On the road again, can't wait to get on the road again!!! Today made for another travel day. We started at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, CO, made a pit stop in Colorado Springs to explore for a few hours, and ended up in Pueblo, CO, where we will spend the next few days.
Before this trip, Carrie made blackout curtains for the trailer out of old one's that used to be in the boys' room. She managed to use every scrap to cover six different windows, but there wasn't enough fabric to cover the window behind the sink. With the way our trailer was oriented, that meant the 5:30am sunrise comes in right through the un-covered window (we have blinds there, but let's be real, they only provide privacy, not darkness...). Because of that, 7:00am is the latest our kids have been able to sleep for the last three mornings. We were up, fed, clothed, and hitched up by 8:30, and on the road by 9:00 to Colorado Springs to meet up with our friends, Travis and Lindsay Emery. Get used to hearing those names, because I'll be referring to them a lot.
I guess this is as good a time as any to give a little history between the Emery's and us. When I was 16, I got a job working at the Boy Scout Camp Morrison in McCall, ID. I was assigned the Scoutcraft area teaching the First Year Camper class. Also in Scoutcraft was Travis Emery. We hit it off quick that year and decided to room together the following summer with our good friend Chaz Moore. We worked on the Waterfront of Payette Lake for two summers together, and made some serious memories. Maybe sometime I'll write the stories of some of those. You can visit Scouting.org to learn more about the Boy Scouts and how they are making a difference in the lives of youth around the world.
Anyways, after we both served two-year volunteer proselyting missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (him in Brazil and me in South Africa), we got back together and started creating more memories. I went on to become a PE teacher, him a Boy Scout professional. He received the field assignment to be the Camp Director of Camp New Fork in Cora, WY and needed a right-hand man that knew scouting and scout camps the way he knew them. Since I had summers off, I was the man for the job. We ran that camp for four summers from 2015-2018. Even thought they now live in Pueblo, CO and we live in Kuna, ID, we have still managed to get together at least once a year. Luckily, our wives hit it off and are good friends too. Don't know what that would have meant if they didn't..........
 |
| Thought it would be fun to jump in a mountain lake together in November |
Back to the travelogue. We packed up and were on the road to Colorado Springs. Because Travis has some contacts at the scout office there, we were able to drop the trailer in the council office parking lot for a few hours and explore some sights. We had a picnic lunch at America the Beautiful Park and watched Parker play the floor is lava across the playground. I told him if he made it all the way, I would buy him a treat at our next stop. He did, so I payed up later. It was 92 degrees outside, so we opted to pack up and go walk the air conditioned mall for a bit. Travis had to work in the morning, so he was joining us around 2:00, and we had a little time to waste. By far the best part of the mall was taking the kids inside the pet store. I'm not a pet person by any means, and I unapologetically don't think I ever will be. But it sure was fun watching the kids light up at the sight of all the puppies, kittens, and bunnies. I'm pretty sure we stayed there for a good half hour. It was fun.
Travis has wanted to see a place called Garden of the Gods for a long time, so when he got off work, we met him there. Garden of the Gods is a National Natural Landmark, and quite a beautiful place to visit. The natural red rock formations reminded me a lot of southern Utah and our trip to Moab when we were engaged. We started at the visitor's center to see what was what, then drove over to the hiking path. You can see in the pictures how beautiful it was.
This was all in Colorado Springs, so when we were done at Garden of the Gods, we hooked the trailer back up and drove down to Pueblo. Travis's office is closed from Friday to Monday, so we are set up in his parking lot. There's a power outlet and a water spigot, so we are set. We had dinner at IHOP since no one felt like cooking, and spent the evening at the Emery's house. I think tomorrow we are going to the zoo before the high heat hits, and then we'll see where the day takes us. Until then, thanks for reading!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment