Post by herchenx on Oct 1, 2012 18:15:02 GMT -5
Thanks to some recommendadions from Dicky here on the forum, I was able to find a fun weekend trip for the kids and I last weekend.
The snow is nearly upon us here (overdue in some places) so it was good to get one last (?) trip in with the kids.
We headed to Fairplay, Colorado (3.5 hours away) on Friday night and stayed at a little local hotel, the "Fairplay Valiton" - it was rich with history and we had a nice night. I didn't sleep much as I was sharing the king-sized bed with my 4 and 6-year-old.
We had breakfast in the morning in the hotel restaurant before heading out. Here is a parting shot of the hotel:
The aspen turned early this fall due to the dry summer, but there was still some nice color on the drive to Hartsel:
We arrived in Hartsel at the Bayou Salado Trading Post a little early (they weren't open) but the place was neat and the kids poked around looking at the bits of rock and antiques in the parking lot:
A quick group photo with some local artwork:
One of the owners, Lark, came shortly after and we met her and got to see some of the nice silver and lapidary work of her husband Dave (who we did not get to meet this time)
After getting some directions we headed out to a nearby hillside and the kids started exploring the dug areas and finding lots of tiny bits of blue barite crystals:
The view all morning from the hillside, South Park, Colorado:
We had to get back for a party so we headed out about noon. We stopped back the Trading Post and met a couple other local folks and got to say thanks to Lark.
Shots of the drive home:
Tonight we sprayed off as much of the iron-rich soil as we could, but it is pretty well on the crystals and I didn't want to be too aggressive with the pressure washer because the crystals tend to break apart fairly easily.
These photos don't show the blue well but they are all a pretty color:
The kids and I had a great time. My wife was out of town at a conference so it was a good excuse to get out.
The snow is nearly upon us here (overdue in some places) so it was good to get one last (?) trip in with the kids.
We headed to Fairplay, Colorado (3.5 hours away) on Friday night and stayed at a little local hotel, the "Fairplay Valiton" - it was rich with history and we had a nice night. I didn't sleep much as I was sharing the king-sized bed with my 4 and 6-year-old.
We had breakfast in the morning in the hotel restaurant before heading out. Here is a parting shot of the hotel:
The aspen turned early this fall due to the dry summer, but there was still some nice color on the drive to Hartsel:
We arrived in Hartsel at the Bayou Salado Trading Post a little early (they weren't open) but the place was neat and the kids poked around looking at the bits of rock and antiques in the parking lot:
A quick group photo with some local artwork:
One of the owners, Lark, came shortly after and we met her and got to see some of the nice silver and lapidary work of her husband Dave (who we did not get to meet this time)
After getting some directions we headed out to a nearby hillside and the kids started exploring the dug areas and finding lots of tiny bits of blue barite crystals:
The view all morning from the hillside, South Park, Colorado:
We had to get back for a party so we headed out about noon. We stopped back the Trading Post and met a couple other local folks and got to say thanks to Lark.
Shots of the drive home:
Tonight we sprayed off as much of the iron-rich soil as we could, but it is pretty well on the crystals and I didn't want to be too aggressive with the pressure washer because the crystals tend to break apart fairly easily.
These photos don't show the blue well but they are all a pretty color:
The kids and I had a great time. My wife was out of town at a conference so it was a good excuse to get out.