A Family Adventure to Rifle Falls, Colorado
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 not to be there when Brevitt took a mean slash to the gut and writhed in pain. I’m not the type of mom to stay on the sidelines when my son is hurt 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 their new “aggressive” inline skates at the Snowmass skate park while Thumper watched from the sidelines. Baddy and Axel were leaving the next day on their outdoor ed Canyonlands trip, and I was determined to layer Axel in pads before he dropped in. A wrestling match ensued and I lost, but Axel was the one who suffered from his bad decision, launching in, falling on his wrist and fracturing his growth plate. Lesson learned? One can only hope.
Already packed, Baddy switched gears and took Axel to Moab for a father-son camping trip. When they returned, Axel ran around on his little sandpiper legs, excitedly describing how “Baddy” took them in the Subaru to a jeep track and gunned it, racing around the curves and up the banks. Round and round they went, Axel dizzy with elation. It was the bonding I had been hoping for.
Don’t ever let anybody tell you three kids are as easy as two. 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 the sun came out when I arrived the next day, and I spent a beautiful two days at a friend’s ranch in New Castle.
So it’s been an action-filled week of boy activities and injuries, but adventurous and, for the most part, fun. Enjoying our house while we still have it, we’ve been roasting marshmallows outside and collecting fresh eggs again. For diversions, we watched the river surfers at the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park and continued on to Rifle Falls. I recommend the gently rolling two-mile Bobcat Trail to anybody with kids, or without. The trail is full of hidden surprises as it winds along the creek and through fields of sagebrush. The boys loved going primal, exploring caves and waterfalls. Wade and I remarked on how the boys fight us on family excursions, but once we’re out, they’re the ones who take the adventure to new levels. Next time we’ll say we’re going for ice cream and take them up to Hanging Lake in Glenwood.
