We flew to the  Denver Airport and went to Payless car rental, which was a huge mistake because we had horrible service! My husband has used priceline.com several times to book and pay for a rental car. He usually looks a day or two before our trip and enters the size of the car we want and makes a bid.You can accept their price or you can name your own price. He starts his price at 60% and slowly adds to his bid until it gets accepted. He gets really excited when he can get a rental car for $19 a day.This time he paid for a mid size car, but when we arrived they gave us a Kia Soul! We couldn’t fit 2 suitcases in the trunk! I refused to drive in the car, I’m not a car snob it was a safety concern! He eventually agreed with me and went back to get a larger car. We were all much happier and safer in a Chevy Cruise.

We drove to Breckenridge and we wanted to ride bikes along the bike paths, but it was cold and raining. So we settled for lunch, shopping and a ride the gondola.

I love Breckenridge! My snowboarder and skier felt right at home.

I didn’t enjoy the gondola! I have a fear of heights and when it came to an abrupt halt and started swinging, I lost it! I was laying on the bench sucking my thumb, in the fetal position, and crying. My family was not sure what to do. When we got to the half way point we all jumped out. We could walk back in the rain but we didn’t know how far the walk was, it could be 1 mile it could be 5 miles. Or we could get back on the gondola and ride it down. Since it was raining and my husband wouldn’t let me walk back by myself I didn’t want to put my family through a long walk. I pulled up my big girl pants and got back on the gondola. My poor husband held my hand and I was so happy when it was over.

North Fork Ranch-  www.northforkranch.com
Located in Shawnee, Colorado (1 hour from Denver) North Fork is a working dude ranch! With so many fun activities, they have something for everyone. Horseback riding, guided fishing, hiking, archery, cowboy sing alongs, line dancing and even massages! We loved the family meals, games and line dancing!
It is a little expensive, but worth the experience!

Browns Canyon Adventure Park-  http://brownscanyonadventurepark.com/

My boys enjoyed 2 1/2 hours of ropes, zip lines, and a 35 foot swing set! I chose to keep my feet on the ground and take pictures.

Performance Tours Whitewater Rafting-  http://www.performancetours.com/

I found Performance tours on http://www.tripadvisor.com/  and it was a  great deal. We rented the wet suit, jacket and booties  all for $5! Most places it’s $20 rental per item! We had a very experienced guide and everyone had a blast. When you book your tour make sure the water level is high enough. My husband and I went last year in September and the water level was dangerously low. The raft in front of us tipped over! I didn’t want that to happen to us, so I asked specifically about the level of the water and the minimum age for children. We had a very successful trip and it was a lot easier this time.

I did purchase some of the pictures, I’m not that talented. I don’t usually purchase the overprice pictures but I really wanted to have great memories.

I love Colorado and I’m sure we will be back again soon!

Happy Trails!