It seems like the month of June flew by. Early in the month my aunt came from New York to visit her sister (my mom). These two have so much fun together -
On June 9th we
tried to take a family vacation. We drove through Rocky Mountain National Park. BEAUTIFUL!!!
And here we are setting up camp just outside of the national park-
The trip started out so well... but I ended up with a horrendous headache and sick that night. Z did not sleep well... and it got really cold that night/next morning.
You can't even see him, but here's LittleBigMan keeping warm in the sleeping bag.
We packed up and took our time going home that day. We stopped by REI in Denver and enjoyed a delicious lunch nearby. We started thinking about fun things to do close to home.
On the 11th we decided to explore our local zoo. It's small, but in such a cool location with amazing views.
The boys had a blast seeing all of the animals and the weather was perfect. Here were some of the animals they most enjoyed seeing:
Also that week...
We went to Cave of the Winds, which was perfect since it was really hot outside, but nice in the caves!
Troy and
LittleBigMan went to Pueblo Reservoir and scoped out some other areas for Troy to go kiting in the future.
We also checked out Aurora Reservoir and would have had a good time on the beach, but it started raining that day. All in all a nice week for us to spend together as a family.
And of course the 17th was Fathers Day-
Troy built a swing by our house and then put up a toddler swing for
Z.These swings have provided so much fun for all of us already.
On Saturday the 23rd we went to town to run errands. The road from our home in the mountains to town is a long and winding road. There are a handful of overlook pullouts and switchbacks that give cool views of the surrounding area. On the first switchback we looked to the North (just on the other side of Highway 24) and saw a fire burning on the hillside. This is a SCARY sight when you live in a heavily wooded mountain community! Apparently the fire started just about 30 minutes before we took this photo.
Weather on Saturday - 100 degrees with very low humidity. It has have been very dry here this winter/spring/summer. The fire grew and our neighborhood and entire town were evacuated around 2 a.m. We packed up and headed to my mom's. This is what we saw on the way down to town-
Our neighborhood stayed under mandatory evacuation until the afternoon of Tuesday the 26th (changed to voluntary evacuation). As we were planning to come home, high winds moved the fire very rapidly into a neighborhood on the hillside north of Garden of the Gods. It was devastating and burned many homes and a ranch. It was a reminder of how unpredictable fire can be. Here is what we saw on the road back up to our home-
Ute Pass (the area along Highway 24 west from Manitou Springs)
A flare-up near the Cave of the Winds parking lot
Looking toward Cave of the Winds, up from there is Rampart Range Rd. At the bottom of the pic is Highway 24. Cedar Heights neighborhood is at the top right behind the smoke
This guy was hanging out in our driveway when we got home-
We are keeping a close eye on the fire and where it is spreading. We have been very blessed so far that the wind has always been in our favor and that the fire is moving away from us. But it is, of course, very sad for those who have lost their homes. As I type this it is overcast outside and I am hearing thunder. Is that rain I see? Yes, thank goodness it is!
