 |
| on our way to Colorado via New Mexico |
 |
| ready for adventure |
Howdy everyone, I'm back and here to let you know about the great fun we had this summer (I know I'm a little behind the curve, but hey, I'm a busy guy!). This summer, I got to go to California, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. I will save the California trip for later because I love to talk about Mickey! We were gone for almost 3 weeks, and at the end I didn't want to go back home because there were double digit temps with high humidity, yuck and welcome back to Texas!
 |
| feeling pretty crummy! |
 |
| mommy skiing around 4 years old |
First, mommy, daddy, and I headed to Snowmass/Aspen to spend a couple of days hiking, riding the gondola, and letting mommy relive her childhood vacation spot. Big Papa and Nana Dee used to own a condo there, so they spent a lot of time in Snowmass skiing. Here is a picture of mommy when she was just a little older than me learning how to ski. I'm trying to convince daddy that I need to learn pretty soon (and so does he :)).
 |
| gondolas are soo cool! |
 |
| riding with daddy |
We were delayed a day because I got strep throat during our stopover in Midland, which I passed along to 2 of my cousins (sorry about that, Jackson and Lincoln!). Mommy and Daddy drove straight through from Midland to Snowmass the second day, where we went over Independence Pass, one of Nana Dee's favorite places. It was getting dark, cold, and rainy, but oh so beautiful!!! By the time we got to Snowmass, I was fussy from being in the car for 16 hours, mommy and daddy were tired, and poor daddy had to unload the entire car up to the third floor due to bear break-ins (no joke). An hour later, daddy was exhausted, and I did not want to go to bed. So, the marathon trip there ended.
The next morning, I experienced my first gondola ride in Aspen...the view was breathtaking! Later that afternoon, we went shopping around the town, and then returned to our condo in Snowmass for some R&R. The following morning, we went hiking and got mixed in with a group a 4 year old hikers...they were just finishing a mile hike! Hopefully, I can do that one day! We then headed to Crested Butte to spend time with grandma and grandpa and celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
 |
| on the gondola with mommy |
 |
| beautiful pic of the mountains driving in |
 |
| me and my cousins |
 |
| Trey panning for gold |
 |
the license plate building in Crested Butte
|
 |
love this pic! Miss H and grandpa
|
 |
| Harmel's point with Aunt Dani, Tessa, and Trey |
 |
| Taylor and me picking up rocks |
 |
all grandpa's grandkids
|
 |
| all of the cousins |
 |
| hiking Harmel point |
 |
| mining for gold with Uncle Pat |
 |
| some of the college boys! |
 |
| family pic :) |
 |
| Tessa panning for gold |
 |
| the entire Thomson clan |
Around the mountains and through the woods to grandma's we went! We arrived at Harmel's, a bonefide dude ranch; the rest of the family had already arrived. The first thing I wanted to do was see the horses and the river. We spent our time the next few days hiking with family, trying to sleep with no AC and one window (yuck!), and hanging out by the river. Mommy and Daddy also went white water rafting and got drenched. Timothy and Trey dared mommy to try the "Plunge", which is where you stand on a specific rock and fall straight back, stiff as a board. The water was freezing, but she took the dare! Daddy also temporarily lost his sunglasses in the river because he and Uncle Carr were horse-playing around. Thanks to about half of the tour, they found all the parts! I stayed with Aunt Misty, grandma, and Miss H and watched them float by. I was having fun with the ladies!
 |
| Tessa with grandpa |
 |
on my first chair lift
|
 |
Uncle Carr and Aunt Kathy
|
We did have a little excitement with our accommodations though. The people next to us apparently didn't get along and they stayed up all night to argue and smoke. No fun for a recovering baby when the windows have to be open so we could get a breeze. Finally, daddy and grandpa went and complained, so they moved us to the cabin next door to grandma and grandpa, which was...close to the water!!!! Bonus for me! That night, mommy started cooking me a baked potato and all of the sudden a terrible smell came from the oven. It was a dead mouse that had gotten into the oven and died! The smell was the worst thing I had ever smelled. Needless to say, the rooming situation was an adventure.
 |
| our property |
One of my favorite things that we did while in Crested Butte was to go to Schofield in the National Forest and see our family property.
 |
| The anniversary couple! |
 |
| aunts and mommy |
 |
| waterfall at the old mill |
I had heard about it, but mommy and I had never seen it. We hiked down to a waterfall that had the remains of an old mill, and then returned to enjoy a picnic lunch. I wish we could have stayed longer because it was so beautiful. The last evening, we all went out to dinner in Gunnison at an Italian restaurant to celebrate grandma and grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary. The food was great (I mean, who doesn't like pizza and pasta!) and we all had a fun time. The next day, the family went our separate ways, with us going on to Denver to put daddy on a plane back to Texas and to pick up Nana, Kinsey, and Kyler from the airport to continue the second half of our adventure. Stay tuned for the second half soon!
Until next time,
the tot
