Texas to Colorado

It's officially heating up here in Texas and it has me dreaming of somewhere cooler. Last summer we talk a road trip to Colorado and took in as many sights as we could. Just like any road trip, it wasn't without its challenges, but for the most part that's what makes them so fun! If you've never made the drive from Texas to Colorado, my hands down favorite part is driving into Raton, New Mexico. It is the first mountain town you come to and you finally feel like you are in the mountains and out of Texas. 

We had to delay our start by about 24 hours because we had a sick dog, talk about road trip challenges. I couldn't drop the dog off at my mom's house and expect her to clean up after her. We had to make sure she was okay first. She made it through and dropped her off late at night. We decided to drive as far as we could in one night. The goal was to take turns and drive from Houston to Wichita Falls, but we made it about halfway instead and had to stop in Fairfield, TX. 

The next day when we got to Wichita Falls it was raining. It was the perfect opportunity to take in River Bend Nature Center. The staff there was extremely knowledgeable about the various plants and animals and patiently answered all of the questions my 3 boys threw at them rapid fire. The little guy had a blast doing the scavenger hunt and coloring activities. But then, it was time to find some lunch and get back on the road. 

From Wichita Falls, our destination was Buffalo Lodge in Colorado Springs. Buffalo Lodge is an old service station that has been converted into a hotel. Each room is different. We learned that our room was attendant's station, but is now a two-bedroom bungalow with a kitchenette. They have a fleet of bicycles you can check out every day to explore the area or spend the day at the pool. One of our night stays there I spent time in the lobby playing chess with my son and enjoying local drinks. The hotel bar only serves Colorado wines, beers, and whiskeys. Some highlights include Cerberus Elysium Hazy IPA, Pikes Peak Cherry Lime Sour, Axe and Oak Distillery The First Stake Cask Strength Bourbon.

We spent two days in Colorado Springs and honestly, I wish we'd had more time. We started at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. The kids were determined to find a souvenir for their trip, so we had to make sure we stopped at every gift shop out there. We spent some time hiking and climbing some boulders until it was time for lunch. We checked out Colorado Mountain Brewery and then back to Buffalo Lodge for bikes and swimming. Our kitchenette didn't have an oven, so I got to experiment with making a frozen pizza on a Blackstone.

Our second day in Colorado Springs found us back at Garden of The Gods, but this time we went to the visitors center and then took a hike to Balanced Rock. The kids were in their element and we couldn't get them to stop climbing the boulders! After Garden of the Gods, we went over to Manitou Springs for some fun in the old arcades. Then it was time to head to Denver.

On the way to Denver, we stopped at Scheels Sporting Goods. Scheels is an outdoor store, home store, souvenir shop, and amusement park all rolled into one. There's even an arcade and a play place to drop off the kids. While we were there, my son got the ultimate souvenir, a wooden sword dubbed "dragon slayer," that we have since painted to make it even more epic.

If you're ever on a long road trip, I highly recommend finding a way to stay with friends or family along the way. It's a free place to stay, probably cleaner than a hotel, you get to catch up with the people who were nice enough to open their home to you, and they might even let you do a load of laundry. We took full advantage of their generosity. The boys got to have a movie night with their cousins and we got to meet the newest cousin. She just recently had her first birthday! The other great perk of staying with family is you get some local tips. They took us to their favorite local Mexican restaurant for dinner. But, the next morning, after a home-cooked breakfast and an oil change, it was time to leave the cousins behind and head to Breckinridge. 

Breckinridge is only about 2 hours from Denver, depending on how you go. For our kids that was a cakewalk after the drive from Texas just a few days before. That's another great trick for family road trips. Have two long drive days at the beginning and the end, with the days in between short drives to destinations. When we got there, the first stop was the gondolas to the top of the mountain. There was a weather advisory on one of the neighboring peaks so we had to wait for the all clear. While we waited, we took advantage of the games and obstacle courses they had set up including bounce houses and ziplines. We hiked up a little and played in some lingering snow and took in the view. Before too long it was time to head back down and check out what the little mountain town had to offer. We found a great little coffee shop with some churros and walked around looking at various shops. Our kids are drawn to souvenir-type shops. Finally, once everyone started to get hungry we walked over to a Downstairs at Eric's, a pizza place and arcade all wrapped together. Probably the best combination ever. 

Once everyone was fed and had played all the games we could handle, it was time to get back on the road to our next destination. We planned to stay the night in Cañon City, which was mostly just a layover before our final day in Colorado. We woke up the next morning and grabbed a hotel breakfast. Then headed out to Bishop Castle. We found it on the side of a winding Colorado mountain highway outside of Rye, CO. The castle sits on private land that backs up to a national forest. The owner has opened up as a tourist attraction. Entry is free, but donations are appreciated. The owner, Jim Bishop, has built the castle from rocks and other materials, completely by hand. The kids had a blast exploring. 

Our last stop before heading back to Texas was Mission: Wolf, an interactive wolf sanctuary located just across the mountain from Bishop Castle in Westcliffe. We took a tour learned all about life in a remote mountain sanctuary where the workers live in teepees. Everything is recycled and life is mostly off grid. The final activity of the day was going in to meet the wolves. It sounds scary, but the wolves are mostly friendly. They told us not to make eye contact when we walked into the habitat, nut to go sit down and wait for the wolves to come to us. They said to let them sniff us and make a sort of half smile to let the wolves lick our teeth, because that is the way the wolves greet each other. It was a little strange, but once we gained their trust, it was rewarding to to get to interact with the wolves. 

Finally, it was time to pile back in the car and head back to reality. We had a long road trip ahead of us but we were armed with plenty of stories to reminisce about along the way. This summer is packed up already and we won't be able to take another trip like this one, but I can't for the next one.