We continue to enjoy everything that Colorado Springs has to offer. One pleasant surprise (among many) is that we've found that the winter weather isn't nearly as severe as we thought it might be, and in fact has been quite nice for the most part - one sunny day after another, daytime temps in the 40's and 50's, and only the occasional arctic blast or passing snow shower to remind us that we are, in fact, living next to the Rockies.
We have had a couple of weeks of severe cold, including one stretch when the overnight lows got well into below zero territory and never got above freezing for about 5 days, but that has very much been the exception rather than the rule.
Our seasonal highlight was being able to host Mike, Jennah and the grand kids, along with Kevin, who flew out from St. Augustine, for the Christmas holidays. It was a great family time for all of us. We even had a chance to enjoy the grand kids on our own for a couple of days when Mike, Jennah and Kevin headed up to a nearby resort for some snow boarding.
Jennah and Makenna building a gingerbread house.
Makenna and Dad trying to figure out one of her early Christmas gifts.
Nice shot of Rita and her "boys".
Nana and Grandpa in front of the tree.
And Shane enjoying one of his toys.
Had a fresh snowfall just before everyone arrived, so we headed up to Mueller State Park one day for some light-duty sledding with the kids.
Mike, Jennah and the kids.
A consultation at the top of the sledding hill before the first run of the day.
And they're off...Nana and Makenna (with Makenna hanging on for dear life).
The tax you paid for the short run downhill was a seemingly much longer walk back up.
It really was a pretty day to be outside in the snow.
Our first attempt at building a snowman was a qualified success given that everyone was severely out of practice.
Another nice family shot before heading back down the mountain to the relative warmth of the city.
After everyone departed Rita and I took advantage of another snowfall to rent some snow shoes and head back up to the State Park for some hiking. I was initially concerned that there might not be enough snow for a proper workout but I needn't have worried - there was plenty. The first half of what turned out to be a rather ambitious 6 mile circuit was gently downhill in about 4 to 6 inches of powdery snow...kind of fun actually, especially since we seemed to be the first people to use the trail after the recent snowfall - lots of trail blazing and absolutely gorgeous winter scenery. The second half was "not so much". Had to regain the altitude we'd lost during the first 3 miles, plus the snow got progressively deeper and deeper as we wound our way back thru the trees...towards the end we were slogging thru about 12" of new powder, which made the going extremely difficult. Our hearts were pounding like hummingbirds in some places (those snow shoes started to get REAL heavy after a while), so we had to stop to take shorts breaks and generally catch our breath before proceeding on to the summit at the 10,000 level. By the time it was over we were pretty comprehensively bushed. Am guessing that the 6 miles of snow shoeing was the equivalent of at least double that distance of regular hiking. It was a great day out, and a terrific workout for both of us, but we sure learned our lesson - we won't be nearly as ambitious with the length of the hike next time. We liked the excursion so much that we've started casually keeping an eye out for snow shoe sales - wouldn't mind picking up a couple of pairs if they come available. It really is an enjoyable winter sport.
We're just planning to hang around here for the next several months. Our next mini-trip will be down to Santa Fe over the President's day holiday weekend - have booked a condo near the local ski resort with Mike & Jennah. After that we're looking forward to our next major excursion...to Ireland for a couple of months starting the end of April.
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