Colorado Springs Arrival [2.8 miles]

We arrived in Denver early in the morning and were taken by bus to Red Rocks. In order to begin acclimating to the mile-high altitude, we took a 1.8-mile hike around the park, ending in the stunning Red Rocks Ampitheatre concert venue. Unwilling to be satisfied wuth their exertions, the boys challenged each other to run up the 67 rows of benches to the top a couple of times. This was, in the words of Daschel, “a bad idea.” Looking up at the towering rocks which formed the amphitheater, it was amazing to see the striated rock thrust upwards by geological forces to almost a 45-degree angle. They called the two large natural formations on either side Ship Rock and Creation Rock.

After another hourlong bus ride, we arrived at our second location, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. While we were unable to tour the campus due to COVID, we hiked along the academy property for a bit, getting a bit more exercise before we headed to the hotel.

We were all pretty excited when we arrived and found out that we were staying at Great Wolf Lodge and had the full run of the resort. The boys spent the rest of the afternoon at the waterpark, and after Blue Sky provided a warm dinner of spaghetti and meatballs (with plenty of breadsticks), they even convinced me to join them on the whitewater raft. They also convinced me to try the Wolf Tail, a vertical drop in a darkened tube. Following Alex's advice, I held my nose to avoid getting my sinuses filled by a jet of water.