Twice as Grand

Without the amazing friends that we already had out here in Colorado, I'm not sure we would have survived the tough transition.  In fact, before we even set foot in our new house, we already had two mountain getaways planned with some of our closest friends -- the Smiths and the VanBerschots.  Coincidentally, both weekends happened one after the other, and both weekends happened to be in Grand Lake.  But you can never have too much of a good thing, right?

The first weekend, we did some "cabin camping" (which is about as rustic as I get) with the Smiths and their friends the Fredlunds (who then became our friends):

Our cabins were simple, but sufficient.  No running water or bathrooms.  But at least our neighbors left their hunting trophies out in the sun for the kids to gawk at.

Ready to begin our hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Watch out for mountain lions!

Actually, they were on the hunt for unicorns.  And we saw lots of clues that they exist, including quite a few suspicious piles of "unicorn poop."

Ready, set...find those unicorns!

Checking out the view.

Mountain framily.

The boys were really excited to climb on the rocks in the Colorado river.

That is...until Aaron slipped and got dunked in the icy cold water.  Good thing the sun was strong that day!

Waiting for our boat rental on Grand Lake.

Sweet girls.

Everyone buckle up!

Did I mention it was a booze cruise?

Surf's up, dude.

Is there anything better?

I stand corrected.  This is actually better.

Paying the price for having too much fun.

On the way home, we stopped at the Continental Divide for a quick hike...

...and a Christmas-card-worthy family photo.


Classic.

They're pros at this now.

Final selfie before heading home.

The following weekend, we went back up to Grand Lake.  This time, we stayed at the VanBerschots' vacation cabin.

On our first night, we got to roast marshmallows in the front yard!

Manly men.

Getting that perfect golden brown flavor.

Fireside snuggles.

The next morning, we got to go on another hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Rock climbing with Ella and Anna.

And of course, we had to stop by the lakefront for a picnic and some fishing.

It was nice to be by a lake again.  We miss lakes.

Bye bye, Grand Lake.  Thanks for two awesome weekends in a row!