Colorado Day 5

Since there was no way I was going to run while in Colorado (yes I'm training for a race in San Francisco, what's your point?) I went for a walk/hike each morning. As I headed out I took a picture of the Chalet instead of the mountain for once.

It was time to change things up.We had a time scheduled for zip lining and 12 of the 15 of us were going to do it. We followed the map (after living on this property for 7 summers the map confused me) and found this.Looks like a zip lining place to me, doesn't it you?

But after waiting...and waiting...and waiting for the staff to show up to do it, I started calling the front desk. Let's just say, an older volunteer, a map that even she couldn't really understand, and five more calls got us no where.

Since we were killing time I...

took picture of the kayakers on the pond...used the timer to take a group shot...worried about Shawn's calorie consumption for the day...cracked up when Scott came up the hill with his new walking stick...and almost falling over laughing when Kennedy showed up with one bigger!
During the last phone call to the confused phone answerer, we decided we were in the wrong place and after I walked around for about 20 minutes (turning and heading up hill after hill when she tried to explain it to me) we found it! Apparently we were at the high ropes course which has a zip line at the end. So we were half right!

We were now after another family instead of ahead so we sat down and started watching and learning.And then it started lightning, thundering, and raining.

After 45 minutes skies were clear, stomachs were full, and we headed back over.

Reagan, my baby went first. The climb up the tree looked scarier than the fall and zipping! I kept waiting for tears but there were none. She went for it! I was so proud!The line was really long and after going to the end you slid back about a fourth of it. At that point the person retrieving grabbed your rope when you dropped it, and pulled down the tower to get you down. I loved watching how it just unfolded!You just sat on the little bench and unhooked your carabiners and then climbed down and ran the harness back up the hill to the next person on the tower.I loved how they'd balanced it out perfectly! Wonder how many tries that took.Dad didn't do it, and mom ended up giving her turn away, one sister-in-law chose not to, and our nephew Phillip is in a wheelchair. If the zip lining had started on the ground he could have done it, but going up a tree wasn't an option. The rest of us each took our turn working our way up the tree, and taking that terrifying lean off the platform.

Shawn, ever the rebel, went backward.Kennedy...oh my sweet little Kennedy...this is as far as she got. The tears started falling as soon as the "Zip away" call came from the retriever. She then had to climb back down that tree! We are finally deciding she might have a little height fear.Our nephew Andrew decided to be like his Uncle Shawn and went backwards.
Scott. Shawn's oldest brother is a little....heavier...than the rest of us were. At one point he started going backwards and his head was just mere inches from banging on the ground. This picture is blurry but I'm the only one that caught that moment!Our niece Emily was not sure she wanted to do it until she was pushing herself off the platform. She looked so calm and collected as she zipped past.Our sister-in-law Elizabeth was all smiles and waves as she went past Shawn.Can you see me in the background? Can you tell I'm seriously second guessing this whole endeavor?

But too soon I was climbing up the tree.And somehow I leaned off that platform and sent myself down the zip line. It was amazing and I'm so glad I did it!By McKinley's second time past me she was showing off a bit:c)And finally Shawn's brother Steve got his turn. He had the biggest smile on his face!Because of the mix up and the storm and delay, the staff offered to let us do the high ropes course as well for no charge. Because of age Reagan wasn't able to do it, and she was not happy about that. I had planned to until I saw that I'd have to be reaching over my head a lot to grab onto things. Since my right arm won't go over my head, I was also out. I got to take pictures and be McKinley's buddy so I still felt involved. Shawn, McKinley, and nephews Andrew and Patrick headed up.This was the point that his speed made the ropes shake!His long arms were perfect for reaching from rope to rope. Made me worry about when McKinley was going to be on that part.Doesn't she look tiny up there?? She fell once but slowly but surely made it through the whole course.Can you imagine taking that first step?? As a former rappeler I know what that feels like except I was going backwards when I did it!Reagan took over as her buddy (checking to make sure her connections had been tested at each tower) so I could run (yes run) up the hill where the zip lining would end.And here she comes!
After a very competitive game of putt-putt (where I took no pictures because I was in it to win it) we headed to the gym and game room for some fun before dinner.

I was the reigning air hockey champ last year but sadly lost to Patrick and Shawn this year.I do want a rematch!

After my crushing defeats I took McKinley on in pool. I hit in every ball but one. That means all of hers and mine. Her face explains how she felt about that.And then something amazing happened. Mom wanted to play. Being the good Nazarene girl that she is, she had never even touched a pool cue. Never. But since she was on vacation with her boys and her grandchildren, she played a few times. To say that we were shocked and impressed would be an understatement.After refueling at dinner we headed outside for my dessert from the night before that had been rained out.S'mores!!From now on, s'mores in my backyard will not be as exciting. I need this backdrop with me all the time now.I had everything set up on my lap and I made s'mores as they roasted their marshmallows.

Can you tell the Hershey bars had been in the car for 12 hours?This family...if you like smoke in your eyes, sit by them. Actually it was just Scott. Where ever he went, there was the smoke. You now that saying, smoke follows beauty? Well our smoke was obviously confused!This? This made me glad I was the s'more assembler. I didn't have to make sure this was taken care of.After about 30 s'mores were made McKinley snapped this picture of me. I've titled it, "What do you mean you want another s'more??"Eventually all the uncool adults went inside and four cousins and the coolest aunt and uncle and mom and dad stayed outside:c) Someone had to watch these crazy children!Since I was going to be out there I grabbed my tripod and Shawn and I played around with shutter speed to get fire and star pictures.So our last night in Colorado was coming to an end. I couldn't pull myself away from the fire. And to prove that, ten days later my hair still smells like a campfire. I promise I've washed it!