It's fun to stay at the YMCA

For real ... it is!  Mark asked if I would rather have a gift or go away for Mother's Day and of course I chose a getaway. I figured we weren't going to far from home (given the Track Meet Sat.) and had a pretty good idea that it would be Estes Park area (because it's close and I love it there), but Mark was vague about where we were staying.  

Turns out he and Emmrey did a little research and booked a room at YMCA of the Rockies.

The first thing we did was go for a hike to Hidden Falls. 

Emm was tired out from her meet and I wasn't feeling as energized as the others so she and I turned back about half way and waited at the trailhead.

Mark, Bay and Kars continued on and enjoyed the climb to some incredible views

Okay ... so maybe they didn't enjoy the increase in elevation, but they are always glad when they make it to the destination. The falls were so "hidden" there wasn't much to speak of.  Either that, or they took the wrong trail;)

Afterward, we headed into Estes for some pizza at one of our favorite spots.

After returning to the "resort" we played a round of mini-golf. It was getting dark so we had to stop part way and finish the next afternoon. The great thing is unlimited mini-golf is included with your stay:)

They have pretty much all you need right there on the property. They host a lot of large groups/teams/organizations so they have dinning halls or cafeterias for guests. Two breakfasts were included with our stay so we decided to give it a try Sunday morning. You just pay for the number of meals and then it's all you can eat! The food was pretty good ... at least for breakfast.

We walked around and explored the amenities. They have a nice craft cabin/building where you can go in and pay for as many projects as you want and just craft away. It didn't work out with our schedule, but would be a fun thing to do. Other than the cost of crafts/food/store purchases, all the activities are included. They have mini-golf, tennis courts, a gym, roller skating, swimming, and hiking trails. 

If you want none of that ... the scenery is worth it alone.

My sweet girls had tucked away a few surprises for me. 

lotion from Bay~card from Kars

Emm made me this a few days earlier at the club

We went on a leisure stroll around Sprague Lake.

Crossing the water was the most strenuous thing about it;)

My favorite girls!

We went back to the Y and swam for a bit. I didn't realize until after this that they have signs all over stating that photography was not allowed for the comfort and privacy of guests ..... oops! Kinda weird but I guess I understand the concept. Luckily, it didn't cause these girls any discomfort.

Kars suggested that we take a photo with the traditional YMCA statues before leaving

It was a gorgeous weekend in so many ways. I could get used to seeing this out my window everyday!