Today is the day we finally got into the mountains. My big-city driving skills are pretty rusty, and I struggled to keep up with Matt and Cassie through Denver and up I-70. We exited on US-6, and began the fun* drive up to Loveland Pass.

We started the hike up, and came across snow! It’s very strange seeing snow at the end of June!

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We had some light rain on the hike down. Once we reached the van it really started coming down. The rain, sleet, hail and thunder made the drive down the pass that much more interesting. Those high elevation storms are no joke. We drove through Keystone on our way to Cassie’s parents place, known as “The Lodge”. After a quick break for lunch, we hopped on our bikes and biked to a playground on Lake Dillon. While the kids were busy playing, Jackie and I snuck off on a quick ride along the lake.

Back at The Lodge, we ordered some pizza and discussed with brewery we should visit. It was Father’s Day Weekend, after all. 🙂 We decided on Outer Range in Frisco. Once we got there, we could hear the DJ pumping the music from the parking lot. What were we getting ourselves into? We are about 20 years past that kind of bar scene! We ordered some beers and joined the other families with young kids on the outside patio. The kids all took over the outside area, and had fun running around and dancing to the music. As we were getting ready to leave, there was an announcement that there was a telescope moon viewing on the upper patio. Ellie thought it was very cool to see the moon so close like that.

We finally left the brewery, and headed to the Comfort Suites in Dillon. A jam-packed and fun first day in the mountains!

* Other’s in the van did not think it was a fun drive. 😜