Father’s Day Adventure

Yesterday we took the kids on a little father’s day adventure. We started out on bikes, rode along though town to the path and then hit a trail very close to our home in Boulder. Granted it was a most beautiful day, yet, based on the kid’s reactions and our collective experience, you would have thought we had taken a trip to Disneyland that day. They were so thrilled to be out on the bike/trail adventure, it made the experience feel like it was the first time for all of us in the outdoors.

While on the trail, my daughter, Ella, honed her skills skipping rocks into the creek. Then she and her brother scampered up the banks to find secret trails, which, because it is quite the urban area, there are plenty. We came to a little clearing they decided would be a great space for a hideout (great if it weren’t a homeless persons’ dwelling, I thought). Next we found a big rock loveseat placed perfectly by the river. It provided us with lovely views of the rushing spring water. “Let’s get on with our investigation,” Ella yelled and we were off again to explore insects, cotton dropped from the Cottonwoods, wildflowers and other interesting findings. Remarkably, that day I experienced and saw many things that I haven’t before on this trail that I tend to run at least a few times a week. Maybe it takes seeing things through the eyes of a child or just slowing down to look. Whatever the case, it turned out to be a wonderful little adventure, a memorable Father’s Day and a great kick off to summer in the outdoors.