Colorado, Part 2

The Sunday of our trip was mostly a nature day.  First we headed to Grand Mesa, the largest flat-topped mountain in the world.  Once we realized it was farther away than we realized we made a serendipitous stop at Subway for lunch on the way.  There we met some locals who gave us some good tips, including: pick up some sunflower seeds while we were still in town, then on the mesa check out a spur road to Land's End.  There we would enjoy incredible views and squirrels and chipmunks would eat our sunflower seeds right from our hands.

The plan was to drive on the Scenic Byway and stop for a hike to Lost Lake.  There were a few problems with this plan, mostly because of the weather.  At an elevation of 11,000', it was chilly up there - very chilly.  It literally started snowing on us when we were parked at the visitor's center.  This reminds me of the second problem: we arrived in the pre-season (see earlier point about the cold weather) so the visitor's center was closed and the spur road to Land's End was still blocked off.  Everyone was expecting to do a hike but we were not dressed appropriately.  At least we were able to enjoy the views!

So next time we're in town, we'll have to hike to Lost Lake and feed the squirrels at Land's End.  Note to self: visit June-August.  And bring sweatshirts.

We got out and walked around for a bit at The Three Lakes.

After a little swim time at the hotel, we drove out to Colorado National Monument in nearby Fruita.  All of the kids except Jack wanted to complete the Junior Ranger booklets, so that took some time.  But we were also to able to do a short hike along the rim and do a nature walk where we learned about the geology, biology, and botany of the area.  It was very cool!

We hung out at a picnic area to finally eat the picnic dinner we'd had for two days.  It was so good!  And that was about the time that clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped, and before we knew it, it was raining.

Suz (in front of Eliza) swore in all the Junior Rangers.

You can't tell, but it was very cold,
windy, and rainy when Suz took this picture for us.

We spent some time on Main Street in Grand Junction the next morning, admiring the art displays as we walked to our lunch destination.  Unfortunately, that restaurant was popular with a lot of other people too so rather than wait we had yummy sandwiches at a deli/candy shop.

Memorial Day was my Mom's birthday,
and in Mom's honor, Suz picked up
flamingo gummies at the candy shop.

 

Cat got her wish of having gelato on the way back to the car.

Ben found a place to take the younger kids on go-karts after lunch, so that was our next and final stop in Colorado before heading home.

I love how Jack looks so intense in this picture,
and Eliza is just smiling for the camera.

We loved the scenery on the drive!

Luke was entertained by Jack's antics outside of the
Five Guys window after he'd finished his dinner burger.

It was a great trip, and so fun to hang out with Suz and her family!  I hope we can go back to the area some time.  I'd love to do more hiking at Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument; I heard about a cool hike called Hanging Lake in Glenwood Springs; and I think it would be neat to visit a hot spring.