Flying to Denver and Driving to Estes Park

In our last stateside year (2021) we visited six national parks- Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier. We made plans then to visit the four national parks in Colorado on our next stateside year (2025). In mid- May we set off on that trip.

 

We had wanted to do it in July while already in the U.S., but our summer schedule filled up quickly. Instead, we went from Guatemala. We made it a combined trip celebrating the end of the school year, successfully completing our first year of high school, Cruz’s 15th birthday, and the upcoming end of our fifth term of service.

 

To say we were excited would be a huge understatement! We were all ready for some wide open, fresh air, outdoor, scenic spaces!

 

Here's my first of many posts about our incredible family vacation trip to Colorado.  

These are the places we planned to visit on this trip. 

 

 

on the plane ready to get the adventure started 

 

We flew Guatemala City to Los Angeles.  Here is a view of SoFi Stadium as we were landing.  The boys were excited to see it. 

 

 

A view of the ocean as we took off in Los Angeles. 

 

 

Next stop, Denver!!! 

 

 

A gorgeous view of the snow covered Rocky Mountains as we flew over them. My eyes filled with tears as I looked out and saw this view.  I think I was more excited about this trip than any trip I have ever taken in my life.   

 

A rainbow in the distance as we landed in Denver 

 

It was nearly 10:00 pm when we arrived at our Denver hotel.  There was a Chick-fil-A next door but the dining room was closed.  We got our food to-go and ate it in the room.  We could not wait to enjoy that delicious chicken!!

We were up early the next morning eager to get on the road.  We had breakfast at the hotel and then set out for Wal-Mart.  We love Wal-Mart and could not wait to get there! We picked up lunch picnic supplies for the week and then drove on towards Estes Park. 

The boys loaded up and ready to go. 

 

Our first view of the mountains in the distance. 

 

We drove through Boulder and passed by the University of Colorado.  Yes, we looked around for Coach Prime, but we didn't see him. 

driving to Estes Park 

 

Once arriving in Estes Park we stopped for coffee and then headed towards the national park.  We passed by the famous Stanley Hotel on the way there. It was fun to see it in person.

 

Next I'll share about our first visit to Rocky Mountain National park.  It was a snow filled day and one we will never forget.

Back in Vegas (Road Trip out West Post 12)

 

Our time at Zion National Park had come to an end.  We left our hotel in Springdale, Utah after breakfast with the goal of arriving back in Las Vegas by mid-afternoon.  I took one last photo from our hotel before we left. 

 

back on the road

 

We made a stop at Wal-Mart in Hurricane, Utah to pick up a few snacks to fly back with us to Guatemala.   These were Ben's choices.

 

On the drive back to Vegas we crossed into Nevada, then Arizona, and then back into Nevada again.

 

 

We arrived in North Las Vegas just in time for our 3:00 COVID test appointments.  We did them at a Walgreens drive through.   Thankfully only three of us had to be tested.  Guatemala only requires it for everyone ten and up.  Ben was happy about that.

 

We spent the next two days in Las Vegas awaiting our results before flying back home to Guatemala.

 

I had done some research on "free family friendly activities to do in Las Vegas with kids".  I compiled a list of things I thought would be fun and that is what we passed the time doing.   Two websites that I found most helpful were lasvegaskids and familyvacationcritic.  Here are all the free things we did-

 

We enjoyed walking through the Venetian to see the gondolas and shops.

 

 

It was funny to see the Statue of Liberty with a mask on.

 

We visited the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign.

 

The line to take photos in front of the sign was extremely long so we just walked over to the side and took a quick selfie.

We drove about ten miles out of town to see Seven Magic Mountains.  I had seen others post photos of it and I was eager to see it for myself.

 

It is just these large painted rock pillars but the colors really pop against the desert backdrop.

 

On this particular day they were pressure washing them so they had a barrier around the area. Normally you are able to walk right up to them and take photos.

 

The colors were just as beautiful as I had imagined them to be.

 

On the way back into the city we made a stop by Speed Vegas.  This is the place where you pay to drive a fancy sports car around a track.   You can still enter for free as a spectator.  You first have to register everyone in your party and wear an armband.  That lets you pretty much get to explore the whole place.  We got to watch the cars race by as well as walk through the parking area to see all of the cars up close.  The boys thought it was super cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite things we did was tour the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.   Everything was very pretty!

 

 

 

Our favorite activity of all was the fountain show at the Bellagio.  It was simply amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

We visited the flamingos.

 

We also watched the volcano eruption at the Mirage.

 

 

We visited the Ethel M Chocolate factory and cactus garden.

 

They were not making many chocolates that day so we didn't get to see a lot of action.  It was still fun though just to walk around.

 

Just outside of the factory was the cactus garden.  You just walk through at your own leisure.

 

 

 

A highlight of our time in Las Vegas was getting to have a meal with Ms. Kathy Kelly and Mr. Harry Watson.  Ms. Kathy is a former IMB trustee who visited us back in 2008 when we lived in Coban and worked with the Kekchi.  That IMB Trustee trip was a lot of fun! She is a precious lady and has been a great source of encouragement to me over the years.  Mr. Harry is the Director of Missions for the Southern Nevada Baptist Association.  It was great to hear from both of them about the work taking place in their area.

 

 

We had an overnight flight back to Guatemala.   We dropped our rental car off at the airport around 5:00 pm and then checked in for our 8:00 pm flight. Here is Cruz soaking in the last views of the city before entering the airport.

 

Our family waiting to board our flight.

We saw a beautiful sunset as we left Las Vegas.

 

 

We had a short layover at LAX.  Our next flight left around midnight and arrived in Guatemala City at 5:30 am.

 

We had a beautiful sunrise to welcome us back home.

 

 Hello Guatemala City!