lego builders

The boys loved the opportunity to build with a huge supply of legos! We also got to see a big group of actual lego builders in a meeting. The version of Georgetown's Healy Hall was a favorite. The view of some big structures from the boat cruise was really fun thanks to the bad jokes from our boat captain.

lego themes

Probably not surprisingly J was really good at the Ninjago ride and on his first try was able to take a spot the leader board for the day ;) There was an adventure tunnel where you had to search through different lego lands for different keys that spelled out Imagine.

coaster face

Check out those coaster faces ;)

legoland remix

We had free Legoland tickets to show dad around and it felt like we saw a ton of different things the second time around. It was again not at all crowded and we could jump on nearly every ride right away. We had a ton of fun on the coasters especially the favorite Technic race track. The boys were pumped to pull us up the lego tower in these fun hanging seats. The Fairy Tale ride had so many lego creations!

sea life

The Sealife Aquarium linked to Legoland led you through two stories of really amazing fish tanks with legos added to the mix. There were interactive parts to examine the fish and even a luminescent bay with lights that moved under you.  These guys earned those funny lego diver hats by gettting a stamp at each of their learning stations.

pacific ocean

We enjoyed sunset at the Carlsbad beach! Skipping rocks in the Pacific :)

good list san diego

We flew back into town from Denver, cleaned the laundry, and then headed out on another quick trip back to San Diego. This time we had plans for J to test drive some custom made guitars at the K iesel factory.  He picked out a new build for his full professor promotion. It should arrive around his birthday in July . We found the best sweet treats at the Cravory Cookie Shop ;)

nature and science 2

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has so many cool dioramas in the older portion. The dinosaur exhibits took you through different eras. So well done!

nature and science 1

The coolest job at the museum was this woman who was answering questions dressed as a Martian researcher on their faux Mars research station in 2044. She is pretending to be stationed near Candor Chasma, a real place near the Martian “Grand Canyon.”  The boy’s used the earth projection to zoom in and find Central Park and even our house! They loved the bioluminescent creature exhibit with real luminous scorpions!

red rocks 2

This visit to hike up to the Red Rocks Amphitheater was a highlight for me. I hope to get there for a concert someday... The boys climbed around on the rock backdrop and really took in the views. They let people bring drums and other instruments to play so you could hear the acoustics playing off all the rocks.

red rocks 1

Check out the amazing views from the Red Rocks! Everywhere you looked from just about any trail was beautiful.

dino discovery

We took a shuttle up and down the ridge so we could hear the tour explain all the details. The tour included a stop at the exploration station which housed many different artifacts and a kids area the boys enjoyed....especially that maniac dino guy ;)

dino ridge

Dinosaur Ridge is a really unique spot where the first stegosaurus was found! There are real dinosaur tracks or trace fossils revealed on the cliff of a mother and juvenile moving back and forth along what was a coast line a long, long time ago. There is a crocodile print and three different dinosaurs along the ridge, the Eolambia, Acrocanthosaur, and the Ornithomimid.  There are also spots where giant Aptosaurus imprints are revealed from underneath where the earth lifted up.  From these prints you can tell that they were toe walkers like us since they dug in more at the toe.  There are also sites of fossilized dinosaur bones and other marine creature fossils.

denver zoo 2

We didn't miss a section of the zoo and covered a lot of ground. Turns out Aiden can jump as far as a red panda in that exhibit pictured below.

denver zoo

We visited the Denver Zoo which was another favorite for the boys. The river otters and bears, especially the red panda were favorites. The river otters were making the funniest chirping noise. They taught the elephant to kick a soccer ball during the training show.

rocks

These guys are so drawn to any rock or boulder they see. The views of elks and other animals relaxing under trees was exciting to see along Trail Ridge Road.

hiking

You ascend to over 10,000 feet on the road this time of year, so Bear Lake was still completely frozen. The hike to the lake had snow packed higher than the railings and the signs! The Alluvial Fan is such a cool area with waterfalls all over the giant rocks.

wildlife

The views all around Bear Lake and Trail Ridge Road this time of year are so pretty. We had such a nice day we were lucky to see so many different animals (even tho the ranger warned us we may not see many to fill in their junior ranger guidebooks) - bighorn, elk, mule deer, chipmunk, and many birds and butterflies.

rocky mt

I've heard a bunch of people (Worldschoolers especially) that cite Rocky Mountain National Park as one of their favorites. I'd say we caught it at the ultimate time of year, since it wasn't crowded yet (requiring a shuttle, etc) but the weather was perfecto. We watched the snow melts flow and the boys were desperately hoping to see a river otter, but no luck.

boulder treats

The boys and I so enjoyed wandering around and enjoying the many restaurant options near our hotel. Plenty of ice cream treats too!  There was one place called Glacier Ice Cream which was the best - they had a peanut butter oreo flavor called Funky Donkey I keep day dreaming about...  The coffee shop/bank hybrid was hosting a superhero event which was super fun!

tulips

These tulips were blooming everywhere throughout Boulder! We had absolutely perfect weather - especially since days before we arrived it had been snowing!

bolder boulder

The Boulder area is really full of gems. The boys were so excited to visit this play area that was literally a series of boulders to climb around on. They would've stayed there all day! There were a ton of street performers, including our favorite the Zip Code Man. He literally has the ability to immediately recall ALL zip codes (US and International!) - So you'd tell him your zip code and he would place you on a map and then tell a story about where everyone visited. He was not only able to tell us the exact town name but even the street we lived near for Fairfax, Willoughby, Hudson, etc etc. It was pretty remarkable!

boulderado

We tagged along with J who was attending a conference at UC Boulder. Everyone stayed at this historic Hotel Boulderado right off Pearl St, which had some history in the mix like that old cash register and the working old water fountain.

packrats

The Desert Museum just opened a brand new, large scale packrat playhouse. It hosts a giant cactus play structure and creatures to crawl around on. This visit we saw a bunch of wildlife in the wild along with some favorite guys on exhibit. The puma definitely thinks Keaton and his buddy Felix are dinner.