Colorado Camping Trip: Headwaters of the Rio Grande & Creede

After we stopped for the night in Alamosa, and visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park, we were up the next morning to drive aabout 2 hours further in to the mountains to Creede, Colorado. 

Our campground was about 45 minutes off the main road, and it was our first "dry camping" stay for this trip. Essentially, we had the water that our camper could carry along with some extra water in a portable tank. We also operated off our battery and then had a generator for more power. Showers were limited and if our black tank got full then it would be bad news. The campground toilet was a toilet with a deep hole and no flushing power. It was fairly primitive and I won't say I loved it, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. 

Our campground was at the headwaters of the Rio Grande. 

We had seen the Rio Grande on our camping trip in February out to Big Bend, so it was cool to be at it's headwaters. 

But, the water was cold!  I had envisioned some relaxing days in the water, and maybe breaking out the paddleboard in one of the lakes nearby, but once I realized how cold it was, actually getting in the water sounded like zero fun to me. 

The girls would wade in, and then they took turns seeing who could go the deepest or last the longest before running out because it was freezing! The also took turns dunking their heads under the water, but it was frigid! 

The adults opted to siit and watch! 

Gretchen was probably the bravest and stayed in the water the longest and waded the deepest. 

Eventually DJ got in and sat for a while! 

We grilled out for dinner and had s'mores for dessert. 

The campfire helped to keep the bugs away because they were bad. 

I feel a little ridiculous complaining about bugs, but in my head, it woudl be colder and in Colorado, and the mosquitos were way worse than I had imagined. 

The next day, we had breakfast, got dressed, and drove in to Creede, which was about an hour away since we were so far off the main road. Creede is small, but it's cute! There were a few little shops, and music in the town square, which was fun. 

We stopped to take a picture near the national forest sign. 

And then we stopped for ice cream! 

We walked in and out of shops and explored the town. And then we met up with the rest of the family for lunch. 

Creede was so cute! 

They even have a fire station built in to the side of a mountain. Since my brother is a fireman, we had to go and see the station and the trucks. 

Across from the fire station is a little creek that runs down the mountain and in to the town. 

In the winter, there's a spot for an outdoor ice skating rink! 

Afterwards, we drove up past the fire station, and on to very narrow, very steep dirt roads past old mines. It kept saying that 4x4 trucks were recommended, and ours is not. I kept looking at DJ thinking we should turn around and what on Earth did my brother get us in to. Thankfully, at one point they decided not to go any further and I was so relieved that we made it back down safely in our truck! 

Once we made it down, we went to pick up side by side vehicles because we were doing some mountain exploring the following day, and that's where it got fun.............

 

Our Colorado Camping Trip: Part 1

Hey, hey! School is about to start and I'm just now recapping our Summer camping trip. Once we got back from vacation, I've had some errors on my blog and couldn't get any pictures to upload. I've since figured out a way around it, but it's definitely more time consuming. 

We'd been planning this camping trip for at least 6 months, but talking about it since we had our last big family camping trip. Two years ago, we visited Colorado, The Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone, and this yearr we opted for more time in Colorado. It was the perfect way to escape the 100 degree weather we had been having in Texas. 

We loaded up on June 29th, and left bright and early in the morning. Like I think we left around 5:30. Thankfully the girls didn't complain too much about the early wake up call. 

The first day, we drove to Amarillo to meet my parents, brother, sister in law, and neice. We drove & drove, until it was time for lunch. 

When we're driving on long trips, it's easiest to just pull off in to a big gas station and fix a sandwich in the camper. 

After lunch, we were back on the road. Gabby made her a comfy seat right in the center console... or she was on my lap. 

We pulled in to Palo Duro Canyon state park late in the afternoon. 

The girls were so excited to see Ya-ya! 

We had really hoped to do some hiking or exploring in Palo Duro, but it was HOT! Like over 100 degrees and several trails were closed because it was just too dangerous. The girls played together inside a camper, and the adults hung out in my parents camper and chatted. 

Our campsite was gorgeous despite the heat and the flies. 

We opted to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town rather than dragging out all of the cooking supplies in the heat and battling the flies. 

I had an amazing margarita and the chips and queso were perfection! 

Back at the camper, and this girl and I hung out outside and went for a walk. 

Friday morning we were up early again! Megan and Adalyn rode with my brother, so Gretchen and Gabby were content in the backseat by themselves! We stopped for lunch at a rest stop in Colorado, and then drove to our campground in Alamosa. 

Once we got checked in and settled, the girls got to work on their travel journals. 

We had burgers for dinner- yum! 

And Gretchen played guitar for us. She's been teaching herself this summer. 

After dinner, we loaded back up and drove about an hour to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. 

We bought a a national park scratch off map a while back, and now we get to scratch off another park! Unfortunatley, we went late and we didn't get to put a stamp in our passport book. 

There was a stream of snow melt run off across the sand dunes, that we waded through. It was so cold! 

We hiked to the first sand dune that we could reach. It was not easy hiking up through the sand!

You can bring sleds and sled down the dunes or just play in the water. You can walk all over, but because it was getting late, and because hiking through the sand is a lot harder than it sounds, we were happy to just walk to the first one!

The wind was also blowing like crazy, and the mosquitos were awful once we got back to the parking lot. 

We drove through the campground, and there was a waterfall nearby that we had thought about stopping at, but didn't because of time. 

We only had the one afternoon in Alamos, so I'm glad we were able to squeeze in the sand dunes for a bit but there's definitely more that we could have done! 

 

Pearly Girls

Back in April, Adalyn came home and told me she had sold 4-5 bracelets to some girls at school for $1.00. She grabbed her bracelet kit that we gave her on Valentine's day and got to work.

And that got me thinking- the girls could totally make bracelets, sell them, & use the money for things they're wanting or for their activities.

Gretchen is determined to save for college.

Megan has cheer & gymnastic expenses

Adalyn just wants an ipad mini. 

This would be a great way for them to learn some responsibility and earn some money! 

So, Pearly Girls was born.....

well, revamped really.

A few years ago, we started a bracelet page for Gretchen when she went through a friendship bracelet making stage, so we used that Instagram, to start Pearly Girls. 

A little twist on their names- because all 3 girls have the name meaning of "pearl."

The girls have several pre-made/ready to ship bracelets listed on our Instagram! We are also taking custom orders for name bracelets or team/school bracelets! 

We have several pre-made, ready to ship bracelets on our Instagram. 

Bracelets start at just $10.00 shipped each. 

We also take custom orders and have been so blessed by so many of you ordering custom bracelets from us! The custom bracelets may be my favorite!

Name bracelets can be made with gold beads or a variety, like this white one. 

This "mama/mini" set is one of my favorites! It made me wish my girls were little and we could match and wear these! 

This was a custom set we made for a family who had just lost their dad/grandfather. 

How adorable is this smiley face set?!

These are several of my bracelets that I've made that I wear daily. 

We also have diffuser bracelets for kids and can totally make custom adult ones too! Each diffuser bracelet will come with a sample of Kidpower essential oil blend. 

Solid green for the boys. 

More name bracelets. 

Adalyn made a name bracelet for herself using pearls. 

And more team bracelets!

We've had so much fun making new pieces! We'll have back to school jewelry mid  July and can't wait to bring that to you! 

We would love for you to give our Instagram page a follow and share with your friends.