Colorful Colorado

We went on a babymoon to Colorado! And it was wonderful and beautiful and country songs that probably have nothing to do with Colorado played in my mind the entire time.

"Cimarron, roll on.... to the ocean blueeeeeeee"

"Ghost riders in the skyyyyyyyyyyy"

"Amarillo by morning, up from San Antoneeeee"

"Don't fence me innnnnn"

Cowboys like to draw out that last syllable I guess. Some of those stick with me because of the Flyin W Wranglers. We didn't go this time around, but I'd see their sign and my boot would start tapping.



We hung around the cabin quite a bit (Thanks again, Tim and Jane!!), went up to Cripple Creek, which is just so sad to me now. Petted some donkeys. Showed Dallas all the dirty hippies in Manitou Springs. Crawled around Garden of the Gods. Took Rampart Range Road. Shopped in Old Colorado City. Ate, napped, ate, napped, ate.



Looking down over Cripple Creek. Doc Holiday killed a guy there, right? It's mostly just casinos now though.



Dallas made a buddy while we were there. I remember a family trip when we were little, and some donkeys came up to us in our bronco looking for snacks. Tanner stuck his chubby little hand out and told them: "Get away! Get back!" Then one sneezed on dad. Bwahaa!



This is Dallas in Manitou Springs. They have spouts all over the place where you can taste the mineral water. D stuck his finger in this one and promptly proclaimed: "I hate it!"



Manitou has a Christmas shop I always have to stop in. "Oh Come, All Ye Faithfuuuuul", I happily sang and pranced around. Dallas pretended to spit. He fancies himself a grinch.



We spent most of one day in my favorite spot - Garden of the Gods.



Dallas in the Garden in his tough guy voice (in my head): "Lovely day. Pretty rocks. Don't mess with me though, or I'll eff you up." My little toughy pants.



Gratuitous "Check me out holding up the balanced rock all by myself" shot.



This is me being 5 months pregnant in the Garden of the Gods.

Me: "Can ya tell??"
Dallas: "Nope."
Me: (sticks tummy out) "Now can ya tell?"
Dallas: "Nope."



From Garden of the Gods, you can take Rampart Range Road back to Woodland Park. On 24, it might take you 20 minutes or so. Rampart took us about 2 hours to go 25 miles. It's real steep and scary and bumpy. This is me at the overlook.

We got home on Sunday night, which was Halloween. I'd kind of forgotten about it because all of those little mountain towns celebrated the whole time we were there. We walked amongst zombies, witches and werewolfes, and Manitou even had a coffin race. I'd had my fill and was pretty much over it. But we accidentally pull back in to town right at prime trick-or-treating time and are unpacking when the doorbell rings.

"Oh crap." We stare at each other blankly.

Dallas opens the door to some kids trick-or-treating. We rifle through the pantry and throw some paprika or something equally un-Halloweeney at them then promptly shut off the light and lock the door. Yeah, we're THOSE neighbors.

We picked up the puppy boys from the McCarter Farms last night and they're all fat and sassy. We sure appreciated them watching the boys with all of Toby's spazziness and Andy's special needs. They came back to us happier than before we'd dropped them off, and they told me before bedtime that they had a fun vacation too. :)