[su_heading size=”18″]A Family Adventure to Rifle Falls, Colorado[/su_heading]

Whisked away I was this past week, into Never-never land. It began at the Aspen Lacrosse Tournament where we had a double injury day. With two games happening at once, I was thankful to not be there when Brevitt took a mean slash to the gut and writhed around in pain. I’m not the type of mom to remain on the sidelines when my son is injured on the field. Wade would have had to hold me back.

After the game, the sun miraculously came out and I took the boys to test out their new “Aggressive” inline skates at the Snowmass skate park, Thumper stayed on the sidelines watching. Baddy and Axel were leaving the next day on their outdoor ed Canyonlands trip and I was determined to layer up Axel in pads before he dropped in.  A wrestling match ensued and I lost but Axel is the one who suffered from his bad decision, launching in and falling on his wrist and fracturing his growth plate. Lesson learned? One can only hope.

Already packed up Baddy switched gears and took Axel to Moab for a father/son camping trip. When they returned Axel ran around with his little Sandpiper legs, excitedly talking about the trip and how “Baddy” took them in the Subaru to a jeep track and gunned it, racing around the curves and up the banks of the track. Round and round they went, Axel dizzy with elation. It was the bonding that I had been hoping for.

Don’t ever let anybody tell you that three is as easy as two children. The next week was Tucker’s outdoor ed trip. Baddy unpacked and repacked to spend the night camping with Hootie-Hoo in a torrential downpour. I was thankful that the sun came out when I arrived the next day and I spent a beautiful two days in Newcastle at John Kelly’s ranch. While there I was reminded of the last time I visited where I was watered by John as he showed off his hosing system in his green house to a beautiful mom. The term wall flower took on an entirely new meaning.

And so it’s been an action filled week of boy activities and injuries, but it’s been adventurous and for the most part, fun. Enjoying our house, while we still have it, we have been roasting marshmallows outside and collecting fresh eggs once again. For diversions we watched them river surf at the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park and continued on to Rifle Falls. I recommend the gently undulating two mile Bobcat Trail to anybody with kids, or without. The trail offers all sorts of hidden surprises as it winds by the creek and through fields of sage brush. The boys loved going primal, exploring caves and waterfalls. Wade and I commented on how the boys fight us on family excursions but once out it is they who take the adventures to new levels. Next time we’ll say we’re going for ice cream and take them up to Hanging Lake in Glenwood.