Labor Day Love

I love Labor Day! It's a freebie holiday that gives us a three-day weekend, and that means time to do FUN things! How can you beat that? We decided to once and for all, find a "beach"-- Colorado style!

Saturday afternoon we headed to Cherry Creek State Park about 20 minutes from our house, which has a large reservoir for swimming and boating. We invited Jeremy and Kylene and their kids to meet us for a picnic and to play! 

I have to admit, it did kinda sorta feel like a beach with the sand and the water. Let's face it, it's probably as close as we're ever going to get to a beach  way out here in land-locked Colorado! I'll take what I can get.

The kids had a great time playing with cousins, swimming in the lake, and catching "waves" off the wake from boats coming by. Luckily it was pretty shallow, so the adults were able to sit in the shade and supervise from afar. We lucked out with gorgeous weather.

The plan had been to rent a jet ski for Jon and the kids for an hour, but we didn't know you had to reserve it (we called twice to ask questions about price and how to do it, and you'd think someone may have mentioned that, seeing as it's pretty important). When Jon finally got there, it being Labor Day weekend and all, they were booked out-- the next available time was at 5:30 p.m. and we didn't want to wait that long. Oh well. Next time!

Jeremy and Kylene suggested we try Costa Vida for dinner, which is kind of like a Cafe Rio-copy cat, so we headed straight over there. I'd been there once a long time ago, and although very good, it's just not the same as MY Cafe Rio. The kids finished quickly as usually, but thankfully all five kids were entertained by this one iPhone so the adults could finish up. Ha ha. 

Monday morning we couldn't quite decide what to do! The options were endless considering we hadn't even stepped foot in the mountains yet! We decided to drive up to Mt. Evans, which is the highest "drive-able" peak in North America, elevation 14,000+ feet. The road was first made by FDR's CCC'ers back during the Great Depression. It was 14 miles of switchback, windy roads, straight to the top. It felt like we were traversing Middle Earth and heading up to Mordor!

After a few white-knuckled turns (a lot of the road is sheer drop-off, with no barriers)-- Leah was literally looking out her window and holding onto her car seat for dear life! The cool thing was that the views and height were not lost on the kids-- at every turn they would "ooh" and "ahh" and say, "Mom! Take a picture of that!"

We knew with the elevation gain it would be colder than in Parker, but we hadn't really anticipated just how cold it was going to be up at the top! When we got up there it was 38 degrees, with a windchill of 3 degrees, and snow warnings. And there we were with our light fall jackets, shorts, and flip flops. Ha ha. Lesson learned! We definitely picnicked in the car! 

Braving the wind and the cold arctic tundra temperatures, we hurried and snapped some shots of the spectacular views!! Holy cow!! You could literally see for miles and miles and miles.  

You can see Pike's Peak, Mt. Bierstadt, and Denver in the distance, as well as most of the Continental Divide in Colorado.

Apparently there was a restaurant and observatory built in the 1940's that caught fire and burned down in the 1970's. You can see the remains there in the background. Brrrrr! That wind was cold!

There were the cutest mountain goat friends there to welcome us up at the top. The kids loved them! 

They'd come right up to you, but there were signs everywhere saying not to pet them of course, so we just took pictures. 

 Cute little baby goat looking for his mama! Leah loved watching this one climb. They are so quick and agile! 

 More goat friends on the mountainside! We counted about 8 or 9 at the top.

By this point we'd been out of the car maybe about 10 minutes, and Jon, Leah, and Zach were FREEZING and ready to call it a day. It's pretty amazing we'd traversed 3 seasons in about 45 minutes-- summer, fall, and winter. 

Lucy and I wanted to go to the very tippy-top (right here in the background) which is literally the highest point on Mt. Evans, but you have to hike up to it. This was the last weekend of the season that the top 5 miles would be open, so while Jon and the kids headed back to the car, we booked it up there, preggo belly, flip flops and all!

She is one tough cookie! Lucy has always been impervious to the cold, and with my bun in the oven I'm always uncomfortably warm. Plus with the added exercise we warmed up pretty quickly! The only problem was that it was hard to breathe! The air was so thin. Here's looking at the parking lot down below as we started up to the "peak."

We did it! We "bagged the peak," as Jon would say and officially made it to the top of the world at 14, 264 feet. (Notice the gathering snow clouds in the background...)

 Oh man!! The views were AMAZING!!! It was so fun to literally feel on top of the world. The clouds however were moving super fast, and before we knew it, we were caught in a snowstorm! It started snowing like crazy, so Lucy and I booked it back down to the parking lot, driven by freezing rain and snow pelting us in the face and with our bare toes. What an adventure!

We waited maybe 20 minutes for the storm to pass, and then I made Jon "goat" it up to the top so he could see, and of course the entire round trip took him maybe 10 minutes. We saw this herd of mountain goats off to the side of the road on our way back down, plus a few marmots. 

About halfway down there's a forest called the Mount Goliath Natural Area, with trees dating back to 442 BC. Yes, you read that right! This area features bristlecone pine trees, which are the oldest living organisms on Earth.  

 Ancient bristlecone pines! Lucy loved how gnarly looking these old trees were!

We headed back down the mountain and stopped for some souvenir crystals at the old Lodge located at the base of the mountain. Idaho Springs is the city right at the base of the mountain, and come to find out, it features a famous gold mining museum, Buffalo Bill's grave and museum, and a hot springs!! Hello! Jackpot for the bucket list. We'll totally be back.... 

We stopped for a quick bite to eat at the second Biker Jim's location in Highland's Ranch because I wanted to Jon to taste them, plus the Baby was really craving that hot dog again!

This time I got a dog with french fried onions, blue cheese, and bacon red onion marmalade. Jon got the spicy jalapeno cheddar with elk sausage. And both were a hit! We LOVE Labor Day!

West Is Best!

Well, West really is Best. So far, since moving from North Carolina, we've had Jon's parents come stay for 2 weeks in June, and 2 weeks in July. Then we got to visit Boise for 2 weeks earlier this summer, and now this week, my parents came to visit for 5 days! Wow! Moving closer to be near family has really paid off.

My parents flew in from Boise around 10 a.m. last Saturday morning, so once we'd taken my Dad on the "grand tour" of the new house, we headed about 45 minutes northwest to Dinosaur Ridge, a national fossil area and natural landmark. 

First we had a little picnic lunch at one of their outdoor picnic tables. Well, everyone except Zach and Leah who found the kids' sand pit with pretend fossils to dig for!

Then we headed out on their dinosaur train up to Dinosaur Ridge, where we learned about Colorado's fascinating geological history! Wow! It's been the location of all sorts of prehistoric creatures-- from dinosaurs like Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and the mighty T-Rex, to saber toothed tigers and woolly mammoths. The Denver area lies right on a fault line so it saw TONS of action way back when the earth was formed. You get to walk right up to the over 300 preserved dinosaur tracks right in the mountain wall.

Look at all those dinosaur footprints right behind Zach-O! Pretty cool they've lasted 65 million years, huh? As the Rockies began to form millions of years ago, and the earth was pushed up, all of these dinosaur and plant fossils that were hidden underneath began to be exposed.

There are also some dinosaur fossils left in the rock that you can touch-- like this dinosaur bone Zach and Leah are feeling. I think they said it was part of a Stegosaurus--and in fact, this location in Colorado is where the first stegosaurus in the world was discovered.

Cross-section of a dinosaur bone fossil--most likely the limb of a Stegosaurus or Apatosaurus. Our tour guide said that as increased development and construction occurs around Colorado they're finding more and more fossils in people's very own backyards!

A preserved footprint of where a dinosaur stepped into a river bed long ago and left his imprint, called an "innie." That's a pretty big footprint! 

After our tour, we headed over to Red Rocks nearby to check out the outdoor amphitheater and scenic byway. Such a pretty part of Colorado!

That night we took Grandma and Grandpa to "Crave," a unique little local place in Castle Rock, where Jon's office is. My friend had recommended it when we first moved here, so I was anxious to try their crazy burgers and famous milkshakes!

Holy moly! This place was fantastic! I'm so glad we got there early-- by the time we'd finished dinner there was a HUGE line out the door of people waiting to get in. Our little Punky Brewster look-alike was sure happy to be at dinner with Grandma and Grandpa!

Jon and I split the s'mores milkshake which had tons of chocolate, roasted marshmallows, and graham crackers. So yummy! 

With Labor Day right around the corner, we were so happy they could come visit one more time before summer is over!

I got the "Love Stinks" burger which won "Denver's Best Burger" in 2014, and had garlic cream cheese, candied bacon, and roasted red peppers. It's honestly probably one of the best burgers I've ever had! Jon got "The Popper," which had cream cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers, chipotle mayo, and avocado. We will definitely be going back! 

Sunday morning we took Grandma and Grandpa to church in our new ward, and speaking of which, we both just got our new callings. Jon's the Scout Master, and I'm the new Gospel Doctrine teacher. Oh boy! I think we're both dying a little bit. We had a yummy BBQ shish-kabob dinner, and the kids had rootbeer floats for dessert. Yum! 

Cheese!

We decided once it had cooled down enough Sunday evening, to take a walk along the nature trail in back of our house. We got a beautiful sunset, and then had a little campfire out back to roast s'mores before bed. Lucy's face cracks me up! The kids love hearing Grandpa Tom Tom's campfire stories, and this time didn't disappoint. The finale was when he jumped over the still-burning fire pit! Whoa! That guy is crazy. 

Monday morning we dropped the kids off to school, then headed out to Castle Rock to shop at the great Outlet Mall. Before we headed shopping, we took Grandpa on a little tour of downtown Castle Rock, and then decided to get lunch at Manna-- a restaurant at the Castle Rock Hospital.

A Hospital?!? It sounds kind of crazy-- but they had great reviews online and we'd heard they have really good food! Their menu boasts they use only organic, fresh, sustainable foods, so we decided to give it a try. The menu was great-- definitely more fru-fru and foodie than my Dad is used to, but my mom and I loved it. We both got the bagel sandwich, which had honey smoked salmon, heirloom tomatoes, avocado cream cheese, and bacon. YUM!

That night I talked my parents into babysitting for us so Jon and I could get a night out on the town! It had been awhile! And it was awesome. First we headed to the Denver Botanic Gardens in downtown Denver, which was having a "free-day" open to the public.

We've been spoiled by all of the amazing botanical gardens and plantations we've seen throughout our travels (Longwood in PA, Butchart Gardens in Canada, Magnolia Plantation in SC), but this Chihuly glass sculpture was sure unique and beautiful!

We wandered the grounds for a little while, exploring all of the beautiful gardens! It's amazing they can get so many different varieties of flowers and plants to grow at this elevation and climate.

They boast having one of the rare "Corpse Flowers," which only blooms every 7-10 years, and only stays open for about 48 hours. While blooming, it's said to emit an odor similar to that of a decomposing mammal. We'd just missed it blooming by about 2 days. Darn!

It started getting dark around 8 p.m., so although we were both relishing the peace and quiet, we decided we'd better get dinner! We decided to try "Biju's Little Curry Shop," which is a fast-food Indian concept restaurant. It had been featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and had really good online reviews.

It's kind of like an Indian "Cafe Rio"-- you assemble your own curry bowl, picking which kind of rice, lentils, meat, sauce, veggies, toppings, etc. that you want. I got the chicken coconut khurma bowl and Jon got the masala beef bowl.

 Really fresh, really different, and yummy! The mango lassi was amazing. We had a hotel reward for a free night's stay, so we took advantage of that and stayed the night in downtown Denver!

While my parents were busy getting the kids ready and off to school, we stopped at a local diner called "The Breakfast Queen" for a leisurely brekkie. 

Jon got some amazing orange ricotta crepes, and I got a croissant egg sandwich. Yum! I think going out to breakfast makes my list of "Favorite Things," because we hardly ever do it.

We spent the rest of the day running errands, getting one of the best pedicures EVER, taking care of dental work, and making freezer jam with fresh raspberries. It was a busy day!

Wednesday was my parents' last day in Colorado, and they wanted to see a little bit of downtown Denver before they left. We decided to check out the Molly Brown mansion in the historic district to feed my mom and I's history obsession.

There's a great tour inside the house which tells all about the life and history of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown," from her marriage to a lowly Denver silver miner, their rags to riches story, her trip on the Titanic, and the political and economical influence she had on early Denver. She was quite a woman! We loved it! 

The Church of the Immaculate Conception right around the corner that she helped fund in 1911.

The Denver state capitol building built in 1894.

Coors Field where the Colorado Rockies play baseball. And now we finally know why their mascot is a dinosaur! Ha ha.

A Denver "Pot Shop" which Colorado is now famous for. You can pretty much find them on any corner downtown.

Using my trusty phone to find us another foodie hole-in-the-wall place for lunch, we decided on Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs. Their menu boasts crazy sausages made with duck meat, rattle snake and pheasant, elk, buffalo, you name it, they have it. 

I admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but it was sooooo good! Being a sausage-snob from my time living in Europe, it had exactly what I like about a nice hot dog. Thick casing, lots of spices, and tons of flavor!

I got the "Bat Dog" which was a smoked bacon brat with avocado puree, tomato cream cheese, caramelized onions, and bacon bits. It was featured on the show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," and was totally worth every calorie-laden bite!!

My adventurous parents eating at Biker Jim's! My dad got the German veal sausage topped with chili. We loved it and will definitely try it again.

I had to have my parents try a VooDoo Donut for dessert, so while I circled the block they ran in and picked their donuts.

Talk about a quirky place with some killer donies!

That evening although we were all still stuffed, we decided it'd be easiest for everyone to meet up for dinner (my dad was in Englewood golfing) so I could get my parents to the airport on time. We chose Maggiano's simply for its chocolate cake. If you've never tried it, you are TOTALLY missing out. Zach is obsessed-- and this is his "cake face" when the waiter brings it out. First of all it's HUGE-- enough to share with everyone, and has an amazing caramel sauce with it. Enough said.

We had SO much fun with them over the 5 days they were here! It was just enough time to do some really fun things, but it also left enough to do with them the next time they come back. Thanks for coming to visit and helping us officially wind down summer!