Gunnison and Crested Butte

Since we missed out on some family time together in the midwest, we decided that we all needed a little trip this summer. Eric took the week off and we drove the Eurovan into Colorado without specific plans, knowing that we'd start in Gunnison and head to Crested Butte. We camped four nights and splurged on a hotel the last two nights.

We camped the first night at Hartman Rocks, a BLM area with great trails and sweet smelling sage. The kids loved to play on and around the rocks. They named a bunch: Caterpillar Rock, Roly Poly Rock, Mountain Club Rock. We all liked it so much we stayed the second night there. Eric and I ran on the trails and we went into Gunnison to check out the town.

We brought the bike trailer for Elise and Gus but forgot the connector piece. Bummer. Elise got rides on Eric's back which was way better!

This was our second campsite. We drove through Crested Butte, the ski area at Mount Crested Butte and the biological research in Gothic to this little campground. Even though it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere, there were tons of mountain bikers, hikers, campers, horseback riders, and wildflower lovers around.

You just cannot stop yourself from running in the wildflowers and picking bouquets.

Eric went on THE mountain bike ride just down from our campsite. It is a classical because it takes you through huge meadows of flowers with spectacular views of the mountains.

The kids and I hiked near our campsite into gorgeous flower meadows. We couldn't stop picking flowers so we had flower bouquets, flowers on the picnic table, flowers in our hair, and even flowers on the van.

Elise gave everyone flowers.

Some real cowboys camped near us. They lived on the other side of the mountain and were rounding up sheep. They were rough and tough, but gave us their horses to ride up and down the road. As the girls rode "Toby," Gus yelled and yelled for his turn. He got his chance and was SO happy!

You know you've been camping when you wear pants like these for days. Eric and I decided that we could use a hotel so we packed up and drove into Crested Butte. After lunch, we found the adventure park at the ski area for rock climbing and bungee bouncing until closing time.


We look pretty good after a shower, huh?

We rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain and hiked the last 1/2 mile to *almost* the summit.
The chipmunks loved Elise. They came right up to her and one was about to crawl in her lap. This girl is meant to work with animals.


The Secret Stash had fun drinks, and a groovy atmosphere where we ate super tasty pizza on the floor. It was really worth the 2+ hours wait!

Before we left Crested Butte, we walked through the Arts and Crafts Fair in town. The kids had a blast at the art alley where they could be artists.

The best part was watching the girls draw each other.
Gus couldn't resist trying on all the hats. What a cutie!