Day 10, Part 2: Flying W Ranch

After traveling to the top of Pike's Peak, we found that when dinnertime hit, we were more than a little hungry. Thankfully, we had dinner reservations at the Flying W Ranch.

The ranch (and yes, it is a real working ranch) opens at 5pm, which allows you plenty of time to explore their Western town before dinner. There were samples of cabins, teepees, a church (that apparently has a service every Sunday morning run by a couple of the cowboys), and shops that we could explore.



The ranch is not without a sense of humor.



The only kind of annoying thing was the fact that just about every building had a little bit of history and a LOT of gift shop. The kids loved it, but it got a bit tiring making sure that they didn't break anything.




There was a real train that you could ride around the mountain a couple of times. Even Husband wanted to ride!



Finally it was time for dinner. And they weren't kidding when they hope that you are hungry!!



This was dinner. We did upgrade to a steak dinner (normally you get a piece of chicken or a slab of beef), and in retrospect probably would not do that again (it was good, but not GREAT).

On that plate you see the meat, baked beans (an absolutely delicious secret recipe), baked potato, bread, applesauce (amazing), and spice cake.

The kids were free (as they're both under 6 years old) and also received that much food.

Once folks have had plenty of time to eat, the Flying W Wranglers come out. They play Western music (NOT country), which means they only have instruments that cowboys would have out on the range - things like guitars, banjos, mandolins, violins. (I think they were stretching it a bit with that bass though!)



I was amazed at what these guys could play - some incredible talent here.

Whew!! We all crashed at the end of the day.

Day 10, Part I: Pike's Peak

Monday, June 16

Fast Facts
Starting: Colorado
Ending: Colorado
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 18 mi (29 km)/2319 mi (3732 km)

Considering we were in Colorado Springs, it was only natural to want to go to the top of Pike's Peak. There are three ways you can do this: hike, drive your car, or take the train. There was no way the kids & I were going to hike (Husband would like to do this some day), and the thought of driving the car around those hairpin turns was a little disconcerting! So the train it was!

Pike's Peak Cog Railway is a little different from a normal train - it has gears under the train that grab onto the track. Basically, this means it can go up much steeper hills than a regular train 25% grade instead of only 3-4% grade. [I also learned what the % grade means - 25% means that for every 100 feet you go forward, you go 25 feet up/down.]

The depot is nestled on the side of the mountain.

Since the train could go up so steeply, the trip up the mountain meant only took about 1.5 hrs. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. At the base there is a ton of greenery - trees, shrubbery, etc. As you go up the mountain, you see more & more rocks (there is a reason they call it the Rocky Mountains!)



Eventually, you pass the timberline, which means no more trees, and lots & lots of rocks. The white you see in the upper left part of the picture is indeed snow. It was in process of melting - apparently there was a couple feet of snow on the ground just a couple of weeks ago!



Finally we reached the top!!



If you look closely, you'll notice we were in full winter garb. Even in June, it was super cold!! There were actually snow flurries at the top. Bird wanted nothing to do with the outside, so she & I went inside immediately after this photo. Bug, far more adventurous, stayed outside with Husband for a little while until it was too cold for him as well.

Here are some shots Husband took:

Day 9: Heading for the Wild, Wild West

Sunday, June 15

Fast Facts:
Starting: Kansas
Ending: Colorado
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 193 mi (311 km)/2301 mi (3703 km)

Our drive today was relatively short, so we took our time packing up and getting ready.

We weren't sure what to really expect as we drove into Colorado. At first, it looked a lot like Kansas, only brown instead of green.



Eventually, the terrain started to look a little more treacherous. (Watch out for that shrubbery! It's sneaky.)



Off in the distance, if you squint... a mountain appears.



Then, what we really thought Colorado looked like.



At the end of our drive, we settled into the Garden of the Gods campground in Colorado Springs. I know, a really weird name, but if you ever have a chance to visit the actual park, it's BEAUTIFUL. Don't ask why I don't have pictures. (Okay, it might have been because we were spending too much time trying to figure out why we couldn't find the campground in the park. We had the wrong address. And in this case, when I say We, I mean Husband.)

Setting up camp turned out to be an amusing venture. Once we found our site, I took the kids off to the pool so that Husband could peacefully set up the tent without any "helpers." Except that, when he tried to stake it in the ground, the stakes bent in half. At the time, we figured it was our wimpy Florida tent vs. the tough Colorado ground; later we figured out they'd put us in an RV site where tents were never meant to be placed.

Anyhow, that night in a cabin in Kansas was awfully nice, and since there was no way our tent was going up in an RV site, we ended up in a cabin here as well. They weren't as nice as the KOA cabins (I think it was built in 1982 & hasn't been touched since), but they were quite sufficient (within 5 minutes of everything we wanted to do in Colorado Springs), and it was a lot less work for Husband.

Giddy with the extra time on our hands, we went into nearby Manitou Springs to treat ourselves to dinner. We ended up at PJ's Bistro - a cute little sandwich shop that is the restaurant part of an Inn. (it's the white building with the green trim.)



After dinner we just wandered around town a bit. Those Manitou-ians have quite the sense of humor.



They also have a lot of sculptures that we just didn't understand.


Anyhow, we didn't stay too long as we had a pretty big day planned for tomorrow.

Day 8: Ick and Sick

Saturday, June 14

Fast Facts
Starting: Kansas
Ending: Kansas
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 373 mi (600 km)/2108 mi (3392 km)

ICK
Today we awoke to a couple of disturbing discoveries:
1) one of the tent poles was clearly broken - we were lucky the tent was still standing
2) the outside of the tent was completely soaked - and it had not rained last night at all

The latter was really only a problem for Bird, as she continually forgot to not touch the tent walls and spend half the night pressed up against it. She was soaked. We delayed our departure so we could wait for the tent to dry out.

The former, however, was a problem for all of us, considering I like having an (albeit flimsy) roof over our heads at night. We contemplate a couple of solutions (duct tape might have been mentioned) and figure we'll deal with it the next time we have to set up the tent.

SICK
Our family vacations really are not complete unless at least one of us requires medical attention at some point. [For instance, last summer we had to visit 3 clinics in three different states before the nastiness was done with all of us.] As we drove across Kansas, however, I could no longer deny the fact that I was in desperate need of some antibiotics. I'd picked up a cold over the weekend in Tennessee that likely turned into a sinus infection last Tuesday or so. Today, however, it spread to my ear, and that pain was just a bit too much.

Now, if only one person is sick, it's too easy to just find a walk-in clinic. They don't do those on a Saturday in Kansas. So instead I found myself in Abilene Memorial Hospital's Emergency Room. And 1.5 hours later in a Walgreens 20 miles away in the next town over to fill the prescription. But oh the sweet relief when the pills started to kick in!!!

Between drying the tent out and visiting hospitals, however, we still had to cross the entire state of Kansas. Since we really had no reservations made or deposits paid, we were able to go a little farther than planned and found a KOA in Goodland, Kansas (doesn't that sound like a nice place to live?). And to avoid having to fix the tent, we just stayed in one of their one-room cabins. Very nice indeed, especially on the ear.

So I will leave you with these two pictures from I-70, taken during today's drive:

1. It really is as flat as you think it is, though there are occasionally hills.


(Your computer is fine. The streaks are because I took this picture through the car window.)

2. Windmills are pretty, even when they are all metal.

Day 7: Still Nowhere Like Home

Friday, June 13 (ahhh!)

Fast Facts
Starting: Missouri
Ending: Kansas
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 243 mi (391 km)/1735 mi (2792 km)

This morning presented a new kind of challenge: break camp as fast as humanly possible. While we did wake early (kids have been up at 6:30am reliably - that's what we get for traveling an hour earlier!), it soon became apparent that there was a storm moving in - a bad one. In a rather ingenious move, we buckled the kids into their carseats, handed them their (dry!) breakfast, and put our rears in gear. Thankfully, we made it out just before the rain hit, though we did have a bit of a harrowing drive. I'm guessing we were in front of the storm that caused all that flooding; we did drive out of it eventually.

Since we did hit the road rather quickly, we made it to our destination much earlier than anticipated! Husband & I almost had no idea what to do with ourselves! Our campsite looked even more elaborate than usual, but it was wonderful eating inside the screen room - away from the bugs.



The kids had time to swim in the pool, and I have to brag on my new camera a bit. In the first shot, you can see about where I was sitting.



I did not move my rear one inch to take this picture. Cool, huh?!



Later, they even had time to play in the game hut. They had several old video games in there,



as well as a bookcase full of paper, crayons, and markers.



As this was a Friday, it was our first experience with campground activities. There was a hayride (we had traveled the farthest to be there - we were the only ones not within an hour!), followed by an ice cream social, much to the kids' delight (and mine too, to be honest!)



Later that night they projected a movie onto the big screen - RV, with Robin Williams. It started after the kids were asleep, so Husband & I got to have a sort-of date night.

All in all, a rather relaxing day.

Day 6: Silver Dollar City

Thursday, June 12

Fast Facts:
Starting: Missouri
Ending: Missouri
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 2 mi (3.2 km)/1492 mi (2401 km)



Not only was Branson a convenient distance from the giant Superman statue in Illinois, it was home to Silver Dollar City, an amusement park that sounded... well... amusing. It is structured to look like an Old Western town. It was very reminiscent of Dollywood, in the sense that in addition to all the fun rides (including several roller coasters) there are lots of shops, shows, and demonstrations. As it turns out, Bird is particularly fond of wind chimes.



We happened to catch a circus show on ice - walked by shortly before it started. The show was a little on the hokey side, but the costumes & talent were amazing! After the finale, the skaters all gathered at the edge of the rink and you could go say hi if you wanted. Bird made a mad dash to the princess skater - who thought she was so adorable that she picked her right up so I could take a picture.



We spent the rest of the day doing all the typical preschooler things - flying elephants/caterpillars/frogs/ladybugs (seriously, how many rides can you make that go in a circle?!) and looking longingly at all the roller coasters. We did go on the SDC train as it leisurely traversed the park, but that was about it. Bug and I did go on a boat ride (circle boats down the rapids type of ride.) and got wonderfully soaked. (Bug, squealing in delight: I'm wet!!) Silly mommy, though - we went on it right before dinner and he turned into a Bug-sicle at the restaurant. Daddy went & found him an official Silver Dollar City t-shirt so he could eat his macaroni & cheese in peace.

At the end of the day we went into one of those old-time photo places, dressed up like Southern Civil War soliders/Southern Belles & got our picture taken, but I'm not sharing that here. ;)

Overall, I did love this place, but I definitely want to go back when the kids are older (and at least one of them wants to go on the roller coasters!!)

Day 5: Into the West

Wednesday, June 11

Fast Facts:
Starting: Illinois
Ending: Missouri
Today's Mileage/Total Mileage: 329 mi (529 km)/1490 mi (2398 km)

As it turns out, one way to test your marriage is to drive along back roads in hopes of finding the nearest interstate heading west. Husband was confident in Google Maps, but it really freaked me out that all we saw for miles was this:



This is not interstate. It is not a US route. It's not even a state route. This is something like Joe's Road, and it kept taking us through very scary looking parts of the state (why yes, I am a big chicken, thanks for asking). I swore I heard banjos a couple of times.

Sure enough, Husband was validated when we found the Interstate right where Google said it would be. (whew!) Not long after, we crossed the Mississippi River



and found ourselves officially in the West.

We continued driving until we reached the outskirts of Branson, Missouri. (state motto: You will learn how to drive on treacherous hilly roads or die trying.)

Even the campground was insanely hilly. I tried to capture the essence of the hilliness with this photo of our campsite, but I don't think I succeeded. Suffice it to say that there was quite a bit of pressure on your toes as you walk down this road. (Not to mention that there was a rather steep drop on the OTHER side of the tent. We were very close to just tying the kids to us.)



Oh, and if you were wondering, this was about halfway to the bathrooms. It wouldn't have been so bad if there wasn't an empty tent spot RIGHT NEXT TO the bathhouse.

It did, however, have a really cute wading pool.



To be continued....