Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

If you want to see all the pictures - take your time, there's a LOT!

Although nothing will ever compare to the San Diego Zoo, we decided to check out the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is only about 15 minutes from our house. Despite my reservations and the anticipation of great disappointment, we actually had a GREAT time! Olivia got to feed the giraffes and we saw some bears 'playing' (see videos below), which was SO cool!! Cole slept through half of it and we did have to dodge a little rain during the day, but for the most part it was gorgeous - and we even made it to the top of the Mountaineer Sky Ride (basically a 'renamed' ski lift) that took us to a summit where there were some great views of Colorado Springs! We made it down off the mountain just before the BIG thunderstorm hit! It was an awesome day!

**Be sure to pause the music to hear the videos**

(and be patient - it takes time to load - first video is 19 secs and the second is 24 secs)

Olivia and Mommy feeding the Giraffes - but I think Gary 'turned the camera' so I hope you are able to get the idea. :)

The Grizzlies at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Happy Fourth of July!

Just a quick greetings out to everyone - hope you are all having a GREAT fourth of july!! I am SO grateful for all our men and women serving in our armed forces and all the families who stand behind them! And I am ridiculously happy to have Gary home again! Thank you all and

God Bless America!

Fireworks at Fort Carson

The Army (being a little bassackwards as usual) decided to do their Fourth of July 'celebration' a day early - and although it was reminiscent of a command picnic, we still had a good time. Of course, it wasn't a show like you'd see in San Diego or a big city, but the kids enjoyed the fireworks and it was really nice to share this year's celebration with Daddy. I think everything is that much sweeter because he's home! Some of the pictures came out a little fuzzy, but you get the idea - especially the one of Cole at the bottom - what a GREAT expression - I wish it had turned out better! :)

The approaching storm

It's true what they say about Colorado Springs ... we do have a lot of sun (it's boasted over 300 sunny days a year). But almost every afternoon, like clockwork, we get a thunderstorm that lasts usually no more than an hour or so, at most. This is the picture as it approached.

All tuckered out.

After our walk and playing in the sprinklers, he wasn't even hungry for dinner. Poor little man.

Lunchtime walk

The kids are restless - it's summer and we are sans our mazda while Gary is at school. So I decided to borrow the neighbor's wagon and take a walk to McDonald's, the post office and the mini mart. I think they had fun and it was a great day for a walk - but no one told me how hot I would be walking AND pulling both the kids behind me! Phew! Here's a couple pictures.

Seven Falls

We haven't had the chance to explore much because we have been SO busy trying to get the house unpacked (still not done!), so we decided to take today to visit a local attraction called Seven Falls. It's called that because it cascades down 181 feet in seven distinct steps carved out in Pike's Peak granite. And call us crazy, but next to the falls is a stairway with 224 steps to the top of the falls and we CLIMBED it! (Amy would be SO proud of me!) Of course, with the higher altitude (almost 7200 ft) by the time we reached the top, we thought we were going to die!! There is also a mountain elevator that takes you up to the Eagle's Nest, where less adventurous type can visit too. There is also a place called Inspiration Point that overlooks all of Colorado Springs, but that we saved for next time. We had the stroller and it was really difficult to traverse on the trail, and honestly, we were all exhausted - even Olivia! We'll save that for the next trip! Take a look at the pictures - it's absolutely gorgeous!!

* By the way, the chipmunks and squirrels are VERY domesticated! If you hold still, as you will see, they will come right up to you - and this one stood on my foot! CUTE!

Finally Here!!

We arrived in Colorado Springs in the late afternoon. There was a thunderstorm coming in off the mountains and you could see lightening for miles. It was really cool to see! And beautiful! Tons of farms and fields and the biggest skies - it felt like there was no ceiling! And it was only broken by the mountains in the west, Pikes Peak in particular. It was absolutely gorgeous. And finally we are in Colorado! Welcome Home!

Below is the map marking all the places we took pictures across the country on our trip. Cool!

The weary travelers...

Or not so weary...

Day Three (June 14th) ... Kansas and...

Word for the wise, once you pass Topeka, Kansas, there is absolutely NOTHING out there! Farms, cows, a few trees, and little po-dunk towns. Be wary, for there aren't many places to stop. One interesting thing we did see in Kansas was a wind farm - HUGE windmills! It was actually pretty cool, but you know the one thing we couldn't find?? A freaking Starbucks. Welcome to Kansas.

Traveling...

The kids were really great travelers. We decided to take our days easy to try to make it a little easier on them. We usually started driving between 9-10a.m. and then we'd drive until about 6-7 p.m. (with the exception of one night we drove later), taking snack and potty breaks along the way. Although all of us were tired of driving at the end, it really was a nice trip.

Day Two of our Trip West

From Indiana to Illinois and on into St. Louis ... St. Louis looked really cool and the interstate takes you right by the arch. It was neat to see, I wish we'd had time to stop (which in actuality we did, but we didn't know we did because we thought it would take longer to get to Colorado). Seeing St. Louis was probably the highlight of our trip because after that, there is NOTHING in Kansas. We stopped for the night in Junction City in an adventure motel - note for travelers, if it looks sketchy, check the rooms first!

Indiana countryside.

More Indiana.

Welcome to Illinois.

Welcome to Missouri.

Yay! St. Louis!

St. Louis Arch.

The city.

The view of Kansas City, KS. Or Kansas City, MO. This is from the Missouri side.

Welcome to Kansas.

Go West, Young man.

Westward Ho!

So, we started our trek west late afternoon on Thursday, June 11th and drove into northwestern Virginia; Drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains and stopped in a little place called Covington. There was really nothing out there, but it was beautiful countryside. The next day (June 12th) we headed into West Virginia, through Kentucky and into Indiana. There isn't a lot to see, other than trees and little towns - though we did pass through Louisville and although it was a 'city' Gary said he wasn't impressed.

Northwestern Virginia

Welcome to West Virginia

Our view of Kentucky as we crested the hilltop.

Welcome to Kentucky

Besides the industrial plants, it's quite pretty.

Quaint and serene.

On our way towards Indiana and Illinois.

Getting ready to cross from Louisville, Ky. into Indiana.

It's hard to see because it was raining and we were on the interstate going over a bridge, but this is the welcome sign for Indiana.

Pit Stop in Norfolk

'Millennium Nails' at Mac Arthur Center Mall

Time to get our nails done! Finally!