MG70

Thanks for all of the help.
Update on our trip: We had a great time and made wonderful memories.
Family reunion in Taos was wonderful. Had excellent food there.
We skipped Great Sand Dunes due to road closures because of the fires and went to Pagosa Springs instead. What a fun "Plan B"!
Durango was great. We stayed at a condo in Purgatory which was perfect so we could cook our own meals and we had room to relax. The summer activities at the resort kept the kids entertained especially the alpine slide.
Spent a day at Mesa Verde--amazing! We did the Cliff Palace tour and the Balcony House tour and also went to Spruce Tree House. Those ladders at Balcony House were a little intense if you are scared of heights but so worth it!
Water was pretty low so we went tubing instead of rafting in Durango. Hiked a bunch. Drove to Ouray and Silverton and hiked. Went to the Bar D Chuckwagon dinner: kind of hokey but we had fun.

Extra long trip from Durango to Colorado Springs due to the fires. In COS we saw family and went to Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy. We saw a new class learning how to march on their 2nd day at the academy.

Great trip. Again, thanks for the help.

sludick

That sounds like fun! We went to those same places at Mesa Verde, and DH is still telling people about it. On one of the steep climbs (encased in stone), a rather large lady just couldn't make it. I had to scramble around her and I pulled whilst DH pushed. We all made is safely to the top, but you are surely telling the truth about it being intense..