Aug 24, 20223 min read

Garden of the Gods

Updated: Sep 6, 2022

It was finally time to leave the Horsetooth Reservoir. Our next stop was Mueller State Park, near Colorado Springs. We started driving, but after twenty minutes, we stopped to go to Grace Community Church in Loveland. The Church was all decorated for their VBS, which happened to be the same theme as the Church in Fort Collins. After the service we were on the road again.

[All of the kids fell asleep as we were driving through Denver. After Pickles and KC woke up from their nap, we were driving through the heart of Denver. They got to see the

"tall bigger city buildings" while BOB slept through it. He also missed the exciting capers of a small mouse that I noticed came from under my (Mom's) feet in the co-captains chair. It then continued on it's way along the couch towards the kitchen, and managed to disappear under the desk. KC saw it; thankfully Pickles had her headphones on playing on the iPad. I am sure BOB would have woken up (and the bus would have swerved) with the shrill of Pickles. After that incident, it wasn't too long before it was our exit for Colorado Springs. BOB slept the longest; I think he finally rolled out of bed when we pulled into the parking lot.]

-MOM

We stopped at Garden of the Gods to hike. We left the bus in a parking lot and drove the Jeep to the visitor center. We looked around the center and learned some interesting facts about dinosaurs and other animals. We got to feel a real buffalo hide, and did you know that bees aren't the only insects that make honey. (Check out the quiz at the end!)

Then we got back in the Jeep and drove around the park. We stopped at a hiking trail named the Siamese Twins . It was a cool hike because there were lots of stream beds running across the trail that we had to jump over. We also got to climb on the rock formations.

I also spotted a lizard on the side of the trail as I was looking for cactus. It blended in well with the rocky ground so I didn't notice it at first, but when I did, I called out to the kids to come look at the lizard. They got to see it before it disappeared under a rock.

After the hike, we drove past Balanced Rock. It was weird seeing a rock that big just sitting there with not much holding it up. Then we left the park and went back to pick up the bus and get some food. Then we were off again.

On the drive to Mueller the kids watched a movie in the back, but before we knew it, we were there. It was raining as we dumped and filled our tanks, but it stopped once we were in our campsite and there was a pretty rainbow and mountain view as the sun was setting. We fell asleep knowing we made it.

Stay tuned for more Life on the Bus

Written by BOB; Edited by Mom; Fact by Pickles

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Facts with Pickles

The New Madrid earthquakes that struck in Missouri in 1811-1812 were so strong, they shook the ground as far away as New York City and Charleston, South Carolina. The quakes caused rivers to flow backwards and new lakes to form.

-Pickles

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Whose Honey Is It?