Back in February when the world was normal - we booked a trip to the beach in early June with the Ormons. Then the pandemic happened. So we decided to move our trip to Fall break. Then school got moved out and they cancelled fall break. We decided to still go even though the Ormons weren't going to. And then Hurricane Sally happened and our condo closed for a few months. So six days before we left - we still tried to find somewhere to stay at the beach and then just decided - how about driving 12 hours in the opposite direction and go to the mountains instead? We have never been to Colorado and thought it might be neat to experience something else. So I planned a trip in less than a week. I'm a planner who likes to research and put a lot into trips but 2020 has taught me you can't always plan everything.
We left around 4 a.m. on Saturday morning. We wanted to drive in the dark with no traffic as long as possible. Of course the kids didn't sleep much. And the fog was SOOOO heavy in Missouri and Kansas so it was a little tough until the sun came up. And then we saw basically this for the next 10 hours. Windmills and miles of nothing. ha!
Our first stop was Colorado Springs. We got there when it was almost dark so we didn't really see the mountains until the next morning. We just stayed in a hotel on this leg of the trip. Nothing special. We needed a room with a sofa bed since there are five of us and an indoor pool for the kids. That was our requirement.
Sunday morning we were up early and got to the Garden of the gods right when it opened. We decided to take a trolley tour first. Our tour guide looked just like Santa Clause and went by the name Santa Fe. He was great and my kids 100% believe he was real.
After our tour, we drove over to Old Colorado City which was about 2 miles away to eat lunch. This is a charming little area. It reminded me a lot of Fayetteville, AR but with bigger mountains in the background. We ate at Mountain Shadow which was really good.
The kids ate breakfast foods and Scott and I had sandwiches.
Then we walked down the road for a little ice cream at Colorado City Creamery.
Then we went back to the Garden of the gods to walk and explore. It was a beautiful day. It was warm but super windy.
We had a great time roaming around and just looking at how beautiful it was!
It's free to get in and tour which is so nice. The family who once owned this gave it to Colorado and made them promise to always keep it free.
If you haven't been - you have to go!
I used to think they didn't look alike - but they older they get the more they favor. Love these sisters!
We had a fabulous day!
We ate a really great Mexican dinner that night!
And then Scott took the kids swimming. Swimming in a hotel pool is always a highlight!
I will share more of our trip this week! I LOVE planning trips and sharing them!
