Today was a real taste of what Colorado is all about. We jumped back on the sightseeing train, both figuratively and literally, as we headed south of Denver to Colorado Springs. After a little tension in the morning as we tried to find some warm clothes for the kids, we made tracks to the US Olympic Center.
The U.S. Olympic Training Center was a great experience for both the kids and parents. It was so cool to not only look at some of the history of Olympics held in the United States, but also to see the training facilities and some athletes actually in training. Probably the coolest part of the tour was when we went by a weight room and saw some U.S. Paralympians training. These guys were doing things I couldn't even dream of doing despite the missing leg(s) or arm(s). The major focus areas at the Colorado Center are indoor summer sports (volleyball, basketball, wrestling, etc) and also some rifle shooting, swimming and cycling. Many of the athletes were wandering around and even talkative to guests as we were on our tour.
The highlight of the day was definitely riding the Cog Railway from Manitou Springs to the top of Pike's Peak (14,115 feet). It was an open air train and we had window seats for the whole ride. The rock formations and the foliage was incredible for the first half of the trip and then like someone turned a switch, everything turned into a rocky terrain. There was some great wildlife to see, including Rocky Mountain Horned Rams, Yellow Bellied Marments and even a deer sighting. The train ride got a little hair-raising near the top as we were inches away on our side (with no guard rail) from a drop off of 7,000 ft. into a valley. Jen particularly enjoyed this part. Once on the top there were many scenic picture to be taken and all was well until Emma started to develop altitude sickness. What began as a headache turned into two nice bouts of vomiting on the way down the mountain. It actually made for a nice ride down the mountain as Emma slept on my chest and I could just look at the amazing scenery.
We quite obviously won the battle with the kids today as they both passed out in the car and Jake even fell asleep on the stairs as we went into the house.
Maybe a little relaxation tomorrow before the baseball game.
Link to Today's Pictures:
1 comment:
Be sure to tell Kohei about the paralympians, Dane. He wrote an awesome paper on the event. Sorry about Emma. Note to self - if I ever take Sinead on a mountain trek ... We're still loving the blog! Enjoy the Colorado mountains, the baseball game, and of course the World Cup matches in the morning that ahem ... someone I live w/has taken the day off to watch! ;) Take care!
Lynn & Co
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