Dead Horse Canyon State Park and River Rafting

On Friday, the family split up. We wanted the kids to have a little more adventure than could be had from the car and short hikes that we were able to do in this heat so Andy took them for their first river rafting experience (more about this later). Molly and I had the morning free to do whatever we (read "I") wanted. I had considered shopping but to be honest, the shopping in Teluride is much cuter so we decided to drive the additional 45 minutes to Dead Horse State Park which adjoins Canyonlands. The park gets its name from some wild mustangs that were allegedly left in the canyon to die but don't worry, there were no dead horses there today. Just beautiful canyon scenery. Molly, of course, was not that interested in the scenery but she was a good sport and allowed me to stop many many times to taking in the views. In turn, I allowed her to push buttons at the visitor center as long as she wanted ... Here are some pictures from our drive and morning.


On the drive, two formations named after the USS Monitor and Merimack


We drove down a dirt road to get a closer look at this wall of rock - who says the minivan can't 4WD


Our first view of the park


View towards dead horse point


View from dead horse point - could this really be on the same planet as home?

Arches National Park

Here are some scenes from Arches National Park. It was about 100 plus degrees so we didn't do too much hiking but it was beautiful.


Park Avenue


Balanced Rock


North Arch


The boys inside North Arch


South Arch


More scenery


And a little more

Drive to Moab

On July 5th, we decided to take advantage of the fat that we are so close to Moab, UT, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. We packed for a night and went on a "road trip." It was a fairly short drive, only 3 hours and very scenic. There were a few homesteads along the way and 100% of the towns we passed had less than 2 stores ... we kept seeing signs for "open range" and were joking that we should watch for cows ... at least we thought it was funny. Very close to the Utah border we ran across a genuine round up complete with cattle and cowboys. If you can watch the video, the cowboy had to lead our car thought the herd as the cows were completely blocking the road and were being led down the road (I guess to another pasture area). Check out the one black cow trying to get run over by me ... he headed over to get a quick drink as we were trying to pass.

The round up.

A view from the car.

July 4th

July 4th in Telluride was everything we could have wished for. First we walked the 2 blocks to a prime viewing spot for the parade. It was very cute with lots of local kids riding their decorated bikes and riding in decorated wagons. Check out these cute "firecrackers." There was also a "Fly by" from the Colorado Springs AFB.

After the parade was a BBQ in the town park and some time playing with our feet in the San Miguel River (testing out the boys' new Keens).

The evening fireworks were amazing. First of all to hang out in the shadow of these huge mountains then as the sun set, Venus and Mars were visible. At full dark there was a great fireworks show - the most amazing thing was how the fireworks appeared to fill the sky - the sky is so big here with only the mountains on every horizon. I know I will not forget this 4th.

Bridal Veil Falls

Sunday we hiked up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. You can’t see the falls from town, but as you park at the end of main street before it turns into Jeep trails, both the falls and the defunct power plant come into view. Drew and I mostly hiked as a pair to the base of the falls. (Casey and Derek worked at their own pace). I’ve included pictures along the way. The falls themselves were dramatic. The mist coming off the falls cools the air temperature down by at least 10 degrees. Relatively easy hike even though you gain a bit of altitude.

Drew, by the way, is an outstanding hiking partner. He didn't tire nearly as much as his dad and I believe his camp gave him some perspective and appreciation for the trail, the wildlife and the views.

Still pretty hot here. We almost hit 90 today. Wouldn't be so bad if this town had air conditioning...makes you appreciate what you have at home.


A view of the falls from the base. Note the power plant in the upper left. Word is it is being restored.


Me and Drew at the base of the falls. The mist felt great!


A view of the top of the falls from the bottom...

Mesa Verde National Park

Saturday we went to Mesa Verde National Park which was about 2 hours away towards New Mexico. It is the site of many ancient Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings. The structures dated from 600-1300 AD and were truly amazing. They were multi-story homes nestled under cliff overhangs and are largely still intact. Amazingly, the ancient people lived in these places and farmed (corn, beans and squash) the land on top of the mesas (climbing up to work each day) and gathered water from below (climbing down and back up with the water). It was pretty hot there (I’d say at least 90-95) but the cliff dwellings were cool and the ancients had even devised partially underground kivas (the circular structures pictured but with roofs still intact) that served as ceremonial places and family rooms and stayed around 58 degrees no matter what time of year. We hiked down to the “Cliff Palace” which was the largest community – about 80 people. The boys really enjoyed climbing the ladders to get in and out and also the “hiding places” that they discovered – maybe ancient children used them too …

Alex coming out of a kiva

and Drew

Cliff Palace

A Kiva with the roof off

The boys on the hike back up from the Cliff Palace

Happy 6th Birthday

It is Alex’s Birthday today. He is six. The kids and I went to Ouray – about 1 hour away to swim in a hot springs pool they have there. The water was warm and the pool was definitely a popular place for the local kids. The boys even saw some friends from camp there. This picture is from outside the pool. When we were at the pool, my hands were too full for pictures and you can see, even here, Molly is trying to escape. When we got back, Alex opened his presents and happily played lego for the rest of the day. His birthday dinner was fried rice and birthday cake.

At the park outside the pool

Alex's B-Day

Jump jump

It was a quiet day around town for Molly and I today. We attempted a hike but didn’t get too far since she wasn’t crazy about the baby backpack. Instead, we detoured to the town park and played “jump jump” on the bridge. Mom and Derek went to Durango to ride the train to Silverton. It was a beautiful scenic drive if a little scary in places. The train was running late and they go stuck on the wrong side of a road closure and had to spend Thursday night away. The boys were away on their last day of camp. The slept over night at a ghost town and had a lot of fun. They had disposable cameras with them but apparently I can’t get them developed until we get home since the closest developer is in Montrose.