The DeLorme Family: Cabin- Finally!!!

We have been wanting to bring Ashlyn to my dad's cabin for a long time now. My dad has owned it for several years and it is just our favorite place to go in the summer. It is just gorgeous up there! There are beautiful mountains, streams, rivers, and lots of nature. There isn't even cell phone service, so it truly is a get away. The only problem with bringing Ashlyn up there, is that it is a HUGE danger zone for a toddler. There are several sets of steep stairs. There are lots of other hazards like outlets without covers, etc. Ashlyn is such an explorer and we just knew that she would be getting into everything!

Last Saturday, we decided to venture up to the cabin. Joey's dad lives approximately 20 minutes from the cabin. We headed up first thing in the morning. We dropped Joey and Ashlyn off at his dad's house. They went to check out Gold Rush Days in Buena Vista. (On the way up we noticed that the camera's battery was running low. He didn't take any pictures to save it for later on). I headed up to the cabin with my sister and friend, Bri. Joey and Ashlyn spent several hours at Gold Rush Days. They had a fun time. After Gold Rush Days, Joey and Ashlyn headed up to the cabin.

I was not sure what Ashlyn would think at first. She immediately recognized that this was "Papa's" cabin. She loved it and was so excited to be there! She wanted to explore right away. She climbed up all the stairs with assistance from us. She just wanted to take in all the nature.

A big tradition in the town of St Elmo is feeding the chipmunks. They have an area where the chipmunks live. They are generally friendly since they literally get fed 24/7 during the summer. Ever since I was pregnant, I wanted to take Ashlyn to feed them. We decided that since she loves animals, she might like it. She was a little unsure at first. She really liked the chipmunks. The problem is that they scare easily. Not a good thing for a loud toddler. They usually eat seeds out of your hand. Ashlyn wouldn't hold out her hand. She insisted on throwing the seeds and chasing after them. Joey did manage to get a few to come by him. She wanted to pet them, but they are not cats and don't really seem to enjoy that!

After feeding chipmunks, we went down the road to check out the cemetery. St Elmo is an old mining town. They have a really neat cemetery where they buried people hundreds of years ago. The neat thing is that they have a sign stating how each person died. There is so much history there! Ashlyn didn't seem too thrilled by the cemetery, but she did enjoy walking around.

After feeding the cemetery, we headed down to the river that is right in front of the cabin. We threw sticks for Alli. Ashlyn got a kick out of that. We went back up to the cabin and let Ashlyn run around. The ground is very, very soft there. She loved it because if she fell it didn't hurt at all! At one point, she just laid down and put her hands behind her hands and took in the nature. It was very cute!

Joey and Ashyln headed back to Joey's dad's house. They were headed to the rodeo in Salida that night. It was sad to see Ashlyn go. She had a great time and we are thinking that next summer she will be the perfect age for weekend long trips. I am just glad she finally got to see it.