A Summer Vacation to Colorado Springs

It took us a long time to decide where to go on our summer vacation. We knew we wanted someplace where we could spend lots of time outside with plenty of room to run around and explore. We considered Star Valley, Redfish Lake, and Glacier National Park. We also thought about just repeating our vacation from last summer since it was one of our favorites ever. We also knew we wanted to travel with my brother's family like we have in the past, but we had a difficult time finding a rental that would fit all fifteen of us in any of the places I mentioned above (especially because camping is not a desirable option for us). 

One day, I was thinking about some of my favorite spots from my childhood, and I remembered a charming little amusement park (Santa's Workshop) in Colorado Springs. Since my brother had those same fond memories, I thought a summer vacation centered around nostalgia might be just the thing.

And everyone agreed. It checked all of our boxes: it was a day's drive away, it was a place we hadn't explored before as a family, there were plenty of outdoor activities, and Mike found just the right house for all of us (which I'll talk more about below). We were sold.

It ended up being the most delightfully relaxing, pleasant summer vacation. We wouldn't have changed a thing. Colorado Springs is surrounded by mountains, just like our beloved Salt Lake, so it both reminded  us of home and felt new and different. By the end of it, I was making Mike look up potential jobs in Colorado Springs (and if I didn't already have a child in high school, this would definitely be a possibility I would seriously consider). 

Here are the highlights from the trip:

The Breckenridge Troll

A few weeks before our trip, Ian was looking through the latest issue of National Geographic Kids. He showed one of the articles to me and said, "Look at these cool statues made out of wood." The article featured the work of Thomas Dambo, a Danish sculptor who recycles scrap wood, pallets, and other items to create amazing larger-than-life trolls. As I looked through the article, I was amazed to see that one of the statues, Isak Heartstone, resides in Breckenridge, Colorado, which happened to be a perfect little detour on our way to Colorado Springs. 

Isak Heartstone is tucked back in the woods. It was raining when we got there, but once we were in the trees, it didn't really bother us. We followed the path until we rounded a corner, and suddenly, there he was, looking like he was a part of the forest and had always been there. We marveled at all of the details: his hair made out of twigs, the way his eyes looked like he was peering down at us, his hand crooked around his staff. It was such a random but delightful little adventure and a great way to begin our vacation. 

Garden of the Gods

The house we stayed in was a mere five minutes away from Garden of the Gods, a red rock natural park similar to Arches in Utah. We spent some time there almost every day of the trip. It was so convenient to get to, and there were so many different hikes to explore. 

On our first day, we did the Perkins Central Garden Trail. This is the main trail that runs through some of the biggest rock formations. It is completely paved, which we didn't realize or we would have taken Silas in a stroller. We didn't get there until after 10:00am, and it was completely packed. It was not the best introduction to the park, to be honest, because it felt so touristy.

We wised up on subsequent days. On Sunday, we drove the entire loop through the park, making a stop at Balanced Rock. In the evening, everyone except Silas and me went on the Siamese Twins trail. The crowds had cleared out by that time, and everyone preferred the rugged, dirt trail to the paved sidewalk from the day before.

On Monday, Mike and I went back early in the morning when Silas woke up. We did the same trail they'd done the day before, as well as the Cabin Canyon trail. It was beautiful and quiet in the early morning.

On Wednesday, we did several short hikes with everyone: Strausenback, Balanced Rock, and Ridge. The trails didn't get nearly as crowded as the main walk through the park. In fact, we were by ourselves for most of the time. Each trail was fun and very manageable with little kids and showed us a different part of the park, which we loved. By the end of our trip, we had truly fallen in love with Garden of the Gods, and we were so glad we got to spend so much time there. (However, I'm not sure I would go so far as to say it was on the same level as Arches, Bryce, or Zion's in Utah, but its convenience to a big city couldn't be beat.)

Santa's Workshop

We couldn't go to Colorado Springs and not to go to this fun amusement park from my childhood. In fact, it was one of the main reasons we chose Colorado Springs in the first place.

I grew up in rural Colorado--about three hours from Colorado Springs--and one of our favorite day trips as a family was to go to Santa's Workshop. We went about once a year, usually in the fall, and we were convinced it was better than Disneyland (less expensive! no lines! a magical theme!). 

Both my brother and I have such fond memories of this place that it made sense to want to show it to our kids. My biggest fear is that it would be different than I remembered and disappoint me. I didn't want my nostalgia to be tainted.

But it was exactly the same! Not old or rundown but also not changed or updated. It had just been beautifully maintained. It felt like I was walking into the past in a really good, delightful sort of way.

Nestled in the mountains, Santa's Workshop claims the record of highest ferris wheel in the world (highest, not tallest). We arrived the minute it opened and didn't leave until the doors were being locked behind us. 

Some of our favorite things included: the icy "north pole" in the center of the park, the magic show (where Bradley got to help with one of the tricks), the rides (Ian was more of an adrenaline junkie than I expected), the darling little shops (my brother bought a German cuckoo clock as a souvenir), mailing my mom a postcard from the post office, doling out jelly beans one at a time for old time's sake, the giant slide (Silas went down it a dozen times), ice cream at the end of the day, and just walking through the park.

The only thing that slightly tainted our enthusiasm was the rule on some of the big rides that you had to ride with an adult if you were under 16 years old. These "big" rides are not what you would consider big at a theme park like Six Flags. It felt pretty ridiculous that even Aaron was not allowed to ride these rides without Mike or me accompanying him (and he's literally seven inches taller than me!). But luckily, only a few of the rides had this regulation, so we mostly went on our merry way. 

Mike let each of the boys pick out a souvenir. Ian and Clark both got stuffed animals (that they played with for the rest of the trip), Bradley got a walking stick, and Aaron got a hat, but Max just wanted to put money in a wishing well to donate to needy children. 

We came back home completely beat but so satisfied. There's just nothing like seeing your kids experience the same things from when you were a kid (and liking it just as much). 

The Local News

Our vacation went over the 4th of July, so we decided to go to a parade in the small town of Monument. We arrived an hour and a half early, but the streets were already completely packed. In true parade fashion, people had reserved their spots with chairs and canopies, leaving not even a patch of gravel for out-of-towners like us (true story: we finally found a spot next to some trash bins in the blazing sun . . . and were told we couldn't stand there). We eventually ended up on some grass about four rows back from the street. Not ideal for viewing the parade but nice for our kids to be able to run around.

And that's when we were found by the local news station. They approached my brother: "Is this your family? Can we do an interview?" We explained that we were not locals, and they said: "Even better! You came all this way just for the parade!" Not quite . . . 

We volunteered Mike to be the spokesperson. They asked him a few questions and then got a couple of shots of the kids playing. 

The parade itself was super lame and definitely not a highlight of our trip. We left before it was even over. But that evening, we tuned into the news, and there was Mike! We all cracked up when they introduced him as "Mike Johnson from Utah with his family of fifteen." Definitely made us sound like a polygamist family, but luckily they included a quote from him where he explained that we were two separate families. This was one of the more random moments from our trip, for sure.

Air Force Academy

Following the disappointing parade, we headed to the Air Force Academy. None of us had ever been to the campus before, and it was pretty amazing. It is so isolated from the rest of Colorado Springs. It has expansive grounds and feels very rural. After being crushed by thousands of people at the parade, the quiet solitude we found at the Academy was positively heavenly. 

We looked at all of the model planes, ate doughnuts under a huge B-52, walked through the visitor's center, and enjoyed the stunning views on a shockingly cool 4th of July. 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see some of the main attractions of the Academy, such as the chapel (enclosed in a big white box for renovations), the noon meal formation (doesn't happen during the summer), or the planetarium (closed), but we still loved our visit. We went back to our rental and watched Top Gun: Maverick to close out our very pleasant holiday. 

The Best Airbnb 

This vacation was made infinitely more pleasant by having the perfect home base. Situated in a beautiful neighborhood next to a large park, it could not have been better for our two families.

Mike and Gordy and the older kids played sports on the large field most days; Brooke and I played with the little kids on the playground. I took multiple walks around the park and neighborhood every day. There was even a nearby hike within walking distance.

The house itself was great with plenty of room for all fifteen of us. The basement was perfect for the older boys to use as a video game/foosball/air hockey hangout. The backyard was lovely and inviting. If we make it back to Colorado Springs as some point, I would love to stay in this same house.

The Flying W Ranch

We decided to trade off date nights with Gordy and Brooke's family. (We would have done a double date and just had Aaron, Max, and Bradley babysit all of the kids, but their youngest doesn't do well without Brooke.) 

For our date night, we decided to go to the Flying W Ranch, and it was SO fun and absolutely charming.

Surrounded by rocky hills, the setting was picturesque. When we arrived, we took some time to explore the grounds: there was a mama pig and her babies, a couple of regal-looking oxen, little gifts shops, chickens, a lassoing station, archery, and a small train that tunneled through the mountain. Before we went into the ranch house, we also enjoyed some Native American dancing.

Dinner was served chuckwagon style with brisket, beans, baked potato, applesauce, a roll, and cake slapped onto our tin plates faster than you could blink. We were seated at long wooden tables and happened to be right next to a couple who had just moved from Utah and another who was visiting from Germany. It was fun to see the whole, somewhat sensationalized, cowboy experience through their eyes. The wife wanted to know if all ranches in the western United States put on shows like this, and when offered the choice between turkey and brisket, she went with the turkey because she'd heard about how much Americans love turkey at Thanksgiving. 

After dinner, the Flying W Wranglers took the stage for some foot-stomping, hand-clapping cowboy music. They were really very good. It was such a fun night and the perfect end to our vacation. 

As we drove home, we all agreed that this is exactly the kind of family vacation we love: lots of outdoor activities, plenty of downtime, and a few unique activities. Continuing our summer burger tour, we stopped at Farlaino's Cafe in Price, Utah where each burger came with the biggest wall of fries we've ever seen. 

And when we finally pulled into our driveway, we all felt completely and utterly satisfied. Two thumbs up for Colorado Springs!