Mile High Fun

Posing at the Garden of the Gods.

Have you ever traveled to the Rockies? How about Denver, Colorado? Just a few days ago we left Denver from an exciting trip. The RV has been in Tennessee getting some warranty work completed. In the meantime we took the opportunity to travel to Denver. We found a large amount of activities to do there. Let me start from the beginning:
A long time ago, in a state far far away...Alright...The flight to Denver was fairly uneventful, as was our entire time actually at the airport/car rental place. But when the airport faded from sight, we were amazed at just how flat that place is! I now know what people mean when they say, "where the land and the horizon meet"! The next day, we woke up and ate at the (free) breakfast buffet at the hotel, and rode off into the sunrise, heading for the Air Force Academy. 
Backing right up into the Rockies, the campus stands on some great land. Their visitor center has a great 21 minute video about cadet life. They made it look appealing enough for Nate to consider going!
After the Air Force Academy, we visited some more great places, some of which were impulse visits. For example, the Focus on the Family visitor center was a great stop that we had not planned. Focus on the Family is a great Christian organization with lots of great resources. The visitor center had a museum, bookstore, and a play area for kids with a 3 story slide!
The last place we visited that day was the Garden of the Gods. The Garden of the Gods is a group of geological formations made almost entirely from red rocks. Here, we climbed some of the shorter rocks, but the taller rocks are only for professional climber as they are very very tall. 
The following morning awe traveled to the Rocky Mountains National park. We hiked a trail up to a place called Gem Lake. About halfway up the mountain, you get an amazing panoramic view of a big chunk of the Rockies. It was incredible. The lake, however, was a bit underwhelming, but served as a nice resting place before the 1.8 mile backtrack. We were very proud of Nate, as he hiked over 3 and 1/2 miles of moderately difficult terrain. (We had a 1,000 foot elevation gain if that puts it in perspective for you!) 
There's a town in the Rocky Mountains called Cripple Creek. It is a casino/mining town, and we enjoyed the informational trolley tour. There are about 20 donkeys that roam the streets, feeding off of the citizens' treats. When we asked our trolley driver why they were allowed to roam freely. The answer was surprising. A president, when visiting Cripple Creek, saw donkeys in the mines, working until they died, never seeing sunlight. He ordered that they be let out every few days to get fresh air and sunlight. Their descendants now roam the streets of Cripple Creek. Make your guess as to which president this was in the comments section below! We will reveal the answer at the end of the next post...
I know I've only gotten through the first 2 days in our trip, and there will be another one out soon. But for now, try and guess which president freed the donkeys! Until next time...

-Woodsman Will-

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What an amazing sunset during our hike!

Nate posing in front of Pike's Peak.

The boys trying to push Balanced Rock over in Garden of the Gods.

Posing in front of the entrance to Estes Park (where we hiked to Gem Lake)

We saw these elk on the side of the road!

Posing at Gem Lake.

Posing (again!) at Gem Lake.

An amazing view during our hike to Gem Lake!