Sparacino family summer vacation Day 8 US Olympic Training Center and heading home

So, I'm finally posting the last post of our vacation back in June. Oh well, life happens!

We visited the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs the final day of our vacation!

The kids were very into the winter Olympics in Sochi this past year and it was so fun watching it with them. 

I have always loved watching the Olympics. 

The first Olympics that I actually remember was Barcelona in 1992 when I was 11 years old. My favorite things to watch were always women's gymnastics and ice skating.

We had a great time touring this facility and learning things along the way! The video they show you before you start the tour will almost make you ugly cry, but in a good way. It was a montage of great Olympic moments and it was SO moving. And they used "I believe I can fly" as the song. Geeeeezzzz!

The kids were enamored with this spot in the visitor center.

I didn't even know Olympic shooting was a thing!

The facilities were awesome and the views of Pike's Peak were stunning!

Countdowns to the next winter and summer Olympics!

After leaving the training center, we left for the drive home. We stayed overnight in Salina, KS and finished the drive the next day.

We very much enjoyed this vacation. We desperately needed those 9 days together without the stress of home or work. We saw some very cool things and made some very special memories. I, for one, am a huge fan of car trips. I'm looking forward to where the road might lead us in future vacations!

Home sweet Home!

Sparacino family summer vacation Day 7 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

While in Colorado Springs, we knew we wanted to visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

It is the only mountainside zoo in America.

This zoo is seriously cool.

We have visited about 6 other zoos and this one is very high on the list!

The giraffe exhibit is outstanding!

From wikipedia:

Reticulated giraffes flourish at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's African Rift Valley exhibit and are the largest herd in the United States. The public is able to hand feed romaine lettuce for a fee to the giraffes at inside or outside enclosures. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo giraffe breeding program is the most prolific in the world with 199 births since 1954.

We spent most of the day at the zoo and had a great time! There were so many animals that we were able to view up close and a mountain lion that was awake and prowling around. We also fed birds, petted a baby wallaby, viewed Mexican gray wolves, and witnessed a momma and baby gorilla. The orangutans were so fun and interactive trying to kiss anyone who put their lips to the glass.

I took a lot of pictures and here are the highlights:

How regal are lions?!

Gorgeous views

throwing dirt on himself :-)

The beautiful Broadmoor hotel: