Oh adventure after grand ole adventure.
Our beloved Colorado trip.
Bags packed, leaving the world and life behind.
...and the first thing Ty does when we get there.... mow the lawn.
Ride that mower babe, ride it like there's no tomorrow!
He is just so happy, look at that face.
We actually went down a day earlier than everyone and stayed at the Rodeway Inn in Monticello for a night chillin' with Erika and Shaylee to watch the fireworks and celebrate the 24th. Brynlee was mesmerized by them (the fireworks). The truck had been having problems and we actually replaced the alternator the morning we left so we were a bit worried and didn't want to travel on Sunday with everyone else, in case we needed a mechanic or even possibly, a tow. The only problem we ended up having was while we were stopping for a potty break, the power steering went out.
Since we got there a day early, I think Brynlee was done hanging out with just Mom and Dad by the time we actually got to Colorado.
We saw a couple black bears on our way up the dirt road to the cabin as well as some wild turkeys.
There were some rain clouds in the sky and Brynlee asked if it was going to rain and when Ty said it probably would she literally refused to believe him because, "the man on the rv said it was just going to be cloudy!" Then she proceeded to tell me to, "check the weather on your phone!" I really think she doesn't like rain...
When we got to Colorado and heard that Shawn and Tiff's new truck was also having issues and we didn't know when Aspen and Riley would be getting there, Brynlee was really just wanting someone her own size to play with. We took a walk to go see Cinco, who Brynlee was beyond capacity of excitement to see.
First thing when they got there, they all piled onto the side by side and took a drive!
That started a week of non-stop play. Aspen and Brynlee were almost inseparable.
Monday we did breakfast then rounded up the horses.
1.5 hours later we were on our way back and mine, Ty's and Aspen's horses all started being dumb. They all three had to be together and Ty's horse nearly backed itself off a 2 or 3 foot ledge, while my horse got antsy because Ty's horse was antsy. At the same time, one horse rubbed up against Meagan's horse and the bridle fell off and it scratched Brynlee's hand so she started crying. It was a bit chaotic for just a minute there. Ty wasn't too keen on riding much the rest of the trip. Which I don't blame him for. His backside literally was rubbed raw because I think his saddle didn't fit right.
I didn't ride that same horse again either. Once I rode Rooster, I couldn't ride any other horse. It was a match made in heaven. He was such a good horse!
After that first ride was over, Erik asked if there was anyone else that wanted to go again, of course I jumped right back on and 5 of us, all adults this time, were off. On this particular ride we saw a baby black bear on our way up the mountain, just chillin' in a tree calling for his Mama. Considering the fact that I was the least experienced rider and Mama bear was nowhere to be found, I kept my distance in case we needed to make a break for it.
Super cool to see though.
We walked through meadows full of purple, white and yellow wildflowers and they were a stunning sight to see. Our ride took us up and over mountains, over creeks and some of us got all muddy when Erik's horse tried to lay down in a watering hole and almost got stuck. On our way back we think we saw the same bear cub and his mama. It's quite a feeling to be riding an animal that gets an adrenaline rush and wants to run.
I spent a grand total of 7 hours on a horse on Monday. Couldn't have been happier.
Up on the Morgan. Ty is with Magic, who he really liked and this is me with Rooster.
Ty and Brynlee taking a ride up on the Morgan.
Every night we would all pile in the trucks to go find animals.
One night we saw a herd of elk that was gigantic. We counted 46. Lots of deer.
It was really funny because Aspen and Brynlee had an animal list.
3 bunnies, 50 elk, 5 bears, lots of deer, 8 chipmunks, 1 squirrel, 1 woodpecker, 1 yellow bird, 2 blue birds and we heard some coyotes the last night plus some buffalo on our way home from Durango, a couple hawks and crows. Cows, dogs, horses and cats didn't count. Those girls played and played. They went on a few hikes, one they found sea shells and wild strawberries. Brynlee was so tired that one night we couldn't get her down the ladder and out of the bunkhouse fast enough to go potty so we had to strip her down, clean her up and put her back to bed. She didn't much fancy what we did the next night. The girl was so tired that she didn't notice we put a pull-up on her, when she woke up in the morning you would've thought she had broken her arm or something. The cry of utter humiliation. She said, "I'm not a baby!!" It took her awhile to forgive us for that.
One day I went to round the horses up with Jannie, Erika and Krista and out of nowhere Erika says to me, "Bree, how are your bareback riding skills?" WHAT??? So after a few times of kicking Cinco in the butt to try and jump on, I cheated and stood on the 4-wheeler to get on her. What a rush. We had to take them down a small hill and over a culvert which the horse had to hop over. Oh geez I really thought I was gonna fall off but I did the Grover's proud and stayed on. I was on such a high that I wanted to tell Ty. They were up shooting guns so I busted up there on a 4-wheeler and took a few rounds on the shot gun and got 10/12 clay pigeons. Best. Day. Ever.
Tuesday was bath night. So we headed up to the fish pond and oh man, the water was so cold. I couldn't bring myself to stand up in the water either because there were little minnows that kept nibbling on my feet. Creepy.
On Wednesday we went to the lake again and this time we all did the zip line. Such a rush and I was scared out of my mind to take the initial leap off the the platform. But we both did it and I'm really proud that Ty did too because he is afraid of heights! After that we both got on these little kayak/paddleboard things and putted around the lake.
Just some fun randoms.
Apparently Grandma and Grandpa were cold....
Here's the start of our 2 hour drive to Durango at 6am. Breakfast at McD's, a 2 hour bus ride to Silverton (population 600), lunch, shopping then a 3 hour train ride back to Durango and at 7:41pm we drove another 2 hours back to the cabin. Once we got back we all ate Taco Salad for dinner and laughed about the crazy people on the train and showed each other our treasured purchases. After all that, we slept and drove 7 hours back home.
Yes, we're crazy. It was worth it.
In Silverton we got a little train for our Christmas ornament plus Ty bought a hummingbird ornament he really liked. By the end of the train ride we were all covered in soot. It was nice and cool, no rain, which was good because we were in an open car. The view was gorgeous. Such beautiful country.
The start of the journey home. Toby is thrilled.
Colorado is one of my most favorite trips. I love the peace and calm. Being where there's mostly no phone service, or constant noise from electronics.
One night I wrote in my journal about how clear the sky was and that I felt like I could lift my hand up and pluck one of the stars out of the sky because it feels that close. The air is fresh, non polluted, and just lovely. The mountains are gorgeous. I can't help but feel close to my Heavenly Father and my Savior when I'm there due to the beauty they have blessed us with.
It never disappoints.
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