In 2016, Tanner and I started our tradition of spending our birthdays together doing something memorable. That year, we went to an Orioles game together just the two of us and I paid to have his name be put up on the Scoreboard. We had so much fun that we decided to do a trip together the next year and we've continued to do that ever since!
This year, we did our trip a couple weeks early and just got home today.
Here we are ready to go at 6am on Wednesday morning!
By 8:30am MST, we had landed in Denver and met up with Carrie and Eli! We made our way to the Marriott Vacation Club in Vail and checked into our room.
Welcome to Vail!
Not only did we meet up with Carrie and Eli, but also with my parents!
We went out to a delicious lunch and then spent the next several hours exploring Vail!
Tanner down by Gore Creek.
Thursday, we woke up early and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park - it was the first time to this National Park for all six of us!
Birthday Buddies 2021
Our first stop was to Coyote Valley Trail
It ran along the Colorado River.
I'm guessing by our next Birthday Buddies trip, my buddy will be taller than I am!
Excited to be here!
Herd of elk in the distance.
Next, we drove up and down Trail Ridge Road (after stopping by the Kawuneeche Visitor Center - we entered through the Grand Lake Entrance) and had FIVE moose sightings! You can see two in the distance in this picture.
We sat at the side of the road for quite a while just watching them. Always fun to see animals in the wild!
Stopping at the Fairview Curve lookout.
Pano shot of Tanner and Eli.
Mom and Dad at Fairview Curve.
And then we made our way to the Continental Divide (covered in snow!) at Milner Pass (10,758 feet).
By then, we were hungry so we decided to check out the Grand Lake Lodge, where we stopped for a picnic lunch.
The boys had fun checking out these old-school fire engines and cars!
Stepping back in time. 🚗
Lunch with a view!
After lunch, we started our hike.
All six of us went to Adams Falls.
It was a short hike (0.6 miles R/T) but it wasn't easy in the sense that it was not on a smooth trail. There was a lot of climbing over and around rocks, logs, tree stumps, etc. So, I was proud of these two for doing it. It was worth the view for sure!
Fun to be here with my National Park-loving dad!
Tanner exploring Adam's Falls
After Adam's Falls, my parents made their way back to the car and Carrie, Eli, Tanner and I forged on to see what else we could see farther down the trail. We came to this huge meadow/overlook where they said wildlife sightings are common. No such luck for us, but it was still a great overlook and luckily between our two herd of elk and five moose we had seen earlier in the day, we weren't too disappointed!
Making some pretty incredible memories with my boy!
Carrie and Eli
Cousins
We made our way back to the trailhead where my parents picked us up. While we were hiking, they were exploring the great town of Great Lake and came across this ice cream shop right on the lake and took us back here. All the ice cream is hand made and it tasted SO good. They had some really inventive, creative flavors and was seriously the best ice cream I've had in ages.
Great way to end the day!
Cheers!
When we got back to our hotel, Tanner and Eli talked us into doing the "Build a Buddy" activity. Tanner picked out a moose and Eli picked out a bear. They stuffed and made their pet animals....
And named them. Eli named his bear Smokey and Tanner named his moose Rocky.
The next morning, we parted ways with my parents and Carrie and I surprised the boys by taking them to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, the only mountain-top amusement park in the country! Here we are ready to board the gondola.
And here we are at the top of the mountain!
The first thing we did was ride the mountain-top alpine coaster. It was AMAZING! One of the funnest things I've done! We loved it so much, we also made it the last thing we did before heading home as well!
Some pretty incredible scenery that you go whipping through on this alpine coaster!
Tanner and Eli ready to go on the Soaring Eagle Zipline Ride.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is also the home of two caves that you can tour: Kings Row and Fairy Caves.
Inside King's Row.
But probably the most thrilling things we did was to ride the Giant Canyon Swing.
It whipped you over the mountain top and then swung you back so fast, it looked like you would crash into the side of the mountain, but instead swung you over the top and then back again. It was crazy fun!!
This was a little much for Carrie, so she sat this one out and served as our photographer while some random dude sat next to me. I think he was the loudest screamer of all of us!
The boys had fun doing this rock climbing wall and racing each other. They did this several times each and loved getting to the top and ringing the bell.
And then we made our way back down.....
Unfortunately, instead of hopping on I-70 and making the three hour drive back to our hotel by the Denver airport, we learned that a Semi had crashed on the highway and blocked the entire interstate. They expected it to be closed for hours, likely through the night. So...... we had to take a THREE AND A HALF hour detour making our three hour drive into a 6.5 hour drive, which meant we didn't get to our hotel until 11pm and Tanner and I had to get up at 4:30am to catch our 6:50am flight. It was brutal. BUT, our detour took us through Steamboat Springs, which is in my 1000 Places book, so that was a bit of a bonus at least!
Tired from a non-stop three day trip with a 4:30am wake-up call but so happy and grateful for everything! For the memories we made, for spending time with my parents, from bonding with Carrie and Eli, from seeing God's creations to everything else. Another Birthday Buddies trip is in the books and now it's time to head home!
