Rocky Mountain High, Colorado - August 26th - 28th, 2010

We left Glacier Lodge in Estes Park on Thursday morning after a great reunion with family.(See previous post). Several were flying out later in the day Thursday so we made our way to Boulder for one more gathering, and ate lunch together at Lazy Dog Bar and Grill on Pearl Street. My first time to Boulder and although it was about 100 degrees, it was still fun to be together one last time and to look around at a few of the stores on Pearl Street.

We left the area about 2pm and drove to Denver and checked into our hotel. We had planned to stay two more nights in the area and do a little sightseeing with Ruth and Earl. After resting awhile at the hotel, swimming in the pool, the four of us went to dinner at Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill in downtown Denver. The evening was still warm and we were able to eat outside and just enjoy the weather and the food. Afterwards we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for some low carb cheesecake.

On Friday we got up and went to the Waffle House for breakfast. Ever since Doug had first discovered the Waffle House in Florida (several years ago) his radar has picked up the signal if there is one nearby. Since we don’t have them in Washington it is usually a treat for him, and wouldn’t you know it, as we were leaving the airport at the beginning of this adventure we passed a sign for one. So of course we had to go. Fortunately, they have sugar free syrup for the waffles, and I suppose having just one is not so bad. J

After breakfast we went to Red Rocks Park to see the Amphitheatre. We had planned to be there for a tour however the person who was to give the tour was sick. We spent quite a bit of time going through the visitor center and looking at the amphitheatre. Since there was a concert that night we were not able to go down to the stage but it was amazing to see the natural red rocks that formed the backdrop for the stage. I would love to be able to hear a concert there.

We left Red Rocks and continued on the scenic highway on our way back to Denver. Along the way we stopped to see Buffalo Bill's grave. We stopped in Georgetown, which is a scenic little town. We had lunch in the courtyard of Ed’s Café which was fun. After lunch we went across the street and toured the Hotel de Paris Museum and learned about the history of the area. We shopped a little then headed back to Denver to our hotel. That evening Earl and Ruth had decided to meet Josh and Robin and kids at a local park for dinner and Doug and I decided to rest then go out for dinner. We spent some time relaxing, swimming and Doug working on things then headed out to dinner about 8pm to the Hacienda Colorado in Englewood. The food was good and the décor of the restaurant was really nice. It was starting to get dark out and they had a courtyard with a fireplace for those who were waiting to get in.

On Saturday morning we got up early, checked out of our hotel and met Ruth and Earl to go down to Colorado Springs to meet up with Mike and Carol for breakfast. They had left Estes Park and headed to Colorado Springs to stay and go golfing. They were staying at the Broadmoor Hotel which was beautiful. The property is several acres with a lake and lots of individual buildings. We had a nice breakfast and then walked through the lobby of the hotel and across the lake and over to the main building. We left them for their tee- time and we headed out to see the Garden of the Gods which was on the other side of Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods is a drive through park with all kinds of natural red rock stone natural formations. There are several areas to stop and hike or get closer to the formations. It was starting to get very warm out so for the most part we stayed in the car and took pictures from there. It was amazing to see these geological wonders. Afterward we drove up toward Pike’s Peak but determined that we wouldn’t have time to drive to the top because we needed to get to the airport by 2pm.

We headed back to Denver and picked up our car at the hotel and said goodbye to Ruth and Earl and headed to the airport. Although our flight had a layover in LA, we were able to exchange it for a direct flight and get home much sooner than expected.

Home again after a wonderful first trip to Denver. I went away feeling like it was a place that I could live and call home. I loved the scenery and spending time with family. Need to do it more often.

To see more pictures from this trip, click below.

Estes Park, Colorado August 22 - 26, 2010

Our family decided to have a reunion in Estes Park, CO. I had never been to Colorado and was really looking forward to going. All 6 of us siblings came with our spouses, and all of Ruth's, Carol's and Jon's kids and grandkids were able to come. There were 32 adults and 12 kids, all under 9. We selected Glacier Lodge as the place that we would stay and rented several cabins on the property. Ruth and her family rented Timber Lodge which was the biggest lodge and gave us the space for gathering altogether for meals. Each of us arrived at different times on Sunday the 22nd. We had planned meals ahead of time and a few of us had gone to Costco to get groceries on our way to the campsite. Dinner that night was prepared by Ruth's family. Robin had made spaghetti sauce ahead of time so that along with garlic bread and salad became our first meal. The weather was hot and after dinner several of the cousins got together and played football on the property or just walked around the grounds exploring. Monday: We purposely decided to not structure specific things during the day, however several people went for drives through Rocky Mountain National Park, went hiking, or horseback riding on the property, went to town, or just stayed around the area to visit. There was a pool on the property and several people went swimming during the day, including the little kids. Late in the afternoon on Monday Uncle Wilbur showed up from Oklahoma. He had written earlier that he would like to join us and we were all anxious to see him. Wilbur is our father's oldest living sibling at 84, and still managing to drive across country every year, and stay active with his woodworking and teaching reading twice a week during the school year. That evening Jon and his family prepared our meal of hotdogs and hamburgers and we had a nice time visiting during and after dinner. That evening Wilbur brought out several wooden cars that he had made and gave them to the kids. Also, Ruth had brought tee-shirts for us siblings to wear with our pictures and we showed a slide show that I created from old pictures, set to music.

Tuesday: After breakfast I led several of the kids and parents (4 carloads) on a geocaching trek. This was the first time for all of them so it was fun to share the experiences. We found 3 different caches and the kids were able to trade several things that I had brought along, taking some of the trinkets that were in the caches. Charlotte (3) spotted one of the caches so here is her picture. We also found 2geocoins that I will be passing on back in Washington. Later in the day Wilbur, Ruth, Dave and I went to town and toured the Stanley Hotel. Several others came too and met us there. The Stanley is an old hotel, up on the hillside in Estes Park. Stephen King stayed there and it was the inspiration for the book " The Shining" although it wasn't filmed there. The lobby has a Stanley Steamer in it, and the grounds are beautiful as well as the view of the Rocky Mountains. That evening Carol and her family made a mexican meal for us with fajitas, tacos, salad, beans, etc. After dinner Wilbur did a magic show for the kids. I remember as a child watching him entertain us with his magic tricks. It was such a special treat to see it again. Wednesday: Several of us had arranged to go on a Rocky Mountain "Top of the World" Tour so we went downtown about 8:45. Our guide, Rene' took us up in the mountains to the top of one of the peaks. Along the way we saw elk and other wildlife. The Colorado mountains are so pretty and different than we see in Washington. We really enjoyed the tour and learning about the area. In the afternoon I went swimming and just spent time enjoying family time. We were in charge of dinner so Doug had been slow cooking a pork shoulder all day for pulled pork sandwiches. That evening was to be our last together so we gathered one more time for dinner and had the sandwiches, along with some trout that the kids had caught that day, and several salads. We still had lots of food that either needed to be eaten or it would have to go home with Josh and Robin. After dinner we spent our last evening visiting and taking group pictures. Thursday: In the morning Doug and I packed the car then went to town for one last look around before we needed to leave. We got back to the campsite close to 10:30, then had to check out. Several of us were planning to stop in Boulder for lunch before those who needed to get to the airport had to leave. I found Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains majestic and I look forward to going back someday. It is a beautiful area and several of us agreed it was a great place for a reunion. To see more pictures, click below. Be sure to read my next entry which is the next few days of the trip including Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Red Rocks.