2 nights in Ouray

After 2 long days of driving through nothing but corn, we made it to Ouray, CO. The drive in was amazing.  The huge red mountains seem to loom up out of nowhere and the colors of the trees create a view that is unlike any other.  We can see now why they call it the "Switzerland of America."
Although we had been trying to get reservations for months, everything was booked.  So we decided to try our luck with the walk in reservations. Everything still ended up being full so we ended up at the KAO in Ouray.  What a shock... However, it doesn't feel like a typical KAO and I have been enjoying having showers, still we are moving up to the Amphitheater this morning.
We spent our first day here at the hot springs pool. The kids loved all of the shallow wading areas and that they never got cold! Gerard had made a row boat the day before we came (of course) and in the afternoon we went to the reservoir and tested it out. The kids splashed around in the lake and I drove the 30 miles to the nearest large market to stock up.
Last night a big thunder shower rolled in. At first I loved the sound of the rain on our tent and how cozy we all were. After a couple of thunder claps that shook the ground though, and lightning lit up the whole tent, I began to question if we were safe or if we should be grabbing our oblivious, snoring kids and running to the safety of the car. About that time we began to notice that we were getting wet in the brand new weather proof tent that we bought for this trip. Turns out that Matt had forgotten to stake down the rain fly so the rain was plastering it to the side of the tent and soaking through. Matt somehow located the hammer, stakes and a head lamp and managed to fix the problem. We still woke up with a wet floor this morning and things are in the process of drying out. sigh.  :)