VaCaTiOn!!!!

 The Denver Mint...we were not allowed to take any photos inside, so this was the best we could do!

 At the Rockies Game!

 At the Summit of Mt. Evans!  What a gorgeous view from the top!

 Yes, we were literally this close to the animals at Mt. Evans...Amazing!

 The Natural History Museum!

 And because no vacation is complete without coffee in the evening!

 Our crazy boys....need I say more!

 Elitch Gardens...swimming style!

 White water rafting!

 Bishops Castle!

Casa Bonita....The inside waterfall!

 

 

This summer we headed to Colorado for some much needed Rest and Relaxation!  On Thursday when we arrived, we hit the ground running!  We went to Casa Bonita for dinner and entertainment!  It was amazing to watch a dive show inside a restaurant....and the food wasn't horrible either!  I kept reading all of these reviews about how horrid the food was....we were pleasantly surprised!  The next day, we headed down to Canon City and went white water rafting!  Oh My GOODNESS...this was a blast!  We rafted on the Arkansas River in the Bighorn Canyon....a level 3!  There were some pretty exciting rapids...and definitely wetted out appetites for a more exciting adventure!  Our guide was telling us about the Green River in Utah....in a few years, we may have to check that one out!  We had lunch at a fun little grill, hit some antique shops and then headed down to Bishop's Castle outside of Pueblo.  The castle was pretty amazing...all built by one man over the last 40 years.  He doesn't like government, and has signs posted all over telling you so...he was a tad interesting, but an awesome place to visit none the less!  On the way back to Denver, we stopped off at Castle Rock Outlets and did some back to school shopping!  The next day we headed out to Elitch Gardens!  It is an amusement park in downtown Denver....and after riding 2 rides we quickly figured out our boys are not big on spinny rides in combination with heat...they were done!  Thankfully when we bought our tickets, they also included a water park!  Shawn headed back to the hotel and within 20 minutes we were sliding down slides and floating at the wave pool!  We spent the whole day there...it was awesome!  That evening we went downtown for some shopping and yummy eats at The Yard!  On Sunday we went to the Natural History and Science Museum...this place was huge and fantastic...we spent 4 hours at the museum and saw every inch!  That evening we went to the famed Buckhorn....this we probably could have skipped!  It was listed as a must do....however, I think not!  The food was supposed to be exotic....I guess it is if you consider quail and buffalo exotic!  However, our family had eaten this....so not the adventure we were looking for!  We did, however, try alligator for the first time....not bad, a little chewy though!  That evening we headed back downtown to Little Man's Ice Cream for some super yummy ice cream and a walk!  Our last full day in Denver started out with an amazing drive to Mt. Evans...the highest paved road in the U.S.!  The views from the top were amazing!  We also saw all sorts of wildlife!  We had a picnic by Echo Lake and strolled through the streets of Idaho Springs...an adorable little town about 15 minutes from Mt. Evans and 30 minutes from Denver!  We did some Christmas shopping and just enjoyed the mountain air and when we got home I caught Shawn looking for property in Idaho Springs...I guess he was just as taken with that little town as I was!  That evening we attended a Colorado Rockies Baseball game!  They didn't win, but the views of the Rockies from the stadium certainly made up for that!  We saw a beautiful sunset from our seats....breathtaking!  The next morning before heading home, we went for a tour of the Denver Mint!  All in all a fantastic time, seeing new sights, embarking on new adventures, and doing it all with the 3 people I love most....a week well spent!