Copper Mountain / Warrior Dash Trip – August 2011

Prologue – About the trip.

Several months ago, Brian decided to sign up for the Warrior Dash. It is what has become termed an “adventure race”. Which means that it is a timed race, but in addition to running, there are all kinds of crazy obstacles to go through. People often come dressed in costumes, and pretty much everyone comes out covered in mud. He thought this sounded like great fun. So we planned a long-weekend trip to the mountains around it. We stayed 3 nights at Copper Ski Resort (which is where the race was), with stops at the Florrisant Fossil Beds and Breckenridge on the way there and back. Copper has become our favorite ski-vacation destination the last few years, so so were excited to see what it was like in the summer.

Chapter 1. Let’s get this show on the road!

The night did not go well. Owen did his usual wakings for milk, and Lily had trouble shaking a bad dream which led to me sleeping in her bed for a few hours. When I finally came back to my room at 5:30 am, I canceled the 5:45 alarm, and decided that that I would sleep as long as Owen would let me and accepted that we would be a little late getting on the road. So we slept until about 7am, then started the tedious process of getting everything organized, packed and loaded into the little red car.

We had been hoping to avoid taking the car-top carrier, so I packed as lightly as I possibly could to fit everything into just one large suitcase. We also had several grocery bags and coolers of food (since we would have a kitchen). We thought about taking Lily’s bike, but decided against it in the end. Finally, the trunk was as full as it could possibly be, as was the floor of the backseat! But we had gotten it all in without the carrier, so traveling would be a little less nerve-wracking. We had to make a quick stop by the grocery store (which ended up NOT being so quick because they were in the middle of rearranging everything), then drop Nala off at her cousins’ house. On the road at last!

Chapter 2. A little bit of geology..

We got to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument around 10:30am. Inside the visitor center, Lily showed the Ranger the Paleontologist  book she had been working on to earn her badge, and also got a Jr Ranger book to work on while we were there. The Ranger told us there was a guided hike along one of the fossil trails starting in about a half-hour, so we spent a few minutes on one of the shorter trails looking at the signs and sights. Also caught the tail end of  Ranger talk in one of the pavilions nearby.

There were lots of petrified tree stumps all around, some were gigantic! We met up with a different Ranger and some other visitors for our guided hike. It turned out to be a very educational hike! She told us about the geology of the area – how a volcano erupted 34 million years ago, causing a rapid mudflow that quickly buried everything and lead to the massive formation of fossils. Most of the fossils could be found in the shale rock that you could see all over. The petrified tree stumps had survived mostly because they were so big – they had been giant redwoods like in California! We saw the only petrified tree stump trio in the world, so special that it was covered by a large metal canopy. We also saw a large, dead ponderosa pine and the Ranger showed us how the trunk twists as it grows, apparently an adaptation to help it withstand the wind. Just like people, about 90% are right-handed, meaning they twist to the right.

Later in the hike, the Ranger told us about the history of the area – from a humid swamp some 34 million years ago that was filled with giant redwoods, oreodonts, and brontotheres, to a homestead area in the 1800s. There used to be lots more petrified trees and fossils, but they were carried off by tourists before the place became a National Monument in the 1960s. At the end of the guided portion of the hike we stopped at “The Big Stump”, the largest petrified stump in the park. Again, the place hadn’t always been so protected and she told us how people used to climb up on top of it to get pictures. Now we settled for a nice family shot in front of it 🙂

Chapter 3. A Junior Ranger… again!

We continued on around the rest of the loop on our own, it was much more exposed and it was getting hot, so we didn’t linger too long. Back at the visitor center, we got our lunches out of the car (which I had cleverly packed that morning knowing there was no food service in the park) and went over to one of the shady picnic tables to eat. Under the cover of the tress, it was very pleasant outside. We ate our sandwiches, and Lily worked for a long time on her Jr Ranger book.

It was a good excuse to go back and review what we had learned all morning, especially since I was planning to count this as an “educational field trip” day for schooling purposes. We stayed for maybe an hour or so until she was done, then headed back over to the visitor center to watch the park film – the last requirement for her to get her badge!

We got lucky, and the movie was just about to start when we went in. Our other stroke of luck was that we were the only ones in it, because Owen did not sit quietly, to say the least! They were happy noises… but very loud noises. She spent a few minutes afterwards looking at some of the fossils in the visitor center so she could cross them off on her book, then turned it in! She did the Jr Ranger pledge again (her 4th time!) and got another badge. Since she had gotten her Paleontologist badge that morning, the ranger also gave her a fossil poster and patch. She was happy 🙂

Chapter 4. Lily finds a fossil!

We had time for one last stop – to the fossil room which was located in a yurt tent not far away. The Ranger inside showed Lily how the excavate and look for fossils, looked at some under  a microscope, then let her crack open a piece of shale to look for one! It took some help from the Ranger, but she peeled off a nice layer of shale, and there appeared to be something inside! Under the microscope, the Ranger said it looked like a fossil of some tree bark. Really cool!

But it was time to go now, we had seen all of the sights right around the visitor center, and it was too hot to take off on any long hikes with Owen. Besides, we didn’t want to be too late getting into Copper.

Chapter 5. Getting settled in at Copper.

The drive to Copper was nice – we were taking the backroads and the mountain scenery was spectacular! We got checked in and found our condo – not as slopeside as the one we had last winter, but it had a nice sunroom that faced the mountains. After getting unpacked and settled in, we headed out to find some fun, and some dinner! Over by the lifts, Lily spotted the playground, but before she got there, also spotted the giant checkers board and got her Dad to play her a game. Owen appreciated the playground though – he took his first trip down the slide and loved it so much that he immediately started climbing up it and spent about 20 minutes going up and down as fast as he could.

Lily played with him for a few minutes when her checkers game was over, but he was getting tired and fussy by now so we set off in search of dinner. We had thought the Imperial Palace sounded good, and I thought I remembered from last winter that it was near the ice rink. I was right!

Dinner was pretty good – but Owen was getting a little restless towards the end so we headed on back to our condo, making a brief stop at one of the other playgrounds on the way. Owen was too tired to enjoy it much, but Lily like the super-fast slide! Getting him into his PJs, I noticed how dirty he was from his earlier playground adventure, so both kids went into the bath! Finally we all started getting settled in. It took Owen a little while to go to sleep, and I worked on some stuff for my class. Lily eventually said she was tired though, so we pulled out the sleeper sofa for her and called it a night.

Chapter 6. They say you never forget how to ride a bike… we’ll see!

We had a pretty good night, but as usual Owen woke us up a little before we would have liked. We cooked some breakfast and talked about what we wanted to do for the day. Bike riding seemed to be the top of everyone’s list, so we looked up a place in Dillon near the bike trail that we could rent them.

They wouldn’t be open for a while though, so we headed out to the playground. It was still pretty chilly outside! And everything looked so different being green instead of covered in snow like we were used to. It felt familiar, yet different at the same time. Most of the resort seemed to still be sleeping. A quick stop by the store and coffee shop, then we headed back to get ready to go.

In Dillon, it took a few minutes to get everyone settled onto a bike, and Owen into his trailer. There were a couple of choices for where to go, and we quickly agreed on Keystone! We stayed there for a ski trip a few years ago so that would be fun and nostalgic. We had to ride along a neighborhood street for a few blocks before the bike trail started, and Lily and I chose to walk our bikes down one really steep hill. I hadn’t ridden a bike in years, so I was a little nervous at first. (The stationary spin bikes at the gym don’t count – you don’t have to balance or steer those!) I quickly started to feel more comfortable though, especially once the bike path started.

Chapter 7. Who knew this was so fun???

It was a beautiful path! We started riding alongside the lake, with the mountains in the background and wildflowers all over. The weather was just perfect – cool and overcast, but not raining or windy. (I’m not much of a sun-lover, as some of you know!) There were a few other walkers and riders on the trail – enough to make it feel not lonely, but not crowded either. It was simply awesome! I hadn’t known that bike riding was so much fun 🙂 We were definitely going to have to do this more often. After a while, the trail left the lake, but soon we were riding alongside the creek, which was even prettier. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect day!

We eventually arrived in Keystone after about an hour, and rode right past the condo we stayed in two years ago, and saw the lift that Lily had just loved going up and down. Now it would probably seem way to easy for her. We got to River Run, where the summer activities were, and found a table across from the bungee trampolines to eat our lunch (which I had packed again and brought with us) Of course Lily wanted to do the trampoline after we ate – she had an absolute blast on it! Soon we were loading up to head back again though – didn’t want to risk being late returning the bikes.

The ride back was as beautiful as the ride there. It was still very cloudy and maybe even cooler than before, but perfect weather for me. There were a few steep hills that frustrated Lily, but overall she did great and loved it. The whole ride, she would constantly yell back to me to make sure I was okay and not too far behind. “You back there, Mama?”, “You doing okay, Mama?”, “You need to stop, Mama?”, every few minutes. It was cute.

As we came around the lake nearing Dillon, each pedal stroke was sadly bringing us closer to the bike shop. I would have been happy to ride all day! What a great adventure!

Chapter 8. A few hours to kill.

Back in Copper, Brian and Lily headed off to the playground again and I went back to the room. I had some school work that I needed to get done. But almost as soon as I started, Brian called and they were about to ride the go-carts. So I quickly loaded Owen up – didn’t want to miss seeing that!

Lily was having a blast again. Back to work for real this time though. They came back a bit later after the playground, and we all hung out in the room for about an hour. We were starting to feel a little hungry, even though it was still early – our picnic lunch hadn’t been very filling I guess. The Warrior Dash check-in would begin soon anyway, so we headed out again.

Lily and Owen played on the playground some more – getting lots of use out of that this time! We had always seen it in the winter, but its not as much fun when its all covered in snow and you’re bundled up in snow suits. The check-in wasn’t quite open yet, so we walked around a little more enjoying the nice scenery and weather. Walking beside the creek was especially nice.

Chapter 9. Getting ready for the Dash!

Finally it was time, and Brian officially checked in for the Warrior Dash! He even got a cool warrior helmet 🙂 I think he was starting to get a little nervous, even though the race was still almost 24 hours away. More people were starting to arrive. The place wasn’t really crowded yet, but it was definitely losing the dead feel it had had since we arrived. I was glad we would get to experience both the peacefulness, and the excitement.

The kids played for a while in the Critterland Sand box for a while afterwards, until we drug Owen out to go get an early dinner. He was not happy about this. We were headed to Tucker’s Tavern, one of our favorites from last winter. A relaxing dinner of pizza and beer. Well, beer for Brian anyways 🙂 As is becoming common these days, Owen was a real handful. Not sure how this eating out thing is going to go for the next few months. He is impossible to keep in a high chair, and always gets so restless! Finally had to put him back in the stroller once our food came.

After dinner we went back and crashed in the room for a bit. It was barely 6:00, but we were feeling worn out already! Well the adults were at least. So we mostly chilled while the kids ran around acting crazy. Lily made up a few games, and Owen cruised around like he owned the place. It had been raining lightly on and off, and once there was a seeming break in the weather we decided to go see one of the bands that was performing on the Warrior Dash stage. It was a group called Hells Bells, an AcDc cover band. Having never been to a rock concert, Lily thought it was rather loud. We didn’t stay long, but I think it satisfied her curiosity at least.

Chapter 10. Staying in for the evening.

It was starting to rain a little more now, and we were thinking that the outdoor movie night might not even happen, and if it did, might not be a good idea anyway. So Brian and Lily went to the office to see about renting a movie we could watch in the room. Owen went to sleep almost as soon as we got back, having not taken a single “real” nap all day. Not sure how he even lasted that long!

They came back with the Guardian’s of Gahoole movie – I had wanted to see that one when it came out but never did so it was a good choice. Overall, I think we enjoyed it. But I suspect that reading the book might be better – it seemed hard to really get to know the characters well enough in the movie. But it made for a nice, cozy evening together on the comfort of our sofa while it rained outside. Time for sleep now – Warrior Dash is tomorrow! There were sounds of partying outside for quite some time – you could tell the place was really about to get crazy

Chapter 11. Waiting makes the time go by so slowly…

When I woke up around 5am with Owen, I could already tell that the place was coming to life. Nothing compared to what it would become later in the day, but to be so early there were quite a few people already out and about! Lily got up soon after – I found her in the sunroom, said she wanted to watch the sun rise. It was quite cold out, and the sunroom windows had been open all night. So the 3 of us huddled under a blanket for a while. It was earlier than I would have liked to have been up, but we had a nice few minutes together anyway.

Slowly, we got going with the morning and fixed breakfast. Around 9am, we set out to see what all was going on. The first wave of the Warrior Dash was just starting- and Brian was a little bummed that he had to wait so long for his turn – his wave wasn’t until 2:30 in the afternoon! But we got some coffee, and bought Lily a day pass for the activities in the base area. Nothing was open yet though, and feeling restless, we decided to go get the movie from last night and return it. A nice walk, though it would be better if they put more sidewalks around here!

Afterwards, Lily wanted to go to the bungee trampoline, which had just opened. She was a little grumpy this morning and getting stressed easily. While waiting in line, she kind of freaked out about wanting me to hand her the ticket and stepped to the side enough that she lost her place in line. We were a little upset with her for not staying calm about things, but it was really crappy of the mom behind her to literally shove her 3 kids in front of Lily at the first chance she got. Lily was clearly still in line, but since there was physically room to get around her, guess the lady thought it was okay. Jerk. Anyway, she finally had her turn and loved it.

The next few hours were tedious – Brian was excited for his turn to come but getting nervous (and a little worried about the weather since some dark clouds were moving in), Lily continued to be a little grumpy, and Owen was restless from not having gotten a good nap. We did some bumper boats, rock wall, and the bungee trampoline again. And fixed a spaghetti lunch in the room! About an hour before his wave time, we headed back out into the excitement. So far the weather was holding out beautifully!

Chapter 12. Warriors Away!

Copper was absolutely packed by now, as we had been warned it would be. Worse than a busy skiing day even! Getting around, especially with the stroller, was quite difficult. Brian went to line up right after the 2:00 wave started, and Lily and I waited alongside the start in the shade. The announcer was getting everyone all pumped up as the wave start time approached, and Lily stayed right beside the fence next to Brian as long as she could. She was very excited for him, but seemed worried too. It was cute, actually.

Finally after a loud countdown, the warriors were off! After watching the start, Lily took off up the hill to where there was a spot you could see them run past. We weren’t sure exactly how far into the race the spot was, and didn’t want to miss Brian coming by. I met her up there, and a few minutes later we saw Brian come by! He was still running, but looked a little winded by now.

After this, things got a little chaotic. Lily wanted to go to the mud-hill viewing area which was on the other side of the base area. And it was now packed shoulder to shoulder people as far as the eye could see. I sort of told Lily where it was, and without us really coming up with a plan she took off running in that direction.

Chapter 13. I lost my kid.

With the stroller, there was no way I could keep up, and within seconds I had totally lost sight of her. It would take several agonizing minutes to work my way through the crowd to the mud area, and as I feared she was no where to be seen when I got there! I almost panicked. There had to be 30,000 people here, and I had lost my 7 year old. Not good. I stayed in the area for several minutes, but still couldn’t find her.

Not sure what to do, I headed back the way I came, into the sea of people again. I started thinking that I should go on over to the finish line – if she had any sense at all and was lost, surely she would find her way there, knowing that if nothing else Brian would be there eventually. She sort of knew her way around Copper since we had skied there several times, and if she didn’t lose her head from being scared and alone, she would be able to get herself there. It took a very long time to get there myself though, the crowds were really wearing on my nerves!

I was not too worried about her actual safety, since I figured we would find her eventually, but I was afraid that she would be freaking out about not being able to find me. This was not how the afternoon was supposed to go, we were supposed to be watching the race together, excited to see Brian finish. Not me frantically searching the whole base area for her!

At the finish line, she was still no where to be seen. And Brian didn’t seem to be there yet either. It had been almost a half-hour, so I was hoping he would be coming soon. And if Lily still hadn’t appeared by then we might have to seek out help. Fortunately, after several tense minutes of searching and wondering what to do next, I spotted her walking towards me, what a relief! Just as I had hoped, she had sought out the finish line after not being able to find me at the mud pits. And was surprisingly calm and non-chalant about the whole ordeal. Now we could just wait for Brian. And it wasn’t very long

Chapter 14. He’s a Warrior!

Of course, he was covered from head to toe in mud, and exhausted, but had thoroughly enjoyed himself 🙂 The race had included 3 miles of running, fire pits to jump over, walls to climb, and the like. And of course lots of mud. (He would end up finishing 703rd out of over 7,000 participants, so top 10%. Not bad!!!)

We slowly made our way back to the Warrior Wash area where he go cleaned up a bit, then went to collect his free beer. Throughout the day, the whole place had been filled with warriors who had already run, and were covered in mud. Now Brian was one of them too.

But all this time, we were still fighting through massive crowds. Plus there had been loud music playing from the live band on stage, and we had been in full sun, and I was just done! The combination of the choas, and losing Lily, and watching for Brian, and now I just wanted to be back in our room. Brian however, was wanting to stick around and revel in his victory a while longer, so desperate to get to some peace, quiet, and cool I left Brian and Lily in the middle of the village and headed back to our room. Once I got over by the lake it was actually very nice, and I wouldn’t have minded hanging out there for a while. But they joined me back in the room before long.

Chapter 15. Finishing the evening.

We relaxed for a while, then decided to brave the chaos again for a round of putt-putt. Some of the last waves were just getting started. While they played mini-golf, Owen and I went to the Warrior Store to get him and Lily a t-shirt. Brian and Lily tried to ride the go-carts one more time, but they closed because they claimed there was a storm nearby.

We had been planning to eat Mexican tonight, and Salsa Mountain Cantina was not far from our building. We’ve eaten there a couple of times. Not the best Mexican food, but its the only Mexican place on the grounds, so we put up with it most every trip. It was busy, as I suspected and we had to wait a while for a table. Warrior Dash obviously brings in a ton of business for the usually sleepy ski town in the summer!

After dinner, the kids were much more energetic than the adults, but we somehow managed to get everyone in bed before it was too terribly late. It had been a very long day indeed! Tomorrow we have to go home, but not before having some more mountain-fun.

Chapter 16. Time to go home.

Sunday morning was like deja-vu… Owen up too early and waking Lily up too. We all hung out in our bed for a little while before getting up and starting to think about packing. We had to be out of the room by 10am, and the plan was to head over to Breckenridge for a few hours at their fun park.

After the usual breakfast making fiascos, I had Brian take the kids somewhere, anywhere, to get them out of the room so I could pack and clean. They disappeared, and I got to work. It always seems so overwhelming at first, but there is something strangely satisfying about watching it all come back together, and watching it transform back into its original state from the chaos we had made of it.

Finally everything was packed, dishes washed, counter-tops cleaned, etc. I would have started loading the car, but realized that my room key was in the stroller, which they had taken with them on their morning adventure (which had involved, you guessed it, more playgrounding). And you have to have a room key to get into the garage. So I called Brian, but he didn’t answer. So with nothing else to do, I relaxed in the sun room and enjoyed the nice view over the mountains. It was turning into another beautiful day. More Warrior Dash waves were going today, so the place was still hopping. Fortunately, our building was just far enough away from center village that it still felt peaceful outside. Brian called me back eventually though, and said they would head on back.

While he was loading up, Lily and I ran over to the store to get some drinks for the road, and stopped by the creek on the way back to collect some water for the water ceremony next week at church. Then it was Breck-bound! We were there in about 30 minutes.

Chapter 17. A new and somewhat scary mode of transportation.

Breckenridge has a fairly new gondola system that takes you to the base area from a parking lot which is several miles away. I didn’t really know where we were going, but the gondola is visible in the air as soon as you come into town, so following it to its end wasn’t hard. We had to take it to the 3rd stop before unloading.

The ride itself is actually quite scenic, but its hard for me to enjoy because the things make me so nervous! It is not a fear of heights, I am fine in a tall building or on a high mountain. But being suspended with nothing below me is terrifying. (I think Brian was starting to figure out that the chair lift is my main aversion to skiing…) But we made it with no mishaps, and bought our tickets.

Lily had been wanting to do the gemstone panning all weekend, and knowing they had one here I had put her off. So she wanted to do that first. She found some nice rocks, then her and Brian went to the bungee trampolines! You don’t often see adults on those, but the weight limit is pretty high so Brian decided to do it. He had trouble staying straight though and the guy got onto him for hitting some of the ropes in the middle. Then as he was finishing one of the bungee cords broke! Maybe there’s a reason why mostly kids do it…

Chapter 18. A few of the less-successful adventures.

Lily went into the human maze next… you were supposed to go through the maze collecting different stamps, but at first Lily didn’t know that and popped right out the exit after just a minute. We probably should have just called it good and went on, but instead we sent her back in to find the letters. And it turned in to a very frustrating, agonizing half-hour. There was an observation deck up above to watch from, but only 2 of the letters were visible from there. And she was not happy about giving up on the last one when she couldn’t find it. We finally talked into coming on out, but she was grumpy.

The clouds were starting to build, and we were worried that storm would be along soon so Brian and Lily headed up the chair lift to do the alpine slide. I kind of suspected that Lily was going to be too scared to go very fast, and sure enough she finally came creeping down the hill with Brian right on her tail. He would have liked to have gone faster, but couldn’t convince her to move along! At least they got to do it. But she was still seeming pretty stressed and on edge afterwards.

Chapter 19. A fun ending to our trip.

They headed off to the Gold Runner Coaster next. It’s like a traditional roller coaster, except that you are in your own cart (kind of like the alpine slide) and can control your speed. This one Lily was not old enough to do alone, so she and Brian shared a cart. She absolutely loved it, and insisted that I come with her to do it again at once. This was the only thing I had bought myself a ticket for. (Between this and the alpine slide – no contest – this one didn’t require a chair lift ride!) It really was a lot of fun – and it’s open during the winter too so we might have to come back during our ski trip next year 🙂

Afterwards we were starving so we bought a quick lunch inside at the grill. I have to mention here that Owen has become an apple-lover. We have discovered that we can just give him a whole apple and he will go at it like a giant teething toy and is happy for a very long time. He only manages to scrape off little bits at a time with his tiny teeth, so it doesn’t seem to pose a choking threat. His expression when we handed him one at lunch was just too cute.

Lily did her last gemstone panning ticket, and played in the bounce house again before we left. Of course we had to take the scary gondola again. The trip home was pretty uneventful. Though we did realize when we got back to the car that we were almost completely out of gas and spent a few  frenzied minutes driving around downtown searching for a gas station. The mountains were beautiful as always the whole way though. Brian and Lily dreamed of all the places along the way they wanted to move to 🙂

So a successful mini-vacation comes to a close. But Brian wants to do Warrior Dash again next year, and of course we will be back at Copper again sometime this winter for skiing. So lots more fun to look forward to!

Chapter 20. Wrapping it up.

The good, the bad, the ugly… well anyway. A general review of the trip 🙂

What I liked –

• Florrisant Fossil Beds – very fun and educational, plus the rangers were all so great with Lily and seem to truly care about the work they do. Definitely want to return when Lily has learned more about fossils and geology.

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• Staying at Copper – with the massive crowds on Saturday and Sunday, I can’t imagine having to drive in and park as a day guest. And being stuck there all day without a room to escape to. Plus it was just generally pretty in the summer, with everything green and the creek flowing.

• Riding bikes – my favorite part of the trip! We have to find a way to do this again soon. Even if just a day trip somewhere. I loved the feel of the pavement under my tire, and the wind in my face, so refreshing!

• The weather – for most of the trip it was not unbearably hot. And sometimes had that little glimpse of fall 🙂

What I didn’t like –

• Crowds. Can I say that again??? I don’t like crowds. And there were lots of them on Saturday. No way to avoid it though, I suppose.

• Brian not starting the race until the afternoon – made for a very tedious morning of waiting around and not quite knowing what to do with ourselves. Maybe next year he can get an earlier start time.

• Our condo – I really like our building that we had last winter much better. It was closer to the slopes, had a hot tub, and was just generally nicer. I will try to request it for next time for sure.