Follow The Sykes Birds: Sitting in Dillon

Our 2012 progress westward to Colorado included some familiar territory but with uncharacteristically higher daily mileages and a shorter time span. Five states; three overnights. The only real excitement came during a severe thunderstorm in Winner, South Dakota. Otherwise we put in a lot of digital book listening time as the Interstate scenery rolled past.

lightning strike time span: five minutes

settled into the backyard

This year time was of the essence. Amazingly we arrived on time and on schedule at Chris and Robyn’s to begin a two-plus week babysitting stint. Rather than park in the driveway as we had on past visits, we pulled (squeezed) into the fenced backyard. All we required was an electric hookup which Chris provided. Nights were spent in our RV for the duration of our stay but for convenience sake, we used their guest room bath for showering. Chewy, the family dog, was beside himself to have us share his yard. He found our RV a convenient hangout for shade from the sun and shelter from the occasional rain.

hiking above Lake Dillon

gearing up at Copper Mountain zip line

Carol in motion

A daily routine with Cali and Carter quickly developed. Though Robyn was now working full time, both she and Chris managed to juggle work schedules enough to spend a fair amount of time with us. When we did have the grandkids to ourselves, we corralled them into a few road trips. There were also times when one or both parents were home which gave us space to get out on our own for some serious birding.

overlooking Georgetown on the way up Ganuella Pass

lake near top of Loveland Pass

after hike tailgate snack

why they're called Mountain Sheep

As always, there was never a lack of things to do. Over our two-plus weeks we attended local events like the Family Fun Fest in Frisco, and a day at Copper Mountain Ski Resort (zip line and ski lift). We "escaped" for a day in Rocky Mountain National Park, and enjoyed hikes with the kids at Rock Creek Trail, Loveland Pass and some nearby parks. Guenella Pass from Georgetown had been recently reopened following a few years of closure due to a rock slide so we experienced the newly paved road to the summit along with more hikes. There was a day trip to Mount Evans and its historic scenic byway (the highest paved road in North America). Then another day trip to Boreas Pass. And, of course, there were local shopping trips along with opportunities for dining out (like the Mountain Lyon). By the end of our stay we had pretty much worn ourselves silly but had a lot of fun doing it...and the kids? They were more than ready to be back in school!