We spent the last week in Colorado fort a softball tournament; extending it into a family vacation as well.
Regan and I took off ahead of the rest of the family since Sidney had another tournament in the metro area. While she wrapped up her final 2 games, we headed across a few state lines with the car packed to the brim!
We drove and drove, through pouring rain and a gigantic storm, finally calling it a night as our eyelids grew heavy somewhere in the middle of Nebraska.
We got up early the next day, ready for the last leg of our road trip. Regan took over for a few hours and we got a good laugh at how challenging she finds it to eat and drive,….or talk and drive for that matter!
We arrived in Boulder by early afternoon and packed in a lot of fun over a couple of days seeing all of the great sights to this mountain town.
I absolutely fell in love with Boulder, it is magical and beautiful and full of adventure. We hiked, we biked on e-bikes, we explored and we ate!
We hiked the Flatirons, which may be one of the best hikes I have ever done. It was absolutely gorgeous. See that peak on the mountain on the right (considered the first flatiron), that's where we headed. Though we didn't scale to the top like some crazy folks, the view was incredible. And the elevation rose so quickly that it was very difficult to catch our breath. I would pause, ask Regan if she wanted to stop to catch her breath. She forged ahead and later told me it was pointless to stop the hike "because in 5 more feet, I was out of breath again!".
We found Boulder Creek Path and enjoyed a short walk along the creek. Sadly, we also learned about the homelessness population in Boulder that lives along the creek. Although we initially were startled to find a group of tents in the woods, it led to some good conversations with her about the housing challenges in our country.
Regan took us on Boy Scout Trail near the Sunrise Ampitheatre. She walked off the beaten path while I was trying to take a photo. I kept telling her to come back and she wasn't listening. As I turned the corner towards her, I joined in her amazement at the view she had discovered.
The University of Colorado-Boulder is a spectacular campus. Regan is going to struggle to find a college just as pretty. Every building is made out of the same beautiful brick that comes from the mountains. It's amazing both up close, and the aerial from up on the mountains.
Eventually we had to leave Boulder and head north to Fort Collins for the start of the softball tournament. The vacation portion of the trip was paused and the focus turned to softball and the team.
Lincoln spent much of his time at the games reading these "Who will win" books as well as playing with his buddy Malcolm. Linc is such a sweet boy, letting Malcolm play with his cars, helping Malcolm retrieve foul balls, and sharing his snacks.
Let's not forget his most favorite thing to do during games: ride his dirt bike. Can you believe we dragged that bike all the way to Colorado?! Because it makes him so happy :)
Regan, Sidney and I were able to go Whitewater Rafting one day with the team. What an amazing experience riding down the river. We went through a few Class 4 rapids as well. Thankfully none of us fell into the cold water although one of the coaches did :) Sidney was saved a few times by Coach Madi who would push her forward into the boat so she wouldn't fly out. Forever thankful to Madi!
Regan and I ducked over to Colorado State to check out their softball field and take in the campus.
Team dinner lasted 3 hours in these short-staffed Covid times. The girls looked so cute all dressed up; they clean up well out of their dirty uniforms.
Regan had a team breakfast one morning, so we left her with the gang and decided to hike Horsetooth falls. Colorado has a lot of views and so many hikes. Unfortunately, this one didn't exactly have "falls" at the end. We were expecting some rushing waters, we got barely a trickle!
Regan joined a friend on a horseback ride through the mountains one morning. They took this picture, and I'm in awe of the beauty.
Meanwhile, the rest of us went to a nearby farm so that Lincoln could also ride a "pony". Only it turned out to be a full-sized horse! He loved every second of that farm, and later proclaimed it was probably his most favorite part of the trip.
We had some stupidly early mornings, where multiple alarms had to be set to ensure we were awake.
And then there was soaking in the tub, because I didn't trust the hotel laundry to get those clay-soaked whites clean again.
But it was all worth it to see these kiddos play their hearts out in yet another state.
I'm so happy that Regan had this opportunity, and that we all decided to make the trek west to cheer her on, and make some memories.
Before we embarked on the long ride home, Ryan and I decided to take a slight detour and hit up Mount Rushmore. Because it was the 4th of July, I was very worried about crowds and that we wouldn't find parking. Turns out, it was a perfect day to visit. Ryan admitted this was his favorite part of the trip.
