Traveling with the Family

Last Monday, I drove to Dillon, CO, to meet up with my aunt, who's spending the summer there. My parents and brother flew into Denver and arrived in Dillon on Monday afternoon as well. Dillon, about an hour west of Denver, has the unique combination of a beautiful lake and views of snow-capped mountains. Absolutely gorgeous. And for me, the higher elevation provided a well-needed break from the scorching heat of Grand Junction (which hit 100 twice while I was in Dillon!).

Here are some photos from Dillon.

The amphitheater where there are free concerts several times each week.

And here's the family in front of Lake Dillon.

On Tuesday, we drove scenic roads through the mountains to Boulder, where we explored the walking downtown of Pearl Street. We also walked around the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Very impressive. Here's a view of the flowers on Pearl Street.

After that, we made the short drive over to Denver where we watched a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field. My family went to a game there when they visited Colorado in 2009, but I was working as a camp counselor and didn't make the trip. I feel lucky that it worked out for me to join them this time around.

Our seats were unreal. We sat in the second row behind the visiting team dugout. And one of us was lucky enough to even get a ball :)

4th of July

I had to work on the 4th of July. Before you feel bad for me, let me explain.

On July 4, 1911, Colorado National Monument's first park ranger, John Otto, climbed to the top of Independence Monument and raised an American flag, which could be seen all across the canyons of Colorado National Monument. Climbers have continued this tradition for more than 100 years. In recent years, the local search and rescue team has led the climbing trip, and park visitors gather in the canyon and at the overlook to watch. Here's a little more info about the tradition: http://www.nps.gov/colm/historyculture/freedom-flies-high.htm

Another ranger and I worked at a tent at the Independence Monument Overlook. We set up spotting scopes to watch the climbers, handed out little flags, and answered questions about the monument, the tradition, and John Otto. It was a blast watching the climbers ascend and talking with incredulous visitors. There was even a news crew from Denver that came to cover the event. I really enjoyed seeing the foreign visitors waving their American flags.

Here's a photos of our tent at the overlook.

They made it! It wasn't very windy, but you can see the flag up on top. You can see some of the steps that John Otto carved into the sandstone going up the right side to the top. Click the photo enlarge.