Our Trip To Pikes Peak

I recently wrote about a trip we took to The Royal Gorge. You can read that post by clicking here. I now want to focus on the trip we made to Pikes Peak. I remember taking a trip to Pikes Peak as a little girl and was very excited to be able to take my daughters there. One of the reasons we picked Colorado for our vacation was to see the mountains. Both my husband and I had been to Colorado before, but our daughters had never see mountains. So, going to Pikes Peak was important to us.

Originally called Pike's Peak, for the discovery led by Zebulon Pike in 1806, this mountain is now referred to as simply, Pikes Peak. 

Before we left home, we had a wonderful study about Zebulon Pike.  

Below you can find wonderful learning resources on Zebulon Pike

 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/p/pike.shtml

http://zebulonpike.org/

Pikes Peak Fun Fact

The most visited mountain in North America and the second most visited mountain in the world behind Japan's Mount Fuji is Pikes Peak. It forms a stunning backdrop for Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods. At an altitude of 14,115 feet above sea level, Pikes Peak is the 31st highest peak out of 54 Colorado peaks.

 

Upon entering we had to stop at the Pike National Forest sign and get a picture. It's a must in my opinion. We also stopped at the Corwe Gulch Picnic Ground for a little hiking. This picnic ground is located 3 miles up Pikes Peak Highway.

Our next stop, was at the Glen Cove Inn.

Glen Cove Inn was originally a cabin settled by Frank Tweed in 1886. He later developed the cabin into a station for travelers up the original carriage road. Though it has been completely rebuilt, the foundation of Tweed's cabin is still part of the construction.

Today, the Glen Cove Inn offers travelers a gift shop, restaurant and restrooms. In the summer months, rock climbing lessons and panning for gems is also be offered.

My daughters were excited to finally see some snow. My oldest took the opportunity to make a few snowballs. :)

On the way down the mountain, drivers are asked to stop at Glen Cove to have their brake temperature checked by Rangers. This is done to ensure your safety as you continue your descent.

One of the things we really enjoyed seeing as we neared the top of Pikes Peak was the large amount of skiers and snowboarders. I was amazed at their braveness.

As we finally started to get close to the summit house, we were stopped and told we couldn't go any further. The snow was too deep on the road. So we pulled off to the side, along with many other people. My husband and daughters decided to run up the rest of the way. The snow was a little too deep, so needless to say, they didn't quite make it. 

 I stayed back and took pictures of the amazing views. 

After playing near the top for awhile, we eventually made our way down the many twists and turns.

We stopped at the Ute Pass to see more beautiful views. 

After our long day on Pikes Peak, we were starting to get a little hungry. So we stopped at an awesome little cafe at the bottom called Mildred's Cafe. This place was awesome! The food was excellent and the homemade ice cream was delicious. We highly recommend it.

We had a wonderful trip to Pikes Peak. Are you interested in taking a trip to Pikes Peak?

Check out http://www.pikes-peak.com/ for more information.

Check out our trip to the Royal Gorge

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Choctaw Frontier Days ~ Field Trip & How to Make a Whirligig

Hello Friends, My daughters and I recently attended a very fun and educational event called Choctaw Frontier Days. It was a ton of fun and we're already looking forward to attending next year.

Choctaw Frontier Days celebrates the Oklahoma Land Run of April 22, 1889. 

There were planned activities at this educational festival, specifically tailored to school children, They included historical presentations, re-enactors, cowboy and cavalry encampments, a jailhouse, mock gun fights, old-fashioned games and more. I'm glad that we had the opportunity to attend. 

The girls had a chance to see the Marlow Gunfighters

The Marlow Gunfighters are an Old West historical entertainment group based out of Marlow, Oklahoma. They have performed throughout Oklahoma at town festivals and events.

You can learn more about them on their FACEBOOK page

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The girls also got to meet Kent Shelton as Buffalo Bill Cody.

We all really enjoyed Kent's presentation and he shared a lot of fun facts about the life of Buffalo Bill and about the pony express. Kent preforms at a lot of events and festivals around Oklahoma. You can learn more about these events by visiting his FACEBOOK page. 

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The girls got to make their own button and string whirligigs. They thought it was such a neat pioneer toy. They have still been playing with them. 

Want to learn how to make a button and string whirligig?

Click here to download and print our 

How To Make a Whirligig Instructions

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The last thing we did before we left was take a little carriage ride. It was a fun experience for the girls. 

After the carriage ride, it was time to make the long drive back home.  It was fun and we will be back.

 If you are ever in the area at the time of  Choctaw Frontier Days,  I highly suggest attending. 

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PBS Kids ~ OETA ~ Explore the Outdoors ~ Field Trip

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Do you live in Oklahoma? 

If so, there is an event that happens yearly that I think you should know about. It's a wonderful learning event and it's FREE!

It's the PBS Kids ~ OETA ~ Explore the Outdoors Event.

You can join OETA at Oklahoma’s beautiful State Parks

for a day of FREE family fun and outdoor activities! From investigations of wind, trees and habitats 

to nature hikes and recycling activities, families can learn up-close about nature and the environment!

This Year, OETA Has Expanded Explore The Outdoors To FOUR State Parks: 

CLICK HERE to see if there is a State Park close to you and to see dates.

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My daughters loved the event. They always love getting out in nature and exploring. Through the event they were able to learn, build, paint, and explore. One of their favorite parts was being able to meet and do an experiment with Jessi Crino, the host of What's the Deal?  

What's the Deal? is a web show about finding out how things work.

After completing their experiment they each received a cool What's The Deal? t-shirt. Of course they had to put those on immediately. 

The girls also had the opportunity to meet and listen to Al Bostick. Al is a an artist and amazing story teller. His career spans some 30 years in the Oklahoma region. It was a pleasure to be able to listen to him entertain us. 

The girls also enjoyed building structures out of clay and toothpicks as well as also painting a picture of what they were observing in nature. 

The girls also got to see Curious George. They thought that was pretty fun. 

There was also a tables set up that gave the girls opportunities to learn about minerals, oil exploration, and animals. Each table presented a ton of educational facts in a fun and easy to understand way.

At the end of the event they each received certificates of completion. These state they they had each completed 4 hours of additional studies in STEM, Physical Education and Social Studies at Explore the Outdoors 2015 

As you can probably tell, we had a blast. We hope that you get the opportunity to attend as well. 

Want to learn more about OETA?

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/OETAOK

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/oeta/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/oetaok

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MyOETATV

Instagram:

https://instagram.com/oetaok/

I'm Linking Up With:

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A Field Trip to Kansas

Hello friends, Have you ever thought about going on a trip and then just jumped in the car and left? We recently did just that. We were sitting around after supper one evening talking about a town in Kansas my husband had spent some of his childhood in. My daughters were very interested in this town and wanted to go. So, we packed our bags and were out the door in less than two hours.  It was exciting! 

We spent quite a few hours visiting the town my husband lived in. The town was Sublette, Kansas.  We visited two homes where he had lived and the school and church he had attended. We also took a break and let the girls play at the playground he had played at when he was their age. It was a blast listening to his stories and the girls thought it was very neat. 

After touring the town we ventured around to other areas that he had remembered visiting as a child. Below you will see a couple of the fun places we explored. 

The Dalton Gang Hideout

Meade, Kansas

The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during the 1890s. If you are ever in the area it's a nice place to visit and the museum is filled with lots of history and interesting things to see and learn about. 

Meade State Park, Lake, Wildlife Area and Fish Hatchery

Meade, Kansas

The Meade State Park was a very beautiful area. For nature lovers who like to identify various different trees, grasses, flowers and birds, a nature trail offers birding, biking, and hiking opportunities. There is also a small lake that allows fishing year-round. We really wanted to visit the Meade State Fish Hatchery but they were closed. I thought it would be a wonderful learning opportunity for the girls to see what hatcheries are all about. 

Big Basin & St. Jacob's Well

25 miles east of Meade, Kansas

St. Jacobs Well is a sinkhole that always holds water, even during dry years. It has never went dry. Historically, St. Jacob's Well and Big Basin were used as landmarks and watering sites on trail drives that were bringing cattle from Texas. A Living Water Monument commemorates the area's importance to early settlers. The most visible animals of the area are bison.  It was a beautiful area and we really enjoyed exploring it. 

Below is a short video about the area. 

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We had a blast on our trip and we all learned a bunch of really cool history and interesting facts.

Have you been to any of these areas? 

We would love for you to tell us about it in the comment section below. 

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