RMNP Day 1

In July, we loaded up and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a few days! After first stopping in Amarillo, and New Mexico, we made it to Grand Lake! 

We headed in to the park and first stopped at the Holzwarth Historic Site- I was okay with missing this spot, when we were planning, but I'm so glad we ended up going and seeing it and learning the history behind the area!  The girls (and DJ) played around a bit and it was fun to explore! 

There's a little bit of a walk from the parking lot to the buildings. 

We stamped our National Park passport. 

and got to playing! The girls were able to try some games that kids would have played! 

And DJ tried too! 

Megan had tons of fun on the stick horse! 

They even tried roping a "calf" It was much harder than they tought it would be! 

We were able to see the home. 

And Megan even did some laundry! 

They saw elk antlers 

After our visit to the historic site, we started making our way up in the mountains more and stopped to take in a few views. 

We hiked a little trail around a lake, which was gorgeous except there were so many bugs! 

And then we climbed to the very top of the highest peak in the park! 

We made our way back down and then found a waterfall. 

Gretchen even made friends with a butterfly. 

While we were exploring the park, Gabby was with her dog sitter and having the best time! 

We spotted elk! 

And made it back to the camper that night just in time for Gretchen to study for her SATs! 

 

Family Pictures in Colorado

We arrived in Colorado the day before my birthday; all I wanted was to get dressed up and go take some family pictures in the mountain. The girls understood the assignment :) 

We tried getting some pictures around the campsite but the mosquitos were awful! 

We drove to Grand Lake lodge, and found an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains and Grand Lake. 

DJ brought along some painters tape, we propped up a bench, and used his cell phone in portrait mode. 

After we took pictures, we headed downtown to grab dinner! 

I had a glass of wine and a delicious salad for dinner! 

And finished with creme brulet for dessert! 

Hello New Mexico

After we left Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo, we headed west to New Mexico. There was a state park that DJ wanted to check out. We loaded up and headed out. The girls got comfy cozy in the back seat. 

And Gabby and I got comfy cozy in the front. 

DJ let Gretchen drive the truck and camper (which I haven't even done) when we were on a straight stretch of highway. I was terrified, but she ended up doing a really good job. 

As we got closer to the park, our GPS took us off a dirt road to cut through- had we known we wouldn't have gone down the road with the camper- plus it was raining! But thankfully we didn't get stuck!

We found our spot, and got all set up. The scenery was gorgeous!

The girls walked around the campsite, we played some games inside, and it stopped raining long enough to grab some pictures. 

The girls bundled up and played games while DJ cooked dinnide. 

I walked in and found them all cuddled up on our bed. 

After dinner, we went for a drive. 

The lake and the sunset was breathtaking. 

The next morning we got up and drove in to Raton for breakfast. 

We found a little place downtown, ordered, and ate and then got back in to the car for our drive in to Colorado. 

We stopped at Costco in Denver and grabbed some groceries and lunch before heading in to the mountains. 

Once we got set up, we realized there were a ton of mosquitos! It was also my birthday, and all I wanted was to get dressed up, take some pictures, and have dinner downtown- so that's exactly what we did.