Summer Vacation to Red Feather Lakes, CO

We went back to Red Feather Lakes, CO to where my Aunt and Uncle own a lake front cabin for our summer vacation.


Our first day of vacation, we stayed the day in Denver and went to the Denver Zoo.

While up in the mountains, we enjoyed numerous, long hikes.

We saw signs of wildlife, like these antler rubbings from moose, and came across a few deer and smaller animals.

But the wildest creature we came across was Dexter. He is a true mountain dog at heart!

Rock climbing was a favorite activity of Ethan and my nephew, Austin. (We were excited to bring my 15 year old nephew with us this year. We also had both sets of Grandparents along for a portion of the trip.)

As always, the scenery of breath-taking. We were even blessed to experience a double rainbow over the lake.

We tried our hand at fishing one day.

And horse back ridding another. A first time riding horses for both Ethan and Austin.

We enjoyed spending quality time with family...

Spending lots of time outdoors...

Laughing and having fun...

And...I even managed some relaxation time.

 



Bliss!

Vacation - Day Five

For our last day of our Colorado vacation, we spent the day exploring the lakes that make up Red Feather Lakes, CO, hiking the wild flower covered meadows and climbing the granite rock formations. We hiked for miles, took a picnic lunch with us and climbed the highest rock peaks that we could find in the area. The views from the top were awe inspiring.

So much to explore.

Getting a boost from Daddy.

Views from the top - Part of Roosevelt National Park

The most beautiful spot that I discovered during our hikes. I could take in this view for hours.

We loved the time we sent out in Red Feathers and hope to have the opportunity to return. It was so nice to enjoy a relaxing vacation. It seems like most of our travels involve non-stop activities and trying to cram in as much as possible while visiting a city. It was such a nice change to have no set agenda and just slow down and enjoy each other as a family and recharge in the great outdoors.

Jim and I really fell in love with Colorado. We've had many long conversations about the possibility of actually moving out there. Anyone know of any good jobs in the area? It might be time for this Dorothy to get out of Kansas and we just need to find the right yellow brick road to follow. ;)

Vacation - Day Four

For our fourth day of vacation, we decided to take advantage of our lake front cabin and give fishing a try. My husband is an avid hunter but hasn't fished since his childhood. I haven't tried fishing since I was probably last at the cabin, at the age of 5, so I didn't have high hopes for reeling in the big catch of the day.

After finishing up breakfast, the boys went down to the lake to cast out their lines and see if the fish were biting. Ethan really enjoyed picking out his bait from all the colorful options that Uncle Bill provided us with.

Within a few minutes, the first fish of the day was hooked. A small sized rainbow trout was quickly reeled in. Don't they look proud?

A boy and his dog out fishing - all is right in the world.

 

Ethan's First Fish!! He caught and reeled it in all by himself and you could hear him squealing with pride for miles.

He wasn't too sure about the slimy, floppy little fish.

How big was your fish, Ethan? I guess fisherman start telling fishing tales at a young age.

My catch of the day. I must brag, I caught the largest fish of the day. I also caught the biggest sunburn - ouch. Guess I'll be adding some more freckles this summer.

Patiently waiting to catch a few more fish to make sure we had enough for a fish fry for dinner. We only fished for a couple of hours and easily caught our maximum number of fish for our permits.

We had a wonderful time fishing at Snake Lake in Red Feather Lakes, CO. It was so nice and relaxing to sit out on the edge of the lake and take in the scenery. Plus, the trout fish jump out of the water to catch bugs and make for great entertainment.

Vacation - Day Three

For our next day of vacation, we spent the day outside enjoying the scent of the pine trees, the crisp mountain air and exploring our surroundings.

Ethan loves playing outside, digging in the dirt and making construction sites with his toys. Check out his dirty face and the shirt that perfectly describes my little boy's philosophy on life.

Some scenery shots from our walks around the lake.

After our nature hike, we headed into the small village of Red Feather Lakes, CO. The little town features a post office, old-fashioned general store, library, lodge, and a hardware store.

This hardware store is for sale. Anyone want to lend me some money so that Jim could run a hardware store and I could permanently live in this beautiful part of the world?

To finish our day, we had smores in either the outside campfire or indoor fireplace every night. I think I may have turned into a fluffy marshmallow by the time we left. I ate my weight in roasted marshmallows during vacation.