Location: West Magnolia Trail,, South of Nederland, CO
After surprising Krystal with the new truck and kayak, I informed her that we had plans :) The first of which was returning to the trails that doomed us in the CX-9 but this time traveling on and seeing what was around the next corner.
Side tangent: I think the thing Krystal and I both like most about off-roading is the whole concept about what's around the next corner. When you get out into the wilderness, there's always the possibility that you'll see something you've never seen before.
We went on the West Magnolia trail south of Nederland. It had just rained earlier in the day so the trails were covered in mud, which Logan absolutely thought has hysterical and couldn't get enough. We went with Mike as our guide in his Pathfinder and Erick as his passenger, and Logan was laughing so hard and with such innocence as the mud covered every part of Mike's truck in front of us. As we followed along and mud came up the sides Logan just continued to laugh and giggle while bouncing around in his car seat (meanwhile with all the bouncing Fiona was fast asleep). We drove over some really really small creeks which again Logan thought was really neat. We dropped the truck into 4 low and climbed what I felt were some pretty steep hills. At the top of one such hill, there was a perfect camping spot. Exactly what we were hoping to find, and only with our new 4x4 could we have found it. We marked it on the GPS and headed on.
Shortly thereafter from the backseat Logan exclaimed "THIS IS...INCREDIBLE." Krystal and I just looked at each other and were overcome with joy and couldn't stop laughing. It's in these moments where you know that you are doing okay at this whole parenting thing. These are the experiences I hope to provide to our children. I have so many memories like these from my childhood and they remain with me. That's another aspect of this whole 4Runner/kayak thing, I have this vision in my head of spending time outdoors with my family. I hear so often from co-workers how they trek their kids from activity to activity all week long, filling them up with quick meals not at the dinner table and it all seems so chaotic and pointless to me. I want our children to take life at a touch slower pace. To appreciate the simplicity of being under the stars, sharing stories, eating smores and having all these amazing experiences together. To eat a slightly burnt hotdog cooked on the campfire while half falling asleep after a day of new adventures.
After the steepest hill we came up to some old mining equipment and hoped out to take a look. By this time Logan was in iPod mode, which meant he was really tired and it was time for the iPod to parent and give him something to focus on (oh well, can't expect a 4 yr old to stay fully engaged on an entire trip). At this point we had reached the highest point of our little excursion and started downhill. I had the chance to get two wheels off the ground, and (according to Mike) flex the truck. Pretty cool knowing you can get off the ground and the truck can still carry along waiting to touch all fours again.
The second best (after Logan's giggling and general excitement) part of the trip was near the end, where the trail opened up to this beautiful field surrounded by snow capped mountains for what seemed like forever. That was the moment for Krystal and I personally, the whole reason we (as adults, not as parents) want to explore. Finding those special places tucked away and only found by turning the next corner. Krystal hopped out and snapped some photos. Unfortunately we didn't bring the nice camera but from here on out, it will be part of our travel bag for every trip. As we were headed back onto the highway we saw some signage that indicated this beautiful area was called Rollinsville. I imagine that we'll return to this area again and spend a weekend camping in one of the better handful of spots we found.
We finished off the evening with pizza and beer at Backcountry Pizza up in the mountain town of Nederland. Logan ate two massive slices of cheese :) That kid can put back pizza with the best of 'em.
Maybe this is me being too romantic but I'll never forget our first adventure and hearing Logan from the back seat "This is incredible!"
Mud Covered on Day 1
Our Guide Mike
Near the Top
View of the 4Runner in the Valley
Our Moment
Logans' Laughter
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