Float On

     So the morning started at 9:30 with a question of what to do today. Rafting was brought up and so the search for a outfitter began. We found one that had two times slots they floated, 10:30 and 2:30. Some suggested for the 2:30 but for some reason we went with the earlier time slot. This meant that we were in a mad dash to make it. It is 30 min to town and we had to be there 30 min before bus departure. Needless to say, we were not there 30 min early. We signed waivers and fitted into Personal Floating Devices (PFD), grabbed a paddle and boarded the bus. It wasn't long before the pushed off and about 10 min later we were at the landing. The main guide gave us a pep talk and safety tips then assigned us rafts with our own guide. We had Chaz, a greenhorn. On the job for about a year. The water wasn't more than four feet deep in any given spot so I wasn't too worried about his experience. There were a total of four rafts and three kayaks. There were a family of Iowa Hawkeye fans that threatened us harm if we were Iowa staters. Another raft with a couple of western Indian families. They looked like a "fish out of water". Sorry for the pun. There guide really struggled to keep his raft going straight down river and not getting stuck. The other two rafts we really never heard or seen much from. Did I mention that the kids had water guns? It really ruined mom and dad's chances of getting out of this dry. After Smelter Rapids, we're Samuel learned how to fly, we stopped for a snack break and that is when the weather decided to turn from sunny to a down pour with a side of hail. Even with all this and lightning we pushed off after our snack. The rest of the 4 mile float was uneventful but enjoyable.  Except for the disembark, we had to step into a foot of water to ensure that we got wet. Dad wasn't pleased.

     We dried off and ate dinner at steamworks brewery. Good food and good beer. It was back to home and to the hot tub. Not a bad day.

   

                                                                                                               

Gold Rush Fever

This morning 4 of us went searching for gold. It took a couple tries to find the best trail that lead to a creek that wasn't moving too fast after all the rain. We could see lots of gold dust in our pans but it was so small the water could wash it out. We are thrilled that we are coming home with some gold (or at least we think it's gold) in our vile. We ate lunch by the creek and kept at it until after 2:30. The kids did a great job panning. Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed a relaxing quiet morning.
Later we headed to Durango and stopped by the fish hatchery where the kids could feed the trout. The highlight was learning that deer don't like dogs. Another tourist had their dog tied to a tree and a deer came within 5 feet of the dog. The conservationist lady was irritated at the man and scared the deer off.
After supper at the Steamworks Brewery the kids are able to enjoy some time in the pool.
The mountains are beautiful and constantly changing with the sun. Sooo relaxing!

the long road to Silverton

The morning started early because we had to be at the train depot by 8:15 and in our seats by 8:20. Spectacles,  testicles, wallet and watch we were off. 8:45 with a couple toots from the train we nudge forward. At 10 mph we moved up the mountain, the whole mountain. 3 1/2 hours later and a lot of scenic viewing, we reached the top...woo-hoo Silverton. This rustic town was filled with tourist shops. You could get a shirt that said anything you wanted...or not. With another 3 1/2 hours we reached Durango. Not a bad day to spend our 14th anniversary. It wasn't until our drive back to Cascade Village that we saw our first black bear. It ran across the road in front of us. If you were wondering, it was not the 800 lb bear in our area.

Durango Mondays

Today we started at the Durango Mountain Resort. Alpine slide, bungee cord jumps, water ball and nature walks were a part of the activities. Lunch at Guido ' s Italian market refueled most of us and put dad into a zombie like tired state. He napped in the van while the rest of us walked historic downtown. After grabbing a growler of oatmeal stout from Carver's Brewing Co. and a few bottles of wine after a taste testing from Four Leaves Winery we heading back to Cascade Village. The desk clerk mentioned this morning that there we needed to watch out because there is a 800 lb. Black bear rummaging thru trash cans here recently. So tonight, it's beers and bears.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

What a day! We headed out of Pueblo toward Durango down 160. A beautiful scenic drive. Honestly, what road in Colorado isn't. Our first detour was the Great Sand Dunes. Yep! There was sand, and lots of it. OK,  so it really was a beautiful sight to see. Unfortunately there was a storm blowing over the mountains containing lighting. The parks service strongly suggested not to climb the dunes. So we only went part way. It was fun to watch the sand boarders.

The next stop was half way down the Wolf Pass. We had to pull over into a scenic overlook to let the brakes cool and stop smoking. If you have ever watched a Nascar pit stop where they change the tires out and smoke is billowing out...yep and it stinks. Never the less,  we made it to Durango safe and sound. The kids are tucked into bed and await our next adventure.

Fun on Saturday

Saturdays drive was to Florissant and then down to Pueblo. In Florissant we went to the fossil beds and seen giant petrified redwood stumps. Dad wasn't too impressed.  Frankly I think it was the walking.

Pueblo was a nice stop. A city with a small town feel. The kids got to play on some vintage carnival rides and I got to hang out a good friend of mine, Ray. He gave us small tour of the surrounding area and the in-laws repaid him with dinner and a beer. Not too bad of deal for either parties.

The Launch

So it's Durango or BUST! The in-laws are taking us to Durango Co in their 1994 Ford conversion van. We took off late in the evening so the kids could sleep through the flat lands of Kansas.  It worked! Made it Limon for breakfast before they woke up.