Colorado Springs Trip

We took a quick trip up to Colorado Springs recently and had such a great time! We crammed a lot of driving and activities into just a few days! It took us about 12 1/2 hours to get there, but it was so worth it! We arrived in Colorado Springs on a Friday and decided to drive right up Pike's Peak. I was extremely nervous about this, but I managed to hold it together. I was even able to snap a few pics on the way up!

The last picture is of some sheep that were grazing very close to the top of the mountain. It was around 86 degrees at the bottom of the mountain and in the low 40s at the top, which we were very excited about! When we got to the top of the mountain, we had to try the donuts and hot chocolate. The girls did not like the donuts at all, but loved the hot chocolate. The donuts were a cakey texture with hints of nutmeg and other spices. They were OK, but I'm pretty sure they are only famous because of the mountain and experience! We snapped a few pics at the top and then headed back down. We happened to see a goat walking near a lookout point so we stopped and I got out to take some pics. 2 more walked up at that time, which was really exciting! 

Later that night we went to Cave of the Winds. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I didn't take any pics inside of the cave, but I did take some on their balcony. The place is located high in the mountains and extends over a canyon. They have some thrill rides but I would never have the guts to do them! After the cave tour, we waited for the free laser show. After dark, they cast the lasers onto one of the canyon walls. The show is set to music and was great. The breeze that came through was so nice! 

The next morning we attempted to go to Garden of the Gods, but it was way too crowded. We decided to drive up to Breckenridge, which was a nice 74 degrees. We rode the gondola (which is free in the summer) and got some awesome views. Afterwards, we played in the Blue River. This was probably the girls favorite part of the trip! The water was very cold but so clear and beautiful! 

Later that day we went back to Garden of the Gods and it was empty! We had a picnic in one of the picnic areas and enjoyed the views. Then we hiked one of the easy trails up to The Siamese Twins rocks. Both girls really enjoyed it and loved playing on the rocks. It was getting dark, but the views were still awesome!

On Sunday we went to Cañon Springs and went on a family raft trip. We really enjoyed this and I would highly recommend it! Next time we go we would like to try one that has a few more rapids since this one was very tame. We did the morning trip, which was nice because it got pretty warm. Our guide was great and the girls thought he was lots of fun. We didn't snap any pics and I really regret that because their picture prices were ridiculous! If you ever go, make sure to bring a waterproof or disposable camera!

We also decided to skip the tourist attraction of Seven Falls, but we still wanted to see the falls. I had done some research online and found that you can hike an "easy" trail to the top of Mt. Cutler. While this trail had no real obstacles, we still found it long and a little slippery. However, this was our first mountain trail and I am a bit of a scaredy cat! Maclayne actually did the whole thing without having to be carried (but not without whining)! We didn't go all the way up to the summit because it was thundering, but we got a great view of the falls! It was totally worth it!

We finished the trip with one last visit to Garden of the Gods so the girls could run and play. They had so much fun and were very sad to leave (so were mom and dad)! We left for home the next morning and drove all day! The girls were so good and we all can't wait for the next trip to Colorado!