mountains – A Journey of Joy

first time sledding this year ~ family traditions

October 20, 2013Written by Joy

This past week, we got a pretty good snow in our area. While we did get snow in our city, it didn’t stick for long. So we headed off to the mountains to find the perfect sledding place. This is one of my favorite family traditions. I look forward to every snow we get!

We found this great place called Berthoud Pass. There is a trail that you can walk along with this huge hill that you can play in the snow. There were people skiing, snow boarding, hiking, snowshoeing and sledding.

It didn’t take the kids long to get their snow pants, jackets, hats and gloves on. They headed up the hill pulling their sleds behind them.

Claire’s first trip down didn’t go so well, but she laughed, got up and headed back up the hill. The snow was like powder and they had to make a couple of trips in the same place to get the snow packed down.

Samuel was trying to find the best path down. Once he got going, he didn’t want to stop!

What was so wonderful besides watching my children laugh and have a wonderful time? Meeting another homeschooling family playing in the snow! The kids played so well together and shared our sleds with them. They even raced down the hill! There was a lot of good laughs and a friendship made at 11,000ft.

This was our view from Berthoud Pass. I see it as a place we will visit many times a year. We can’t wait to go back to hike the trail!

Once we said our goodbyes, we headed on around Loveland Pass. We had been there about a month ago and couldn’t wait to check it out when it had snowed.

As you can tell, the drive to Loveland Pass, did not disappoint. The view was amazing. The wind was blowing so hard, that the snow was just blowing around and off the tops of the mountains.

Once we got to the Loveland Pass pull-off, some of us (ahem, me and a couple of the kids) sat in the van! It was COLD! the wind was blowing like CRAZY! We saw people being dropped off, so they could ski, snow board and snow show down the mountain. I don’t see how they were staying so warm with the wind blowing like it was.

My husband braved the wind and the cold and ended up with some amazing pictures. The view was a sight to behold. God’s creation is so amazing and wonderful to be in. I am so thankful and blessed that we are able to live in this area.

How has the weather been in your area? Are you taking any fun trips with your family? I would love for you to share your family traditions with me!

2013, family, photography Berthoud Pass, family, Loveland Pass, mountains, photography, sledding, snow, traditions

family time looking at fall colors…

September 29, 2013Written by Joy

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If you have been following me here for a while, you know that our family loves to go riding and seeing all the sites and views that our area has to offer. Being in the mountains, you can drive the same scenic route and see something differently every trip. However, I think my all-time favorite time of the year going riding, is when the leaves are changing. This is our 2nd fall in Colorado and I was so excited that we finally got to see the leaves this year, since we missed them last year.

We have driven the Guanella Pass before, and have fallen in love with it. It is a beautiful drive that has many trails that you can hike. It also has camping sites all along the drive that you can use. We are hoping to go back camping here, soon!

To get to Guanella Pass, we drive to the Georgetown, Colorado side and enter there. It is an old mining town that has a beautiful historic Main Street that you can walk and look at. You will drive right down Main Street to get to the road that takes you on Guanella Pass.

Before you do start driving on Guanella Pass, be sure to stop at the Georgetown Visitor Center. It is filled with a lot of history and some of the items that they have in there are amazing.

There is this park area, with a lake (I can not remember the name of it), that my kids love going to. They enjoy throwing rocks in the water and climbing on the rocks. There are picnic tables, grills and rock fire pits that you can use.

Up at the Guanella Pass Summit, there are a couple of different pull-offs that has trails you can hike in several different directions. By the time we had made it to the summit, it was getting late, so we didn’t hike.

It was just so beautiful, standing there and looking all around at the gorgeous mountains and blue sky that God created. It just takes my breath away.

I love that my kids enjoy taking trips like this with us. I remember going on drives with my parents and it brings back such wonderful memories for me. We leave the electronics off (phones and tablets), and take this time to just talk and be with each other.

The mountains have a little snow on top, from the previous evening. While it rained in the valleys, there was snow at the top. The white snow reminds me of white frosting just sitting on top.

While the higher you go, the less trees and shrubs you see, the mountains are still alive.

While we did see a lot of beautiful color and scenery, the one thing we didn’t see on this trip, was wildlife. I am thinking they were off in the trees hiding, since there was a lot of traffic out at this time.

I think this was the last weekend that the leaves will have color for this year. It is turning cooler and the leaves are slowly falling to the ground. This pass will be closing in the next couple of weeks and won’t open until the last snow clears in the spring time.

While I will miss this place during the winter, I am excited about the other places that we will be able to visit. The state of Colorado is full of so much history and has so many unique and beautiful places to visit. The hard part will be choosing what area we will visit next.

Do you go on family trips? What places bring back wonderful memories for you? I would love for you to share them with me!

2013, family, photography Autumn, color, Colorado, fall, family, family traditions, Guanella Pass, kids, leaves, mountains

traditions, family drives ~ Guanella Pass

October 7, 2012Written by Joy

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traditions, family drives ~ Guanella Pass

One of our favorite things to do as a family is going a on drive around the area. Since we have moved to Colorado, we have a lot of new areas to explore. One of those areas we went to recently was the Guanella Pass.

Guanella Pass is located in Clear Creek County, west of Denver. It was also named after a worker who had worked for the county for 50 years.

We started the drive in Georgetown, CO.

All along the way, there are places you can pull off the road and hike.

There are also places you can camp.

I see this as being a road that we take often on drives.

Not only do we get to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We get to enjoy the special time together.

We leave our phones off, and music softly playing. We enjoy just talking and visiting with one another.

I love this special time with my family.

Do you go on family drives? How do you spend time with your family?