We drove 6.5 hours from Custer, South Dakota to Steamboat Springs, CO. The vast open spaces in SD and WY were crazy. In Steamboat, we are staying with Chelsea’s college friend Lindsey and her family, Jason, Lily (11), Nora (9), and their dog, Kona.
On our first full day here, we took a morning walk to see the hot air balloon rodeo. Then went into town for the Art in the Park. We didn’t purchase any artwork, but the kids get some Kona Ice. Chelsea saw a coworker and his family at the event, almost 1,000 miles away from our workplace.
The afternoon was spent around the house. Playing, running through the sprinkler, and enjoying time with our friends! We had a special little celebration for Mason’s birthday last week.
We went to see the air balloons again. Then went to the park with Mason and Nora to play some baseball. We were surprised to see the “Wild West” hot air balloon come down to land nearby.
We chilled at the house playing games and riding bikes and then went for a small walk at Butcher Knife Trail where the kids had fun “mountain climbing” and crossing the logs that cross over the creek.
In the late afternoon went up to the ski mountain. Obviously, there was no skiing now, but there was a very cool mountain coaster and balloons. Mason got a dog. Cooper got a hat. Lily got a butterfly, and Nora got a panda. We were hoping to eat dinner outside on the mountain but the restaurant was closed for a private party, so we got Mexican to-go.
Again, we want to thank our amazing hosts! We’ve loved our time with you. Thank you for sharing this time with us! Love you all!
Dinosaur Day!
We left Steamboat early and drove to Dinosaur National Monument which straddles Colorado and North Eastern Utah on the banks of the Green River. And although the quarry and visitor center are technically in Utah, we count it as CO. Here we took a tram to the quarry where we could see the excavation of over 1,500 fossils. The boys each touched a bone. We also saw a short film on the history of the site. While here, webriefly met a man that had walked all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was on a journey the 4 states. Just walking, just for fun.
We then drove through Douglas Pass and into the Frutia/Grand Junction area. As we came into civilization, we stopped by another dinosaur museum. The Dinosaur Journey is a regional paleontological and geological museum that tells the story of the history of life in western Colorado and surrounding areas with real fossils, cast skeletons, and robotic reconstructions of dinosaurs. The boys both loved how interactive the museum was and told us the learned a lot.
We spent the night in Grand Junction , and then went to check out Colorado National Monument. Amazing! We hiked 1.6 m out and back on the Devil’s Kitchen Trail. The beginning was a wide dirt path, but the final stretch was all rocky climbing. Even with a 9:00 start, it was a hot and steamy day.
The rest of the way we drove and stopped at different lookouts and vistas, bit generally just enjoyed the beauty around us. The mountains were big and the turns were tight, but it was amazing.
As we crossed the border back into Utah, we were a bit sad. We loved our time exploring CO and seeing friends. We hope to come back and visit soon.
Amazing pictures and adventures!!! Yahoo!!❤️
Thanks for sending your stories from “along the road” again. Hearing the opening music took me to a happy place. Love it! 💕 Enjoy.