50 States Part II

We did so much that I have to put it in two different posts!

Mining for Gold:
In some Colorado western and touristy towns you can still pan for gold. And I thought, what a perfect opportunity for us to get out and do some sand and water play! I went on Amazon and found fools gold so that we could actually pan for gold! The boys were in awe as they got to dig and sift through sand and water to try to find gold! The best part was when they yelled, "Eureka!" when they found some. I didn't expect it, but this activity is STILL in our backyard and they STILL play in there for hours! One thing I did with our cooler temps was put hot water in the water side. It made it perfect for  their little hands didn't get cold! This was the perfect way to end our States week.

Colorado Adventure Days

Each week we've been trying to get out and do different Colorado Adventures. We go to State or National parks, we hike, mountain bike or just enjoy doing some touristy adventures. For the past two weeks, and actually, the past two months, we've been very active and teaching the boys about the different things our state has to offer. Here are some pictures of places and things to do in CO that we've done. 

Cliff Dwellings:

Until the 1980s these Cliff Dwellings were occupied by the Anasazi people. The boys, and our dog, loved exploring the village. I found it fascinating, this was a matriarchal society in just about every aspect of their daily lives. These people were incredible at architecture and gardening (you can see their gardens today) and it was incredibly amazing how these people lived on the side of a cliff! If you want more information, click here. 

Family photo at the Elder's house

Theo found a spot to cook us dinner

Henrik, exploring the dwellings. 

Fossil Beds:
Colorado has unique geography all over it, but we went and explored the most famous fossil beds. This area was more for older kids and adults as it was highly educational and not very preschool friendly, however, Eric had a brilliant idea to get the kids a fossil tool kit! We filled their tool belts with a magnifying glass, a notebook, pen, paint brush and flashlight. They had SO much fun writing in their field journals and exploring nature! Plus, it was nice to just get out and spend the day outside. For more information on the Florescent Fossil Beds, click here. The National park site is much better, but due to the shutdown it won't let me access the site.

Checking out a petrified Red Wood tree.

Theo, walking the trail

Writing their findings in a field journal

Henrik, Looking for fossils

Family photo at the site of a petrified Red Wood at the base of a volcano! 

Pikes Peak:
The mountain we see every morning is not the highest in Colorado, but it's the most famous. We took the Cog Railway to the top, because, well, who doesn't like a good train ride. We actually bout our tickets in advance, but it turned out to be the worst day since we've been here to visit the summit. Oh well, I guess we'll have to go back. We didn't see anything, but the boys enjoyed a nice trip via cog to the top. For more information, click here.

Cold and wet kids in a family photo at the top. We'll have to come back.

Dinosaur Museum:

Colorado has a TON of dinosaur bones, all across the state actually. We went to Woodland Park to see a small collection of Dinos. You can guess how this trip went. This museum is full of displays (ones you can touch and ones you can't), a movie viewing area on prehistoric animals, a kid discovery zone and a viewing area where they actually put the bones together! This was a wonderful family trip! For more information, click here. 

T-REX! 

Theo, in awe. 

Prehistoric turtle

Henrik loved the jaw of Mega Mouth! 

Elasmosaurus (or Nesse like Hanky likes to call it)

Henrik, in love with all of the "BONES"

Hiking at USAFA:

To end our two weeks of Colorado exploration we headed up to our old stomping ground, the United States Air Force Academy. We had a blast taking a Sunday and checking out the Santa Fe trail. The boys looked for signs of wildlife, loved looking at the Fall colors and just enjoyed being able to see water, railroad tracks and bridges all in one space! We even saw a coyote! For more information, click here.

My boys

Theo, checking out the trail

Looking at animal tracks! We saw a deer and a coyote footprint! 

Hanky, reading all of the signs. He loves to learn. 

A pretty happy kid on a beautiful day.

If you're ever in the area, there is something to do on every corner, we've been here three months and have done something different each weekend, most of the time it's free! I hope that this post inspires you to go out and explore your own state to see what it has to offer.