Memorial Day family camp at NSCD

We spent a long Memorial Day weekend at the Family Weekend Camp at the National Sport Center for the Disabled in Winter Park CO. I use the term "camp" loosely, since we stayed in a beautiful million dollar condo (my kind of camping!). We flew up to Denver on Friday and drove out to Winter Park, where we spent the first night at the Rocky Mountain Hostel and Inn.

Since it was the first night the hostel was open for the summer season, we had the whole place to ourselves! We had a restful night's sleep in a very nice private room and the next morning woke to find a fully stocked kitchen, where we cooked a tasty breakfast.

Then it was on to camp. After settling in to the condo, we took off for Monarch Lake to canoe.

After a picnic lunch, we unloaded the canoes and kayaks.

Marcus gets a quick lesson in paddling.

We paddled to the end of the lake in search of moose, but, alas, no moose were to be found.

Then it was back to the condo for the night. With only one other father and son participating, we had plenty of room to relax.

The next morning we got up early, ate breakfast, and drove through rugged country up the Colorado River to go white water rafting. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the white water, because I was too busy paddling and trying not to fall off the raft!

Marcus and Gabriel did their share of paddling.

We lucked out on the weather, until the last 10 minutes of the raft trip, when it poured a VERY cold rain. We were glad to get into some dry clothes and get back to the warmth of the condo.

The last day we went on a trail ride (unfortunately I don't have any pictures). It was the first time I've had the chance to ride through such spectacular surroundings. Then, alas, it was time to leave.

I am so glad we went on this trip. It was our first family vacation in 13 years, since I never could afford to take time from work. After my heart attack last summer and Gabriel's deterioration during the fall and winter, I felt an urgency to do something special with the boys, to give them some new experiences. The only downside of the trip was coming back home to Texas where the temperatures are in the 90s (groan).