The Top of the Mountain

We have been anticipating a visit from Jules, Brrrian, and Kenner for a while now. Grandma wanted to make sure we had some fun stuff planned during their visit, and came up with a great idea to take the cog train to the top of Pike's Peak. For several weeks before their actual visit, Connor would excitedly talk about riding the train to the top of the mountain with Baby Kenner. (Yes, I've tried explaining to Connor that Kenner is not actually a baby anymore, but the name remains unchanged.)

The morning we were due to head down to Manitou Springs, Connor woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He was c-r-a-n-k-y. The drive was far enough that he caught a cat nap on the way down - about five minutes before we got there, of course. He wasn't too talkative, but he did make it clear that he wanted to hold our train tickets. When the conducter came by, he handed her the tickets just like we asked.

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His mood lightened up considerably once the train started moving. However, the train is fairly slow and apparently the wonders of nature aren't so wonderful to a two year old. About halfway up the mountain, he fell asleep on Dada's lap. He stirred awake once we reached the end of the line. I was expecting a little more excitement from him upon hearing we were finally at the top of the mountain. He almost seemed disappointed. But again, he had just woken up. Neither Connor or Kenner were too thrilled at having to pose for pictures, as you can tell. We ended up following a herd of people into the shop where Aunt Tin bought a round of donuts for everyone. Not just any donuts. These were special donuts made specifically for high altitudes. We headed outside to take in some more of the spectacular view. Connor was a little upset that I wouldn't let him crawl on the rocks that led out to a dropoff (I know, I'm so mean!), but that didn't last long. We were able to convince him to smile a few times so we could get some family shots.

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