September 5-17, 2016
We spent nearly two
weeks in Denver although Greg spent one of those weeks in Austin for
work. Since it is more of a city environment we didn't do too much
hiking and exploring but we had a fabulous time visiting with family.
Greg's cousins Cherie and Sandy and his Aunt LaDonna live there with
their families. Jacob and Jordan met them once right before we
headed out the first year on our RV trip. They were 7 and 4 then and
don't remember them much but they immediately warmed up to them and
had a great time playing with their dogs Bailey and Pongo.
Together we all went
to Casa Bonita, a buffet Mexican restaurant known for it's many
themed dining rooms, cliff divers, puppet shows, gun fights, and
gorillas! You can dine in the jungle, a mine, a theater, or a cave.
The food was mediocre but it was all about the experience!
And other than many
dinners together and game night, we also got to go to the school
where Sandy teaches and surprise her and her class with birthday
cupcakes. It was so fun.
One night, Jacob
made a pineapple upside down cake to take for dessert (Jordan was his
measuring assistant). Other than being short two pineapples, it
turned out great. He did a fantastic job!
Greg, the kids and I
drove to Mt. Evans. The summit road was closed but we were able to
make it to more than 12,000 feet.
The Denver Museum of
Nature and Science was a great museum. We actually went twice since
we only had a couple hours on our first visit and we barely put a
dent in the exhibits they had.
Jordan's birthday
was many months ago but she still had a gift coming. She wanted to
skydive at iFly and this turned out to be the best location. She
enjoyed it but did find it a little scary. I could not stop
laughing. She had to wear googles that were on so tight and smashed
her face so she just looked distorted everytime she tried to smile!
On another day, we
drove to Idaho Springs to TommyKnocker's Brewery and Restaurant. The
food was great and the kids got to enjoy some delicious draft
rootbeer.
The Hammond's Candy
Factory was another stop. Their candies are still handmade using
much of the same equipment they used when the company opened 90 years
ago. We took a tour of the factory and saw them hand-twisting
lollipops and making ribbon candy. We got free candy cane samples
and purchased a few other treats to test out, including the Mitchell
Sweet which they are most known for and takes 3 days to make.
And later we visited
4-mile Historic Park. It is a small farm/tavern that dates back to
the 1860s. The original home is still there with many very old
furnishings. We took a guided tour of the home which was very
interesting then toured the rest of the property which included a
one-room school house, several barns, a root cellar, chicken coop and
a fur trapper and miner's cabin.
Lastly, I must
mention DartWarz. Jacob has been waiting for weeks to make it here
to be able to go to DartWarz again. This indoor Nerf Battlefield has
become a new favorite activity for Jacob.
We enjoyed our visit tremendously and being able to spend it with family made it great. Our next stop is Colorado Springs!
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