Rocky Mountain High

Wow, what a road trip!  And you, Ellie Belle, were an amazing little traveler.  "Uncle" Tom Sterling orchestrated a pretty amazing trip for you, Mommy, Daddy and him to go on.  We started out heading west toward Colorado.  We stopped at the Kansas high point, Mt. Sunflower (a measly 4039 feet above sea level) on our way to visit Lindsey and Scott in Colorado Springs.  The wind was insane!  Daddy and Uncle Tom helped to keep you from blowing away.  Despite the crazy gusts,  you seemed to enjoy yourself.

Our next stop was Colorado Springs.  We woke up early (thank you Eleanore) to watch the sunrise over the Garden of the Gods.  What a beautiful sight. 

Next on the list was Taos, New Mexico.  It was an incredible day for everyone involved.  While Daddy and Uncle Tom climbed to the summit of Wheeler Peak, you and I met up with my old friend Jamie, her husband Drew and son Jude.  You and Jude hit it off; I hope you two get to hang out again!

Yes, there's more.  After Taos, we drove back into Colorado to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  It was amazing to see so much sand in the midst of the mountains.  I didn't even know the park existed!  You also got your first feel (and unfortunately taste) of sand.  You loved a-kick-kick-kicking; Daddy even got a video of you (not shown, sorry!).

Rocky Mountain National Park was checked off the list on Thursday.  It was quite a view.  We sat you right on top of the Continental Divide, where the water runs either west to the Pacific or east to the Atlantic.  We ended the trip at the Denver Zoo where you loved watching the big animals around you.  I think your favorite part was when the sea lion came up out of the water right in front of you. 

After a wonderful, long trip, you were definitely happy to be home!