Alamosa

We are back from our exciting weekend trip to Alamosa, CO. Our mini~vacation was lots of fun. We started with a scenic drive through the Rocky Mountains on a highway we hadn't previously traveled. I'm glad we went that way as it allowed us some beautiful views in places we wouldn't otherwise had found. Like this one in Buena Vista:Our first stop was a working Gator Farm. We saw all kinds of critters ~ mostly reptiles. And even an arachnid (Rosie, the tarantula. Why does everyone name their tarantulas Rosie?). We saw tortoises, alligators, various lizards and snakes, fish and even some ostrich's. Here is Tyler holding an alligator (!):

We were able to buy pellets of alligator food and feed the gators:

Some of them were really big!


We also saw some baby gators and some turtles:


After we'd had our fill of reptiles, we headed to dinner at a local brewery. We've never eaten at a brewery we didn't like. Shawn likes to sample beers from all over the country and the food is usually delicious. We weren't disappointed!

The next morning, we rose bright and early and headed straight to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It was a cool morning and a bit on the windy side, but it was so beautiful and the boys were excited to see mountains of sand!

Here are the boys posing for us when we first arrived:


We didn't bring any sand toys or sleds like some folks did but we did find it entertaining to bury our children in the sand:


Have races down the hills:

And just look at the awesome views:

By the time we left, we had sand in our eyes, noses, ears and mouths. Every pocket in the boys' shorts was full of sand (I even found some in the dryer after I washed our clothes!). We didn't hike to the top of any of the big dunes, but plan on returning when the boys are bigger, I don't have two babies in my tummy, and Shawn and I are in decent enough shape that we won't make fools of ourselves. :)

After a quick snack, we headed to a 1/2 mile hike (up hill!) to Zapata Falls. We didn't actually make it to the falls themselves, as the trail was very rocky and it seemed too risky for me and the boys. Another one to do when we return in a few years.

The boys did get a rock skipping lesson:

And we found a sweet stranger to take our family shot:

This is what we saw as we headed back to the hotel to dump sand out of our orifices:

That evening, after a late lunch/early dinner at a Mexican buffet (yummy!), we headed to a hot springs pool to relax and unwind. I didn't get any photos here, for obvious reasons, but it was so great to soak in 87 degree water while the boys played.

Overall, it was definitely a successful road trip. The boys didn't fight... Shawn and I were able to sneak in some good conversation while they played video games (restricted to an hour of each 4 hour trip there and back)... the weather was perfect... we didn't get any speeding tickets (though I did have a lil scare this morning!)... we ate super delicious food... and saw some beautiful Colorado vistas.

Hope your long weekend was fantastic, too!