After enjoying breakfast at the hotel we packed up and headed toward home. We had 6 hours to go. Thom and I discussed stopping at the Omaha Zoo because we would be driving by it, but decided against it because of the heat; we will have to go another time.
We made it home safe and sound around 5:00pm; Penny was there to greet us!
It was a fantastic trip! So many new memories were made!
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Teddy had a rough night last night. He woke up screaming at 12:30. I’m beginning to wonder if he is cutting a new tooth. We ended up sleeping until 8 because of it.
Once we got up we realized that the Bengtsons had left and the Schneebergers were walking out the door. After saying goodbye we began packing our things and headed out.
Steamboat Springs is only about an hour and half from Rocky Mountain National Park. We decided to try to get another sticker for Teddy’s passport book and head to the park. I had been to Rocky Mountain National Park before, but Thom and Teddy had not. The main road throughout the park is the Trail Ridge Road. We started on the west side of the park and headed east. Within minutes of being in the park we saw a group of people stopped and realized they were looking at a moose.
The journey in the park was incredible. We stopped multiple times to take in the scenery and get photos. Our big stop was at the Alpine Visitor Center which is in the tundra. The elevation is over 12,000 feet! Once we saw the view I remembered that I had been in that exact spot before! After asking Mom and Dad we think I was 9-10 years old. We grabbed some lunch (burger and bison brat) in the cafe and checked out the visitor’s center gift shop. It was very busy!
Shortly after we got back on the road I saw a huge herd of elk in the grass by the road. Because the road was windy and next to a cliff Thom couldn’t see them! We were able to pull off the road and get a closer look. There had to be between 50-100 elk! We were not the only ones hiking to get closer. There was a park ranger available for questions. Clearly the elk must have been there awhile or were regulars. Teddy liked looking at the elk.
Rocky Mountain National Park was gorgeous. I remembered it being beautiful, but it was really breathtaking. I could stare at the scenery for a long time. Thom said it was his favorite National Park. I think Acadia and Rocky Mountain are too different to compare. Both are amazing. I’m excited for the adventure of seeing all the National Parks.
Once we got back in the car we pushed toward the exit of the park to begin our journey home. After waking Teddy to get a picture with the official sign, hence the angry look on his face, we were on our way home.
We made it to North Platte before calling it a night. We had traveled almost half way home despite traffic jams, stop and go traffic, mountains, plains, no vacancy hotels and more. We stayed at a Tru by Hilton (a brand new type of hotel-very eco friendly) and really liked it. We would definitely stay there again.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Happy birthday, Maddy! Today we started our morning by going to the Iron Waffle located by gondola square. They make a special type of waffle and then the toppings vary. I ordered the “full monte” which had ham, turkey and raspberry jam. It was like a monte cristo in a waffle. Thom ordered the breakfast sandwich which was a waffle with the bacon, egg and cheese in the middle.
After breakfast we headed back to the condo for some naps.
Chris and Aribi had to leave early to get back for a wedding reception so we went out for lunch as one last meal together on this trip. We went to Vaqueros, a mexican restaurant. It was phenomenal! The margaritas were very good and the “steamboat burrito” I ordered was delicious. We sat on the patio rooftop and we were the only ones up there. Teddy liked running around.
After lunch the Bengtsons and Kedleys headed back to gondola square to do some shopping. Many of the stores are closed during the summer so there wasn’t as much to do there. It is very interesting to see how different it is in the summer than winter. The base of the mountain is filled with activities like mini golf, trampolines, a creek, restaurants, and more.
Once we finished shopping we headed back to the condo for a relaxing evening. We were planning on grilling for dinner but decided to use the frozen pizzas instead. For Maddy’s birthday she made gluten free chocolate cupcakes; they were actually pretty good!
A large discussion was the vote of where to go next year. We drew last night and Thom and I need to decide three suggestions of locations for our friends cation 2019. We suggested Voyageurs National Park, the Wisconsin Dells and Lake of the Ozarks. The group voted and Wisconsin Dells was the winner! So next year friendscation will take place in Wisconsin Dells!
Teddy was exhausted and cranky so he had an earlier bed time. Once all the kids were in bed we played Crabs Adjust Humidity (similar to Cards Against Humanity). It was very inappropriate and hilarious.
Everyone is pretty exhausted from an amazing week so we went to bed a little earlier. Tomorrow we hit the road!
Friday, July 13, 2018
Thursday, July 13, 2018
What a great day! We decided last night that we were going to leave this morning at 8:00 to do Fish Creek Falls. The first view of Fish Creek Falls is only a quarter of the mile in. We wanted to hike to the upper falls viewing area which was 2.5 miles. We had forgotten how 2.5 miles going up hill on rugged terrain can take much longer than just walking a normal 2.5 miles. It took us over 2 hours to hike to the upper creek falls area and about an hour back down. The terrain went through forests, dirt trails and rocky, mountain sides. The scenery was absolutely beautiful.
At the upper falls viewing area there were chipmunks. Clearly they had been fed previously by visitors because they were very friendly and forward about eating your snacks. I even fed one out of my hand. I did not plan well because I didn't think it would take that long, so we didn't have snacks or extra water or sunscreen. Luckily the Bowzers were more prepared. Teddy enjoyed the long hike. He likes viewing where we are walking by peeking over Thom's shoulder.
We were exhausted and hungry after our hike so we came back to the condo and had lunch. After lunch Teddy went down for a nap and I took a mini nap too.
After napping we headed to the gondola base to do the sunset happy hour gondola experience. For $15 you get to ride to the top of the gondola, get $5 for food and drinks, and enjoy live music as the sun sets. We enjoyed some great appetizers- jalapeno poppers, coconut shrimp, pizza, and spinach artichoke dip. They were yummy!
The views were wonderful. It was a bit windy, but was perfect! After awhile we moved indoors to listen to the live music. Teddy enjoyed fist bumping everyone and dancing to the music. At one point, some college girls saw him dancing across the dance floor and were dancing back at him to get him to dance and he went over and fist bumped all of them. One woman told us how she had a girl just for him; she'd be a year in August! He was popular as always.
We decided to head down when the rest of the group was ready to go, even though it was before sunset. Thom, Teddy and I ended up asking if we could stay on the gondola for one more ride so we could watch the sunset from the gondola. We timed it PERFECTLY!! The sunset was gorgeously breathtaking. Teddy really enjoyed riding the gondola.
Once we were back at the condo we chatted about our future Friend-cations. We drew years out of a hat and the couple whose year it is suggests 3 locations and the group votes. Thom and I get to suggest 3 locations for next year. We have our work cut out for us!
At the upper falls viewing area there were chipmunks. Clearly they had been fed previously by visitors because they were very friendly and forward about eating your snacks. I even fed one out of my hand. I did not plan well because I didn't think it would take that long, so we didn't have snacks or extra water or sunscreen. Luckily the Bowzers were more prepared. Teddy enjoyed the long hike. He likes viewing where we are walking by peeking over Thom's shoulder.
We were exhausted and hungry after our hike so we came back to the condo and had lunch. After lunch Teddy went down for a nap and I took a mini nap too.
After napping we headed to the gondola base to do the sunset happy hour gondola experience. For $15 you get to ride to the top of the gondola, get $5 for food and drinks, and enjoy live music as the sun sets. We enjoyed some great appetizers- jalapeno poppers, coconut shrimp, pizza, and spinach artichoke dip. They were yummy!
The views were wonderful. It was a bit windy, but was perfect! After awhile we moved indoors to listen to the live music. Teddy enjoyed fist bumping everyone and dancing to the music. At one point, some college girls saw him dancing across the dance floor and were dancing back at him to get him to dance and he went over and fist bumped all of them. One woman told us how she had a girl just for him; she'd be a year in August! He was popular as always.
We decided to head down when the rest of the group was ready to go, even though it was before sunset. Thom, Teddy and I ended up asking if we could stay on the gondola for one more ride so we could watch the sunset from the gondola. We timed it PERFECTLY!! The sunset was gorgeously breathtaking. Teddy really enjoyed riding the gondola.
Once we were back at the condo we chatted about our future Friend-cations. We drew years out of a hat and the couple whose year it is suggests 3 locations and the group votes. Thom and I get to suggest 3 locations for next year. We have our work cut out for us!
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