Colorado Vacation [Day 3]

Yesterday morning began with the sun kissing the very tops of the mountains and the kids standing on the fence of our "back yard" to watch the elk grazing on the golf course. They were not far from us at all and the we were all kinda fascinated by them. While the kids stood out back we had coffee and got breakfast ready and enjoyed some down time.

Drive through Big Thompson Canyon

After breakfast, we decided we'd hop in the car and head for Cheyenne for a little day trip. The drive through Big Thompson Canyon was incredible and it left us ooh-ing and ahh-ing around every turn.

Wyoming Visitors Center

My little jailbird

Before long, we crossed the Wyoming border (Yay, another state off our list!) and, after a stop at the Wyoming Visitor's Center (see above), we drove into Cheyenne to go to the Wyoming State Museum for a little educational field trip (hey, we still have to do a little school this week). We spent a couple of hours there. The kids did the museum scavenger hunt, learning about Native Americans and Pioneers and dinosaurs, coal, and more.

When we finished our museum visit, we headed downtown for lunch at a yummy little burger joint. We left the restaurant and spent just a few minutes walking around their very cool downtown for pictures. They have really neat historic buildings with interesting signage. We enjoyed Cheyenne because even their downtown wasn't huge or overwhelming or crowded. It had a small town historic feel, but was still very urban and cool and interesting.

We spent the afternoon walking the streets of Estes Park, eating saltwater taffy and the most delicious ice cream (Gee, why are our kids so hyper?!). The weather was perfect--cool, but not cold--and the Aspens lining the streets and dotting the mountains were glowing yellow. It's beautiful.

Our evening ended much as it began--with the kids sitting on a blanket on the edge of the golf course, watching the elk (who had come even closer now) until long after the sun went down. Steaks on the grill, a game of chinese checkers going on on the floor, and a deep feeling of contentment --and if I'm honest, exhaustion. A great end to a great day.