the top.

The two older guys (Steve and I) did the smart move and took the shuttle to the first parking lot down the mountain.  This bypassed the 1000' elevation of rocks to the top.  The younger, cross country runner (David) ran down it.  You can see him in the picture below.  He probably could have made it up the mountain in a few hours. 

On his run down, he stopped to take a picture of some mountain goats.  Sucks that I missed that, but the 45 minute rest was far better.  We made it down the mountain in under 3 hours.  It was exhausting but very rewarding. 

While our guys were hiking the mountain we took the kids to play at a big park in Divide, CO, that looks directly at Pike's Peak.

After playing at the park we went back to the cabin for lunch then headed into Woodland Park to look in some shops and eat some ice cream and donuts.

Back at the cabin later in the afternoon we met the "Cool Dads" and relaxed while we watched a movie.

That evening "Hot Moms" cooked breakfast for dinner, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs... 

Followed by a campfire and smore's.

Yum!

Tonight out guys went to bed tired and feeling accomplished.  They had conquered the mountain.  The rest of us stayed up a little later talking and laughing with each other, like only the best of friends do.  Whispers and laughter floated down from the loft as four little friends continued their week-long slumber party and the "Hot Moms" laughter rose from the living room and at times echoed throughout the cabin as we told stories and giggled like we were at our very own slumber party.