Reagan Fuller

RV Trip - Leadville

After leaving the Sand Dunes we decided to head towards our next destination instead of staying at our reserved site in Hooper. The pool was closed for the day for cleaning and there was not much of anything nearby. Our next stop would be Leadville. Daddy would be running in the Leadville 100 training camp for the weekend. We booked a site at the Mayqueen campground directly on Turquoise Lake. This would be a new one for us. We normally camp on the other side of the lake. But, given this was to be a trip about new adventures we decided to give it a try. And lucky for us we did because it was great. Not as woodsy at Silver Dollar campground. But you had lake views and easy water access.

The first day we ate in Leadville and took Daddy to his training camp sign up. We took it easy the rest of the day. Kids rode their bikes/scooters around the campground and made some friends with the neighboring kids. We also made more campfire s’mores.

The next day Dad was off to his camp most of the day. Mommy and the girls spent a few hours playing at the lake. The water was freezing but the big girls seem to be immune to the temps. They found themselves off in imaginary places while wading from rock to rock in the shallows.

Reagan bought herself a new buddy earlier in the trip while in Lake City. Pelican Pumpkin Panda, named solely by Reagan, was at her side at all times. I was often called out to get a picture of her and Pelican Pumpkin together. Here she is keeping him warm. He is pretty cute.

As Reagan was off playing in the lake I was told that Pelican Pumpkin needed to take his nap. No worries, we found the perfect resting spot. Reagan made sure I took a picture so she could later show him how he looks sleeping.

We then got into a bit of a rock throwing contest. It was Mom and Reagan against Sydney. We would grab the biggest rocks we could find and throw them in the water close to the enemy. The goal was to see if you could make a splash big enough to soak your opponent. I think its easy to say Reagan and I won big time. We had a better element of surprise. We then headed back to the RV for lunch. Afterwards, the girls (and Pelican Pumpkin) spent more time riding bikes and scooters while Kayla and I watched from our blanket.

Then being the Mom that I am, I had the girls pose for a few shots around the campground. And being the little girls that they are, they ran around looking for the best spots. You know who was there too!

We had the “rickety old fence”

The “Pelican Pumpkin swinging from the trees”

That’s all Reagan was up for. She had to be moving on.

The next morning Dad would be running around the Twin Lakes area. So we opted to have him drive us all there and we would hang out in Twin Lakes. So we plopped the kids all in Mom and Dad’s bed and Dad drove us to Twin Lakes. All while the kids were sound asleep. We were running low on milk and breakfast supplies so we hoped to buy more at local store. But, nothing was open. One woman who rented out cabins must have felt bad for us because she invited us in to eat with her customers. Very nice.

Other then that there wasn’t much to do. So we hung out in the RV and played games until Dad got back. Then we packed up and headed out for our final destination, Home!

So what did we think of RV’ing. The kids loved it. The parents loved it. Never a complaint. It was great having all your stuff within your constant reach. Easy to pull off into any parking lot and eat, go to the bathroom, or just relax. We will definitely be doing this again. Probably even next summer. Not ready to buy one as you can only use them a few months a year. The rental is definitely the way to go.

Video for our time in Leadville.

RV Trip - Great Sand Dunes National Park

The next stop on the Fuller 2010 RV vacation would be to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We decided to stay at the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool & RV Park in Hooper which was about 20 minutes from the National Park. They had their own huge 100+ degree hot spring pool which we figured the kids would enjoy. Which they did but they also found plenty of time to complain about how the pool was too hot. The actual RV park mounted up to a glorified parking lot but the pool was our main purpose for the stay. We swam in the pool for a good 4 hours and then cooked a nice dinner in the RV and called it a night.

The next morning we packed up our home on wheels and made the short drive over to the Sand Dunes. These things were much larger then I had expected. You could see them for miles.

There is a stream that flows at the base of the dunes starting in the spring time. As the summer approaches the water flow slowly diminishes until it is gone completely. We knew we would be nearing the low flow period but this was the only time of year we could come. We had about 2 inches of water compared to the knee to thigh high water around Memorial Day. But, this didn’t slow down the girls one bit. They still put swimsuits on and made the most of what water they had all while having a blast. The other problem this time of year would be the mosquitoes. They live in the brush around the stream and are relentless this time of year. As long as you stayed up river and covered yourself in OFF you were good.

Sydney and Reagan ran around for a good two hours in the stream acting like crazy ladies. They would splash each other, cover each other in the wet sand, and mostly play chase. Reagan seemed to be a new kid at this place. She was throwing muddy sand and covering herself in muck. It was nice to see her give in to being dirty for once. She loved it!

Quick, a group picture before they take off again…

Pretty soon the kids realized that there was more to this place than water. They were also surrounded by sand. So they took the game of chase onto the wet sand.

What else is wet sand good for? Drawing, of course. The girls grabbed sticks and were writing all sorts of love messages and pictures in the sand.

Soon Daddy was back and he pulled out the big guns. The girls had gotten metal detectors for Christmas and Dad remembered to pack them along for just this occasion. We didn’t think there would be too much buried treasure here so he buried a few coins around us just to be safe.

At one point in the afternoon Reagan needed a break and came to sit under the umbrella with Kayla and I. I looked over and saw this on her face. For some reason it cracked me up. She was so sweet and innocent looking. But had this huge smudge on her face. After taking the picture I told her what was going on and she about cried from embarrassment. So I of course felt bad immediately. I think the day had worn this kiddo out.

We ate lunch on the sand under our umbrella and played in the sand for most of the day. Daddy and the girls made a trek out to the dunes but the dry sand was too hot to enjoy them too much. A ranger came by for a kid info session. They learned how the dunes were made and what kind of weird creatures made this their home. They even completed their workbooks to be inducted as junior rangers. And that was pretty much our day. Here are a few more of my favorite pictures. They were just to beautiful to leave out. Hope you think so as well.

My absolute favorite picture of the day.

It is probably worth noting that the hills above us were being consumed by a three week long forest fire. The day before the sky was completely blanketed with smoke as we swam in the hot springs pool. Fortunately the winds had died down for our day at the Dunes. But you were constantly reminded by the fire every time you looked up. It was cool to be so close yet be so safe.

We stopped to take one more picture on our way out of the park. I think its safe to say we’ll be back. Probably even next Memorial Day weekend. We’d like to see the park while the stream is heavier. Until then.

Our video at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

RV Trip - Durango and Mesa Verde National Park

Our next stop would be in the town of Durango. We picked this location because it was within a few miles of Mesa Verde which is one of Colorado’s four National Parks. We also found a great campground in Durango called the Durango Riverside Resort. It would turn out to be our favorite camp of the trip. As we pulled into new campsites the girls loved playing in the RV front window.

Our RV site was directly riverside so the kids were able to climb down the little hill to go play in the river. We were lucky to be located at a point in the river with a shallow wading area for fun and safe play.

The event for the next morning would be Mesa Verde National Park. We bought tickets to see the Cliff House. It is one of the larger and more popular cliff dwellings in the park. We got to our scheduled tour a bit early so we parked the RV and made lunch. One of the perks of Rv’ing.

The tour starting point was at the top of one of the cliffs. There were large rocks everywhere and of course the girls had to see if they could conquer climbing them.

As we waited for the park ranger Sydney asked to take a few pictures with our camera. Here is one she took of the family. I think it turned out pretty good for her first try.

You could see other smaller dwellings throughout the surrounding Mesa tops. Sydney was especially good at pointing these out. Reagan would soon join in with, “Oh yeah I see it,” while looking in the opposite direction. But, I think I did that half the time as well.

Here is a shot of the Cliff House right before our tour began. As you can see we would have to climb down a bit for the tour.

Soon the ranger arrived and we headed down the stone staircase to the cliff dwelling. The girls thought this was awesome as we curved down and around.

One more shot as we got a bit closer.

The ranger would stop to tell us all about the dwellings and answer any questions. Reagan was usually too shy to ask any questions. But, she was always telling the ranger or other guests how she liked their shirt or hair or shoes. It was her way to get attention but the people were always so flattered by this little girl too. This particular dwelling was thought to be the gathering place or city for the area. They thought this due to the enormity of this dwelling compared to the others excavated so far. It also housed many “kivas” or worship centers where many others only contained one.

Here we are at the top of one of the kivas. They were large circular caverns in the ground. At the time they would have been covered with a thick thatch roof with a ladder in the center for entrance. Later in the tour we were able to climb down into one kiva but it was too dark inside for photos.

Reagan had fun adventuring throughout the dwelling. I think the people must have all been pretty small because the windows were all right at Reagan’s height. Pretty cool for Reagan.

The ancient pueblos who lived here would farm and hunt on the mesa top above the homes which meant they had to climb up and down the slick sandstone with their hands and feet. Lucky for us the park system installed these stairs for us as we weaved up a crack in the sandstone for our exit.

Some parts of our climb were too tight and steep for stairs so we had to maneuver up these ladders. I’d say this was one of the kids favorite parts.

Later, back at the campsite we let the kids unwind at the playground and swimming pool. What would a old west playground be without its own stagecoach?

After dinner Dad started up the campfire for some smores. Most marshmallows were burnt beyond recognition as the kids just liked to watch them burn. At one point Reagan was putting a new marshmallow on her poker just as Daddy decided to help her. And the hot poker tip accidentally touched her wrist causing a good little burn. Daddy felt bad for his part but was able to make up for his mistake with some cuddle time.

The silly faces helped cheer up his patient too.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing by the fire.

The next morning we took some more photos by the river as we packed up to say goodbye to Durango.

On the way out we saw this on the side of the road and decided we’d better stop for all the roadside attractions that Durango had to offer. This was just one more of many hot springs in the area.

Some video of our time in Durango.

The Durango activities scored a thumbs up for the kids. Mesa Verde was definitely a gotta see someday if you haven’t already. And I’m sure we’ll be back to tour more dwellings in the future. But, for now its pack up and move on!

RV Trip - Million Dollar Highway

After one night in Ouray it was time to pack up and move on to our next destination. Today our drive would take us on the road nicknamed the “Million Dollar Highway.” This was the one road we were a bit nervous to take the RV on. Supposedly there are some wicked curves and steep dropoffs. But, our driver did a great job once again. Only a few moans from the back seat today. The highway got its nickname from the great views along the way. We of course stopped and took a few pictures throughout the day.

Here is the family (minus the sleeping baby) as we say goodbye to the town of Ouray below us. I think you’ll see why we love it so.

We would get out for all sorts of vista points. One of the more impressive was this huge waterfall. I am not good with distances but it was definitely one of the higher waterfalls I have seen in Colorado. You could hear the great force behind the water.

Here are a few shots from the various vista points along the way.

There was a sign posted here calling this the “Switzerland of the Americas.”

The girls would start crying due to the cold winds. But its amazing how a hug and a photo with Mommy can cheer them up immediately.

We stopped in the small town of Silverton to take a lunch break and spread out our legs. There was a bustling little shopping district for such a small town. One had to wonder how they were able to support all the stores. We weren’t there too long before we figured out how as the train pulled in and hundreds of people disembarked. Apparently you can take the train from Durango to Silverton. Seems like a huge tourist attraction that we will have to keep in mind for next time.

The kids picked up some good posters from the friendly ranger station and we were on our way to the next campground. If you have to spend the day driving, the Million Dollar Highway was definitely the way to go.

RV Trip - Ouray

Next stop, Ouray! While living in California, Brandon and I once flew out to spend a few days in southern Colorado. One of our favorite spots during that trip was Ouray. It was and still is one of the most beautiful towns we have ever been.

Ouray is also home to its own natural hot springs so we took the opportunity to take the kids. They love being in the water. With having no body fat the warm spring water made for much happier kids.

The RV Park in Ouray was right in the middle of town. Which made walking around much easier. Although the park itself had great views so the girls took turns getting their pictures taken in front of the views.

We were parked along the river. Reagan quickly made claim to this boulder alongside the waters edge. Sydney was too scared to sit on the rock. So Reagan was being the brave sister and was sure to remind her sister of this fact continuously. When your the little sister you have to take what you can get.

One more with the RV!

And lastly a group photo.

Enjoy some video of our time in Ouray.

We only stayed in Ouray one night before we were onto our next destination. We had too many new places to see. But it was once again worth the stop.

RV Trip - Lake City

Its time for our first ever Summer RV trip across southern Colorado! Wednesday we headed down to Golden to pick up our rental RV. We had tried to rent a smaller RV thinking it would be easier for me to drive. But, they were all out so we were stuck with the big 32 foot machine. But, as it turns out it was easy to maneuver and we enjoyed having the extra space.

As soon as we drove into the driveway the girls immediately began filling the RV with all their crap. This meant all their guys. The cool thing about RV’ing is that you are not confined to a car seat for the drive. The kitchen table had built in seat belts so the girls got to play games and make crafts while we drove.

First stop for the trip was to be Lake City, Colorado. Daddy would be running in the 50 mile San Juan Solstice as training for Leadville this August. Lake City was a pretty small town with a cute little old west feeling downtown area with a few shops. The big draw for the kids was the playgrounds.

Here is a picture of the girls with the big rig at our Lake City Campground.

A glimpse at meal times in the RV.

RV parks don’t always have a lot of entertainment so we had to make up some of our own for the kids. For me this meant trips to the playground or walks. But Brandon had his own activities. Come to think of it this may come in handy in the future.

During the big race we hung out at the city park to cheer on the runners as they stumbled over the finish line.

Then as Daddy came across the line his girls where there to cheer him in. Here is a picture of the gang post race.

Enjoy some video the girls took while in Lake City.

The next morning we woke up and packed up so that we could head out to the next destination. Stay tuned for more!

Denver Zoo Camp

Reagan’s second camp of the year has come to an end. The girls always love their time at the Denver Zoo camp. There is never a complaint. This is Reagan’s second year at the camp and she can hardly contain herself at pickup time to tell me all about what she did that day. This year seemed to include more animal encounters. She got to hold a baby owl, pet a snake, pet an elephant, hold a mole, watch a hippo take a bath, ride the carousel and train and make her own clay porcupine.

One day she came home and said she was so excited that she got to hold a baby owl today. Then she went on to explain how when she held the owl it flew out of her hand and went crazy flying all over the room. The kids all got scared that the owl was going to pick them up with his talons so they were screaming and running all around the room until the zookeeper could catch him once again. Would have loved to see that one.

The last day of camp is the big animal show for the kids and us parents can come along and see the kids sing a song. This year the weather was great! Until, the show was to begin and the rain started. The animal show was cancelled but at least we got to hear the songs. I did get a few pictures of Reagan with her classmates. She looked happy! We’ll be back next year for sure.

Gymnastics Recital 2010

The girls had their big year end gymnastics show for the year. Its a good way for the kids to show off what they have learned throughout the year in gymnastics. Here are a few blurry action shots and a video.

The medal presentation is very exciting.

Funshine Day Camp Little Chefs

Reagan’s first camp of the year is here. Another great camp at Funshine Day Camp. This is a small camp which holds about 4 half day camps throughout the summer. They have always been a huge hit with my girls. Each session is a different topic. This one was titled “Little Chefs.” The kids got their hands dirty in the kitchen making all sorts of yummy treats. Reagan can now make you a yummy meal of ants on a log, pizza, and a dirty sundae for dessert. The sundae starts with yogurt. Crush a few oreos on top for the dirt. And top it with a few gummy worms for fun.