Wind River Ranch

Mike and I had the opportunity to spend the week in Colorado. This vacation was a HUGE blessing for us, as it was a chance for us to enjoy some time away before the craziness of the church plant begins :)

We left early (3am folks) on Sunday and drove the 14 hours to Estes Park. It was a good drive, but we were ready to make it to our destination: Wind River Ranch.

Looking pretty weary after our long drive...my sweet husband forgot to tell me that we would be greeted by the entire staff and a required photo. Oh well. We were glad to be there!

Mike had worked at WRR in the summer during college, so it was fun for him to be back and fun for me to see the place he has talked so much about. We got to stay in the Cottonwood cabin for the week:

Yep, that's a Keurig you see in the mirror. It was fantastic.

Just some pictures of the ranch...

We really just loved being in the mountains, enjoying the beauty of God's creation...

Every morning, we had an adult Bible study out on the deck of the Ranch House. It was a great way to start the morning, opening the Word with other believers from all over the U.S.

How can you not worship Jesus with a view like this?

Waiting for Bible study to start...

Since WRR is a family camp, there was no lack of fun activities all week. From horse rides and rodeos to square dancing and a hootenanny, we thoroughly enjoyed all elements of the dude ranch  :)  We were blessed to meet so many sweet families during the week, and we definitely had a lot of goofy fun. But we both admitted that our time at WRR would be that much more fun with a family of our own. But as a couple, we made the best of it! :)

Horse Orientation...

The Wranglers getting the horses ready for us...

Waiting for our turn on the horses...

Mike and his horse "Rip"- I rode behind them on the trail, and let's just say that the horse was appropriately named...

Me and my horse "Mitzy" - she was a sweet horse, even if she did try to nip my leg...

Olympic egg races :)

We participated in a lot of the activities, but also allowed time for just the two of us on our own adventures. On Wednesday, we headed up into Rocky Mountain National Park. We had great weather, and we enjoyed driving through the park and walking through the Alpine Tundra.

Love!

Marmot. The only picture of wildlife I managed to get a picture of...I saw elk and even a bear (sic 'em!), but wasn't quick enough to snap a photo. Oh well. This guy was cute.

On Thursday, we got up really early to hike up Twin Sisters. We started out while it was still dark outside and made our way through the WRR property to find the trail up the mountain. This was my first hike up a mountain; it was incredibly hard, but I am so glad I did it!

Still too dark outside to get any good pictures, but we made it about half way up to Gorilla Rock about the time the sun was coming up over the mountains.

My mountain man ;)

With the altitude and my severe lack of being in shape, I was certainly feeling every muscle in my body. My knees took a beating, especially on the descent. But reaching the top was definitely worth it :)

We didn't do much the rest of the day, since I could barely walk haha. But it worked out great, because a storm rolled in so we ended up having a lazy rainy afternoon playing board games in the cabin.

We had a great week in the mountains, and we are just so thankful for the blessing of having a vacation! We were sad to leave the beautiful setting, but we are thankful for the time the Lord allowed us to have at Wind River.

With my honey :)

Of course, no road trip would be complete without a little road adventure. Poor Peabody suffered a flat tire about 25 miles north of Amarillo. 

But even as inconvenient as that was, the Lord was still taking care of us. We were able to pull off the road safely, got some help from a friendly Texas State Trooper, and made it to the Discount Tire in Amarillo 30 minutes before they closed (and wouldn't reopen until after Labor Day!)

The Lord is good, and is always taking care of us.   :)