Just before our first Monopoly adventure, my father had surgery on his knee. A few weeks had passed but he was still healing and wanted to come along with my wife and two daughters to explore some of the American West. His doctor told him he needed to keep his knee elevated at times to help in the healing. What better way to keep it elevated than to explore the Rocky Mountains? Our journey had taken us through the Badlands of South Dakota on to Mt. Rushmore before ascending into Estes, Colorado which resides at over 7,500 feet in elevation. At times we went to heights of over 12,000 feet elevation. We kept wondering if that was enough elevation for his knee. I’m not sure the doctor would see the humor in such an adventure.

During our time of elevating my dad’s knee we hiked a number of trails to see mountains, wildlife, flowers in bloom, and waterfalls. He continued on with us much more than I ever expected, walking through the pain as though it wasn’t really there. Knowing who he is I’m confident there were some challenging moments, which he never let on to the rest of us for fear of holding us back. At the time he likely would have preferred a little less exploring to rest his knee but is happy he pushed through his soreness for all of the great experiences we shared during a 10 day road trip. I’m grateful to have had this time to share with him out exploring such an amazing landscape which we continue to talk about to this day, even though it happened over a decade ago. When the time comes for me to have work done on my knees I know exactly how I want to keep it elevated as it heals!