The Calderwood Adventures Continue!

Our first day in Colorado we went with the family up to Ourey, an old mining town that is known as the "Little Switzerland" of the west. It was magnificent to see huge mountains on either side of you with steep valleys. I'm just amazed that back in the day people got up in these mountains to mine. Talk about dangerous. We were able to go on a short hike to some waterfalls and then spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying some natural hotsprings at the foot of the mountains. Ella LOVED the hot springs. It was the biggest bath tub she'd ever been in... me too come to think of it.

The photo below was taken right after our short hike with Grandma and Granpa and their three grandkids. Notice Granpa's shirt (Grandpa rocks). Very clever!

This is Shaun and I at the base of the waterfalls in Ourey

Another day Shaun's brother-in-law watched Ella so we were able to go up to Telluride, a ski resort area just an hour and a half from Montrose. There's a free gondala there that will take you up one side of the mountain and down the other to enjoy the views, shopping, and dining on the other side. The photo below is a view up the mountain on the gondala. And this is a view of the town below taken near the top.
And THIS, this is the view once your on the other side of the mountain... AMAZING! Some people's homes were built right into the side of the mountain so this is their view every day. Can you imagine?
After some fun days of sightseeing, the remainder of our time was spent visiting with everyone. I know Shaun hates being so far away from every one, but I think we got some quality visiting in, even though it took me and Ella a couple of days to adjust to the West Coast time.

This photo is of Haley and her soon to be husband, Jason. I hope we didn't scare him!

And the best part of the visit was Ella getting to know her "Annie". They spent a lot of good time together, and Steph"annie" was such a great hostess.
Ashlee and Bill also helped a lot with Ella. I like this family help thing. I think I've said this before, but I could use a nannie. I could even pay up to 20$/week:) Any takers?

Stephanie's dogs were great sports because they let Ella pull their ears and tackle them almost 100% of the time. The good news was both Ella and the dogs were drooling so it was like an instant connection:)

And what would a visit over the rivers and through the woods be without grandma? Ella loves her Grandma C and hopes to see her again real soon!
Thanks Steph, Ash, and Bill for a great visit! And thanks to Heidi, Paul, Maddie, Haley, Jason, grandma and grandpa for making the visit to see Miss Ella (us too, but really we know it's all about Ella).