What I Did On My Summer Vacation, part two

Glenwood Springs edition!

The other weekend, we piled everyone in the car for a quick weekend trip into the mountains, to Glenwood Springs, CO. The quick trip up there was derailed slightly by having to replace all four tires on my car, and redo the alignment, but that aside, it was a great weekend!

We stayed at the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge, which came with complementary admission into the enormous pool complex. There’s a kids’ pool, hot pool at 102 degrees, and a gigantic, football field-sized pool that must have had hundreds of people in it, but never felt crowded. We especially loved the water slides! Friday night, I left Doyce alone to wrangle the kids in the hotel room, and treated myself to a Colorado River Rock hot stone massage at the attached Spa of the Rockies. I’m happy to say I was a much better person afterwards!

Saturday after breakfast at the hotel, we attempted to do the hike up to Hanging Lake, but arrived too late at the trailhead parking area for a spot. We walked along the Colorado River for a bit, then headed back into Glenwood Springs and up, via gondola, to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. Not just an amusement park, this park boasts the highest elevation roller coaster in North America, among other fun and exciting rides. In the afternoon, we hit the pool again, then went out to an amazing dinner at CO Ranch House. I may have proposed to my panko-crusted sea scallops.

Sunday, we hit the river, thanks to Blue Sky Adventures! Zoe and I skipped the class 3 Shoshone Rapids, but joined Kaylee, Doyce, Sean, and our guide Joe a couple of miles down the river for an amazing two hours on the Colorado through Glenwood Canyon. The views were amazing, and though we were a bit tuckered out afterwards, we rallied to pack everything back in the car, check out of the hotel, and still enjoy a few more hours in the pool before heading back home.

For a quick weekend getaway, it was a perfect, and I can see going up there again, maybe in the winter, to maybe ski in Aspen or Vail, enjoy the hot springs pool, and eat some more amazing food. Who wants to come baby sit our kids?

Full slideshow below, video compilation above! Most of my shots this weekend were in my iPhone, happily encased in a waterproof Lifeproof case, so I didn’t need to worry when I took it rafting, or down the waterslide at the hotel!