Colorado

I am on vacation in Colorado right now and I am amazed with this beautiful place! It took us 12 hours to get here and while we were driving up the hills and mountains my ears started feeling immense pressure. I needed to pop them! I knew that colorado had different altitude than Oklahoma but I didn't think my body would react to it so badly, I needed to pop them every ten minutes. We finally get here and I see the tallest mountains I have ever seen and I am close to them. Our resort is like it's own Oasis nestled up in the mountains. All the cabins are secluded from each other with large green trees dividing everything. There are four pools and a set of cascading hot springs, the water in this contains minerals and feels so soft to the body. This resort also contains tennis courts, a sauna, and a steam shower. This place is the ultimate destination for a week full of relaxation. Currently I am writing outside by the river that is flowing down off the mountains. It is just me out here with the cool breeze and the sound of the roaring river.

This resort is the ultimate place to relax but the activities available to do are endless. I am excited for tomorrow because I get to go on a ropes course over the Arkansas River. This will be a challenge for me because I am scared of heights! I also am going horse back riding in the mountains to the sunset tomorrow, this will be so fun because I have never rode a horse before. Yesterday I did something else I have never done, I went white water rafting with my family. We had to wear wet suits and splash jackets because the water was like 35 degrees! My sister and I wanted the front seats so we could experience the rapids more. We were rafting down Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River in Bueno Vista, CO and this specific trip had seven rapids that we had to face. One of them was called the "Stair Stepper" and had seven different drops, each getting worse and rougher. The last drop was the most exhilarating one. As I am coming upon this drop I see the enormous white caps of the waves and I can hear the low, loud rumble of these waves crashing along the rocks. I am saying to myself, "Do not fall out!" Okay, the time is here. We paddle as hard as we can into this doom and we clear the first wave perfectly, but as we are going down and back up, the next wave comes crashing into us over the boat. This wave was so strong that it made me lay completely out, I ended up in my moms lap in the seat behind me! Luckily I had my foot secured tightly and I didn't fall out. After this happened we just lost control of the boat, everyone was screaming and just trying to stay in. Our boat hit a rock and turned us around, making us do a complete 360, finishing out that rapid. Whew! I can breathe now. We survived.  I might have been scared but I sure had a great time and would love to do it again. I am so happy that this vacation is making me go outside of my comfort zone, it is making for some great memories!