Here in Colorado, the Rocky Mountains are our backyard. A couple weeks ago, we piled into the Volvo and headed up I-70.

Sander had a pair of $2k headphones to deliver to a client in Evergreen. {I'm always shocked at what people spend money on for quality audio...buuut...I'm glad there are people in the world who pay for headphones this expensive because it keeps gas in our car and food in our pantry.} He has a lot of clients in Evergreen! He's up there all the time.

So we decided to make a day of it and take the girls sledding in Conifer. I spent a good chunk of my childhood in Evergreen and Conifer, because Grandma & Grandpa lived there. Every time we drive through the Rocky Mountains, it feels like coming home. I snapped these photos of kids ice skating, people ice fishing, and Valley-Hi Ranch. Places of my youth.

Right in front of our car, a red-tailed hawk swooped up what was either a prairie dog or a chipmunk, and carried it off for lunch. Poor vermin! Majestic hawk! But what I'd really like to know is how I was fast enough to get a photo of this when I can never get a photo of the funny/cute/silly things my kids do before it's over? Huh? Explain that.

We stopped in Evergreen, because these days they have a drive-thru Starbucks. This is amazing. When I was little, we'd visit Grandma and all there was in Evergreen was a Safeway, Coney Island, and a Fantastic Sam's that Grandma once confused for a restaurant and took us to eat there. {Fanatastic Sam's is a chop shop salon.} We stopped, of course, because I Cocoa needed my her coffee "puppaccino" fix. No, really, the barista saw our cute obnoxious dog and offered us a "puppacino" on the house. She loved it. She has a Gold Card now, and goes everyday.

So driving into Conifer from Evergreen brings back so many memories.

That's Grandma & Grandpa Erickson's old place. Across the highway from their house is Meyer Ranch Park. AKA, the best sledding hill ever.

Grandpa Erickson, a true Rocky Mountain cowboy, cut branches from an aspen tree, carved us hiking sticks, tied leather straps on them, and took us on a hike up this mountain once. Another time, dad took me here to learn how to snowplough on my skis before my first school skiing trip in 4th grade.

Justin was set on taking the kids to Ruby Hill in Denver, which is impressive, I'm sure, and ran by Winter Park Ski Resort. But I said, no, while we're up in the mountains let's go to my old sledding grounds!

So we got out of the Volvo and piled on our snow pants and boots. The dog wore a sweater. I'm not sorry.

These photos don't really do justice to the Meyer Park sledding hill. It is long and we stayed on the "safe" side. Snowboarders, skiers, and crazy sledders come here and create ramps and humps on the west side. We stayed on the east side, and even then...you go fast.

Climbing back up is exhausting!

Cocoa may be small, but she is a hardy Colorado dog. She didn't shiver a bit, she loved it. She is addicted to Starbucks.

To say the girls loved it would be an understatement. Eisley especially, couldn't get back up the hill fast enough to go sledding back down again.

If my Grandpa Erickson were still alive, he would look at this picture with a twinkle in his eye and say, "She's my little Svenska flicka!" {Swedish girl} just like he always said to me {Papa Erickson was a Swede}. There's just something about a blonde in the snow that screams, "Svenska!!!"

Also, she met her first boyfriend that day. This cute little guy, who was about Eisley's age, was sledding near us and they got to know each other and sparks flew. He was one of the nicest stranger kids I've ever met. He even carried Violet's sled up for her after one run. {Later, when we got back to the car, Eisley blushed and said, "He was so handsome!" Oh dear. She noticed a boy. Are we there already?}

Violet wasn't quite as energetic as Eisley, what, with the up and down and up and down and up and down.

Pax went down a few times in the lap of Justin or myself, though I think he was just happy to be there.

Yep there's me, way down there, with Paxton.





This boy! I love him in his little snowpants. I just want to goose him.

Eisley & her first love:

Then, at last, it was time for the last run. The sisters went down sister-style.

Wheeeeeeeeee!

And Pax went down with dad, while I got stuck with the dog. We walked down discussing our chances of getting a second Starbucks run...

The best part about sledding at Meyer Ranch? This is the view. Yep, those are the cliffs we climbed up as kids. That yellow Victorian house looks just the same as it did 20 years ago. That's the famous Meyer Home, they had plans to turn it into the Conifer Museum. I wonder if that's happened yet...

And finally, the best part about such an outing with your kids is how well they nap and chill out afterward. We piled back into the Volvo and headed east on U.S. Highway 285 which turns into Hampden {which my Grandpa Erickson, as a state highway engineer, helped design and plan} which coincidentally leads us right back home.


Just another great day in our backyard.

Cheers,
Heather