Colorado’s Best-kept Secret: Chautauqua in Boulder

July 13, 2013 By

I have extensively traveled throughout Colorado since moving here 10 years ago—from soaring the state’s 14,000-foot peaks to its gleaming lakes. Through it all, one of my favorite destinations is just 20 minutes from my house: Chautauqua.

Located at the base of the Flatiron mountains in Boulder, this National Historic Landmark has charming rental cottages that are surrounded on three sides with open space. Its 48 miles of hiking trails and thousands of acres of natural lands beg to be explored.

I had been living in Colorado less than a year when I hiked Chautauqua’s Enchanted-Mesa Trail with my daughter and I was, well, enchanted. After my hike, I explored the grounds and was smitten by the newly

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Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, Foodie, hiking, outdoors

Hiking to non-existent reservoirs is still a day of Colorado bliss

July 10, 2013 By

Remember our adventures atop 14,265-foot Mt. Evans and how I vowed to go back to the eccentrically charming Echo Mountain Lodge’s gift shop and restaurant? Two days later, it happened.

Upon returning home, I checked my email. My friend Dawn organized a summer hiking group with gals from church and I was shocked to see that Tuesday’s hike was to Idaho Springs Reservoir and the trailhead was right at Echo Lake. We skipped swim lessons that day and I declared yet another mountain adventure was in order. On previous hikes, there were plenty of kids but no one Hadley’s age so we invited her bestie Alex along for the ride.

Besties at Echo Lake

Idaho Springs Reservoir

Though I’ve hiked 90 percent of the trails on the Front Range, the Chicago Lakes Trail to Idaho Springs Reservoir is over an hour from my house and deep in the backcountry so I was not familiar with it. As we started hiking, a mom whipped out her guidebook for directions and lo-and-behind it was Best Hikes with Kids, the book I was contacted about revising a few years ago!

The publisher shipped me a copy when it came out last year and I was mostly relieved I turned down the project and pleased that the author did such a nice job with it. Mind you, if I was contacted about doing something similar now, my kiddos are of a more suitable age for me to take it on.

The guidebook is thorough but here’s one thing the author neglected to mention: this hike is not great for young kiddos. For about 12 minutes, we skirted along a narrowish ledge with a steep drop. We had a few preschoolers, which made for an ulcer-inducing time. Even more stressful was I was up front with the older kids while the other moms helped the youngin’s at the back. My friend Dawn has two darling twin boys who are Bode’s age and let me tell you, those boys are mischievous. One of them tried climbing DOWN the steep cliff while the other tried to race past us while still on that ledge.

We eventually sent them back to hike with their mom and everyone was much happier. Well, except for them.

The guidebook suggested we start at the Echo Lake Campground but the host said it was quicker to commence from the north side of Echo Lake. There was a simple map in the guidebook but we had no idea how far our altered route was. We stopped a lady on the trail who had a topographical map and lo-and-behind, the Idaho Springs Reservoir wasn’t even on it. You know, OUR DESTINATION.

Echo Lake, the group at the creek and that lovely ledge.

We kept blindly hiking for another 15 minutes with glorious views of Mount Evans looming in the background. Upon reaching a creek, we opted to turn back. Who knew if we were even going the right way and we had already been hiking an hour.

If there’s anything I hate, it’s unfinished business and that is particularly prevalent with hiking. If I don’t summit, I have to go back or I obsess about it. Upon turning around, we were a few minutes from the trailhead when we ran into a hiker. I started talking to him and mentioned our turnaround point. “Oh really? You should have kept going. Idaho Springs Reservoir is only 1/4-mile from that creek.”

I guess the only positive side to that is I’ll be back.

The Scenic Route

As promised, I let the kids each pick out a souvenir at Echo Lake Lodge but opted to hold out to try the restaurant until we could return with Jamie (he was only a little bit bitter about being left behind). Then, instead of heading back on I-70, I announced we were going the scenic route via new-to-me Squaw Pass Road to Evergreen, one of my favorite mountain hamlets. My bribery? I’d buy them ice cream.

Of course, with views like this, it doesn’t take too much arm-bending. The great thing about traveling with kids is they have a radar for anything fun. We stopped at Baskin-Robbins in Evergreen and upon sitting on the creekside benches, they noticed a charming area to climb trees and play in Bear Creek so that is exactly what we did for the next hour.

Bear Creek, Evergreen

Oh, to be a kid again. But living vicariously through them is the next best thing.

96-mile journey

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, hiking, Humor, outdoors Tagged With: , , ,

Mount Evans: On Top of the World in Colorado

July 9, 2013 By

Colorado is blessed with some world-class vistas and there is nothing more unique than our 54 14,000-foot peaks (14ers). I’ve hiked several of them, Jamie has summitted even more and in a few years we hope to do them as a family.

Mount Evans Scenic Byway

Out of the many 14ers, only two of them are drivable. At 14,265 feet, Mount Evans is just 60 miles west of Denver and is reputed as Colorado’s “highest paved highway.” So after church, we decided to drive to the top.

That’s what I call a scenic Sunday drive on steroids.

It has been nearly 10 years since I last drove to Mount Evans because I didn’t feel like the kids were ready until now. Why not? If you’ve never been at 14,000 feet you have no idea how much the altitude messes with your head. Every time I see a family up there with young kids (particularly when they’re hiking), I want to yell at them for being irresponsible. People have become lost, dazed and even died on these peaks due to the altitude.

I read the kids Harry Potter (their summer obsession) as the road climbed through nearly 9,000 feet of elevation gain from Denver’s high plains through five climate zones, past Summit Lake to the top of the continent. It. Was. Glorious. While Denver’s temperatures were in the 90s, there was a was a 40-degree drop at 14,265 feet so we bundled up in our winter jackets.

And yes, that made me a very happy Canuck.

When you reach the Summit Parking Area, you are not yet at the top so we hiked the 1/4-mile trail. You’d think the last 130 vertical feet would be a cinch but believe me, at 14,000 feet, your head is pounding and you’re gasping for air. But the views are out of this world.

Flying atop Mount Evans

Summit Lake, just below Mount Evan’s summit

All of Colorado’s 14ers have a solid bronze summit marker

But poor Bode felt like his head was going to explode from the altitude so we quickly made our descent down, down, down the mountain.

Note to self: give the boy a couple of years before reattempting another 14er.

Echo Lake Lodge

Near the entrance to the Mount Evans Scenic Byway is Echo Lake, a beautiful jewel-like body of water. And next to that is historic Echo Lake Lodge. Built in 1926, this charming restaurant and gift shop is brimming with souvenir clothing, glassware, collectibles, handmade Native American jewelery, toys, delicious homemade pies and breathtaking views of Echo Lake from the restaurant.

But it was Sunday and we try very hard not to shop on the Sabbath so we made a vow to return very soon for dinner and souvenirs.

Little did I know it would be a mere two days later.

Stay tuned for our serendipitous hiking adventures to nearly Idaho Springs Reservoir. Read it here http://www.themilehighmama.com/hiking-to-non-existent-reservoirs-is-still-a-day-of-colorado-bliss/

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, hiking, Humor, outdoors, travel

The Johnson Family’s Shortest (and worst) Camping Trip Ever

July 1, 2013 By

I have tried to instill a love of nature in my kids–just last week we went hiking four times, my daughter recently returned from YMCA of the Rockies’ traditional overnight Camp Chief Ouray and at the end of July they’re both enrolled in Avid4Adventure’s Survival Skills Camp. We are an outdoor-loving family!

But my favorite childhood memories are of camping and that is one area in which we’ve fallen short with my own family.  There is nothing like the sense of community at campgrounds, playing with new BFFs, eating tin foil dinners and s’mores, exploring and exploring some more, and telling stories around the campfire.

Here’s a recap of our camping trips since having kids.

Trip 1: Hadley had just turned 1 and was a horrible sleeper so she wailed all night long two nights in a row. Our campsite at Golden Gate Canyon State Park was on a slope. Hadley had just learned to walk so was falling over every few feet and when she wasn’t face-planting, she was trying to crawl into the fire pit. Our three-day weekend was cut a day short.

Trip 2: We took a few years off from camping to get pregnant and have our son Bode. When he was 2, we joined our good friends at Eleven Mile State Park. Never been? Keep it that way. I’d read about it in FamilyFun magazine and it was a huge, barren disappointment. In addition to camping, capsizing and crying, my baby had the most disgusting, explosive case of diarrhea and I spent hours at the camp laundromat cleaning out his car seat and clothes. (Ugly details here).

Trip 3: Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada. This is my favorite place on earth and I was ecstatic to introduce my kids to this wonderland that borders Glacier National Park. Sure there were minor hiccups (such as near-hurricane-strength winds) but it was our best camping trip to date.

Trip 4: Bear Lake State Park. Last year, Mile High Mamas partnered with Coleman for the Great American Campout. It had all the fixins for an amazing weekend with horseback riding, games, gourmet camp meals and kayaking. But do you remember that record-breaking 105-degree day last June? ‘Nuff said.

Trip 5: Camp Dick last weekend. This was going to be our year. The kids are 7 and 9 and the perfect ages for camping. Check-in wasn’t until 2 p.m. so we had a few hours to kill when we arrived at this campground set in a glacial valley just off the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.

The kids caught butterflies and threw rocks in the adjacent Middle Saint Vrain Creek and we hiked a portion of the Buchanan Pass Trail.

We have been united with our fellow Coloradoans in praying for rain to defray the horrible wildfires…we just didn’t want the drought to end right then. All was going shockingly well until we felt our first raindrop. We’d waded through near hurricanes and diarrhea; a bit of rain wasn’t going to deter us.

Then it started down-pouring so we raced back to the car and ate lunch. Earlier, we’d spotted the remains of the previous night’s hail storm but miracles–the weather broke a half-hour later and we still had plenty of time to explore before we could set-up our tent.

Adventurous Hadley (who no longer falls every few feet and cries all night), discovered a faint trail on the other side of the creek so we bush-whacked our way to my children’s version of wonderland: a massive boulder field. We spent the next hour free-climbing these rock monsters and Hadley and my husband braved a steep slope to a cossetted cave. I hung back with my more-cautious Bode who called out encouragements such as “you know you can crack your head open and slide all the way down.”

Kid needs a lesson or two on pep talks.

Then all hell (or rather, hail) broke loose and it could not have come at a worse time. We were forging back through the forest when Bode slipped and hurt himself. Not even 5 seconds later, hail started pounding us and blinded, we lost the trail that was already barely there, forcing us to wade over a swamp land and practically toss now-hysterical Bode across the creek.

When we arrived at the road, we still had over a mile to where we’d parked our car at the trailhead but our soon-to-be acquired campsite was right around the corner. “I’ll run and get the car and you go to camp,” I bravely volunteered. Come hail or high-water, I would lead my family to safety!

I raced through the campground, hail pelting and drenching every inch of my body. It seemed like an eternity before I reached the car but I raced back to our campsite and saw my poor little family hunkered down under a tree trying to shield themselves from the frozen sheets of ice.

“We’ve taken a vote,” my husband announced.
“What is it?” I already knew the answer.
“We’re ready to go home.”

I looked at our campsite, the mud puddles thick from the previous night’s storm were now filled with snow. We could have toughed it out if we were staying in a camper but there was nowhere to setup our tent.  And most importantly, the sky ‘s furry was just getting started.

We called it a day at 1:30 p.m., just 4.5 hours from the time we left our house.

Better luck next year.

Filed Under: Canada, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Favorite Posts, Hadley, hiking, Humor, Jamie, outdoors, travel Tagged With: , , ,

June Travels: Our Crazy Life According to Instagram

June 30, 2013 By

My work-life balance has been nil with waaaaay too much playtime with the kids. I’m hoping to write about all our hiking adventures (and believe me, there are MANY) but until that time, my iPhone tells the story of our first month of summer break.

Chautauqua in Boulder

Our month-long party started with a glorious getaway to Chautauqua in Boulder complete with a charming cottage, emerald hikes bursting with jeweled wildflowers, a gourmet meal at the Dining Hall and Snow White reenacted by Theatre-Hikes Colorado.

Chautauqua in Boulder

Chautauqua meadow outside of our cottage

Snow White Theatre Hike!

With a kickoff to summer like that, it’s hard to go wrong. And we haven’t.

Giving Back

One day, we did a tour of the Food Bank of the Rockies where we learned about their kid’s program Kung Food Fighters to teach kids how to help fight child hunger.

Food Bank of the Rockies

But obviously not how to do Kung Foo moves.

Kicking It

Then there was the Colorado Rapids, our first-ever professional soccer game.

Colorado Rapids

We expect greater things from our soccer-playing son now.

Cave of the Winds

OK, technically our trip to Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor was late-May but I need to fit in our awe-inspiring cave tour of the 500-million-year-old Cave of the Winds, which was discovered in 1881.

Cave of the Winds

An exciting new addition to the already-cool caves is the Wind Walker Challenge Course. This three-story obstacle course is located on the rim of a 600-foot drop into Williams Canyon and has a challenging maze of steel beams, swinging ropes and ladders. Bode barely met the height requirement and I was proud of him for trying.

Wind Walker Challenge Course

Though it may take him a few years to recover from it. #Scary

Utah Fun

While Hadley was at Camp Chief Ouray for a week, Bode took his first solo flight to Utah. But then I crashed his party on the last day by scheduling a business trip in Park City where I also crammed in a quick hike to the Living Room, roller-bladed the Jordan River Parkway for the first time in 10 years (we’ve both changed!), had a cousin sleepover with the edible twinnies and storytime with Grandma.

Utah!

Talk about a memorable trip!

Carnivores Unite

Then, Bode and I headed straight up to YMCA of the Rockies near Winter Park where we got a tour of Hadley’s camp and had some fun adventures of our own. Sane people would have turned around after picking her up but not us. We headed further west into the mountains for our Father’s Day tradition: the Frisco BBQ Challenge where we met up with carnivore-loving Jamie.

Golden Breckenridge

But the fun didn’t stop there during that masochistic week (I crammed in four trips, but who’s counting?) Breckenridge is just a 15-minute drive away from Frisco and if we were to have a cabin anywhere, it would be there. It was like coming home as we spent the morning at Peak 8 Fun Park, which boasts the most awesome line-up of summer activities of any of Colorado’s ski resorts with an alpine coaster AND slide, gold panning, a maze, bungee trampoline, miniature golf and a bounce house.

Breckenridge Peak 8 Fun Park

We were thrilled to be in Breckenridge during Kingdom Days, which celebrates the town’s colorful history.

Or rather, lack of color as you can see from this old-fashioned photo. Note to self: Next time stay and watch Kingdom Days’ uproarious Outhouse Races.

Breckenridge was founded back in the 1860s thanks to the many gold discoveries. I have always wanted to go on a mine tour and was thrilled when Country Boy Mine Tour was a part of our itinerary.

Country Boy Mine Tours

There is still gold in them thar hills but it costs more money to extract it than it is worth. Following the tour, we panned for gold and Hadley unearthed a real sliver of gold, which I then proceeded to lose.

So much for our chance at millions.

Breckenridge is part of an extensive paved trail system that connects to mountain towns Frisco, Dillon, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. That evening, Hadley was exhausted after her week at camp so Jamie stayed behind while Bode and I took to the trail. I had an epiphany: almost exactly two years ago, Hadley took her first solo flight to Utah (like Bode) and she first tested out her new mountain bike on Breckenridge’s trail system, just as Bode and I did that evening on his newly-minted mountain bike.

New bikes on the Breckenridge bike path: Hadley (2011) and Bode (2013)

His ride went smashingly on the dirt trails…until he ended up slowly smashing into the bridge. Luckily he made a quick recovery.

Party Boy

For the past few years, we have been in Canada for Bode’s July birthday, which has resulted in a number of “pretend birthdays” leading up to the real deal. He wanted to celebrate with his buddies at Big Time Fun Trampoline Center and it was the cheapest, easiest party I’ve ever thrown: Invite friends, buy cake, show up.

Big Time Partiers

Why have I been killing myself all these years with parties, food and entertainment at my house?

Finally a Fish

For the third year in a row, I organized summer swim lessons for some of my good friends from our ward. It is a two-week pool party for the kiddos and a lot of fun to hang out with the Real Housewives of Jefferson County.

And most noteworthy? Bode has finally figured out how to swim and graduated from Squids, which is the first time he has ever passed a swim class. There may be hope yet.

Camping Disasters

I was looking forward to our camping trip yesterday to Camp Dick in the Roosevelt National Forest. Like so many of our adventures, it started well with blue skies, beautiful hikes, creek-playing and boulder-scaling.

Camp Dick

But then ended so very, very badly. Details tomorrow.

Lyons Soda Fountain

But I suggest you drown your sorrows with ice cream sodas, floats, freezes, phosphates and classy sundaes at Lyons Soda Fountain, one of the state’s best preserved and oldest soda fountains in Lyons, Colo. Because ice cream makes everyone feel better.

A Little Bit of Magic

Lest you think we haven’t had any downtime in June, think again. Every chance we got, whether we were at the park, in the car driving 14,265 feet to Mount Evans’ summit or in the basement, I was reading the kids their newest obsession: Time well spent in what turned out to be a magical month.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Jamie, outdoors, travel, Utah Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Dratted Marmot/Beaver at YMCA of the Rockies

June 27, 2013 By

You’d think as much as I rave about YMCA of the Rockies that I worked for them (maybe someday?) One of the bonuses of enrolling your child in Camp Chief Ouray is taking some time to play at YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch. My son Bode and I timed our 30-hour visit perfectly: get a tour of the camp, attend the dance and closing Vespers ceremony and spend the rest of the time exploring.

We’ve frequently visited Snow Mountain Ranch in the wintertime but this was our first summer visit. With 5,100 acres, it is considerably larger than its more popular 860-acre Estes Park counterpart, which meant more to conquer. In the winter, we’ve focused on outdoor (Nordic skiing/tubing/snowshoeing/skating) and indoor (roller-skating, swimming, archery, climbing wall and gym play) so this time around, we tried to do some different activities. From miniature golfing to making a Father’s Day gift at the impressively-stocked craft center, to capitalizing on the playground at Indian Peaks Lodge to snuggling up by the campfire.See that stuffed animal on the top left? I promised Bode I’d buy it for him at the gift shop if he did the 3 mile round-trip hike on the Waterfall Trail with me. Normally he’s a great hiking buddy but he was dragging that day and a little extra motivation was necessary.

The trail is perfect for families and was both beautiful and fascinating. The area boasts an active beaver population so not only did we pass dams and ponds but also gnawed-off trees. Upon arriving at the waterfall, we skipped the crowds at the base and followed the trail to the top of the waterfall where we spent the next hour throwing and then watching rocks and sticks fall to their death over the bustling waters.
We also marveled as a Colorado kid tied a hammock on each side of the creek right before the falls and then leisurely hung out–one false move would have sent him over the waterfall. #OnlyInColorado

Good thing I am not his mother

We were so inspired after our hike (Bode was boasting about our adventures through some “perilous” marshlands), he declared his souvenir de choix from the gift shop was going to be his very own beaver.

P.S. We later figured out it was actually a marmot. Close enough.

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In case you missed them:

A Week of Independence: The Johnson Kids Do Utah and Camp

Dancing Queen: Why It’s Good to Be Young and Sweet at Camp Chief Ouray

Protesting the End of Camp Chief Ouray

Hadley’s Camp Chief Ouray Highlights: Kitchen-raiding Mammoth-capturing Fun

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, hiking, outdoors, travel Tagged With: ,

Hadley’s Camp Chief Ouray Highlights: Kitchen-Raiding, Mammoth-Catching Fun!

June 26, 2013 By

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up the kids from school and asked, “So, what did you do at school today?” Their universal response: “Not much.” End of discussion.

That couldn’t/didn’t happen after Camp Chief Ouray. Not only did Hadley talk my ear off for hours about it, the administrative staff wisely compiled a list of questions for parents to ask their kids in order to relive their experience. I sat down with Hadley and the operative word during our interview was “fun.”

I heard you ended each day with a campfire and Vespers. Could you tell me about them?

This was a fun way to end the day. All the campers would sit down at the campfire and the leaders would tell us stories and do some fun skits and plays. When that was over, we’d put down our backpacks and the entire camp would get in a huge circle around the campfire. We’d cross our arms right over left and, while holding hands, we’d say a prayer. Then, we’d sing the “Day is Done” song and we’d be dismissed to go back to our cabins where we would go to bed. Some of us sooner than others. :-)

Did your cabin get to sleep out one night? What was it like to sleep under the stars without a tent?

We camped out in the meadow at Pole Creek and it was so beautiful. Even though the camp wasn’t very far from our cabin, it was hard carrying our sleeping bags and pads by ourselves. We cooked hamburgers and s’mores over a campfire, followed by a fun tag game called Camouflage.  It was cool sleeping under the stars but I was like a Popsicle that night. My Dad told me to bring a warmer sleeping bag but I wanted the blue one so I was really cold. My counselors Laura and Lindsay were so nice they let me snuggle up between them to stay warm all night. In the morning, we were the first ones back to our cabin and it was nice to get warm. (Mother’s note: next year she will listen to her dad’s counsel about the sleeping bag!)

What were your favorite activities?

*My favorite activity was horseback riding and I learned to canter and trot. On the last day, I even rode my horse bareback!!! There are lots of horses at camp and I had a different one every day. Dandelion was my favorite horse because she did exactly what she knew she was supposed to do.

*On the last night, Laura and Lindsay snuck our cabin of 10 girls into the Dining Hall’s kitchen. When we got there, another counselor of a boy’s cabin was there and put his finger up to his lips telling us to be quiet; he was stealing a whole bunch of chocolate ice cream! We raided the kitchen, grabbing cookies for ourselves and then RAN out. It was so cold that night (I was wearing shorts) but we so much fun!! We made lots of noise because we were laughing so hard. Other cabins raided the kitchen, too but we didn’t see them doing it.

*We played so many fun games with our cabin and other camps. One of my favorites was Ninja where we’d jump up, get in a Ninja pose where we’d pretend to cut off each other’s arms.

*I did arts and crafts and made a pot for my dad for Father’s Day that was all different colors like purple, yellow, blue and black. Now, we’ll both have something to remember from camp!

*I also really liked Kitchen Creation where we learned how to make different foods. The first day, we made frozen Popsicles (they were easy and really delicious). The second day, we made vanilla ice cream in a bag. My counselors were the ones in charge and they did a good job.

Can you teach me some of the songs you sang at camp?

It seemed like we were always singing. One of my favorite songs was a game as well–”Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky….”

They’d even make silly songs out of really simple things. When we had announcements, we’d ALL sing really loudly before they started: “ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS. HEY, TERRIBLE DEATH TO DIE, TERRIBLE DEATH TO DIE. TERRIBLE DEATH TO BE TAUGHT TO DEATH, A TERRIBLE DEATH TO DIE!” It was really random but funny.

The Dining Hall was so much fun because all of the campers at ate at the same time. DJ Lollypop did a few songs for us on the final morning and my mom says she could hear us laughing and singing from her lodge all the way across camp.

What kinds of chores did you have to do to

Every day we had to keep our stuff in order because while we were gone in the afternoons, someone came by to check. We did pretty good. (Mom’s note: I’ll attest to that. During my tour, we peeked into her cabin and it was very orderly. The boy’s adjacent cabin? Another story). For horseback riding, we had to groom the horses, clean the dirt off their feet and put a blanket and saddle on them.

Camp friend Zoe

Who was your best friend at camp?

My best friend was named Zoe. She was in my cabin and we also did horseback riding together as well as lots of other things. She was really nice and fun. We were all good friends in our cabin and got along great.

What did you talk about in your devotions before you went to bed at night?

Every night before bed, we’d gather together and talk about our day. Sometimes we’d talk about our feelings at camp, stories about good and hard things we’ve had happen in our lives (one time we talked about how we got our scars). Other times, we’d play little games. It was a nice way to get to know the girls in our cabin better.

Daily flag raising

What was your favorite all-camp game?

Every week they picked a theme for camp and ours was Ice Age. The cabin that got the most into it–had the most “spirit”–won the Spirit Stick. It has been a camp tradition for a long time. The winners got to paint this year’s Spirit Stick and they’re all hanging on the wall in the Dining Hall. We didn’t win but we were still spirited.

One of my favorite games was when Russian scientists unfroze cave men and we were in charge of capturing all the extinct animals from the Ice Age. This huge chase game had saber-toothed tigers, mammoths, possums and sloths. It was really hard to capture them because the counselors were dressed up and some of them were fast (saber-tooths were the quickest). We had to catch each of them in a different way. I.e. possums you could tag but the mammoths we had to hold hands with the mammoth in the middle. For the tigers,  we’d have to encircle them and sing a song so they’d be entranced and wouldn’t tag us.

I loved camp so much because we had lots of games, horses, great counselors. It was SO MUCH FUN and I can’t wait to go back next  year and bring my little brother!

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On the final day of camp, each of the kids received an all-camp picture, a Certificate of Achievement from her counselors and another certificate from her riding instructor.

“Hadley: Work on picking hooves and trotting! You were awesome to have in class and I hope to see you next year! Love, Claire.”

On the back of her camp certificate, her beloved counselors wrote notes:

Miss Hadley!

I have so enjoyed having you in Chippewa this week! Your adorable giggle and spunky personality made the week so fun! I hope you had a blast with the horses and that you continue finding things to do that you are passionate about. This quality will serve you well. :-) Have a great rest of your summer!

Loves of love,

Laura

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Hadley,

What an awesome young girl you are. I love how bubbly and silly you are and I think everyone in the cabin learned how to have some fun with you around. I am so proud of how willing you are to try new things (horseback riding, caveman dressing up, etc.) You are such a beautiful person on the inside and out. I know you are going to do great things in the world.

Love,

Lindsay

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All pictures taken by Miss Hadley with her trusted disposable camera. Stay tuned tomorrow for Bode’s and my adventures at YMCA of the Rockies including the beaver that wasn’t really a beaver.

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In case you missed them:

A Week of Independence: The Johnson Kids Do Utah and Camp

Dancing Queen: Why It’s Good to Be Young and Sweet at Camp Chief Ouray

Protesting the End of Camp Chief Ouray

Filed Under: Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, outdoors, travel Tagged With: ,

Dancing Queen: Why It’s Good to Be Young and Sweet at Camp Chief Ouray

June 24, 2013 By

Overnight camp. These words have been dripping off my daughter’s lips for months now and last week, all her dreams finally came true: She spent six blessed days and five nights at YMCA of the Rockies’ Camp Chief Ouray at Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park, Colo.

I knew she’d love it. I mean, what’s not to love about a gorgeous 5,100-acre mountain setting of streams, meadows and trails and a daily itinerary that included horseback riding, archery, canoeing, hiking, riflery, cabin activities, devotionals and skits at Colorado’s longest-running camp. But I was not prepared for how life-changing it would be.

My son Bode and I were granted special access to come visit on her final night. In fact, by some twist of fate, our room at Indian Peaks Lodge was directly overlooking her cabin.

Chippewa cabin is on the right, Dining Hall on the left

Mom-stalker much?

The Tour

That afternoon, Stephan Rivard, COO’s Travel Coordinator, gave us an animated tour of the grounds that included the Hey O Yankee Fire Ring. The Barn and riding arena. Dining Hall. Carpet ball in the Pavilion. Health Center (free Popsicles, hurray!) Low and high ropes courses. The new Gaga Ball area. Zipline. Kiwani Owapi Fire Ring.

When we entered the boy’s cabin that adjoined Hadley’s, it looked like a bomb had exploded. Clothes and books littered the floor and the sleeping bags on the bunks were the only things that had some semblance of order. I braced myself for Hadley’s cabin but was pleasantly surprised everything was in place–even cleaner than she keeps her room at home.

When I jokingly drew the comparison, Bode came to the defense of his gender. “Boys are just being boys, Mommy!”

Following our mid-day tour, Bode and I had not seen Hadley so returned to our lodge (Camp Chief Ouray is off-limits to the public). As we were leaving for dinner at Schlessman Commons, we spotted her from a distance returning to her cabin. I shouted out across the field. Her bunkmates excitedly pointed us out and she was shocked, then opportunistic. Her first words to us after nearly a week apart?

“I NEED SOME MORE CLOTHES!”

It was, after all, the final night and she had not adequately rationed her clothing.

The Dance

That evening we were granted permission to return for the final festivities and I dutifully delivered some clothes to her cabin. Camp tradition is to hold a final dance, followed by the Closing Campfire Ceremony with games, skits, songs and traditions including the awarding of the Spirit Stick to commemorate the most spirited cabin.

I was the most excited about the dance. Because isn’t it every kid’s dream to have her mother at her very first one?

I still had not seen Hadley face-to-face and I scanned the crowded Pavilion trying to find her. Bode and I perched on a nearby rock and soon she busted through the crowd dancing like a wild woman. I first took in her appearance: purple shirt, shorts and her riding boots.

But then I looked deeper: She was radiant, jubilant and oozing with confidence. She was free. Free from the restrains of deadlines and worldly expectations. Free to figure out who she is and she was bursting with a love of life brighter than the sun at her new-found independence.

She was thrilled to see us after nearly a week apart and returned frequently throughout the evening to dance. Even Bode busted out some moves while alternating between playing in the adjacent fields and scaling the climbing rock with new buddies.

The Heartbreak

The dance was a microcosm of the pains and joys of growing up. The youngest campers were 7 and the girls lined the benches dancing while the boys rough-housed in the meadow. Hadley’s 9-year-old group of girls non-committedly flitted around dancing with everyone and throwing caution to the wind as DJ Lolly Pop blasted their favorite tunes. The early teens were starting to pair off or stood awkwardly together while trying not to seem like they were awkward.

Oh, those were the days.

Crazy costumed counselors

We chuckled at the heartbreak when a 7-year-old girl confronted her age 10-ish “boyfriend” who had broken up with her. She even pulled his counselor into the drama, demanding he ask her to dance (all the while standing defiantly with her arms crossed and foot tapping a hundred miles a minute).

Even my own 6-year-old Bode had some action of his own. He was hanging out with me on the rock when a tween hottie asked him to dance. Stunned into silence, he turned bright red before literally crawling away on the rock. But she didn’t give up. Fifteen minutes later, she was back and oh-so sweetly repeated her offer. He looked at me to save him.

“Go dance with her.”

He shook his crimson head, steam coming out of his ears. Why did a girl want to dance with him?

“That’s fine if you don’t want to dance but you need to at least say something and politely decline.” It was one of those teachable moments in which I wanted to bust out laughing.

“I don’t want to dance right now,” he mumbled. At least I think that’s what he said before I apologetically thanked the sweet girl and bookmarked the moment for future blackmail.

While 99 percent of the campers were having a blast, they were a few outliers who did not join in. I watched them carefully throughout the evening to gauge their temperature. One boy was in tears and his counselors took turns staying with him before he eventually joined some of his friends to play carpet ball in the Pavilion.

A teen-aged girl sat on a rock and initially appeared disinterested but after a while, I noticed her foot was injured. I watched as her counselors and friends frequently came to check on her before one ultimately stayed by her side, though I’m sure she would have liked to have been in on the action.   Most of these kids had not known each other six days prior and here they were perfectly exemplifying inclusivity. Camaraderie. True friendship.

The Rousing End

The conclusion of the dance is when they really brought the house down when the Village People’s “Y-M-C-A” blasted out over the speakers. Everyone tore into the pavilion to act out each letter but instead of singing “It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.,” they screamed “Camp Chief Ouray.”

Me thinks this is the letter “C.”

Gotta give them props that it still rhymed.

I thought that was the rousing ending; little did I know I was one step away from being trampled. When the final song “Send me on my way” by Rusted Root blasted out, everyone rushed in my direction. I ducked for cover, bracing my newly-recovered lover-boy son as the entire camp literally flew past us and poured outside. A counselor later explained it is camp tradition to race to the meadow and dance like a hippie when that final song came on.

I don’t know about “hippies” but I  do know after catching a glimpse of a camp heaped in over 100 years of tradition in the most iconic of mountain settings, there sure were a lot of very overjoyed, deliriously happy kids who were, indeed, being “sent on their way.”

===

In case you missed them:

A Week of Independence: The Johnson Kids Do Utah and Camp

Dancing Queen: Why It’s Good to Be Young and Sweet at Camp Chief Ouray

Protesting the End of Camp Chief Ouray

Hadley’s Camp Chief Ouray Highlights: Kitchen-raiding Mammoth-capturing Fun

 

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Favorite Posts, Hadley, outdoors, travel Tagged With: ,

A Week of Independence: The Johnson Kids Do Camp and Utah!

June 10, 2013 By

Jamie and I are kid-less for 24 WHOLE HOURS before I fly to Utah tomorrow for business. I tried to convince him to play hookey with me today but he was having none of that. Something about having to work to pay the bills (lame, I  know). Tonight, we’re going on a date to see Star Trek Into Darkness and eat at a new Cafe Rio that opened near our house (my fave restaurant ever).

So, why are we alone?

The Boy

On Friday, Bode boarded a plane by himself for the first time to visit his grandparents in Utah. I only cried a little bit but cried even more when a friend pointed out the gate behind him is actually to Portland!

I knew he was surrounded by people who love him but it is his first time away from home for an extended period of time so I worried a bit. If he had a different mother than me, he’d gravitate toward behind a homebody but he has really come into his own this past year and is turning into a brave, fun-loving and adventurous little guy. I called the first night after he arrived and he said he had dessert for dinner.  Yep, turns out Grandma’s ward at church was having a big dessert social and Bode loaded up on sweets.

He has long forgotten us.

The Girl

As for Hadley, I dropped her off at YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park for five nights at Camp Chief Ouray yesterday. To say she was out-of-her-gourd excited is an understatement because Miss Independence is ready to fly. And, truth be told, I was just as ecstatic for her because I always longed to attend a good old-fashioned camp in a beautiful mountain setting.

We paid an extra $175 for the horseback riding option where she will spend half her day at the stable with four of her cabin mates and then rotate through traditional camp the rest of the day. She has been obsessed with horses so this may cure her or fuel the fire.

Time shall tell if we’ll live to regret it.

We arrived promptly at 1:30 p.m. for registration and because we were among the first, whizzed through the process of checking in her luggage, getting lice-checked (Colorado state law) and her temperature taken. Before we know it, I took her to her cabin where her two bubbly counselors Laura and Lindsay were waiting. Every week at camp there is a new theme and the paper snowflakes and icicles testified they were going back to the Ice Age.

Camp Chief Ouray!

We then reviewed the schedule for the week and I almost threatened to crash her party because it sounds like so much fun:
7 a.m. Wake Up/ Dress/ Wash Up/ Clean Cabins
7:45 a.m. Flag Raising
8 a.m. Breakfast in the camper cafeteria (I’d like to be a fly on the wall for the week to see what she loads up on without parental supervision. I suspect mostly carbs and no vegetables).
8:45 a.m. Camp Clean Up (She was most excited about that).
9:15 a.m. Horseback riding (OK, this was the one she was looking forward to the most).

Click to enlarge

11:30 a.m. Pavilion Call (I hope there is a dinner bell involved).

11:45 a.m. Free Time
12 p.m. Lunch (Carbs, carbs and more carbs)
1 p.m. Rest Period. B.O.B. “Bodies on Bunks.” (I would like to see this actually happen).
2 p.m. Freedom of Choice Activities. (Include archery, riflery, sports and games, dance, drama, outdoor survival skills like orienteering, nature building, fire building, arts and crafts, hiking, mad scientist, climbing, newspaper and cooking).
4:30 p.m. Snack Time (Rejoice! I suspect she will think she’s starving because normal snack time is 3 p.m.)
4:45 p.m. Cabin Activity Time. (Archery, planning for skits, games on the ball field, cabin adventures, hiking, arts and crafts or climbing).
5:30 p.m. Flag Lowering
5:45 p.m. Dinner (I suspect desserts will be interspersed with her carbs).
7:30 p.m. Evening Program.  (No idea what is involved but I highly suspect funny, corny skits)
8:30 p.m. Vespers Campfire (Hopefully they’ll sing plenty of songs and have s’mores!)
9 p.m. Cabin Devotion
10 p.m. Lights Out (10 girls in one cabin? Good luck with that).
Since Hadley was the first to arrive, she had her choice of 10 bunks. I helped her weigh her options. “If you’re in the middle, you’ll be right in the center of the action (what I would have chosen). If you choose the sides, it will be a bit quieter and may be a bit easier to fall asleep.”She selected the top bunk on the far side left, the furthest away from the counselors (they sleep in an adjacent, open room). Smarter kid than I would have been.We said our good-byes and as I was leaving, she was already delving into her first project of decorating a sign for her bunk bed.

Camp Chief Ouray is located in one of the prettiest parts of Colorado so I opted for an adventure of my own by taking the “scenic route” (which added an additional 3.5 hours onto the 1.5-hour drive from Denver), passing through Grand Lake and over infamous Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.

It was worth it. #Understatement

Upon arriving home, I downloaded the day’s events to my husband.

Me: “And then Hadley cried when I dropped her off.”

Him (knowing his independent daughter so well): “Cried tears of joy?”

Me: “Pretty much.”

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Hadley, Humor Tagged With: ,

The Broadmoor: The Highlights (and Looooowlight)

June 7, 2013 By

Our latest trip to The Broadmoor was in trade for a write-up I did in their beautiful glossy magazine about the White Lights Ceremony and I was delighted it came out during our stay.And yep, those kiddos are mine were the starring models!

Pool Perfection

Our brunch was delicious, Hadley’s birthday was astounding but do you know what the highlight was? An afternoon at the pool. Now, to put this into context: Remember that I don’t like the water, which automatically discounts pools? Well, that’s a big fat usually.

We were assigned a glorious cabana adjacent to the water slides with plenty of shade, water, towels and a cabana boy at our beck and call for any drink or food that fit our fancy. The kids raced down the slides all afternoon, occasionally venturing over to the infinity pool. Anticipating I’d have to entertain them, I’d worn my swim suit but was delighted the only service they required of me was to stuff ‘em full of food. And so there I leisurely lounged on that perfect afternoon.

At one point I looked over at Hadley languidly sipping her milkshake and asked her what she thought of the experience. “Paradise,” she declared.

I couldn’t agree more.

The Spa

Jamie’s sister generously watched the kids at the pool while Jamie and I slipped out for a couple’s massage at The Broadmoor’s world-class spa. Jamie is a connoisseur of massages and if he could, would get them daily to help ease up his back pain.  His review of his experience? It was his best massage ever. Likely in part because of the talented masseuse and also because of his explicit instructions I wasn’t allowed to talk during the entire thing. Something about relaxation.

I, too loved our experience and have never been in such an opulent spa. No detail was left undone. The robes and massage tables were heated. The Mountain View Room (where we waited for our massage while sipping on flavored water and munching on healthy snacks) overlooked the manicured golf course with Cheyenne Mountain standing sentry in the background. And, if we’re being honest here, this was another highlight as well.
Or would that be loooooooowlight.

Miscellaneous Broadmoor Fun

The Boys

Dinner at The Summit

The Crazies

The Birds

When we were walking to the pool, we happened upon some birds of prey. Hadley has decided birds (particularly owls) even surpass Fat Kitty in coolness and begged to hold one.

“I’m sorry,” the volunteer kindly explained. “I’ll get in trouble if I let you do it.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Hadley whispered.

#ICan’tWaitForThoseTeenageYears

Paddleboating Olympics

I can’t explain it but I’m always drawn to paddleboats, which is one of those activities that looks like so much fun…until you actually start doing it. The Broadmoor offers rentals on the pristine Cheyenne Lake. Because there were five of us and only four per boat, Jamie offered to sit out. I countered him saying he should go.

“No, Amber. This is your dream.”

I don’t know if that was generous or pathetic.

Lisa and I paddled around the lake spying on the swans and baby cygnets, never pausing to rest. As we made our way back, she asked if I was tired and needed a break.

“TIRED? This is my dream. I’ve been training for it.”

From the look she gave me, I think I need a new dream.

Glorious Sleep

I have never slept on a more comfortable bed than at The Broadmoor. Apparently Bode agreed because this is how I found him on our final morning.

I didn’t ever want to wake up from my dreamland either, Buddy.

The Aspiring Staff Photographer

As we were checking out at the end of our wonderful stay, Hadley asked if she could go outside to take some final photographs.

Quite appropriately, I found her with her baby swans…a rather appropriate farewell.

Until next time (because we’re hoping there will be one!!!)

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Humor, travel
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