Nick attended a conference in Colorado Springs last week, so Emmeline and I decided we should definitely tag along. Colorado never disappoints, but what a fun week it was!
After a lovely trip in business class of the Dreamliner, we landed in Denver on Saturday to freezing temps and heavy snow. Since we rarely get to see this anymore, it was kind of exciting and cozy! By the time we made it to Colorado Springs, it had stopped and by the next day everything had melted. The perfect way to have snow! ;)
Before Nick's conference started on Monday, we spent time with Charla, John, and Lauren. Emmeline LOVED kissing and playing peek-a-boo with their dogs, as well as their Jaws shark poster in the basement. We did manage a family "hike" to Garden of the Gods over the weekend. It was a bit chilly, but the snow covering everything made it quite pretty, and Emmeline enjoyed being able to walk around there for the first time, as well as seeing all of the deer.
Nick's training was at the Broadmoor, and since John is the Broadmoor's lawyer, he was nice enough to get us a room upgrade to help give Emmeline a bit more space. It was probably the nicest hotel and room we've ever stayed in! Not only did we have 2 huge rooms in our "suite" but also a balcony with sweeping views of the mountains! The grounds are beautiful, and Emmeline loved seeing the "bu-alo" (buffalo), "sheep", and "ek" (elk) everyday that were mounted in the valet parking area. We sure miss waking up to that view every morning!
While Nick was at the conference, we mostly just hung out, walked around the lake, played at the playground on site, and swam at the pool several times. On the day it was cold and rainy, we went to the library for a super fun music and movement time. Charla was nice enough to babysit a few times so that I could work out and run some errands. The views from the porch weren't a bad way to enjoy lunch and relax during Emmeline's nap time either! :)
One morning, Emmeline and I went hiking in the foothills just behind the Broadmoor. What a spectacular place to hike. It was a pretty intense trail up, with lots of elevation change, especially with a toddler on your back. But, the sweeping views at every turn and at the top, made it worthwhile. Emmeline loved snack time at the top the best! I wish we had hiked here more than just this once; there are so many trails in this area, and it's so beautiful!
I love that there are so many nature centers in Colorado. We visited two, and Emmeline loved being able to touch the bear, see bees in a hive, and check out all the animals. Nick was able to join us for one of these visits, and we took a little hike afterward, although the stroller was not the best idea on this one! :)
We ended the week with a visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is located on the side of the mountain. It was maybe one of the cooler zoos I've been to, despite the fact that they don't have the widest selection of animals. The views are to die for, and you really get up close and personal with most of the animals, which Emmeline thought as pretty cool. Gorillas, wallabies, birds, tigers, and elephants were favorites, but definitely the giraffes take the cake. You are able to feed them, and Emmeline absolutely loved this. She wasn't scared at all!
Can't complete this blog post without mention of food. Yelp steered us well this trip! From Emmeline's first sushi experience (she loved miso soup and chopsticks the best) to an amazing adult-only dinner at Four, we had some yummy food. We were lucky to stumble on Four just a few days after it opened, and it was some of the best food we've had in a while. Especially the pork belly!
This is the most time we've spent in Colorado Springs, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The views of the mountains and Pikes Peak are always great too! We ended with a night and partial day in Denver to see Troy and Melissa before flying out, which consisted of grilling out for Cinco de Mayo and a visit to Breckenridge Brewery. Until next time, Colorado!
No comments:
Post a Comment