Wondering Part 2!

I had to take a break from the blog and go be a mom, get the kids in bed! But now that I've got time all to myself, I'll tell you about the FUNNEST day of the whole trip, Saturday! I realize that I may type more than you want to read, so just check out the pics!

We headed south and checked out the Air Force Academy. My dad enjoys architecture, so we went to see the Academy's renowned chapel. We also saw a video of life on campus. Their honor code was interesting: "We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does." We continued on down to Garden of the Gods. Its a park full of red rock formations. We saw Kissing Camels, Sleeping Indian and the Cathedral Rock (some of the formations). I've never been to southern Utah, so it was just amazing to see. The contrast between the vegetation and the red rocks was beautiful. Our stop at the visitor center started the worst tantrum Lainey has ever thrown. We had been driving around for a few days, no naps, so I get the short fuse, but MAN was she out of control. It required every ounce of my patience not to lose it. Thankfully, modern technology saved us. We popped Toy Story 2 in the portable DVD player and Lainey was absorbed in the antics of our favorite Pixar friends.


We stopped next at Indian Cliff Dwellings in a place called Manitou Springs. Holy cow, it was awesome. We got to walk around inside them and read about the different areas of the Native American homes. We saw an early 'refrigerator' and they had Native American dancers. So fun. Lainey loved it. She got to dance to the beat of the drum and she ran around and around and around until we had to drag her back to the car.


And finally we ended our day in a little mining (now gambling) town called Cripple Creek. We took a train ride and they told us all about the history of the town. Interesting facts: Dr. Quinn is based on a woman from Cripple Creek, it is still an active mine that has pulled out over 350 million dollars worth of gold, and its the largest gold deposit in the history of the world!

We had a great time. I hope Mom and Dad did too. I can't believe how much stuff there is to do here! We barely scratched the surface. In fact, Tyler and I have a seriously long list of things to do that we missed. Good thing we live here. I know, I know... your're thinking what a dork I am for lovin the local attractions... but it was fun! I hope everyone else takes advantage of the 'tourist' attractions near them!

P.S. Tyler would like me to mention that my information in the previous post was incorrect. They did not catch a few fish, they caught LOTS of fish. Somewhere in the ball park of 19 among all three of the boys.