Colorado was Awesome!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip out West! (We came home to a computer that wasn't working, so I am behind on getting photos up. I hope to post them here very soon!)

Recommendations:

Go West with your family! It's worth the driving, for sure. This was our first trip, and we were in awe at the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. We will probably go even farther next time.

Take your time if you can. We visited St. Louis (great fun at the arch, the zoo, and the science museum) and KC, MO (great time at IHOP and at science museum) on our way. Cutting the driving into 5 hour blocks made the trip so much easier.

Colorado Springs is beautiful and fun. We wished we had spent a few more days there. Don't miss Focus on the Family's Odyssey experience if you have younger kids. Pikes Peak was best half way up - stop at the crystal clear blue lake. We picnicked there and adored the spot. Garden of the Gods (free) was amazing and fun for the kids to climb on rocks. Our stay at the Best Western Academy Hotel was top notch. The breakfast was amazing - made to order omelets, waffles loaded with fruit, and more!

Estes Park was an awesome place to camp and hike. We stayed five nights at Estes Park Campground (beautiful views and pretty decent sites.) We hiked on four of the days, but I do wished we'd hiked further up the water falls. We enjoyed the Alluvial Fan hikes (up and down) a lot and several more. There is mostly hiking and shopping and not much else (except good restaurants like the Dunraven Inn), but simply being there, with gorgeous views all around, was an awe-inspiring experience (every hour, every day). God is an awesome Creator!!

Drury Hotels are a good deal for families. You essentially get your dinner and breakfast free! (But when in Colorado Springs use the BW Academy instead.)

The kids were great in the car. One secret was listening to books on tape. We recommend: The Watsons go to Birmingham, Among the Hidden, River of Fire (Atherton series), and Chasing Tigers (Or was it Taming Tigers). (The kids would add Penderwicks series to that, but that was a different trip.)

Come back for photos!