Idaho-ish

After Bear Lake, we followed Marie to Ontario for a few days.  She showed us a good time with a movie, splash pad, and fishing adventure.  We showed her lots of messes, but she loves us anyway.

Next up, we borrowed their bikes, drove the scenic route down through the middle of Idaho, and headed to the Hiawatha Trail outside of Couer d' Alene.  We spent the night in Wallace, Idaho and it was fun walking around their quaint little town, chatting with locals, and going to breakfast together before our big ride. 

We got to the Hiawatha Trail Head pretty early, but it took us a while to get everything unhooked, find all our gear, and get on our way.  The first part of the trail is a wet, dark 1.7 mile long tunnel and that's when the I began to understand that riding on a gravel road with a bike trailer carrying Cora and Indie might be a bit of a challenge.  We took it slow and enjoyed lots of breaks so the 17 mile trail took about 7 hours.  The last few miles were especially tough for Eden but we were all so proud of ourselves when we finished and truly enjoyed the $1 hot dogs at the end of the ride.    

That night, we met Marie and her friends at the Silverwood Springs "Campground" which is basically sleeping on the side of the interstate.  Scott had so graciously set up a tent with all the fixings for us and the girls had a fun time meeting new friends and running around.  We got to go to Silverwood Springs for 2 days where we rode all the rides, replaced meals with ice cream, and had a grand ol' time.

Potty stops in pretty places.

Field and fields of canola "make everything else look boring," according to Milan.

Family Pics

Late one evening, the girls were freshly showered and awake so we decided to take our chances with some family pictures up Paris Canyon.  Nobody was surprised since they know it's hard for me to be somewhere pretty without sneaking in a few pictures.  Indie really wanted to fall asleep so we sang the entire way and pumped her full of m&ms.  We stopped when I didn't think she could make it another mile and there were a TON of mosquitoes.  A normal mom might have been deterred by that, but we doused ourselves with DEET and my sister snapped a few pictures in 4 minutes, tops.  And now that we have these pictures, I don't regret it for a second!

Bear Lake

Most years, we get to enjoy Dave's Aunt Glenda's house in Bear Lake and it is always a highlight for my girls.  The house is just like she left it when she was raising her kids there so my girls love all the old toys and extra-stretchy trampoline in the front yard.  Of course, the lake is always a hit too.  

This year, we invited the Martins, Redds, and Torlands to join us throughout the long weekend so it was basically a party every day (especially for Eden and Cora who had lots of friends their age.)  To make our weekend complete, we hit up Zip's for shakes and did the Minetonka Cave Tour where I got to pack Indie up and down 444 stair to maximize my workout.    

After our long weekend, Dave headed back to Cheyenne, but the girls and I kept going west.  I figured that since we were going to be 1/4 of the way to the Oregon Coast, we might as well keep going.  

Summa time

We're a week into our second Cheyenne summer and it hands down beats out our first summer.  Thank goodness for friends!  And a pool membership!  I have not done a single house project all week and have just been enjoying these little people and right now I am loving it and them!  

 That miss Indie is darling, and so is my new vintage Craigslist marble coffee table!  

 We were snapping a few pictures when they saw dad pull into the driveway and all the excitement commenced.

Colorado Springs

I grew a little tired of constant home improvement projects so told Dave that I was ready for an escape and he said "sure."  A quick look at Airbnb and I found the perfect camper on a farm so I sold the girls are on our last minute adventure and we were off.  

Friday we had beautiful weather so we checked out the farm, pet a million animals, made a quick dinner in the camper, hiked around Garden of the Gods in beautiful light and finished up at Dairy Queen, which is always a favorite!  

Friday night Indie passed our in our bed so I figured I'd just let her sleep with us for the night.  Bad idea, there was a lot of kicking, but not a whole lot of sleeping.  Indie must not have minded because she was up bright and early Saturday morning.  We started off the day by tormenting, I mean petting, the animals.  The girls LOVED it and the older girls excitedly helped out with all the farm chores.  Next, we hiked up to Helen Hunt Falls then headed to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is one of my favorite zoos.  We got to feed the giraffes, see the Peacocks try to win over the ladies with their feathers, and watch a couple bears playing around in the water a few feet away (through glass obviously).  A pretty neat day that ended with a bonfire and smores by the fire.  

Sunday morning, I tried to sell the girls on hiking the Manitou Incline, a difficult 2500 steps gaining 2000 feet in less than a mile.  I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to pack Indie's potty around and knew that Eden would be opposed, but in the end, I wasn't able to get anyone on board.  This time.  We did get to spend more time with the farm animals and even got to RIDE the horses we had been petting and feeding all weekend.  I wasn't sure if Indie would actually get on a horse, but she was completely game and everyone loved their riding experience!