Hey everyone! Today I’m officially back into the swing of things! My vacation with my family to Colorado was fantastic! We were there for about 5 days and had the perfect mix of outings and relaxing time. If you haven’t been here for a while, you probably don’t know, but my grandpa and his brother own a condo in Frisco, CO (in between Dillon, Silverthorne, Keystone, etc.) up in the mountains, and all the extended families take turns vacationing there throughout the year. It’s a great place to go, relax, and be able to do fun things in the mountains! We have a big back deck in the condo that faces some huge mountains, and it just makes you feel at peace! So that is where we went this time around, and here’s a little bit more about what we did!
We spent our first day in the mountains walking about a mile into the town of Frisco, and having coffee on Main Street. Before that, my parents and brother went on a morning bike ride and I enjoyed the gorgeous mountain views! We went to a cute little restaurant in Frisco for dinner, called The 5th Avenue Grill!
The next day was Sunday, and we went to church and then headed up to Vail for brunch up on the mountainside! The only way to get there? Gondola-style! Here is my dad and brother Peter on the way up!
There were amazing views up on top, and it was so lush and green!
We had a delicious gourmet brunch up at Game Creek in Vail, and stopped for a few pictures before the trek down the mountain. Me, my mom, and Peter are loving it up there!
And the lovebirds!
Once we got back down to the ski village of Vail (made to look like something in the Swiss Alps), we walked around for a bit. It’s gorgeous, summer AND winter!
This was the day of The World Cup final, so Peter had to take a moment to check on the biggest game of the year in his favorite sport!
Colorado has had a mild summer like we have here in Nebraska, and they also had a late snow. That means the flowers and plants all were looking so green and beautiful! I love this arrangement of colors…
The next day, we went on our most memorable adventure of the trip, white water rafting!!
This was my first time rafting! Unfortunately, it was just the three of us, as my dad has a shoulder injury he didn’t want to mess up more. Here we are, getting prepped with our safety measures!
And off we go! We rafted down the Blue River, and it was THE most beautiful day to do so!
The first two thirds of our trip was pretty mild. We were able to get a hang of how to paddle, and how it feels being on the raft. Our guide was awesome too! Very knowledgeable and basically did 90% of the work!
We rafted with a father-daughter pair and of course our guide! It was really fun, and I definitely recommend it!
The most intense parts of the rapids were a level 3, which is about half-way through the levels. It was SO much fun! There were dips and jumps and lots of waves! We definitely got wet, which I was totally ok with!
All in all, I would white water raft again! I don’t know if I could do any higher of a level, as once the more intense rapids came, I put down my paddle just to hang on, as I have some balance issues. But we were in a GORGEOUS area, with a perfect day, and it was just amazing! If you haven’t rafted before, I think it’s something everyone should at least try!
Rafting was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. Once we got dry and home, the other three went on a hike, while I worked on some applications to teach. The next day, the boys biked Vail Pass, which was a long and hard bike trail, as it’s through the hills and mountains! The only day we had any crazy weather was that day. It hailed and thunderstormed! But besides that, it was awesome! I went down to Main Street Frisco to the bookstore called The Next Page, and brought some Masala Chai tea home from the tea bar there!
Our trip is always too short, but it was very sweet. It was weird not having my brother Collin with us, as he is now a married man! He and his wife Keirstyn watched our dog Sophie while we were away! By the way, Sophie is doing much better now, and is back to her spunky self! Keirstyn instagrammed a picture of her during Sophie’s stay:
Here’s a picture of me with the backdrop of gorgeous mountain wildflowers! It was the perfect summer vacation!
What vacations or staycations are you taking this summer?! Where is your favorite summer vacation spot?!
Much Love, Allie
