Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

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June 22, 2022

Kids Hike – Lily Lake RMNP

One of our favorite hikes is up in Rocky Mountain National Park called Lily Lake. It’s a very easy to navigate hike with great accessibility. It’s one of my go-to trails when it’s just me and the kids because I know it’s safe and I won’t have to carry Emmy.

The main loop is just shy of a mile and can be navigated with a stroller.

Back in 2018 Cory made it around with our double stroller and a busted Achilles in a boot.

Now the kids hike on their own!

We brought lunch to enjoy while watching all the wildlife. I LOVE summer in the mountains so much.

We choose to add some elevation and distance by going up over the ridge. There are many other trails that connect to the main Lily lake trail so you can add distance if you like. You can also paddle on the lake and the kids want to bring our boards next time.

If you are in the Estes Park area we can’t recommend this trail enough! We have also visited in the fall and winter….all beautiful!

Previous years:

Posted by bethcurtis
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado Travel, Hike, Kids Hikes, National Park

June 12, 2022

Rifle Falls, John Denver + Raspberry Cake

We started our day with breakfast riverside.

Can’t beat the views of this campsite!

We decided to drive over the Rifle Falls State Park to enjoy the falls, caves and a little hike.

Luckily all the dogs are allowed on the hikes as well.

This is our third time visiting Rifle Falls and I love it every time, a great hike for kids and adults.

We went back to camp for lunch with my entire family.

My parents decided to stay in camp to relax and stay out of the 90+ degree heat. We took the kids and met my brother up in Aspen to visit the John Denver Gardens.

It was a nice visit but I do wish we could have stayed longer visiting, I love Aspen. I already asked for a visit to Aspen for my birthday this year.

We went back to camp to enjoy father’s day dinner and raspberry cake with my Dad.

Emmy approved of it all!

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Camping, Colorado Travel

June 6, 2022

Colorado Day Trip – Bishop Castle

I could sum up our trip to Bishop Castle in one sentence it would be: Cool, wild, would not actually recommend.

Bishop Castle is in Rye, Colorado and we visited on our way home from the Great Sand Dunes National Park. I had wanted to visit for years because the pictures online look so cool.

Walking up the kids were SOOOOOO excited, they though it was the best thing ever.

The story of this place is wild, one man has built most of this castle all on his own. Also I don’t think it meets a single code. I was a little (a lot) nervous climbing all the iron stairs high up on the castle. There were broken stairs, walkways to no where, and low (or no) ledges. It blows my mind that no one has died there.

We did climb all the way to the top, but I had a death grip on Emmy’s hand, afraid at any moment that she would slip or fall through something. I would not have been quite so nervous if I didn’t have littles with me.

The place is very interesting and worth a visit if you don’t have littles and you aren’t afraid of heights.

Have you been to Bishop Castle? If so what are your thoughts?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado Travel

February 21, 2022

A Visit to Pueblo

On Sunday we played at our campsite on scooters and visited the lake a bit.

I don’t think it’s the most picturesque place in Colorado but I am glad we visited!

Our campsite had a good view of the lake.

On our way home we stopped in Pueblo to visit the river walk.

*source*

Normally this area is full of water and boats but it was empty when we visited. I would love to come back and see it like above.

We did find a fun little playground and a cute patio to have lunch that allowed us to have our three dogs with us!

It was fun visiting Pueblo and I would love to go back!

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado Travel, Travel

February 20, 2022

Weekend Trip – Lake Pueblo State Park

We are loving winter camping, getting out in nature makes everything better. We tend to camp in very different locations in the winter than the summer since the high country is way too snowy and cold for us this time of year. I do prefer summer camping in the mountains, but it is fun to see parts of the state we wouldn’t visit in the summer.

Like Lake Pueblo State Park! We joined my parents for a little weekend camping.

The drive is only a little over two hours and very easy.

We did some hiking and playing, the weather was cool but comfortable.

After our hike we went to Pueblo to visit the zoo.

It was tiny but perfect for an afternoon and the kids liked it.

Then it was back to our campsite for dinner and stargazing.

Do you ever go camping in the winter?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Camping, Colorado Travel

January 31, 2022

A Winter Day Trip To Breckenridge

I was so excited to get back up into the mountains and spend the day in Breckenridge. We go often in the summer but avoid it more in the winter given ski traffic.

We started with a visit to the Breckenridge Troll which is just a short walk down an snowy path to see Isak Heartstone.

We then took the (free) bus into downtown Breckenridge to visit the International Ice Sculpture Competition.

It was so fun seeing all the different sculptures, they really are works of art. The kids enjoyed it as well.

We then went on a mission to find lunch.

We wanted to find a restaurant with a patio open since we still aren’t eating inside restaurants.

Kenosha Smoke House and Grill was exactly what we wanted. Their deck was open, it was a beautiful day, the food was good and view was amazing. We have gotten to the point where eating out is fun again with the kids.

We then stopped at a Railroad themed playground to play before heading home. We would have loved to hit the sledding hill that is supposed to have great tubbing. We had to save that for another trip because we didn’t want to leave Humphry home alone too long.

Some of our past favorite visits to Breck:

A SUMMER WEEKEND IN BRECKENRIDGE

DAY TRIP TO BRECKENRIDGE + TROLL SPOTTING (Fall)

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado Travel

January 24, 2022

A Day Trip to the Paint Mines

We had the best day yesterday exploring the Paint Mines , the Paint Mines are a natural feature south of Denver.

“The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is one of El Paso County’s most unique open spaces. The Paint Mines are named for their colorful clays that were collected by American Indians to make paint. Brightly colored bands, caused by oxidized iron compounds, are found in varying amounts throughout the many different layers of clay.

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is located in the northeast section of the County near Calhan with approximately 750 acres. The paint mines have evidence of human life as far back as 9,000 years ago. The park features fantastic geological formations including spires and hoodoos that form through erosive action that creates incised gullies and exposed layers of selenite clay and jasper. The park includes a restroom facility, four miles of trails, interpretive signage, and many natural wonders.” – SOURCE

There is so much to explore.

Cannon and Emerald loved climbing around and finding hidden caves.

If you are in the area I highly suggest a visit.

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado Travel, Hikes, Kids Hikes

January 17, 2022

A Winter Day Trip to Rocky Mountain National Park

We often overlook that we live so close to a magical National Park. It is my goal to spend way more time there this summer (We love our parks pass).

We have been to RMNP many time but never taken the time to get a stamp in our passports so we stopped in at the visitors center.

We went to the Bear Lake Corridor.

Source

We weren’t really prepared for a long hike as this wasn’t our original intention but we explored around Bear Lake and had an amazing time.

The lake is frozen over so it’s fun to run around on.

We do have all wheel drive and snow tired but the roads were easy to drive on regardless.

A little deposit in my attempt to like winter more….

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado Travel, National Park, Travel

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We are having so much fun learning to ski as a fam We are having so much fun learning to ski as a family! Ski traffic I could do without 🫠
✨2022✨ I can honestly say this was the best ✨2022✨ 

I can honestly say this was the best year of my life. So many adventures. I am loving the ages of these kiddos and cherish our time together. 

Very unsure if we can top this in 2023 but we are sure going to try!
We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄 We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄
Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not h Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not hating winter this year! ❄️
We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the N We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the North Pole and seeing Santa! 

The kids had so much fun and it was way cuter than I was expecting. They said it was better than Disneyland 😂 @northpolecolorado
Happy Halloween!!! Cannon really wanted to be To Happy Halloween!!! 

Cannon really wanted to be Toad from Super Mario this year so we tagged along. 

Scroll to see 2021-> 2020 -> 2019 -> 2018 -> 2017 -> 2016 🎃
We finished up our tour of France with a couple da We finished up our tour of France with a couple days in Disneyland Paris. I love Disney Parks and visiting Disneyland Paris was a dream come true. We had such an amazing time on our entire trip. 

We are trying to plan our next trip. Where is the best place you have ever been? Do you have a favorite trip? I would love to hear about it. My parents say that Ireland was their favorite so UK tops the list currently but Italy or Costa Rica are on the list too.
In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus tour to see the major sights. Our favorites included walking the entire Champs-Élysées and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We missed out on seeing the Catacombs because we didn’t get tickets early enough. c’est la vie, I guess we will have to go back 😉
A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing our trip to France 🫠 better late than never! 

We spent our first day back in Paris with a trip to Versailles. We loved the gardens so much and particularly enjoyed Marie Antoinette’s little farm. The history here is incredible and the opulence overwhelming. We walked over 10 miles on our visit!
Before our long drive back to Paris we did the thr Before our long drive back to Paris we did the three castle hike in Ribeauvillé, France. We climbed up the side of a hill to three castle ruins from the 14th century. It was really fun to explore and a great way to burn some energy before a long drive.
While we were in the Alsace region of France we vi While we were in the Alsace region of France we visited the sweet little village of Riquewihr. Rumor says this was the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s Beaty and the Beast. Can you see it? We could and kept singing Bonjour while walking through town.
After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colma After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colmar. This sweet little town in the Alsace region of France near the German border. We loved all the half timber buildings and winding streets. We had some great local food and wine. Colmar was a lovely place to get lost for an afternoon.
It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person. The peak was never fully clear of clouds while we were there which was a little disappointing but it was still majestic . We took a cog train and gondola up then hiked about five miles down on the five lakes trail. It was a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lunch mid hike. We loved the little (car free) town of Zermatt. We enjoyed some fun Swiss playgrounds in town before dinner. I love Switzerland and it’s mountains!
With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a go With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a gondola and cable car up Le Brévent. We enjoyed hot chocolates and crepes at the top with views of Mont Blanc. 

Next it was time to drive on to Switzerland 🇨🇭
We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Cha We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Chamonix to Montenvers to visit the Mer de Glace  glacier. At the top you can take a gondola a little way down then MANY stairs to the glacier. It was sad to see the markers of where the glacier was in years past and how much it has shrunk. We did love exploring an ice cave that they dig out each year. We had to try twice to get into the ice caves as the first time it closed right as we arrived due to a storm. It was worth taking the train twice.
After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we sto After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we stopped half way down for a couple mile hike and a stop at a mountain hut for lunch. This might have been my favorite lunch ever. The views were amazing and the weather was nice. The mountains here are STUNNING!!! #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explo We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explore the French Alps. The experience we were most excited about was taking the gondola up the 
Aiguille du Midi (highest cable car in France). You switch cable cars half way up so you can enjoy the views. The top outpost is incredible perching on top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it! 

The day wasn’t completely clear but the views were still incredible. #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
After a long drive across the French countryside w After a long drive across the French countryside we landed in Annecy at the foot of the Alps. 

Annecy was such a pretty little town on the bank of a gorgeous turquoise lake.  We got to enjoy lunch at a canal side cafe, wander the streets, enjoy ice cream and playground hop our way through town. 

Very excited about our next few days in mountains of France + Switzerland.
We drove into the heart of France to visit the Go We drove into the heart of France to visit the  Gouffre de Padirac. A large cave system including an underground river. I don’t have many good pictures given the lighting and lack of patience. We loved climbing down into the cave and riding a boat along the river. Probably my favorite cave that I have visited. Kids loved all of it too and are so good about us dragging them along with us across France.
After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire to visit Château de Chenonceau. It was stunning and the gardens were fun to explore. The history here is so rich!
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