Family Fun!

One good thing about loosing weight and exercising more is the ability it gives you to participate in fun family adventures -- things I never would have done 45 pounds and a year ago! Months ago I made a donation to the local PBS-TV station and received some tickets to steam locomotive trains in return. Since some of them were due to expire soon, we decided to take a weekend trip to Durango, Colorado to use a set of them while both of our younger kids were home on spring break. When we got there on Friday afternoon, we weren't ready to just sit around the hotel all night -- so we started reading through the brochures they had in the hotel and found an ad for a zipline that was just down the road. It turned out to be a blast! The owner and one of the workers were our own private tour guides, giving us tips and showing us how it was done. Everyone picked it up in no time and were soon flying through the trees. Here is the family on one of the platforms:

That night, we ate at Mutus -- the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to! While it was a bit on the pricey side, it was worth it. We tried all sorts of dishes we had never had before, each one as good as the last. I really appreciated that families were young children were seated upstairs, which was fun for the children and very nice for those of us who were older. The next day we took our train ride (not nearly as exciting as ziplines, but there was some beautiful scenery).

The next weekend, my older children joined the family for a short visit and we took everyone to Tent Rocks for a hike in the slot canyon and up to the top of the mesa. It is a great hike with very interesting features and a terrific view! The weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all (even those who weren't really into hiking). Here's the family on top of the mesa:

Later this month, I'm taking a day off work to join second daughter, Cherron, on another hiking trip to the top of the mountain. This time, we're taking a different route and, since it is spring, it should be a lot more comfortable, cool, and greener than it was last time. Pictures coming soon!