Durgago 2017

We ended the summer with a family vacation to Colorado.  It's H O T in Texas, and we needed an escape!  And we wanted to spend some time with Barrett before he started kindergarten.  A low-key, spending time outdoors vacation seemed like the perfect way to end the summer.

First up, pitstop in Amarillo to see Cadillac Ranch. Unfortunately, it was too muddy to get really close.  But it didn't stop Barrett and I from trying!

Our first day in Durango, we spent the day exploring downtown. 

We Found a "Texas Rock" at the Train Station in Durango!

After our day of exploring, we found the cutest little park right by the river.  We spent lots of time playing there during the week!

😜  Silly Faces! 😜

Somebody Had to Go To Time Out

One of the adventures we were super excited about was stopping by Honeyville to taste some yummy honey and visit the Queen Bee.

Then we drove through the mountains to Silverton. 

On the way, we stopped at the perfect spot to take pictures. 

Such and awkward angle, but I love hugs from my little guy.

Silverton is the cutest little town to just walk around, eat, and see the trains. I probably took way to many pictures, but the scenery is too pretty to NOT take pictures!

We also go to spend some time with my grandpa while we were in town!  

Since the weather was so nice, we took full advantage of getting to workout outside.  And while we worked out, the kids played and explored in the backyard.  Which was SO fun because it's too hot to do that at home right now.  And after our workouts, we took the kids on a walk along the Animas River.

One of our favorite stops was Serious Texas Bar-B-Q.  Which is ironic I guess if you think about it - since we drove all the way to Colorado from Texas.  The food was amazing, and we enjoyed sitting out on the patio overlooking the mountains and the river.  And an EXTRA bonus was the mini-golf course.  

Setting Up Our Little Lefty

To say the kids loved Colorado would be an understatement.   Especially at Papa Fred's house. They found their happy place! 

One of the highlights, for me anyway, was spending the day at Purgatory.  I have so many childhood memories there. So getting to spend the day there with my own kids was super fun. 

We showed up on just the right day. The summer season was winding down, and the crowds were gone. We got to do all the activities we wanted to do, with almost no wait time at all!  Which was good ... because we LOOOOOOVED the Alpine Slide. 

After playing and sliding, we got to all ride up the mountain together.  The view was amazing - and our pictures didn't even START to capture the beauty surrounding us.  

Some of Us Were Not Impressed

The next day we went pack to our favorite playground to play while Barrett when white water rafting with Gamma and Poppy. (Who decided they didn't want to miss all the fun - so they came to play too!)

And we went back to Papa Fred's house one more time to play.  

The Best Picture Of the Littles and Great Grandparents

I love that we got to spend some time with them this week.

The neighbors gave us a heads up about an event the Children's Museum was having for the

  2017 Eclipse. Not only did we get a chance to see the eclipse with the special glasses, but we found a great spot to play and learn and explore!

We found the BEST place for lunch that day.  Since all the kids have decided they love hamburgers now, we went to James Ranch to have an outdoor picnic - in the most incredible scenery. 

And before we left, we spent out last day exploring, shopping, and eating our way through downtown.  Can't wait to come back!

We are already planning when we can go back. This was the BEST way to end the summer.  And the BEST place to spend a few days together as a family before kindergarten started.  We got to just sit, relax, enjoy being outside, and just enjoy being together.