December 12, 2022

Visiting Denver’s Christkindl Market

On Sunday we visited Denver’s Christkindl Market. With claims to be an authentic German Christmas Market we wanted to check it out for ourselves. We also talked my brother and mom into coming with us.

We got there right when they opened at 11 am and it was pretty quiet.

There was a story time for kids read by Channel 7 News anchor. Cannon and Emmy loved it. By the time the stories were done it was past noon and the market was packed.

We enjoyed some German favorites including pretzels, mulled wine and Bavarian Sausage, all was delicious.

It was such a beautiful warm day, we all loved going.

The market is very dog friendly so my brother brought his sweet (giant) dog, Bosch got lots of attention and loved visiting everyone. Bosch only got nervous when we wasn’t close to the kids, he is very attached to them and likes to keep an eye on them.

The little merchants are dreamy as well. Cory and I have wanted a traditional German pyramid carousel for years and we were able to pick up one that was hand made in Germany. I am so excited about it.

It was so fun visiting especially with family. Highly recommend if you are in the Denver area during the holiday season.

Another perk of carpooling to Denver Denver together was that I got to sit in the back and hang out with Cannon. He is so much fun!

The Market is Free, Dog and family friendly!

Have you been to a German Christmas Market? My brother went to Germany to visit the markets at Christmas and it was fun to hear how Denver’s version compared.

December 5, 2022

A Day at Keystone Ski Resort

We woke up and got on the road to Keystone a little later than we would have liked.

The drive was really beautiful and I was grateful for our new snow tires. A lot of the parking was full by the time we got there (we should have left at least an hour earlier) but Keystone has great family parking and we got an awesome spot.

We took our time to figure out the lay of the village and picking up Emmy’s season pass. We rode the gondola up to the top to see the learning hill, ice fort and lodge. The fort was still being worked on but that will be fun for future trips.

The views from the top are incredible, Dillion Lake, Ten Mile Range and Breckenridge were all visible on this clear day.

Emmy really liked the hand warmers.

We met some friends that were up skiing as well for lunch and tried to learn as much from them as possible as they have been skiing with their kids for a few years now.

We grabbed our ski gear and went back up the gondola to try skiing for the first time. I have been skiing a few times as a teenager in Oregon but basically remember nothing, Cory has only ever been snow boarding so we were all learning together.

Our friends let us borrow their ski leash and this REALLY helped the kids feel confident and learn without sliding all the way down the mountain.

Emmy was scared to try but with the leash she loved it and can’t wait to go again.

Cannon could go without the leash but it was easier for him to learn technique with it so we will definitely be buying a couple of these.

The kids did great on the magic carpet as well, I on the other hand almost bit it getting off. I did better than I though I would and can’t wait to do longer runs.

The village was super cute and we had the best day, we can’t wait to learn more and see the other side of the resort, we only explored the River Run section today.

If you ski or snowboard where is your favorite resort? We are thinking we might need the full Epic Pass next year so we can visit many more of the resorts.

November 30, 2022

Georgetown Christmas Train – 2022

We were so excited to get to do the Santa Train in Georgetown again this year. We have done this ride in 2018, 2019 and 2021 but always during the day. Now that the kids are a little older we decided they could stay up a little later and take the night train that features the beautiful Christmas lights.

It snowed all night and most of the day so we were treated to a fresh layer of snow. We also had temperatures in the low teens we are not that cold hardy yet!

I love Georgetown at this time of year, they have the cutest Christmas Market the first couple of weekends in December that we will try to get back to.

The train used to run up here from Denver for the mining of Gold and Silver. Now it’s just here in Georgetown and is a fun thing to do almost any time of year.

Masks are not required this year, we are just wearing ours since we were so recently sick.

As it was we almost had the entire car to ourselves anyway. I think the recent snow kept a lot of people away since the train was sold out.

It was worth the snowy drive for the beautiful view.

The lights were so pretty and we were so glad we did the night train this year.

Santa was on the train to greet all the kids and give us candy canes and bells.

This is such a fun tradition, and Cannon said it was the best day/night ever.

Past years’ trips:

November 14, 2022

Mueller State Park + An Unbirthday

After our trip to the North Pole we spent a little time playing in the campsite. Then we decided to get a little evening hike in before dinner.

On the way to the trailhead we saw a friendly deer.

It was a little chilly but not too bad.

We went on the nature trail and had a little pamphlet to tell us about the environment we were hiking in.

It’s fun to get out and hike in the snow.

Actually kind of looking forward to this winter.

The sunset in the mountains is gorgeous.

After our hike we ate inside our trailer, which we rarely do but it was in the 20s. We are happy to hike outside in below freezing but not just around in our campsite. This is when I am very thankful for our heater and warm bed with a down comforter.

In the morning we hiked to the highest point in the park.

The views were stunning.

The kids loved playing on the rocks at the top and would have stayed there all day but we needed to get out of our campsite and back home.

Both my brother and I have birthdays in September but we hadn’t yet been able to get together to celebrate. Some reasons were great, we were in France in early September and my brother and my parents were in Oregon for both our birthdays. By the time everyone was home then we were very sick, for weeks. Then my mom had a terrible accident, spent time in the hospital where my parents caught Covid and were sick for almost three weeks. Finally everyone is home and well (I am so so grateful that everyone is fine now) so my mom hosted an unbirthday party for my brother and I. It was so sweet and thoughtful! I wish I took pictures!

I did take a picture of this yeti mug my parents gave me and I LOVE it!

November 13, 2022

A Visit to the North Pole {Colorado}

We woke up Saturday morning very excited to surprise the kids with a trip to the North Pole. I learned about the little theme park called the North Pole last year and have been wanting to go since then. We were supposed to go when we were visiting this area last year but Cannon got sick and we went home instead. This year feels like it might be the last year that both kids really believe in all the magic of Christmas, Cannon has been asking a lot of thoughtful questions and it won’t be long before some of the magic is gone. This year seemed like the perfect time to take the kids on a surprise trip to the North Pole, see Santa and kick off our holiday season.

This little theme park has been around for 66 years and is dripping in nostalgic fun. It’s also in the mountains neat Pikes Peak so it feels very magical tucked into the side of the mountain.

There are lots of little rides holiday themed and fit for little kids.

Thier Santa was REALLY good!

And there are some bigger rides if you are looking for a thrill but it’s no Six Flags.

The kids said they liked it better than Disneyland so I guess I’ll never get to go back.

They are open more than just the Holiday Season and I think it would be kinda fun to visit again in the summer sometime. There is a North Pole in the park that is made out of ice and remains frozen all year.

They have the highest ferris wheel in the world, the views from the top were spectacular.

We all had a great time.

The kids really liked the big candy cane slide. I think they each went down five or six times. For being a peak Saturday it was not overly crowded.

We spent about six hours in the park and could have stayed longer, but we wanted to get back to our camper before dark.

We got back with time to do a little sunset hike before eating dinner then snuggling in for the night. Both kids said it was the “best day ever’

October 30, 2022

A Day in Nederland

We originally had plans to try to go camping this weekend but work obligations needed us to be home this weekend. And while I am missing our time outside in the mountains, slow mornings at home are pretty great too.

We were organizing one of our cabinets and found all of our mini waffle makers. The kid thought it was pretty fun to see all of our holiday waffle makers lined up together. Cory thinks I am a little nuts but it’s also fun.

Of corse we then had to have spooky waffles for breakfast.

Even though we couldn’t make a camping trip happen we wanted a little taster of fall in the mountains.

We enjoyed a drive up Boulder Canyon to Nederland. We used to visit Ned a lot but haven’t been in a few years.

We had planned to visit Rainbow Lakes but there was already too much snow so we hiked around Barker Meadow Reservoir.

The kiddos were pretty happy to be visiting a new mountain town.

We visited Salto for some post hike coffee and treats for the kids. I had a rose latte and it was really different and good!

Nederland is famous for their Frozen Dead Guy festival in March. The kids weren’t actually cold, they were pretending to be frozen dead guys.

Then we had to make a visit to the very cute carosel!

Then a stop at the gem shop to look for pretty rocks to take home.

We loved spending the day in Nederland. If you have been to Colorado what if your favorite mountain town?

August 7, 2022

A Day in Frisco

We woke up to the sound of the river next to our campsite and fresh mountain air.

The kids were excited to just play in our campsite and ride their bikes. Cannon is enjoying his new bigger bike and Emmy is still loving her strider bike. Emmy has started riding around on a pedal bike with assistance.

Cannon has been loving having his own kayak this summer, sadly we forgot his paddle at home this trip. Luckily the Dillion Lake Marina had kids’ paddles you can rent. We picked up a paddle then found a beach we could launch from.

I have wanted to kayak on Lake Dillion forever and was really excited to get out on the lake. We have a stand up paddle board, adult kayak and Cannon’s child’s kayak. Emmy road along with Cory on the SUP, Cannon had his own kayak and our dog Humphry road with me. Humphry is not a fan of the water and isn’t a great swimmer so we made sure he could swim with a life jacket on.

We are lunch and spent most of the day down at the lake. We are trying to fit in as much time on these mountain lakes while we can. We will be out of town until mid September and then it will be too cold to enjoy the water. Camping will continue year-round.

When we were done we went back to camp for more playing, riding bikes, exploring the river and grilling dinner.

We were planning on going for a night hike after dinner before bed but there was a flash flood warning for part of the drive home and our neighborhood. The kids got nervous about it when they heard us talking about it. We decided it wasn’t worth making them feel nervous to stay another night. It only took about 30 minutes to pack up and head for home.

I love camping but I won’t lie, my bed and coffee are better at home.

Hoping we actually get some rain tomorrow, without the flooding.

August 3, 2022

Kids Hike – Gem Lake – Rocky Mountain National Park

We decided to join some friends today in checking off a bucket list item of hiking Gem Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We got up early piled all the kids in the car and got to the trailhead around 9 am.

The trail was not too crowded which was not surprising given it was a Tuesday. There was plenty of parking and toilets at the trailhead.

The trail is rated moderate and there is a lot of climbing on the way to the lake but the views make it worth it.

Gem Lake is gorgeous!

Unfortunately the chipmunks have been fed so much by people that they have lost all fear and are almost aggressive in begging for food. Remember to never feed wildlife, it’s not good for them no matter how cute they are!

On the way out we decided to add onto our hike to see the Twin Owl rocks.

It made for close to five miles of hiking. Cannon (at 6 years old) hiked this with no issues or complaints. Emmy (at 4) also did really really well but did get tired towards the end, I think this is the furthest she has ever hiked without having to be carried.

This hike gives me hope that Emmy will be able to hike 6 miles, mostly downhill, to see the Matterhorn in Switzerland.

Do your kids like to hike?

July 18, 2022

Trails + Monarch Pass

Before packing up to go home I wanted to get some miles in on the trails.

Hartman Rocks has amazing trails for mountain bikers and runners. Some were a technical above my comfort level (double black diamond).

I figure this is good training for a half marathon in the San Juans, I don’t think that terrain will be easy either.

The kids joined me for the last bit of my run, they love to trail run!

When I got back we needed to pack up to head home.

I love going on gondola rides up in the mountains and since the weather was nice we decided that today would be the day that we would ride to the top of Monarch Mountain.

The kids and I were getting ready to go up the gondola when we saw that the trails were open. Instead of riding up with us Cory decided to ride his mountain bike to the top. What a great mid drive way to get some movement!

At over 12,000 ft I was impressed with his climbing skills.

The rest of the day was spent driving home, stoping for playgrounds and iced coffees along the way.

July 17, 2022

Wildflower Festival – Crested Butte Colorado

We woke up excited to visit Crested Butte during it’s peak wildflower season, I had seen online that Crested Butte was hosting a wildflower festival this weekend.

We started our day by driving from Gunnison to Crested Butte then up to the Peanut Lake area for a hike to see the wildflowers.