Every summer since I can remember, I’ve been traveling west on I-70 — chasing mountain air, cooler mornings, and the familiar joy of pulling off at the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign. It’s more than a photo op. For my family, that sign marks the beginning of something sacred: summer in Colorado.
And now? That tradition lives on through Rhapsody — who has made the same drive every single year of her life.
🏞️ No Breaks, Just Memories
Our summer road trips from Kansas to Colorado are stitched into our family’s rhythm. For me as a kid, it meant long drives with grandparents, week-long stays in Breckenridge for the 4th of July, and cozy mornings at our family’s cabin in Nederland. While I started my dance journey at Colorado Ballet Academy, that chapter unfolded while we lived in Colorado when I was super little— before the summer pilgrimages began.
But Rhapsody? She’s doing both.
💃 This Year Feels Different
This summer, while we’re visiting Jeff’s family in the area, Rhapsody is training at Colorado Ballet Academy — the very school where my own dance journey began in the ’90s. I went on to dance all over the world, go to one of the world’s best ballet schools, and taught for 21 years. Seeing her dance in the same city where it began, and following in my dream to go pro, brings it full circle in a way I never expected.
It’s not her first time in Colorado, but it IS her first time training here— with her own talent, her own dreams, and that same mountain backdrop. Apparently getting in to professional ballet schools runs in the family!
✨ Legacy in Motion
There’s something powerful about watching your child build memories in the same place yours were shaped — but in their own way. Rhapsody isn’t just following in my footsteps. She’s dancing beyond them.
And as long as that Colorado sign still stands, we’ll keep stopping for that photo — a new year, a new moment, same road.
📷 Catch more of our travels on YouTube: [Bon Voyage Rhapsody]
💬 Do you have a multi-generational travel tradition? I’d love to hear it in the comments.
