rocky mountain national park

here it is
the halfway point of my humble vacation
okay... it is less than humble
it is totally awesome

all has gone well so far
our younger son grant was suffering a little bit of a cold
but nothing that a shot glass of motrin did not cure
now.... he is up to his usual self

my vacation has been bike free thus far
there was a moment on a paddle boat today at Grand Lake
but... I quickly traded it in for a canoe
Grant demanded to have the right to steer
lisa and I were working very hard
grant had us going in circles
we turned to back to the dock... with grand demanding to steer I held our course for the dock
we traded the paddle boat for a canoe
so, I took Dean and Grant out for separate canoe trips in Grand Lake
it was awesome
I tried to get them to imagine that the houses that surrounded the lake were tee pees
and that we were indians
I later learned that the indigenous people were wiped out by a great fire
the indians tried to seek safety in the middle of the lake in their boats
they were robbed of oxygen and died
we were not playing that indian game
although I did get winded trying to paddle these guys around the lake

we have done a variety of hikes
Adams Falls twice
Crater Hike, Dean rocked it at an adult pace... Grant road like a prince up and down on my shoulders
then the rocks on the Ridge Trail
in addition to all the hikes there have been evening drives and walks trying to find moose
lots of elk
finally a few moose
no males
although we did see a deer buck at Adams Falls and an elk bull on the road side in Rocky Mountain National Park
no bull moose
just cows and calves... awesome... but not the prize that we all seek

amazing
I never saw Colorado until I graduated from college
saved up some money
got on my motorcycle and pointed west
these kids... they are exposed to a great deal
hope it aids in their development in one way or another
maybe one day they will thank us
but... I bet they will give us the finger as they take the car keys before they thank us