On Thursday Derek and his dad made the attempt to hike to Stanley Canyon Reservoir.  After three hours and still no reservoir, they decided to turn around and head back down the mountain.  Probably a good decision considering it was nearing the end of the afternoon and Derek had never hiked that trail before. 

So yesterday Derek and his dad had this bright idea to drive to the reservoir and hike a short way down to see how much further they would have had to go on Thursday if they would have kept hiking.  We set out driving by way of Derek's directions.  10 miles later we were driving along the mountain side on a gravel road in hopes of Stanley Canyon Reservoir as our destination.  Needless to say, we never made it to the reservoir and we aren't even sure there is a road that goes to the reservoir, but we stumbled upon beautiful views of Pikes Peak and the mountain side. 

The next time Derek's dad comes out to visit his goal is to "drive a mountain road".  We'll have to work him up to that considering he wasn't able to look out the window while we were driving along some of the mountain side!!  All in all, we had a good time with him out here visiting and look forward to the next time he visits. 

Beautiful views!

Pikes Peak

We've got a little hiker on our hands!!

On the side of the mountain :)

Kendall and I :)

Derek and his dad.

"I want to do it all by myself!"

Reading books.

Reading books with Grandpa Joe.

14,110 feet to the top of the summit of Pikes Peak.  Derek's sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel of our Trailblazer tighter and tighter as we approached each 1,000 foot marker.  As the tree line receded, the edge of the mountain became more apparent and the views were absolutely stunning.  It was a crystal clear day at the top of the summit and we were able to see for miles. 

All this in comparison to three years ago when we made the trek up the mountain in early June while the temperature was below zero and the sun was so bright reflecting off the mounds of snow, you couldn't even open your eyes.  What a difference four months makes. 

Although it was 41 degrees (25 degrees colder than in Colorado Springs) at the summit and there were a few traces of snow piles, the scenery was unbelievable and the trees turning on the way up the mountain gave us a sense of back home in Minnesota where the scenery in the fall is absolutely beautiful. 

We were even able to enjoy a short hike halfway up the mountain, but after spending 5 hours enjoying the views, we figured we better head back down before dark.  Check out some of the pics of our day :)

View from the top of Pikes Peak

Derek, Kendall and his dad at Pikes Peak

Derek, Kendall and I am Pikes Peak

Kendall loves hiking!

What a cutie :)

Derek and Kendall

Walking up from one of the trails.

On the way up to the summit.  (Pikes Peak in the background)

Down by Crystal Reservoir

Crystal Reservoir

Playing in the dirt!

Beautiful!

Hiking up the mountain :)

Derek, Kendall and his dad while hiking.

It was so nice to have the day off today and spend it with Kendall.  We went to the mall and Kendall played in the play place and then we played outside all afternoon.  It was 80 degrees and beautiful here today so we took advantage of it!!

I spoke with our daycare lady today and she said Kendall is finally starting to come out of her shell at daycare and engage herself with the other kids.  She said there is another little boy there that is almost 2 that Kendall really hit it off with.  Although I wish I could spend every day with Kendall, I know that it is good for her to go and interact with the other kids at daycare.

Some of Kendall's favorite new words are, "Uh oh" and "nu nu" which means nuk.  She is such a riot!!

Derek's dad flies in tonight for a few nights.  Hopefully the weather stays nice so we are able to show him a good time here in Colorado :)

Getting ready to go down the slide!

Climbing!

Gong down the slide again!

Mmmmm apple juice!

Kendall loves her puppies!!

265 stairs.  Man are my quads and hamstrings gonna hurt tomorrow!

Seven Falls in Cheyenne Mountain is absolutely breathtaking.  Those 265 stairs are definitely worth it!!  Derek may have a different answer however, since he had an extra 25 pounds of a little girl named Kendall on his back  :) 

The weather was beautiful today as we hiked through the mountain and enjoyed the scenic views of the canyon and downtown Colorado Springs.  Here are some pics of our day...

Don't ever forget to tell someone you love them. Life is too short. Remind them every chance you get. :)