colorado

Upon our departure from Nebraska, we moseyed down to Colorado to spend some time with Sarah and James (and Lucy, Monkey, and Milo). It was nice to get some more relaxation in, eat some delicious food (if you have never grilled romaine or peaches, do it, now), and just catch up.

grilled peaches

On Monday morning we went out to Chautauqua Park to explore. This is one of our favorite city parks of all time. The mister was able to run Green Mountain, and I hiked and ran all over the place. With the Flat Irons looming over you, nicely groomed trails under your feet, and friendly outdoorsy people all around, it is hard to not have a smile on your face the whole time you are on the trails. It also helps that during the summer there are fun summer programs going on, like play sword fighting, in the green space.

the flat irons

the mister at the top of green

spotted on my run/hike

That afternoon we went south to Golden to meet up with my friend Michelle and get in an afternoon hike. We played around at Mount Galbraith Park and had a great time on the lollypop trail there. The views were amazing and it was nice to catch up after not having seen one another for a year. Plus, Michelle had just helped one of her aunts clean out her classroom and she gifted me with some items that have already been put to use in my classroom!

the mister playing around on mount galbraith

me and michelle

After our day of exploration, we met back up with Sarah to go out for sushi. We waited forever, but our rolls were pretty tasty. It was fantastic to sit, talk, and spend time together. After eating fantastic food, we had some pretty awesome milkshakes from Sonic (for half off since we were there late). It may not be an everyday thing, but those milkshakes were awesome (and served as a mid-morning snack the following day as we made our way to New Mexico).

aren't they cute

nebraska

Oh, the good life. There's just something about Nebraska that feels relaxing and comforting. Perhaps it is because our time there is always spent with family and friends. As our summer came to a close, it was fantastic to once again connect with family and to spend time with friends.

Alice loved taking selfies

Our time in Nebraska began on the east, where we were able to spend a night with the Blair Halls. We played with Alice, ate good food, and rode our bikes out for ice cream. Heather and I stayed up for hours on end chatting, and JD made a delightful breakfast of crepes in the morning. As always, our time quickly came to a close, but it's nice to have those moments to connect whenever we can.

photo by Heather Hall Photography

After Blair we began to work our way west. We stopped in Omaha for lunch with friends and then moved on to Lincoln for dinner, ice cream, and a night of walking the city. We had a lot of catching up to do, and we got as much done as possible with non-stop conversation. 

Leaving Lincoln, we made a turn south to Beatrice to visit the Homestead National Monument. It was a little out of the way, but it was well worth the trip. We saw a traditional homestead, listened to an interview with the last homesteader (1974), and walked through the prairie. We saw the tools that were used when individuals worked on their claimed property, learned about the hardships faced, and gained a better understanding of life as a homesteader. 

the proportion of land in Nebraska that was homesteaded

Finally, we really made our way west. We rolled into Ogallala in the late afternoon and once again relaxed with family. We were bombarded with great food (as usual) and were able to catch up on all that has happened since Bruce and Linda visited in June. Chris busied himself with yard work throughout the visit, but took a break to introduce me to some of his high school friends at his class reunion. And then, on Sunday it was time to take off again.

hanging out in the grasslands

The problem with summer is that it comes to an end. And this summer it has meant cutting things short thanks to a late start on our road trip. But, that's the way things go sometimes and all that we can do is make the best of it (which I think we do a pretty good job of doing).