Ready to hear about our epic road trip from Wisconsin to Colorado?! Well, buckle up because this journey was 14.5 hours of fun, fur, and family bonding!

It was an unusual-timed trip for us since Dad is typically knee-deep in construction projects all summer, which is why our vacations are mostly reserved for the fall or winter. But this year, with a late July start date for dad’s job, the stars and construction schedules aligned for us to snag a summer vacation slot!

So, off we went, with our trusty puppy as the co-pilot, to explore the majestic Rocky Mountain National Park and seek out all the Colorado adventures we could find, from golfing to horseback riding to whitewater rafting. We had everything we needed for a successful vacation, until that moment of sheer panic when I realized I left my phone at home. A week without YouTube Shorts and no access to other useless internet information seemed unmanageable. But fear not! I unearthed a cat’s cradle book in my backpack and became the cat’s meow of string tricks by the time we would get to our Airbnb. Plus, Grandma (bless her heart) sent us off with blonde brownies and a big bowl of puppy chow (complete with personalized cups), so that also helped with my iPhone withdrawals.

The drive was an adventure in itself, especially when we hit the switchback roads; It was like driving through a giant pretzel! But we made it to our Grandby Airbnb in one piece. And, after settling in, we found a local restaurant to fill our bellies, (too bad it was a bit warm and mosquito-y) and then stopped at a nearby grocery store to stock the fridge for the week ahead.

Day one in Colorado started off with a leisurely exploration of the beautiful Shadow Mountain National Recreation Area and Grand Lake. We took our time soaking in the breathtaking scenery and fresh mountain air.

It was paws-itively perfect for Artemis, who not only got to tag-along everywhere we went, but she was also treated like royalty! Everyone wanted to love on our pet… From the generous stranger who gifted Artemis a gourmet dog bone to the dog-friendly restaurant that offered her a complimentary bucket of ice water, Artemis was living her best life!

Genesee and I were also living the good life, when we got to play miniature golf before wrapping up our first full day with an evening hike along the Granby-to-Fraser trail, right in our backyard. It was a scenic 2-mile trek that left us all feeling accomplished and ready for a good night’s sleep.

The following day, Monday, was nothing short of wild! And by wild, I mean wild animals because we saw lots of them! … Probably because we arrived in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) before the crowds scared away the animals. I guess waking up early, while the rest of the world stays asleep, has its perks sometimes. We saw moose, elk, mule deer, coyote, chipmunks, and even turkeys—often right out our truck window! Some might call it luck, but I call it “our tour guide is better than yours.” Thanks, Dad!

We traveled across Trail Ridge Road, a national designated All American Road, which spans 48 miles and reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet. Next, we embarked on Old Fall River Road, which is an 11-mile one-way gravel road, punctuated by switchbacks. Finally, after a wonderful picnic lunch at Lake Irene, we left the park and returned to Grand Lake for shopping and ice cream treats.

Not only was that cute little town fun for humans, we also found it to be very accommodating to dogs. Artemis made lots of new friends there and enjoyed her first pup cup. After that experience, Artemis declared that all future sweet treats must always be sent to the Lab for testing.

By early evening, we discovered the Strawberry Lake Trail and hiked almost 3 miles before returning to our Colorado home to grill some burgers, relax in the hot tub, and play a fierce game of pool (which my mom will tell you that she won, but I will tell you that she cheated).

Since RMNP was so majestical and because we hadn’t explored enough of it, we returned on Tuesday, especially to hike the Alluvial Fan trail and Beer Lake Loop. These were two shorter, family-friendly trails that we intentionally sought out since we’d have to keep Artemis in the air-conditioned, running truck, due to dogs not being allowed on park trails. I hated to leave her behind, but I’m also glad we did because the views we discovered were absolutely incredible! Equally incredible, however, was the shocking discovery that Artemis knows how to roll down windows. Yikes! Luckily, our pup remained in the cab and so we’re still a party of five.

Our third full day in Colorado also included a visit to Estes Park, where we ate lunch by a lake (while Artemis attempted to befriend Mallard ducks), played more mini golf in all of the elements (sun, clouds, wind, rain, even hail!), and then shopped our hearts out. At dusk, we got to drive back through RMNP and were greeted with herds of elk and even more moose. What a magnificent nature show we were fortunate to witness!

Wednesdays are for conquering fears, apparently, because mom and dad booked a horseback riding adventure at Winter Park Trail Rides, which made me a bit nervous. In fact, I would have bit my fingernails if I had any left. I just didn’t want to die, ya know? And, as luck would have it, I ended up with the most challenging horse of all: Smokey. According to our guide, Hayden (nicknamed Sticky Butt), Smokey was a wild mustang from Nevada and the only horse (out of 300+) she’s ever been bucked off of. Mom said being paired with Smokey was something I manifested due to all of my worrying. Luckily, I lived to tell the story.

Meanwhile, the rest of my family trotted peacefully along the trail, with a beautiful mountainous backdrop, on horses (and mules) named Morgan, Bert, and Ernie. Morgan was the largest horse of all, and so naturally, Genesee wanted to ride her. Good thing Morgan was a gentle giant, and although Genesee never got bucked off, she did fall head over heels for that horse. In fact, she cried when it was over. But 90 minutes of equestrian adventure was about 89 minutes too long for me, so the only tears I thought about crying were tears of relief. I mean, it was kind of fun, but I’ll definitely be requesting a well-behaved horse next time.

After all of that horsing around, my parents treated us to snow cones (and pup cups) and then Dad and I hit the Pole Creek Golf Club to take advantage of their twilight rate, where we could get in as many holes as possible before sunset, with our tee-off time of 5:24. It was a true success: we both cleaned up nice, we played well, I managed to lose only one ball, and we picked up Domino’s supper to bring back to the ladies.

For our final full day in Colorado, my parents decided to test my courage even more by scheduling a whitewater rafting trip on the Upper Colorado river, through Mad Adventures. I was super scared to face my fears head (and helmet) on, but our guide, Cassie, assured me that I would have fun. And she was not wrong.

The scenery was absolutely stunning, as we paddled past mountains and forests, tackling level 1, 2, and 3 rapids. The first half of the trip was a bit cold and rainy, which conveniently masked my shivering as a reaction to the chill rather than my nerves. But then, as if on cue, the sun came out for the second half, warming up my body and my spirits! In fact, as I watched my 6-year-old sister fearlessly participate in cliff jumping and even volunteer to guide the boat, her courage started to rub off on me.

By the end of the rafting trip, I was requesting 360-degree spins, assisted with the paddling, and even played “rodeo,” where I stood on the front of the raft while everyone tried to knock me off and into the water. It was the adventure of all adventures and the highlight of the trip!

Unfortunately, we had to leave Artemis in her kennel at the Airbnb while we set sail on this excursion, but she had an adventure of her own when she learned how to unzip her kennel door and escape like Houdini!

From the scenic drives and wildlife encounters to the unforgettable adventures and quality time with the fam, my wanderlust reached new limits. So, on that last evening, we raised our glasses at a local Mexican restaurant, reflected on our trip, and vowed to return to the beautiful, delicious, and exhilarating state of Colorado one day.

But first, we’ll need to tackle the 14.5 hour return trip home, which Dad has threatened to do with minimal potty stops so that we can pull into the garage before midnight.

Please send your biggest wishes to our very small bladders as we trek cross-country to the Badger state. Or, if you catch us at the rest area, doing our walk of shame in wet pants, please just look the other way. You didn’t see anything.