| ......or how Jeff became "OutdoorJeff." |  |
| One of the town's we visited. |
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| Hiking an alpine |
Jeff and I went to Colorado for quite a few days this month. We first visited his dad in Greely. We just relaxed the first day, my asthma and I began to adjust to the higher altitude. :) We had dinner, played cards, I read a book on my kindle (which I am obsessed with by the way). It was nice and relaxing. Then we spent time watching barrel racing (it is a western horseback riding competition). We also played games at a fair. Jeff "won" three stuffed animals for a mere $35. Ha! Jackson, Avery, and Bailey now have souvenirs. . . that could have been purchased at Dollar Tree, I am sure.
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| Jeff's Dad and I |
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| Newest thing . . float around in a bubble. I didn't know that being the "boy in the bubble" could be so much fun. |
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| The stuffed animals Jeff spent a small fair fortune on. :) |
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| What do you think this is? You are right! It is a bunny. I want it! |
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After spending time in Greely, it was time for our road trip! We had to stay awake, so we chose something super health. . .
We started off our trip in Denver, exploring the shops and restaurants downtown, and of course went to the capital building. Jeff's favorite part of Denver: the REI store (it is like a small state).
We then decided to go to Garden of the Gods. It really was gorgeous. After exploring and hiking for a few hours, it was time to get a hotel in Colorado Springs and rest, so that we could go to Pike's Peak the next day. We would take the Cog train all the way up-more than 14,000 feet high. It was breathtaking and FREEZING! The train took over an hour each way. We got out at the top, walked around, and ate donuts. Random? Yes- they make cake donuts. They were delicious. They had chocolate fudge on them (not icing, real fudge). We then explored Manitou Springs.
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| Top of Pike's Peak |
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| Pike's Peak View |
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| The train |
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| The donut | | |
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Later we explored several cities, stopped multiple times on the way, and found hotels or camped when depending on where we were (I prefer the hotel to the camping, but "marriage" -or soon to be- is all about compromise, so that is what we did). :)
My favorite place was the Sand Dunes. They are so random and definitely in the middle of no where. The sand was fine and soft. They were several hundred feet high. It was a great work out, to climb and so fun to run or slide down. Jeff's inner child definitely came out (it was cute). We camped there that night. There were no bugs or humidity. It was perfect weather. We popped Jiffy Pop and made smore's. A delicious dinner!
Then it was off to the alligator farm. Odd place to have in Colorado? I thought so too. So, the farm raised tilapia and needed/ wanted a way to discard the fish that could not be consumed without creating waste. Enter the alligators. The first two were just imported for this purpose, but soon they were rescuing alligators and other reptiles from individuals who thought they might make good pets (yes, who doesn't want to cuddle with an alligator, anaconda, or rattlesnake at night). Now they have over 400 alligators and other reptiles. It was actually pretty cool.
Later we explored some cute little towns and had to experience the Arkansas river. Then we climbed an alpine and hiked in Rocky Mountain park. We visited a ghost town too, it was pretty neat. Overall, we traveled over 800 miles in Colorado. It was a great experience. I am glad that Jeff showed me where he grew up when he was little and it is definitely fun to see him in his element. He truly is "OutdoorJeff."
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| A cabin we stayed in |
