Friends from faraway meet for family fun

Favorite Vacation Moment

Western Colorado, CO

by erab89 March 17, 2008

steamboat on horseback

My best friend moved from our small Illinois town to Las Vegas about five years ago. We vowed to stay in touch but as often happens with long distance friendships, we had resolved ourselves to talking mostly on holidays and birthdays. In the summer of 2007 my father passed away and I needed my best friend. We reunited in Steamboat Springs Colorado. Both families drove many miles to reunite four little boys (ages 11, 10, 9, 7) two helpful husbands and two sisters of the heart for a restful week in the mountains.
Steamboat Springs is wonderful in the summer! This ski town is alive in June with float trips down the Yampa River, horseback rides in the mountains, hikes through beautiful nature perserves and relaxing dips in the nearby hotsprings.
The town has wonderful restaurants and shopping too! All of us fell in love with the icecream and candy store Fuzzwigs which is an enchanting Willy Wonka version of fun. (We went three times).
The bus system is easy to navigate and bicycle rentals offer a fun alternative transportation to help keep this trip affordable. Royal Gorge and Pikes peak are just a small drive away and offered opportunities to look at the natural wonders, study the history and hang out with some real cowboys! Steamboat is the ideal place to reunite with loved ones and meet everyone's entertainment needs. There are even free concerts in the park and a local rodeo.
Then came the good byes and the long drive home. We had made each of our boys their own travel planners complete with maps, car games, journal and boredom busters which have served as souveniers and guides to plan our next reuion trip.
My memory book has a photo of our family on horses with mountains in the background. The Steamboat mountains became a reminder of friends that stand in the backgrounds of our live. Always there even if you don't see them for a while.