Colorado

We made it to Colorado!!

Photos have to come later.  I'm having trouble uploading, but I want to send this.  

As soon as we arrived in Boulder, it felt like home.  The vibe of the town felt very familiar and comfortable.  I could live in Boulder.  We walked around and along Boulder Creek - it runs right through the heart of the town.  At one point in the creek, there were several cairns (rock piles) along the rocky creek.  We got into the spirit and made some of our own.  Bigger kids (college students) were tubing down the creek.  It looked a little tricky, so we didn't join in that.  It was fun to watch though.

THEN we drove to Erin and Nyita's house.  As we pulled up, Erin was coming down the street on her horse, Joe.  She looked so beautiful - she should be on the cover of Boulder Magazine.  They have three horses - Joe, Rusty and Bella.  We all had a chance to ride and now I have four equestrian wannabes.  Erin was so generous in so many ways.  Josie, Simon and Akasha came for a visit and a cookout.  Ms. Erin was James and Akasha's kindergarten teacher and she was right back into teacher mode with all the kids - horseback riding and making ice cream.  She even slept out on the trampoline under the stars with James and Beti.

All our friends in Boulder are fabulous.  Josie and Simon are happily married.  Erin is happily unmarried.  We had so much fun catching up with them and all the exciting things happening in their lives.  They're all enjoying life in Boulder.  We sat out on Erin's deck with the mountains across the way and the moon and stars so clear overhead.  It was breathtaking.  The kids were so excited to see their old friends.  Nyita and Akasha are growing up.  Nyita is still the strong, confident young woman we know and love.  She's always been a great role model for Hannah.  Akasha is her sweet self, but about a foot taller.  She and James had fun reminiscing about first grade - "talking about the old days" as James said.  Nyita's friend, Sara, was visiting.  She's another former Tidewater student so it was a little Tidewater reunion.

On Friday, we started the day with horseback riding (for those of us who didn't have a chance on Thursday night.)  We then went to Rocky Mt. National Park, hiked to some alpine lakes and drove through the whole park on our way to Steamboat.  In the park, we saw herds of elk, a couple of marmot and a bull and cow moose.  There was snow in the alpine tundra and we walked in the snow in our flip flops.  It was one spectacular view after another all day.

I'm now sitting in a McDonald's in Steamboat Springs, CO.  The kids are playing on the playplace while I post on this blog.  I'm not sure when I'll have internet access again, so we pulled in here.  We swam in some hot springs this morning (that's how Steamboat got it's name,) and went to the farmer's market for lunch.  We pulled into town last night, just in time to get the last campsite at 9pm.  This is where the adventure really begins.  I love this town and I have lots of happy memories here, especially from our friends, Jenny and Jamie's, wedding.  The campground was cheesy, but we were happy to have a place to pitch the tent.

We're now on our way to Dinosaur National Monument.  Berhanu turns seven tomorrow and we're spending the day rafting down the Green River through Split Rock Canyon.  I may not have photos readily available because I won't be taking my good camera with me.  

Everything's going better than we ever anticipated.  I'm working on a list of road trip advice - what has worked and what hasn't worked - and the "best of" along the way.  It's been a fascinating journey.

Chris is joining us earlier than planned.  We'll see him one week from today in San Diego.  I'm thrilled about that.  The only down side of this trip has been to be away from him and to not have him sharing in these experiences.  Oh well.  Someone in this family has to have a job.

Love to all of you...