The kids had a slumber party last night, camping out in the living room. That worked great, until they woke up with the 5:53 AM sunrise. But not to worry, it just meant a slightly earlier start to a great day.
This was our day for family biking, and we took the lower path from the Skyland community down into Crested Butte. I was really proud of Miles and Emery; they both did a great job. This was a challenging ride for Miles. He had to navigate some narrow trails, and ride over quite a few rocks. The challenge for Emery was more about balancing on the tandem attachment so that Dad wouldn't tip! She did fine.
Once in town we went to the Trailhead Discovery Museum and Arts Center which is a recently opened Children's Museum. A local caterer was set up in the court-yard and immediately offered the kids a chance to decorate (and consume) cupcakes. Nice hook! Moving inside, there were lots of great activities for the kids. Emery was especially taken with a calendar game, and Miles gravitated toward a table of magnets (sorry ... bad pun intended) and a table of musical instruments.
But what sets this Children's Museum apart from any we've ever been to was the connection to local nature. We rented, for a very reasonable cost, backpacks for the kids that were filled with trail maps, books for identifying butterflies/insects/flowers, etc., and a butteryfly net. I'll admit I was skeptical, but Kristen thought it would be great for Miles and Emery ... and her instincts were right on. I give her all the credit for making it a memorable outing for us. She marched us right to the start of the trail, had the kids open their packs, and talked them through what we'd be looking for. I don't get to see Kristen morph into "field-trip teacher mode" very often, but it reminded me of why she is such a great educator. We had a blast on the trail.
Lunch today was at The Forest Queen, which used to be a hotel in town (now resturante and bar only) and a sentimental favorite of my father. Miles quickly pointed out that they had "Chicago Hot Dogs" on the menu, and a Chicago Blackhawks jersey on the wall.
A note for G-Bird: The Poppies here are really amazing. Kristen says she's never seen anything like the quantity and vibrancy. We've thought of you (and Poppy) many times this week.
We made it home by early afternoon ... just before a series of thunderstorms hit the area. It as the first significant rain we've had this week (the locals tell us it rained every day last week), and no one minded. More chess. More card games. And an intoxicating nap on the couch with the sounds and smells of a summer thunderstorm. I've never enjoyed rain more!
