Colorado Family Trip in Late August
Sep 18th, 2008, 10:19 PM
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Colorado Family Trip in Late August
Thanks so much for all to the Fodorites who answered my prior post. Our trip to Colorado came together well. Our family of 5 (ages 12, 10 and 8) chose Colorado because my brother just moved there last year. Complicating matters was that the week that worked for us all was during the Democratic National Convention, so we spent a lot of time in the Colorado Springs area. As posters assured me, the convention really had no impact on �the Springs� as everyone seems to call it. On to the trip:
Day 1�We went to the Garden of the Gods late morning. We did take a smaller marked trail off the big ones, where we saw a deer about 10 feet away in the brush.
We headed west to the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. This was a great find mentioned by another Fodorite. If you like dinosaurs, you will love this place. Also, this museum has some huge reptiles who swam the ancient sea over Kansas during the time of the dinosaurs�they were stunning, even to the less enthusiastic in our group.
We stopped in Manitou Springs, cute old town. Great Christmas shop!
Day 2�We did decide to go to Breckenridge. We took the freeways. This allowed my brother to sleep at home and us to pick him up on the way, which was much better for him. We really enjoyed the drive out I-70 and especially back that evening. The sun was setting and the shadows of one mountain against another were really unusual.
We ate lunch along the river in town. We enjoyed walking through the town but didn�t spend much time there. We went up to Breckenridge Stables and did the 1.5 hour ride. We would recommend this stable. Staff was friendly. The ride went up into the hills with the ski runs. In fact the corrals are under the lifts. Much of our ride was in at least partial shade. Beautiful scenery.
After that we went to the Country Boy Mine. The kids enjoyed both the mine and the gold panning afterward.
Both activities were possible to do on the same day because they were so close by, about 1 mile from town in each case. Mountain bike rentals were also everywhere. Staff at the welcome center said the last week of August is a good time to visit because the local kids are back in school.
We did stop briefly at Red Rocks on the way home to see the city lights. It was a beautiful place.
Day 3�We went up Pike�s Peak by the cog train. We really enjoyed the views, and the train itself was an interesting experience. Talked to some people at the top who drove and they said it was more freaky than they expected.
In the afternoon, we went to the Air Force Academy. My brother had a friend there who could give us a more expanded tour. But as much as the access, it was his wealth of knowledge that really made the place fascinating. My 12-year-old son said afterward the academy was the highlight of his trip. He is not a raging military buff either.
Day 4-- My husband and a cousin took our younger kids fishing. The rest of us went by the Broadmoor car show parade, and then to the Olympic Training Center. Although the regular Olympics had just ended, this was a busy place with many Paralympic athletes preparing for competition in the next weeks. An athlete led our tour, and she was good at answering questions. This is not an all day activity.
We hiked up in Palmer Park at sunset. Very nice park, even if less mentioned in guide books. We saw two deer, one of which had quite a rack. A 10 point, if our cousin counted right.
Day 5�We went to church near the University of Denver. We saw several inviting places to eat on Gaylord Street. We ended up eating at the Bonnie Brae Tavern, which had good food. We went to the airport afterward.
It was a great trip!
A few things we noticed about Colorado:
1. In both Denver and Colorado Springs, the airports are quite a ways from the cities. If you are returning a rental, there are no gas stations right near the airport if you need to refill your rental. Get off a stop or two early.
2. Most states put the population of their cities. Colorado puts the elevation.
3. You do need reservations for some of these activities�any stables, the cog train.
4. All of the guides on our activities were really friendly and spirited. It makes such a difference on a trip when people are having fun with what they do. The conductor on the railroad said to us afterward, "I get to go up to one of the most beautiful sites in the world every day, and I never forget that."
Day 1�We went to the Garden of the Gods late morning. We did take a smaller marked trail off the big ones, where we saw a deer about 10 feet away in the brush.
We headed west to the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. This was a great find mentioned by another Fodorite. If you like dinosaurs, you will love this place. Also, this museum has some huge reptiles who swam the ancient sea over Kansas during the time of the dinosaurs�they were stunning, even to the less enthusiastic in our group.
We stopped in Manitou Springs, cute old town. Great Christmas shop!
Day 2�We did decide to go to Breckenridge. We took the freeways. This allowed my brother to sleep at home and us to pick him up on the way, which was much better for him. We really enjoyed the drive out I-70 and especially back that evening. The sun was setting and the shadows of one mountain against another were really unusual.
We ate lunch along the river in town. We enjoyed walking through the town but didn�t spend much time there. We went up to Breckenridge Stables and did the 1.5 hour ride. We would recommend this stable. Staff was friendly. The ride went up into the hills with the ski runs. In fact the corrals are under the lifts. Much of our ride was in at least partial shade. Beautiful scenery.
After that we went to the Country Boy Mine. The kids enjoyed both the mine and the gold panning afterward.
Both activities were possible to do on the same day because they were so close by, about 1 mile from town in each case. Mountain bike rentals were also everywhere. Staff at the welcome center said the last week of August is a good time to visit because the local kids are back in school.
We did stop briefly at Red Rocks on the way home to see the city lights. It was a beautiful place.
Day 3�We went up Pike�s Peak by the cog train. We really enjoyed the views, and the train itself was an interesting experience. Talked to some people at the top who drove and they said it was more freaky than they expected.
In the afternoon, we went to the Air Force Academy. My brother had a friend there who could give us a more expanded tour. But as much as the access, it was his wealth of knowledge that really made the place fascinating. My 12-year-old son said afterward the academy was the highlight of his trip. He is not a raging military buff either.
Day 4-- My husband and a cousin took our younger kids fishing. The rest of us went by the Broadmoor car show parade, and then to the Olympic Training Center. Although the regular Olympics had just ended, this was a busy place with many Paralympic athletes preparing for competition in the next weeks. An athlete led our tour, and she was good at answering questions. This is not an all day activity.
We hiked up in Palmer Park at sunset. Very nice park, even if less mentioned in guide books. We saw two deer, one of which had quite a rack. A 10 point, if our cousin counted right.
Day 5�We went to church near the University of Denver. We saw several inviting places to eat on Gaylord Street. We ended up eating at the Bonnie Brae Tavern, which had good food. We went to the airport afterward.
It was a great trip!
A few things we noticed about Colorado:
1. In both Denver and Colorado Springs, the airports are quite a ways from the cities. If you are returning a rental, there are no gas stations right near the airport if you need to refill your rental. Get off a stop or two early.
2. Most states put the population of their cities. Colorado puts the elevation.
3. You do need reservations for some of these activities�any stables, the cog train.
4. All of the guides on our activities were really friendly and spirited. It makes such a difference on a trip when people are having fun with what they do. The conductor on the railroad said to us afterward, "I get to go up to one of the most beautiful sites in the world every day, and I never forget that."
Sep 19th, 2008, 06:45 PM
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Actually it was great. They had a good time.
They came back with 6 trout. My 8-year-old caught one that was about 18 inches long. My daughter's wasn't as big but it was a German Brown.
The odd thing was that one of the rainbows had a bunch of fish eggs in it--totally the wrong season.
They came back with 6 trout. My 8-year-old caught one that was about 18 inches long. My daughter's wasn't as big but it was a German Brown.
The odd thing was that one of the rainbows had a bunch of fish eggs in it--totally the wrong season.
Sep 20th, 2008, 04:57 AM
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Where did you fish--specifically! Glad you liked the Bonnie Brae. Our kids used to live about 4 blocks from that little area and would walk down to have ice cream in the little shop on the corner.
There is a large gas station at DIA. It is the first "stop" along the car rental row. Just an FYI. Glad you had a good time. You did great things for a vacation.
There is a large gas station at DIA. It is the first "stop" along the car rental row. Just an FYI. Glad you had a good time. You did great things for a vacation.
Sep 20th, 2008, 09:56 PM
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Hi, Gretchen,
It was Eleven Mile Reservoir/State Park. It is west of Woodland Park off Hwy 24 near Spinney. Our cousin has a boat--not large enough to hold everybody, so we split up for the day.
Enjoyed the Bonnie Brae--an honest diner. I did see the ice cream parlor across the street.
Thanks again for the help!
It was Eleven Mile Reservoir/State Park. It is west of Woodland Park off Hwy 24 near Spinney. Our cousin has a boat--not large enough to hold everybody, so we split up for the day.
Enjoyed the Bonnie Brae--an honest diner. I did see the ice cream parlor across the street.
Thanks again for the help!
Sep 23rd, 2008, 04:18 PM
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Gretchen, I believe you can rent boats at this lake, or maybe at Spinney. There are some pretty cool fishing sites because we were trying to figure out the licensing....here is one: http://www.anglerguide.com/colorado/
Interesting about the eggs. We thought it was related to being a hatchery fish.
Interesting about the eggs. We thought it was related to being a hatchery fish.
