2017 Summer Road Trip: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Alisha says: A couple of months before our trip we tried to plan out and get as many campground reservations as possible but there was nothing available in Yellowstone so two days before we were heading to Yellowstone just for fun Dave decided to check the campground reservations and by some amazing luck we were able to snag four nights in the Grant Village Campground. It was a long 8.5+ hour day in the car so once we arrived (and waited in a huge very slowly moving campground check in line) we just set up camp, went to the Grant Village store and headed to bed.

Our first day was full to the brim with seeing the sights. We first started off by walking around the boardwalks of Norris Geyser Basin. Next we walked up to Artist Paintpots trail to check out the thick bubbly pots of mud. Skye's new favorite way to see the sights is sitting on Dave's shoulders. She would walk a little bit on this trail but mostly she wanted to ride up top. We made our way back to the Old Faithful area for some much needed lunch (we were all getting a little hangry). After refueling we walked over and caught a great eruption of Old Faithful. Skye was just starting to fall asleep so she didn't really get to see it. Since she was napping we walked all around the Upper Geyser Basin. This area is so cool because there is just so many different thermal features packed into a small area. Lots of great things to see, besides Old Faithful which is really cool I really like the Morning Glory Pool. Our walk took just long enough that by the time we returned to Old Faithful it was time for another eruption and this time Skye was awake to enjoy it. We were all tuckered out from being out from a full day and over 8 miles of hiking.

Our next day was a little more relaxed as we slept in and enjoyed lounging in the hammock around the campsite. Skye had been a really great trooper on the trip so far but for some reason was being extra needy a bit whiny and it was taking its toll on Dave and I a little bit. We took an outing to West Thumb Geyser Basin and walked around. This area is right on the edge of Yellowstone Lake and the area had gotten so much snow that year that the fishing hole geyser was under water. This area has some really pretty big pools of emerald green and turquoise color that look like they would make awesome swimming holes if they weren't a zillion degrees hot. We followed up our little walk with a fun lunch at the Grant Village Dining Room.

After packing up our campsite and hitching up the trailer our plan was to stop at one of my very favorite sights Grand Prismatic Springs on our way out of the park. Yellowstone is always busy but this area was crazy busy and since we were pulling the trailer it was a bit stressful finding a place to park. Eventually we found a spot along the road and had to walk a ways but it was okay. Although all the people made it less enjoyable I still love this huge steamy pool with the different colors of algae around the edges.

Skye riding on Dave's shoulder at the Artist Paintpots trail:

Old Faithful:

Morning Glory Pool:

Everyone was tired after a long day of awesome sightseeing:

Campsite:

West Thumb Geyser Basin:

Grand Prismatic Spring:

2017 Summer Road Trip: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Alisha says: Rocky Mountain National Park was our next stop. We camped at the Elk Creek Campground on the west side of the park. The first afternoon we drove to the Alpine Visitor Center and hiked the short Alpine Ridge Trail (lots of people) and part of the Ute Trail (much more pleasant, saw less than 10 people on the trail). After returning to the campground we rode our bikes into the little town of Grand Ridge where we found a park and let Skye play while we ate some takeout salads from across the street.

Ute Trail:

The next morning I made everyone get an early start because we were driving the entire Trail Ridge Road to the other side of the park to hike to Emerald Lake. We saw lots of elk out grazing in the meadows as we made the very scenic drive. After talking to the rangers at the visitor center the day before they suggested an early start as the parking lots often fill by 8:30 am. We arrived at the trail head parking just after 8:00 am and probably only missed getting a parking spot by a few cars which was a little frustrating so we drove back down the road to the overflow parking and rode the shuttle up to the trail head. The 3.5 mile hike was gorgeous. We passed two lakes, Nymph and Dream before reaching Emerald Lake. The views were spectacular and to make it a little interesting and fun the last portion of the trail we had to trek across the snow quite a bit. Skye was great as usual. After returning to the car we drove into the town of Estes Park for a yummy Indian buffet. It was hot in the town so we rested under a tree for a little while and walked around the busy town before the long drive back through the park to campground.

Views on the way to Emerald Lake:

Emerald Lake:

Walking around Estes Park

Covering her eyes during a scary part of Moana on the drive back:

We had one more day in the area and had spent a lot of time in the car the previous day so we just stuck around Grand Ridge for the day. We did a little one mile hike to a waterfall called Adams Falls before returning to the town beach at Grand Lake to let Skye play in the sand and water. We grabbed
ice cream and lunch from a little food stand nearby.

Adams Falls:

Grand Lake Beach:

2017 Summer Road Trip: Denver, Colorado

Dave says: We love the outdoors the most. But when planning the trip, I convinced Alisha that every once in a while we should spend some time in the cities along the way. The Denver West KOA was a perfect base for heading into Denver which is just what we did for a full day. We arrived before the aquarium was open with a sleepy girl who needed a nap and so we walked on the riverfront trails and into Downtown where she woke up in time to have some crepes and to play in the fountain. We then visited a really neat REI housed in an old train station. Outside, there was a trolley to ride and we hopped on for a mildly entertaining ride. Then, it was finally time for the aquarium. Skye loves aquariums almost as much as she loves aquatic centers and she had a great time. Finally, it was time for a fancier-than-usual late lunch at the aquarium restaurant. 

It was a big day already, but in fact the day wasn't over yet. I really wanted to drive up Mt. Evans on the highest paved road in North America and I'm glad we did because it is pretty amazing. This is a very tight road way above the timberline that feels like you're on the edge of the earth. You hop out at 14,000 feet with the wind blowing and snow patches all around you to scramble to the summit and stand on top of the world. On the way home, we called in some very delicious pizza with honey in the crust and made it back to the trailer well past Skye's bedtime.

2017 Summer Road Trip: Breckenridge, Colorado

Dave says: After Pagosa Springs, we took a half-day drive up to Breckenridge and the high altitude. We pulled into town and hopped on the free gondola which took us up the mountain. We even found a big pile of snow that Skye was a bit unsure of. We walked around town and had some dinner before heading to our campground on Dylan Reservoir. There were no hookups here but it was one of our favorites with big sites and lots of space for Skye to run around. She ran all over the place, rolled in the dirt, and looked like a hobo baby.

We did a morning hike up a canyon with some running water while Skye had a nice nap. Then, we did one of our best bike rides of the trip as we drove up to Vail Pass, hopped on the paved path, and zoomed downwards. Fifteen miles later we were in Frisco where there was a huge BBQ fair going on which made for a perfect lunch. Then, it was back on the bikes and around Dylan Reservoir including a big hill back to the campground. It was a 30 mile day but Skye was a champ. At the campground, I caught an Uber back up to the top of Vail Pass to retrieve the car.

We pulled out on the third day did a short morning hike with some reservoir views. Then, we headed to the aquatic center in Silverthorne. This turned out to be a huge hit with Skye who loves the water. Once we realized how much she enjoyed aquatic centers, we started looking for them everywhere we went (sometimes near the end of a big day in the car).

2017 Summer Road Trip: Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Alisha says: Our second stop was only a little over an hour away so the transfer was really easy. I was less than impressed when we pulled into the campground and it was basically a big dirt parking lot. On the plus side we were right by the river with some trees that were great for setting up the hammock for the first time. After getting thigs set up we ventured into the little town of Pagosa Springs to check things out. We found a park and let Skye play for a while and then walked the main street and had dinner at a cajun place that got good reviews on yelp. It was okay and I love trying things but crawfish/gumbo probably aren't going to be my favorite anytime soon. After dinner we walked on the path along the river before calling it an evening.

The next morning we did a short hike and checked out Treasure Falls. In the afternoon we hit some mountain bike trails. We have to choose our trails carefully for the bikes that we brought (aka, our not as good bike) and knowing that Dave will have Skye in the pack. It was a nice trail and Skye took a nice nap during part of the ride. We finished off the day with visiting the hot springs. The hot springs were situatted right along the river and there were at least a dozen different pools of varying temperature. We spent most of our time in the kid pool which was 89 degrees and just the right depth for Skye to walk around. We tried another pool that was just a little warmer but she didn't like it as much and Dave even stuck his foot in the "Lobster Pot" pool which was a boiling 108 degrees.

Wednesday morning we did a nice four mile hike along the Piedra River. We packed lunches and had a nice picnic by the river. We went back and had an afternoon rest and Dave did some work before heading out to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park. We arrived in time for the animals dinnertime feeding which was cool because they do a little tour where they talk about the animals and how they ended up at the Park and then give them food so you get to watch them eat. The grizzly was fun to see. We also saw wolves, foxes, porcupine, black bear, goats, etc.

Pagosa Riverside Campground:

Treasure Falls:

Piedra River Trail:

Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park: Feeding the goats

Morning snuggles. Skye mostly slept in her pack 'n' play in the living room. We tried to keep her sleep routine as close to home as possible which meant and early bedtime for all of us which was fine with me because we were all usually tired from a full day of adventuring. We would try to put her to bed around 8pm (7pm AZ time) and then Dave and I would watch a show with earphones up in the bed portion of the trailer. Well, actually, I would fall asleep while attempting to watch and Dave would tell me about what he watched the next day. Haha, oh well.

2017 Summer Road Trip: Durango, Colorado

Dave says: The weather started getting warm in Phoenix so we decided to start the big summer trip early. We'd been charting out the route over several months, but mid-week we decided to add Durango at the beginning and two days later we were out the door early on June 10th. This turned out to be a great call because Durango is always awesome. This was our big test of the new (to us) trailer and we really liked the Lightner Creek campground just out of town. We brought bikes (the not so great bikes) and our hiking gear so there was plenty to do. The Animas River Trail through town is a great bike ride and this was the first time we did the whole thing. We took Skye hiking to Spud Lake and to a museum with a lot of old trains. We also remembered how much we love Zia Taqueria.