We left out of here on Friday afternoon about 2:00 I think. Fairly uneventful and boring drive to Amarillo...which smells like manure....so not a very refreshing city to stop in...but it was 1/2 way, so it worked for us! We ate at a Cracker Barrell and then decided to call it an early night. We were pulling out the next morning about 7:00 am.
Saturday
The ride from Amarillo to Albuquerque was crazy boring. It was early and we were all so anxious just to BE there! We met up with my Pap Paw in San Jon, we stopped again in Albuquerque for lunch and then drove as fast as we could the 3 hours to Durango.
Welcome to New Mexico
Once we hit the tip edge of the mountains and could see them in the distance...we just couldn't get there fast enough. The "lodge" is 23 miles from Durango. Durango is a very pretty town, but we didn't look long, we went straight through and UP the big ol' mountain.
The "edge" of the mountains
We stayed at a friends house, Blackjack Lodge...it is AMAZING! He rents it weekly and I HIGHLY recommend going there. It's beautiful and spacious, it accommodates 12 easily with room for air mattresses. It's fully furnished with everything you need...and did I mention it's beautiful?!
Really....it's the most amazing place on earth for downtime and decompression...I will be going there again!
the edge of the driveway
We pulled up to a multi-level home. We were all INSTANTLY amazed at the cooler temps. We got out of the van to a COOL breeze and about 70 degrees. OMG...I'm staying here forever ;)
PICTURE TIME
We all ran around the house exploring and figured out where we'd all be. We unloaded and then all went out to the deck (cool weather) to make grocery lists. We all took a day for meals, breakfast/lunch/dinner, and needed to go back DOWN to Durango for groceries. Hindsight is...stop on the way in, 23 miles back down when you've traveled all day and just want to ENJOY this gorgeous house you just landed in, not fun!
Dinner and a dip in the hot tub....I was living it up! ;)
woo hoo!
Sunday - Mom's 58th Birthday
Waking up with our view....
Happy birthday Momma! We started the day off doing our "own" thing for breakfast. I had my new obsession, which was on me at all times...it's getting to be a problem people, thank goodness they're only 210 calories ;) Michael and I were itching to get some hiking in. The lake is below the house and it's a nice STEEP hike. A no joke hike! So getting down took some muscle and skill.
Starting the hike
Mom's pretty zoomed in here...very fun!
Fishing on Lake Purgatory (beaver dam in the background)
woo hoo - a brown trout!
some cute boy fishing :)
We got down there and did some fishing. I ended up catching on my 2nd cast out a little brown trout. .....there's more to this story later. We started the hike back up and kids, we're at 9,000+ feet, this is a no-joke hike and I'm out of shape. Yep....I thought I was going to die ;) Ok, for real, I was nice and winded (ok really winded) but we made it just fine. I pretty much knew that I was going to be feeling it the next day though....but that's ok...I was also ready to do it again!
Sucking wind folks... ;)
Got ready for the day. Michael went back down the trail, got in the canoe and canoed over to the other side of the lake where Brody, Papa & Pap Paw were fishing. Some male bonding time! Ha :) That's ok, I sat out on the deck and did some Twins Sale work, took some pictures....just took it in that I could finally breath and relax and go at my own pace. When the boys got back, we had lunch out on the deck, some birthday cake for mom and some present opening.
Michael canoeing across Lake Purgatory - such a postcard picture
Brody leaving with Pap Paw & Papa in the Ranger
Michael rowing out with Pap Paw
Woo hoo!
Cookie cake with LOTS of icing....per birthday girl request
Peggy, Mom and I got in Pap Paw's Ranger and drove around the "neighborhood". We explored, took some pictures and then came back to the house. Michael and I drove around for a bit exploring the mountain and checking out the sights.
Looking back over the lake up at our house (upper left, white house)
Tourists in the road.... ;)
The view from Purgatory Resort...stinkin' breathtaking
Hi, I'm a tourist ;)
sweet boy hanging out on the deck watching.....
the hummingbirds...we had about 20-30 at the end of the trip
AND
our resident chipmunk they named Hammy
sweet boy...he's studying to become LEED certified...but I think his vacation took over ;)
Before dinner - Happy Birthday Momma!!!
That night we had dinner at the Sow's Ear. Don't let the name mislead you, it's one of the nicest restaurants up on the mountain. It was goooooooooood! They had some of the BEST rolls I've ever had...cheesy and spicy with jalapenos mixed in. DANG good! I had the halibut over a bed of GOOD and it was amazing! We had a night of penny poker (Texas Hold 'Em) which I lost all my pennies and called it a night :)
my sweet family
Brody boy having FUN on his vacation
my sweet girl
family shot....and we're ALL looking...praise baby Jesus!
Lovies....on vacation.... :)
Monday
YAY!
Michael is on Clyde, I'm on Zeus
cutie pie!
After a lunch of Pap Paw's burgers, we decided to all go fish. While we were riding, we saw a lake that we decided to go back to with the family for an afternoon of fishing. ...this goes along with the story above...to this point, I'm the only one who's caught fish. 1 fish. Michael didn't catch anything with me that morning, none of the guys caught that afternoon and now we're going to a new lake...hoping to catch SOMETHING. SO not like Texas where you pretty much can catch SOMETHING each time you cast. Very frustrating for all the guys. And now...still no catches at Lake Haviland so we left disappointed (and wet, I went wading out in the water). We brought the kiddos back by the horses on our way out and that was pretty much the highlight of their whole trip ;)
the water wasn't bad...it was chilly...but not bad
LOVE this picture
Love this picture MORE....
Beautiful
a pretty paint in the corral
more horses out back
Howdy folks!
sweet baby
he was very sweet with the kids
I got changed and we all headed up to Purgatory Resort and walked around a while visiting the shops, taking pictures, getting some souvenirs and then back to the house for dinner. I was completely zapped of energy after dinner. I figured it was the morning ride and activity throughout the day, but also a couple nights of not sleeping great. When it's not YOUR bed...it takes some adjusting! So I ended up doing some laundry, sitting on the couch vegging and taking a Tylenol PM and crashing somewhat early. I slept all night like a baby...much needed rest.
gorgeous!
Cut outs are always fun!
Tuesday
My day to cook! I got up and made biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. We all ate and the guys took off for Silverton to Andrews Lake. We thought Durango was cold....nope...it was even colder at a mere 44 degrees. I had Brody in shorts and a t-shirt because he left the house, it was in the 60's...LOL! Poor Bubby. Again...nothing was caught....these fish don't WANT to be caught! LOL!! I had made some salads for lunch, a tuna and a chicken. We all ate and headed down to Durango. We needed things from Wal-Mart but also wanted to hit the souvenir shops there. Durango's old historic district had the cutest set up...that's where all the souvenir shops were and we struck souvenir gold there! I got everything I was going for and more.
love love LOVE this picture....all my guys ready to go with little Brody coming with them :)
more stinking beauty....it's GORGEOUS there! (Andrews Lake)
We stopped at a natural spring on the side of the road on the way home, took some pictures and then back to the house. I made dinner (enchilada casserole) and then Michael and I hiked back down the mountain. We got out in the canoe and tried fishing again. Still nothing!!! What are we doing wrong?! We're using salmon eggs, worms, lures, flys....what is the problem. Again...a strike out! But it was the first time in a LONG time I'd been out in a canoe...I was a little rusty. LOL! I almost put Michael in the water ;) Back up the mountain (short breathed) and then into the hot tub to relax some stinkin sore muscles! We played some more Texas Hold 'Em and then called it a night.
this girl LOVES her Papa!
My sweet family
us on the smooth as glass lake....still no fish :S
Wednesday - last day :(
Alpine Slide day!!! Well...kinda....
We got up to Mimi cooking breakfast. Our plan for this beautiful sun shining day was to go up the lifts and take the kids down the alpine slide. Woo hoo! Mom, Dad, Pap Paw and Peggy decided to drive back to Andrews Lake so Mom and Peggy could see it and maybe try and catch a fish. That was fine, we decided to hang back at the house for some family "down" time. they said they wanted to go up on the lifts with us and to wait...that was ok too...we had all day. So Michael and I played horseshoes, we played pool, we played ping pong. We got ready, we sat out on the deck and played cards. We had a nice relaxing morning. I loved it. But, it started to get to be about noon-ish, they're still gone and it's starting to cloud up.
watching Mommy and Daddy play horseshoes
Up to this point, it's rained every day...sometimes 15 minutes, sometimes and hour and then it's over and done and moved out. I figured it was another day like that. Well...the first line came through and we figured it would be ok. Mom had called and said they were staying in Silverton to eat and I said we were going to go ahead and go. But as I was looking out the window, I saw more clouds and wind.
While I was standing there, I saw a deer walk across our driveway. Michael goes out and snaps some pictures, calls me and the kids out. We watch her and wave at her and we all realize how incredibly windy it is. I was worried right off that the slide would be closed. I went and called and they said, at the time it was closed because of the recent rain, that another line was coming through and they would hopefully open back up. So we waited for the 2nd line...sure enough it came through. It wasn't that long and it cleared up. So we packed up and went down the resort.
Bambi
walking the resort
Brody and his bear
Sure enough...the slide is closed for the day - crew has been sent home. BUT a very nice children's director helped up, saw the sad kiddos and gave us a free round of putt putt. 18 holes on the side of a mountain. It was very fun...but putting on a mountain is quite hard!
look at that form ;)
LOVES my sweet babies!
We had a great dinner that night and another BIG storm came through. I swear I think thunder is louder up on a mountain...it would scare the crap out of me! We also packed up that night. We cleaned the kitchen and got everything ready for our 6:00 am depature. Michael and Dad went ahead and loaded up everything we weren't needing the next morning and called it a night. I stayed up and watched the Ranger game with Michael and Dad while downloading pictures to Snapfish, that took forever! 3 cameras later....949 pictures went into Snapfish...LOL!
eating Mimi's stew with her 2 favorite guys! ;)
Thursday - drive home!!
It was a crazy long day...we left at 6:00 am, got home at 9:30 pm. We switched off in 2-4 hour incriments, we stopped everytime it was needed...but it was still hard. By the time you get out of Amarillo...you just want to be HOME! We hit Decatur and the van wouldn't go fast enough ;) But we did it. The kids were AMAZING, the trip was safe (aside from a rock hitting the windshield) and we were blessed with an amazing vacation behind us!
I never get tired of seeing this sign! :)
Saturday
The ride from Amarillo to Albuquerque was crazy boring. It was early and we were all so anxious just to BE there! We met up with my Pap Paw in San Jon, we stopped again in Albuquerque for lunch and then drove as fast as we could the 3 hours to Durango.
Welcome to New MexicoOnce we hit the tip edge of the mountains and could see them in the distance...we just couldn't get there fast enough. The "lodge" is 23 miles from Durango. Durango is a very pretty town, but we didn't look long, we went straight through and UP the big ol' mountain.
The "edge" of the mountainsWe stayed at a friends house, Blackjack Lodge...it is AMAZING! He rents it weekly and I HIGHLY recommend going there. It's beautiful and spacious, it accommodates 12 easily with room for air mattresses. It's fully furnished with everything you need...and did I mention it's beautiful?!
Really....it's the most amazing place on earth for downtime and decompression...I will be going there again!
the edge of the drivewayWe pulled up to a multi-level home. We were all INSTANTLY amazed at the cooler temps. We got out of the van to a COOL breeze and about 70 degrees. OMG...I'm staying here forever ;)
PICTURE TIME
We all ran around the house exploring and figured out where we'd all be. We unloaded and then all went out to the deck (cool weather) to make grocery lists. We all took a day for meals, breakfast/lunch/dinner, and needed to go back DOWN to Durango for groceries. Hindsight is...stop on the way in, 23 miles back down when you've traveled all day and just want to ENJOY this gorgeous house you just landed in, not fun!
Dinner and a dip in the hot tub....I was living it up! ;)
woo hoo!Sunday - Mom's 58th Birthday
Waking up with our view....
Starting the hike
Mom's pretty zoomed in here...very fun!
Fishing on Lake Purgatory (beaver dam in the background)
woo hoo - a brown trout!
some cute boy fishing :)We got down there and did some fishing. I ended up catching on my 2nd cast out a little brown trout. .....there's more to this story later. We started the hike back up and kids, we're at 9,000+ feet, this is a no-joke hike and I'm out of shape. Yep....I thought I was going to die ;) Ok, for real, I was nice and winded (ok really winded) but we made it just fine. I pretty much knew that I was going to be feeling it the next day though....but that's ok...I was also ready to do it again!
Sucking wind folks... ;)Got ready for the day. Michael went back down the trail, got in the canoe and canoed over to the other side of the lake where Brody, Papa & Pap Paw were fishing. Some male bonding time! Ha :) That's ok, I sat out on the deck and did some Twins Sale work, took some pictures....just took it in that I could finally breath and relax and go at my own pace. When the boys got back, we had lunch out on the deck, some birthday cake for mom and some present opening.
Michael canoeing across Lake Purgatory - such a postcard picture
Brody leaving with Pap Paw & Papa in the Ranger
Michael rowing out with Pap Paw
Woo hoo!
Cookie cake with LOTS of icing....per birthday girl requestPeggy, Mom and I got in Pap Paw's Ranger and drove around the "neighborhood". We explored, took some pictures and then came back to the house. Michael and I drove around for a bit exploring the mountain and checking out the sights.
Looking back over the lake up at our house (upper left, white house)
Tourists in the road.... ;)
The view from Purgatory Resort...stinkin' breathtaking
Hi, I'm a tourist ;)
sweet boy hanging out on the deck watching.....
the hummingbirds...we had about 20-30 at the end of the tripAND
our resident chipmunk they named Hammy
sweet boy...he's studying to become LEED certified...but I think his vacation took over ;)
Before dinner - Happy Birthday Momma!!!That night we had dinner at the Sow's Ear. Don't let the name mislead you, it's one of the nicest restaurants up on the mountain. It was goooooooooood! They had some of the BEST rolls I've ever had...cheesy and spicy with jalapenos mixed in. DANG good! I had the halibut over a bed of GOOD and it was amazing! We had a night of penny poker (Texas Hold 'Em) which I lost all my pennies and called it a night :)
my sweet family
Brody boy having FUN on his vacation
my sweet girl
family shot....and we're ALL looking...praise baby Jesus!
Lovies....on vacation.... :)Monday
Michael and I got up EARLY and headed to the Rapp Corral. Michael had set up a 2 hour horseback ride through the mountains for us. WOO HOO!!! When we got there we were by ourselves...there had been rain over the span of the night and the people scheduled with us chickened out. So it was just us and a guide. VERY cool! They saddled us up to Clyde and Zeus and off we went. Amazing! Started off simple enough and then holy cow Joe (the guide) took us UP the mountain. Now if you've never ridden a horse before, THIS is where I'd be feeling VERY sorry for you. It was crazy.
This is another part of my vacation where I was under the impression it would be fun and relaxing (like the hike) that turned out to be a no joke adventure also. I'm beginning to understand why all the people in Colorado are skinny! It's a active state! ;)
We rode for 2 hours. Lots of different terrain, BEAUTIFUL and breathtaking sights. My butt was definitely ready to be off the horse ;) I always thought I had ample enough cushion but apparently, I don't have any! LOL! It was an awesome opportunity to share with Michael - just the 2 of us. Love love LOVED it!
YAY!
Michael is on Clyde, I'm on Zeus
cutie pie!
the water wasn't bad...it was chilly...but not bad
LOVE this picture
Love this picture MORE....
Beautiful
a pretty paint in the corral
more horses out back
Howdy folks!
sweet baby
he was very sweet with the kidsI got changed and we all headed up to Purgatory Resort and walked around a while visiting the shops, taking pictures, getting some souvenirs and then back to the house for dinner. I was completely zapped of energy after dinner. I figured it was the morning ride and activity throughout the day, but also a couple nights of not sleeping great. When it's not YOUR bed...it takes some adjusting! So I ended up doing some laundry, sitting on the couch vegging and taking a Tylenol PM and crashing somewhat early. I slept all night like a baby...much needed rest.
gorgeous!
Cut outs are always fun!
Tuesday
My day to cook! I got up and made biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. We all ate and the guys took off for Silverton to Andrews Lake. We thought Durango was cold....nope...it was even colder at a mere 44 degrees. I had Brody in shorts and a t-shirt because he left the house, it was in the 60's...LOL! Poor Bubby. Again...nothing was caught....these fish don't WANT to be caught! LOL!! I had made some salads for lunch, a tuna and a chicken. We all ate and headed down to Durango. We needed things from Wal-Mart but also wanted to hit the souvenir shops there. Durango's old historic district had the cutest set up...that's where all the souvenir shops were and we struck souvenir gold there! I got everything I was going for and more.
love love LOVE this picture....all my guys ready to go with little Brody coming with them :)
more stinking beauty....it's GORGEOUS there! (Andrews Lake)We stopped at a natural spring on the side of the road on the way home, took some pictures and then back to the house. I made dinner (enchilada casserole) and then Michael and I hiked back down the mountain. We got out in the canoe and tried fishing again. Still nothing!!! What are we doing wrong?! We're using salmon eggs, worms, lures, flys....what is the problem. Again...a strike out! But it was the first time in a LONG time I'd been out in a canoe...I was a little rusty. LOL! I almost put Michael in the water ;) Back up the mountain (short breathed) and then into the hot tub to relax some stinkin sore muscles! We played some more Texas Hold 'Em and then called it a night.
this girl LOVES her Papa!
My sweet family
us on the smooth as glass lake....still no fish :S
Alpine Slide day!!! Well...kinda....
We got up to Mimi cooking breakfast. Our plan for this beautiful sun shining day was to go up the lifts and take the kids down the alpine slide. Woo hoo! Mom, Dad, Pap Paw and Peggy decided to drive back to Andrews Lake so Mom and Peggy could see it and maybe try and catch a fish. That was fine, we decided to hang back at the house for some family "down" time. they said they wanted to go up on the lifts with us and to wait...that was ok too...we had all day. So Michael and I played horseshoes, we played pool, we played ping pong. We got ready, we sat out on the deck and played cards. We had a nice relaxing morning. I loved it. But, it started to get to be about noon-ish, they're still gone and it's starting to cloud up.
watching Mommy and Daddy play horseshoesUp to this point, it's rained every day...sometimes 15 minutes, sometimes and hour and then it's over and done and moved out. I figured it was another day like that. Well...the first line came through and we figured it would be ok. Mom had called and said they were staying in Silverton to eat and I said we were going to go ahead and go. But as I was looking out the window, I saw more clouds and wind.
While I was standing there, I saw a deer walk across our driveway. Michael goes out and snaps some pictures, calls me and the kids out. We watch her and wave at her and we all realize how incredibly windy it is. I was worried right off that the slide would be closed. I went and called and they said, at the time it was closed because of the recent rain, that another line was coming through and they would hopefully open back up. So we waited for the 2nd line...sure enough it came through. It wasn't that long and it cleared up. So we packed up and went down the resort.
Bambi
walking the resort
Brody and his bear
look at that form ;)
LOVES my sweet babies!We had a great dinner that night and another BIG storm came through. I swear I think thunder is louder up on a mountain...it would scare the crap out of me! We also packed up that night. We cleaned the kitchen and got everything ready for our 6:00 am depature. Michael and Dad went ahead and loaded up everything we weren't needing the next morning and called it a night. I stayed up and watched the Ranger game with Michael and Dad while downloading pictures to Snapfish, that took forever! 3 cameras later....949 pictures went into Snapfish...LOL!
eating Mimi's stew with her 2 favorite guys! ;)It was a crazy long day...we left at 6:00 am, got home at 9:30 pm. We switched off in 2-4 hour incriments, we stopped everytime it was needed...but it was still hard. By the time you get out of Amarillo...you just want to be HOME! We hit Decatur and the van wouldn't go fast enough ;) But we did it. The kids were AMAZING, the trip was safe (aside from a rock hitting the windshield) and we were blessed with an amazing vacation behind us!
I never get tired of seeing this sign! :)
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