Driving to Colorado

After the younger boys and I had spent about a week in New Mexico, Alex flew up to Colorado to get Josh and then down to see us.  It was great to see Josh again- amazing how he was only gone a month, but it sure felt like forever!
We left the next morning for a different part of Colorado.  It was a very long 8 hour drive, but so fun to see "real" mountains again- and getting to see most of my siblings :D
We drove behind my parents, and their trailer full of camping equipment, only about half the way.  Our car had to keep making pit stops, at what seemed like every town's Wal-Mart.  Knowing that we would be getting to the camp site well after dark, we sent my parents on and continued our sight seeing.  Good thing too, because we showed up just in time for dinner :)  *Oh, and just in time for the nasty camp directors to keep bugging us about making noise, and keeping a fire going, after 10pm*

OK, these aren't the real mountains yet... but a whole lot closer!

 

I felt like such a tourist again, and kept taking pictures of silly things, like the color of the dirt up here, but I hope it helps my boys remember how beautiful it is.

 

 

When we made a quick stop in Silverton, I noticed that I might be under dressed for mountain weather.  My shorts and flip flops left me chilly when I went in to the gas station.  I took a picture of the clouds because it marked how unprepared I really was.  Amazing how you forget the simple things, like temperature difference, and how quickly it all can change, when you don't live near the mountains for almost a decade.

This was such a cute old fire station, built right into the mountain!

 

There were lots of deer waiting by the side of the road.  Unfortunately we were right behind someone from California- who's first deer sighting experience this MUST have been.  They rode their brakes most of the way down the mountain, and ours were steaming from following them!

This is a very cool old mine shaft!  I wish we would have had more time to tour it.