Mutton Busting and a Kindle

A trip to Aspen isn't complete without a night at the rodeo.  We love the  barbeque and games for the kids before the rodeo.  We had friends from Atlanta who were in Aspen so getting to spend the evening with Cate and Madison made it even more special for K.  The girls decided that they were too old to participate in mutton busting this year (Madison has a trophy from mutton busting a few years ago!).  Truth be told, Tracy and I were thrilled because it was a muddy, cold night.  

Kimmie (my BFF from high school) joined us at the rodeo and since I hadn't seen Kimmie since last summer we had a lot of catching up to do.  We were sitting in front of the rest of group and it occurred to me that Tracy was being very quiet and that we were being kind of rude by not including her in our conversation.  I turned around to talk to her only to realize she was so quiet because she was reading a book on her Kindle.  She cracks me up!  

Madison and K

Cate riding the bull

K getting nuzzled by a sheep

Let the games begin!

A mutton buster holding on for dear life!

Glad I am not her mom!

Does this sheep look maniacal or what???

Looking pretty chaotic!

Another muddy kid!

On the Road Again

The next leg of our road trip was Santa Fe to Aspen.  I think this has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the country and not one you would make unless you happened to be driving from Santa Fe to Aspen.  There are 2 small towns along the way and lots of wide open space.  It is so peaceful.  We left early in the morning which made the drive even more spectacular.  We love to stop and hike in the Sand Dune National  Park.  These are the tallest sand dunes in North America.  I was glad that we got there before it got too hot, it can be a very challenging hike.  We didn't make it to the top-maybe when K is a little older and I am not in flip flops.

Dramatic contrast of the sand dunes against the alpine peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

A couple of llamas along the way

Continental Divide at the top of Independence Pass

Santa Fe

Our next stop was a couple of nights in Santa Fe.  It felt like heaven when we got out of the car, the air was cool and had the wonderful smell of pinons and sage brush.  We relaxed in Santa Fe and hiked, biked, swam  and K went horse back riding.  

K's Big Summer Adventure

K and I took a very ambitious road trip this summer.  We drove from Atlanta to Dallas where we spent 5 nights.  Then we drove from Dallas to Santa Fe for a few nights and then to Aspen for a week.  Our trip back home took us through Colby, Kansas, Kansas City and St. Louis.

We had a wonderful time in Dallas visiting old and new friends and spent a day at Hurricane Harbor to get out of the heat.  It was around 105 every day that we were.  I didn't take any photos in Dallas.  This is the first photo I took on the trip when we were in Amarillo on our way from Dallas to Santa Fe.

K at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo