Cooling Off in Colorado

This is a little late, but I figured I'd cover what will likely be our "big" summer vacation that we took over Memorial Day weekend. We decided to make the long road trip to Colorado so Ryley could visit Grandpa and Grandma and we could enjoy some cooler temperatures just as it started to heat up here in Texas. We had a great time visiting with Grandpa and Grandma and taking in some of the sights in their part of the world.

This trip, we decided Ryley was big enough for a short hike.  So, we took her on about a 1/2 mile trail up to Zapata Falls, a beautiful mountain waterfall.  Ryley really enjoyed the hike, since Ryan carried her most of the way!

Here's the waterfall at the top of the trail - definitely worth the trouble!

Had to get some pics of us at the waterfall, too!

One place we always go when we visit is the Great Sand Dunes National Park. If you've never been, it's a very unusual sight to see huge sand dunes at the base of the mountains like these. And since the Rio Grande runs through the dunes, there's plenty of water available to play in, too. It's almost like being at the beach, only much cooler!

Here's a look at the dunes and the river, with the mountains in the background.

And here's Ryley building her sand castle.... fun times!



The next day, we took a train ride from Alamosa to La Veta, and saw some wonderful views in the mountains. It happened to be the opening day for the railroad's summer season, so they were having a big celebration complete with cake. They even brought out a 100-year-old steam engine to mark the occasion!
Here's Ryley enjoying some CHOCOLATE cake - mind you, this little girl says she doesn't like chocolate....

And here's the 100-year-old steam engine that powered our train...

Ryan and Ryley enjoying the ride....

And here I am taking in the scenery from the open-air viewing car at the back of the train.

Back at Grandma and Grandpa's house after the train trip, Ryley learned how to make one of her favorite snacks - guacamole!  Yum!

Probably the highlight of the trip for Ryley was playing golf with Grandpa.  This was her first time to actually be out on the course and she had a blast!  Maybe I'll make a golfer out of this girl yet!