When I heard Girl Scouts of Colorado set up a special 100 year anniversary weekend for entire families to participate in, I convinced my husband we should spend that weekend in Colorado Springs. The children were begging to return to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and we had a great day there on Friday after setting up camp on Thursday night in Falcon. Of course the giraffes were the biggest draw. N didn't remember that part and really didn't like it at first, but eventually, after seeing her siblings smile and laugh, she began to giggle too. M showed once again that birds love her and she is really wanting a parakeet but I confirmed we are maxed out on pets right now. The good news is, a family membership only cost $30 more than a one day entry fee, so we can look forward to another wonderful trip before next July. Our membership materials say CMZ is ranked in the top 10 zoos in the United State and we completely agree!
That night we had hot dogs and s'mores over the campfire -- a must when you are camping or else you aren't really camping, right? I loved seeing the fields and wild sunflowers against the backdrop of the mountains. It's like being were my high school home and my home now meet. This was a really nice campsite and we are very willing to return!
Saturday meant trying new things and earning badges outside in the heat. Even though we brought the Sunbrella and an ice chest with extra water, we still hit up the Kona Ice Truck twice and spent a 2 hour lunch break at Chick Fil A to cool off. The children fulfilled requirements for the Brownie Fair Play Badge by throwing spears after hearing Spartan Race champion April Dee talk about how her hobby turned into her career. D and M really want me to sign them up for a Spartan Kids race now! They also worked on the Girl Scout Way badge by talking to women who had attended the 1959 and 1962 world jamborees (the first one being located near where we were) and learning about WAGGS from a woman who has visited all the world centers except Africa's portable one, and hearing a Juliette Gordon Lowe impersonator tell about the founder of Girl Scouts. Very well done. The impersonator was part of the mock campfire at the end, complete with Girl Scout songs. We really liked the Coconut song. For the Outdoor badge, D & M played soccer inside bubble balls. D went at it with all his might and at one point ended up on his head. Awesome. Fort Carson sent medics to help the children earn the First Aid badge. I was so impressed. We came home wanting to buy all the gear they had with them. Since D is interested in joining the military when he grows up, I asked if they had any advice. Answer: be on the track team in high school and go to college first. Good to know! For the grand finale, Miguel, of America's Got Talent fame, gave us a concert as we ate free pizza. Great way to end the day. K now added him to the list of people she has a crush on.
After attending church (that ward was sooo welcoming!) and taking down camp, we snuck in a trip to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings before heading home.
They very next weekend found me camping again. This time with my Girl Scout troop in a tent closer to home and only for one night. This was M's first experience fishing and she loved it! We fished at night after dinner and before s'mores and again in the morning after packing up camp. M liked it so much she refused to leave until I promised to buy her fishing gear. Did she catch a fish? Yes, one that weighed 120 pounds and had two legs. Yup, she caught me but it turns out taking a hook out of your hand isn't as bad as it sounds. So, on the way home, that's what we did. D and N were very happy I caved to M and would like to join her next time. I went to the chiropractor on the way home too because camping 3 out of the 5 weekends in the July can really put a kink in your back. lol
P.S. There was a huge storm, complete with hail that came through that night after s'mores so we put all the girls in my co-leader's mini van watching Tangled until it was over to keep them safe from the lightning. Somehow after this one of her van doors got left open and at 3am a lucky raccoon got to eat all the leftover s'more makings. I bet he had a stomach ache after that!
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