Rafting and Jumping

I can't tell you how much I LOVE white water rafting!!! It has to be one of my all time favorite things to do ---- I've had the most amazing trips in West Virginia and South Carolina and California --- and now I can add the Colorado River! And it was the best to bring the kids along on this adventure. The rapids were only II+ but I still worried about the kids flying out and disappearing downstream!!

Wish our picture had turned out a bit better --- but we were looking at Jump Rock.

A 25'-0" high ledge that you can challenge yourself to take a flying leap into the ice cold water of the river!

And then there's a 5'-0" ledge for the kids!

Of course Brian had to try it!! I watched in horror ---- I still have a "squirrely" feeling in my stomach when I look at these pictures. Another Mother and I stood in the river water watching our babies and spouses and we laughed at how adventurous we were before our kids ---- she reminisced over her honeymoon and taking a 30' jump off a cliff in Hawaii ---- and we both said that our risk taking days were over. Someone has to stay out of traction and keep life moving along!!

Fishing

Brian treated the family to a morning of fishing.

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We went up, up and up the mountain to a lake where they stock trout.

Off the beaten path....literally.....we drove down a gravel/dirt bumpy road to get here.

I'm going to be honest.....I went back to the car a couple of times to warm up. It was FREEZING! And we were really in the wilderness ---- nothing but dense trees and rocky shoreline. I was seriously worried that a bear was going to pop out and say "hello".

Or more like, "Hello, you juicy Californians. Yum!"

The one William had hoped to catch!

Dinosaurs!

As luck would have it --- we discovered Dinosaur Ridge. We decided not to take the 45 minute tour, but enjoyed the dino museum and life like statues! ;)

Can you guess who was thrilled to be there?

Colorado --- part I

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We had an amazing vacation in Colorado!! Here's a pick of the Blue River in Breckenridge ---- there were rainbow trout here and the kids loved feeding them from the bridge.

Here was our home away from home --- The Grand Lodge!

Let me tell you ---- this place was the most amazing, family friendly vacation spot. Aside from all the outdoor beauty and being nestled into the mountain --- right at the slopes --- it had several pools, a waterslide and hot tubs that the kids absolutely LOVED!

I tried to take this shot from our room window ---- just to give you an idea. The fire pit was great for some s'mores makin' and there are grills all over the property so you can bring your fixings down and make your own food. (rooms have kitchenettes).

Aside from all of that there is a fun game room, theaters you can reserve for a DVD night, a mini golf area and a cute playground.

So if you wanted to stay in the resort, there's plenty to do!

We did a day of rafting! My all time favorite way to spend a day! It was a Class I and Class II --- and the kids really enjoyed it --- more on that later.