Colorado
July 2026

Dates: June 28-July 8, 2025

People: Mark, Sarah, Luke, Annie, Seth, Anya, Ben, Dad Witte, Mom Witte

Itinerary

• 6-28 (Travel Day)

• 6-29 (Travel Day)

• 6-30 (Colorado Springs - US WWII Air Museum)

• 7-1 ()

• 7-2 ()

• 7-3 ()

• 7-4 ()

• 7-5 ()

• 7-6 ()

• 7-7 (Travel Day

• 7-8 (Travel Day)

SUNDAY JUNE 28

The plan for today was to get through Chicago to pick up Luke and Annie and then see how far we make it, probably at least to Iowa.  We decided to leave after church as soon as we were ready.  Mom and Dad hit the road more quickly after church with hopes of having that extra time to get Luke and Annie in Chicago. We left around 1252p.  We took the Ohio Turnpike today and had pretty good riving.  I drove til 2:44p when we hit a travel plaza for bathrooms.  Sarah took over driving after that.

We drove through heavy traffic on 80/94.  Otherwise it was still thick traffic along a lot of I80 but it was always moving well enough. Mom and Dad Luke and Annie pickup around 430 in Melrose Park.  We did a gas stop in Peru, IL at 5:25pC.  I picked up driving again.  We then made the decision to hit the Portillos in Davenport for supper, where we made it at 6:50p.  Mom-Dad-Luke-Annie caught us there about 25 minutes later. We were at Portillos for over 90 minutes.  When we left I had Sarah driving again.  She drove us all the way to Grinnell, Iowa where we stayed at a Comfort Inn.  For the whole 9 of us we were able to do two rooms, one of them a suite with a coach.  We divided guys/gals rooms.  We made it in around 10:15pm.

MONDAY JUNE 29

Woke up early in Grinnell this morning.  I decided to go for a walk.  I had debated a 4-mile running route but opted against it and I'm glad I did.  It was very warm and muggy, probably almost 80 degrees at 6am.  There was a good breeze at least that moved the air.  I ended up on a nice walking loop on some roads by the hotel.

We did breakfast at 8am at the hotel and then packed up to hit the road.  We knew we didn't have to be in a major hurry today.  We left Grinnell at 9:05am.  We had Mark, Luke, Seth with Dad in the Jeep.  The ladies and Ben were in the van.  We hit a Loves Travel Stop west of Des Moines for gas, bathroom and drinks as our first stop.  We did more gas at a Love's in West Omaha at 12:10pm.  We then hit a rest area another 10 miles down the road for a picnic lunch.  We were there about 45 minutes.

After lunch we had Mark and Annie driving the two vehicles.  We hit a rest area at 2:40pm.  Here we finally made the decision to go through Colorado Springs instead of Denver. We had to decide before Kearney, NE where the routes diverge.  We made the plan to shoot for the Springs today and stay there leaving us with a lot of free time come Tuesday.

At Kearney we did finally leave I80 and headed south.  It was good highway for still making good time even if not interstate.  We made a gas stop at Casey's in Holdredge, NE. Dad started up driving the jeep again there. We decided on a supper stop at the Oasis Travel Center which had a Qdoba in Colby, KS.  This was where we would pick up I70.  Most of us ate Qdoba, Dad and Luke grabbed Chinese food, the Littles had pizza.  They had a bit of a food court there at the travel center. We were there just under an hour.  

We made one more gas stop at 8:15pM at a Flying J in Limon, CO.  When we made it to the east side of SImla, CO Dad got pulled over by an officer there as we didn't slow down fast enough before entering town.  It went from 65 to 45 in fairly quick progression.  It was 10:04pm when we hit the hotel in the Springs. We stayed at the Comfort Suites Colorado Springs East which seemed to be fairly new and was very nice in condition.  We had two rooms again and a suite for the guys with ample beds for 5. 

TUESDAY JUNE 30

Seth and I began the day with a nice 5 mile run from the hotel.  There was a nice bike path along the streets near the hotel and we made a good route with some nice hills in it.  We came back and joined others for breakfast at 8am.  We had debated various plans of what to do today with the time we had.  We couldn't get into the rental house til 4pm and so we had a lot of time.  We had debated the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo or also a drive up Pikes Peak to see the new summit house.  We settled on a divided plan.  Mom and Dad would stay at the hotel to let the Littles swim.  The rest would go to the National Museum of World War II Aviation which sits on the edge of the CO Springs airport.  We made it to the museum at 10am and ended up spending 3 hours there.  We got a tour of the WESTPAC facility while there.  Lots of good reading exhibits and WWII planes in working condition to look at there.  

Mom and Dad let the Littles swim for 2 hours and then they headed to lunch at In-n-Out Burger.  While they waited for us they also found a playground.  We left the museum around 1p and then hit the Chick-fil-A on South Nevada for lunch.  We all met up at the Wal-mart in Woodland Park around 2:30pm  to shop for groceries for the rental house and hiking.  

We made it to the rental home at 5pm.  It was on Loriat Loop on the very eastern end of the neighbor that Bob and Joyce's home sits in.  The house was amazing.  So many rooms, so much stuff on the walls, so much stuff to see and to do.  Mom and Dad left for have supper with some BV friends.  The rest of us cooked brats/dogs and waffle fries for supper.  We enjoyed the evening exploring the rental house and watching World Cup soccer.

WEDNESDAY JULY 1

This was our first morning at the rental house.  Seth joined me in getting up early again and we decided on a run on the ranch roads.  It was nice and cool outside, around 48 degrees.  We picked a route that took us about 2/3 of the way to Bob & Joyce's cabin.  We got 4 miles in and enjoyed working the hills.

We had an otherwise easy morning just hanging around the house and playing foosball and ping pong.  We did lunch at the house and then had a nice drive into Buena Vista.  Annie, Sarah and Mom went shopping, the rest took on a hike at the Whipple trails by the river.  We did a loop ascending up to the old rail bed and then back down on the north side.  It was hot and sunny and that made things a bit more challenging.  This was a bigger hike for Anya and Ben and they hung in there nicely.  We brought snacks and lots of water and took a few breaks in the shade when we could find it.  We finished at the river and went down to the beach area on the river for 30 minutes to let the littles enjoy putting their feet in the water.

We went back to the rental house and awaited David and Megan's arrival around 6pm.  Bob and Joyce also came over and joined us.  We had a great supper of Buona Beef and grilled burgers with nachos and white queso.  We spent the evening hanging out and enjoying some time together.  

We also watched the classic USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina World Cup game which the USA won 2-0. It had the controversial red card of Flo Balogen near the end.  Bob & Joyce and David and Megan all left around 9pm to stay at Bob & Joyce's house.

THURSDAY JULY 2

We got up at 530 today to get ready for the Sherman hike.  It was a quick grab of breakfast and gear and we were out the door by 608.  We were coordinating with David's vehicle who was at Bob and Joyce's house. We both left within about 10 mins of each other targeting the Sherman trailhead around 7am.

Mt. Sherman 2026 Trip Report

After the Sherman hike we made the drive out and then filled up the jeep with gas in Fairplay.  From there we headed back to the houses.  David's group was heading back to Bob and Joyce's and it was clear our crew could join them when we were ready to hang out there for the evening.

The rest of our family group had been in Buena Vista and ultimately St. Elmo for a lot of the day.  Sarah and Annie had taken the Littles to pet goats somewhere in BV and then they spent a few hours at St. Elmo sightseeing and petting the chipmunks there.

We were all back to the rental house between 230 and 3p.  We showered and regrouped and then headed to Bob and Joyce's house at 4pm.  It was only a 4 mile drive from the rental house.

We spent time visiting there and playing games for the evening.  Joyce made a wonderful supper for everyone and we hung out til 9pm when we headed back to our rental house.  We also said good bye's to David's family who would be leaving the next morning.

Back at our rental house Luke and Seth and myself spent time getting ready for our big day on Holy Cross.

FRIDAY JULY 3

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Mount Democrat 2015 Trip Report

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SATURDAY JULY 4

Today was 4th of July 💥🎉

Today was originally slated to be a hike up Grizzly Peak, the tallest 13er.  But after yesterday's adventure on Holy Cross Halo Ridge went so long we decided it best to take an off day from hiking and have a family day instead.  So today turned into a sleep in day.

I was also taking a few minutes this morning handling problems back home.  A major storm hit the Monroe area Friday night and power was out everywhere, including at home and at Grace.  I was on the phone this morning with our congregation president Chris to talk about Sunday worship.  We had 24 hours to work with but we began to lay out the contigencies of what we should do depending on whether the power was restored or not.

I was able to get a walk in around Lariat Loop the road that goes around the neighborhood of our rental house.  It was a dry and sunny morning and sun protection was the name of the game.  The rest of the morning was just hanging around the rental house.  For lunch we worked on leftovers.  Since the group had made lots of taco meat last night, and we missed it because of our long day, this was a tasty lunch for us.

We spent the early afternoon watching World Cup games and then Mom's cousin Lori Haack came by to visit for the rest of the day.  I had previously met her at Steamboat Springs after Run Rabbit Run 50.  In late afternoon we finally got our family group out the door and we drove into Buena Vista and up to Cottonwood Lake.  We wanted to sight see a little bit but also get a nice hike in, and it was a success.  We parked by the lake and walked the trail on the south side of the lake heading west.  The trail went to the west end of the lake and continued on.  We finally decided to turn around.  I wasn't sure how much further it went.

We got back to the rental house just after 6:30pm and set about cooking supper. We were cooking kabobs on the grill for tonight with chicken and vegetables on it.  

SUNDAY JULY 5

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Mount Democrat 2015 Trip Report

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MONDAY JULY 6

Dad, Luke, and Annie left about 2:30am to head to DIA for their flight out.  The rest slept in.  I was able to get myself to stay in bed til about 7:30am.  I got up and read awhile and then decided to go for a walk.  I also realized Dad was already back from the airport which made for a quick round trip.  For my walk I did more exploring around the neighborhood and got 3 miles in.

This was another quite morning relaxing at the rental house.  We were also beginning the process of packing and getting ready to leave the next morning.  Mom and Dad had some guests over at 10am.  For lunch around noon we continued to work on the remaining leftovers in the frig hoping to have most of it cleared out before our departure tomorrow.

We finally figured out an afternoon activity to get us out of the house.  The ladies (including Anya) went shopping in BV for a few groceries and other items.  The guys (including Ben) decided on a drive to Cottonwood Lake and Mineral Basin.  We were leaving around 2:30pm.

On the drive past Cottonwood Lake the road remains pretty good for another 2-3 miles past the Lake and the campground.  There is a lot of dispersed camping in here and it would be a good option next time we need this in the BV area.  There is a sign marking the spot where it is recommended to turn on 4WD. In this spot it is mostly because it is a rocky hill and they want to keep the erosion down.  

About a mile into the 4WD is the Green Timber Gulch TH which also serves as the Cottonwood Aid Station for the High Lonesome 100.  We noted it on the drive in and pulled through briefly on the drive out.  The 4WD remained very passable the whole way.  No major obstacles or large rocks.  The biggest challenges are probably traction on the hills or a bit of clearance needed on some deep water bars.   We drove up as far as around 11,500 or so looking for some marshes and the possibility of seeing moose.  We took in the views of the surrounding 13ers in there and then decided on a turnaround.  I did the driving on the way out.

We got back to the house at 6:20p to watch the USA v Belgium World Cup game.  We had sausage and eggs mix for supper.  The USA game did not go well and they just played poorly and lost 4-1.   We spent the evening after the game getting bags packed and all the food taken care of from the kitchen and the frig.  Dad and I made a trash run to save us one thing in the morning.

TUESDAY JULY 7

This was departure day from the rental house.  Dad began it early with a drive into BV to return the oxygen concentrator that Mom was using. They borrowed it from friend's of theirs.  He was back by 7am.  I was up at 6am myself to get some steps in walking around the house before loading of the van.  It ultimately took us a fair bit of time to get the vehicles loaded and the kitchen finalized.  We also had to grab sheets and towels and put them in the laundry room before departing.  

We left the house at 7:36am.  We made a nice drive of US285 into Conifer-Aspen Park where we made a stop at the Wendy's for a few breakfast sandwiches.  From there we made the drive through Denver and on up to I76.  As we left Denver we nearly had an accident.  A truck in front of us had lost a number of cardboad boxes onto the interstate.  This caused a number of vehicles to swerve including our van. We were lucky to have room to maneuver as it happened.  Dad in his jeep didn't have time and he ran over one of the boxes.  Thankfully whatever was in it was light or collapsible as he didn't seem to take any damage. 

We made our next stop at 1130 for gas in Sterling at a janky little gas station, Everyday Store.  From there we decided on lunch at the Purple Heart Rest Area on I80 in Nebraska at 12:40p.  Kinda a mistake.  No shade there and it was windy.  We made it a very quick stop as the bread in our sandwiches would dry in minutes and things were blowing away.  We were there 40 minutes.  Seth took over driving in our van after this.  Mom took over driving the jeep.

Our next stop today was at the Love's in North Platte at 3:03pC for gas.  We were there 12 minutes and Seth continued with driving for us.  He took us to the rest area near Grand Island at 5:30pC. This was for bathrooms and a driver swap.  I took over driving again.

I took us to Omaha where we stopped at 6:55p at the Wendy's at the Love's Travel Stop on the west side.  I think we had stopped here for gas on the drive out.  The kids wanted the Minion toys that Wendy's was currently offering.  We were there for about 40 mins.  I then did the final 3 hours driving to the hotel in Grinnell at the Comfort Inn & Suites.  We ended up staying at the same one as we hit on the drive out.  It was 10:38pC when we got in.  They were nice enough to get us 2 adjoining rooms.  Anya and Ben stayed with Papa and Grandma. Seth with us.

WEDNESDAY JULY 8

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