Our third for the year if you count spring break!  What can I say?  I can’t stay away!  Mum called because she was already up there to see if we wanted to go back for a bit more of a break.  I had to weigh up the pros and cons.  Cons: I would be the only driver (at least 9 hours) with 3 potentially screaming, argumentative children in the car; Taylor and I would miss our last SHAPE class to figure out what to do with our spiritual gifts; I needed to be studying for a big test on the 25th; we were supposed to be closing on the “new” van that week; Ken wouldn’t be able to come and neither would Buddy.  Actually, Buddy probably could have come but it’s easier to leave him as company for Ken.  Pros: it’s nowhere near as hot in CO as it was going to be in KS (forecasts predicted heat indexes of 105-107 degrees – yick); we could do some of the hikes that we weren’t able to do last time; I can physically help Dad pack up the townhouse in preparation for the renovations; I could definitely use more time away.  I could sign the paperwork for the van when we got back.  You guessed it – it took 1 day to get everything together and then the children and I hopped in the Durango and took off.  We only stopped twice, once for lunch at Colby’s Wendy’s which is also the 1/2 way point, and then just outside of Denver at Manila Road for a quick restroom, snack, and gas before the last haul to Keystone.  It was worth every minute of it. . .

* I have more pictures in my albums on Facebook if you’re a FB member!

Our first day was a hike to the Boston Mine Camp. Taylor’s had his picture taken by this mine entrance every time we’ve done the hike. You can watch him grow up by these pictures!

Wesley and Taylor pose by the abandoned shop part way up the trail. The view of part of the camp as we cross the bridge going to it.

Jocelyn’s eager for a hike. The boys?  Not so much. Dad at the side of the camp by a ravine.

Taylor took his Harry Potter book on the Peru Trail hike. Our goal was to see the girls’ graves. This was the first time we (the children and I) had done this hike in the summer and went beyond the Maid of Orleans mine! We took a picnic lunch and ate by the side of a river.

Wesley needed some encouragement at times. He really is a good little hiker. The graves of the two girls. They both died when they were only 3 years old in the late 1800’s.

This abandoned cabin was a part of the hike.  We were joking that it was Mum and Dad’s retirement home!

Really cold water. They weren’t in it long! As we came down the trail these 2 deer were right by my car!

In the River Run village there was a Family Night with music and face painting. We waited nearly an hour for Jocelyn and Wesley to have theirs done. They look great, though, and they were thrilled with the results!