2012 Family Vaca

Gondola ride near Telluride

We stayed pretty close to home for this year's family vacation. We spent the holiday and the remainder of the week with Nate's dad and stepmom in Montrose. It was an action-packed, fun trip. We camped the first night out at a gorgeous, idyllic campground called Monarch Park between Salida and Gunnison. The kids did not disappoint in their camping skills.

On the Fourth of July, we woke up early to meet Mike and Katrina (Papa Knucks and Kat to the kids) for a boat ride on the Colorado River in the Black Canyon. Gorgeous scenery, only broken up a few times by a rambuncious toddler. We spent the better part of a day in Ouray, soaking up the rays at the Ouray Hot Springs and then ventured to Telluride for a ride on the gondola and lunch downtown.

Some of my favorite memories of this trip...
1. Benny and Lila entertaining each other in the back seat (Lila is forward-facing now - yeehaw!).
2. Lila chasing after the dog and cat telling them to "Come here."
3. Benny using goggles to dive under water by himself.
4. Benny eating like a champ for EVERY single meal.
5. Lila eating again in general.
6. Meandering down the Colorado River while Lila ran up and down the aisle on the boat with another rambuncious toddler.
7. Enjoying cooler temps and air conditioning.

This is the first year we won't be embarking on a longer trip to Iowa or taking a parent-only trip. There's really no reason other than our schedules filling up too fast and desiring to spend some more time camping in the mountains of Colorado. It doesn't hurt that it saves us money and time!