Olympic Training Center

1st day of School

This summer flew! I think that's what just about everyone answers when asked how their summer was. As true as it is, we are going to savor this last year of elementary school for Raven. Luke is very happy to be in 4th grade. It's a great start to this school year.

Oldest Colorado Town

Not only is San Luis, CO the oldest town in Colorado, it also is the home of the oldest drainage ditch in CO.
 Our favorite part of this stop was the Stations of the Cross trail.  It is a maintained trail up a hill with beautiful bronze sculptures of the 13 stations of the Cross.  This is the chapel at the top.

New Mexico and Colorado State Line

Oddly we have a number of pictures of our children lying across state lines, but this one of a state line being a cattle guard has to be one of the favorites.

 Pretty open spaces. Good times.

Workin' on the Road

Notice the Map.
We are in Questa, NM here.
Apparently they were expecting us at this c-store/gas station/lunch counter/JB's office.

Rio Grande Gorge

As we left Taos, we stopped by the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and did a bit of exploring around it. We followed an electrical access road and enjoyed the view at the edge of the gorge.

Trampas Lake, Lots of Rain

As JB & Ben ascended, the rain came on. Once they reached the lake, and after a few hours of waiting out the rain in their little make-shift shelter, they decided to descend rather than spend a night soaked just to climb a wet, slick mountain face the next morning.
I think the comment "we're havin' the time of our lives" was how they described this outing.

Up to Truches Peaks

This is the beginning of the trek up to Trampas Lake and the peaks.

Notice the graffiti on the National Forest trail marker. This is not an easily accessable marker, and yet many of those who have passed it have felt the need to deface it. Strange.

This was a spot along the Trampas Lakes Trail. Picturesque view.

mt.evans, co

 at the top

Camp Fire at Camp DaKaNi

Raven's group lit the fire at Camp Fire Council on the last day of Camp DaKaNi.  Luke got the friendship stick in his group.

It was a hot and humid week of camp, but we had a lot of fun.  I worked with 1st & 2nd graders for the week.  Raven & Luke did the zip line, ropes course, canoed, fished, cooked on camp fires and had a good time.

Fire Fighter Museum & Zoo with Meme & Papa

Raven, Luke, Lynda & HB with the 1917 Pumper from Frederick.

Will, Wiley & Meme at the OKC Zoo.

Papa & the kids taking a break from the Oklahoma Trails.

We had a fun few days exploring OKC.

City Museum, St Louis

We highly recommend City Museum in St Louis to anyone with a sense of exploration and adventure!  We spent the better part of a day crawling through tunnels, caves and cages, going down slides and climbing up ramps. 

Ferris Wheel on the top of the buiding.

Gateway Arch, St Louis

going up!
at the top
 action shot - notice Luke loosing his gum.