Pacific Northwest Adventures 2016 (Part 2)

4/24/16 (continued)

Oh man, talk about waiting a long time to revisit this! It’s October now! I hope I can do this trip justice!

To recap, my mom and I had just completed our week-long cruise up the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and Nathan, Karla, and the kiddo drove up to meet us for the second half of our adventure. We start here in Clarkston, WA, on the banks of the Snake River.

Once we left the American Empress, we were able to track Karla down. She drove us over the river and to the hotel at which they stayed the night before. Hyla and Nate were still sleeping, but started getting up as soon as we got there. I didn’t realize up until now that Hyla was suffering from an awful case of croup, and her cough was terrible! I felt so awful for my little kid. They said she was worse in the mornings and improved as the day wore on. I really hoped so! She wasn’t very happy to see us, either, and wanted nothing to do with me at all. She cried and I couldn’t console her. Poor kiddo. She just needed a day of rest, which wasn’t going to happen for a while. I hoped that she could at least relax a bit in the car.

Everyone got dressed and ready, and we packed the van. Then we headed back over the river to points west! The drive was very pretty: rolling green hills stretched as far as the eye could see. We timed it just right, as the green season is very brief, and all the hills would turn brown in just about 6 weeks. Trees were also very sparse. It turns out there are no native trees between Clarkston and The Dalles, so any we did see were transplants. We eventually made it to Kennewick and headed to the Gesa Carousel of Dreams. Located by the Southridge Sports Complex park, the carousel started its life in 1910 at Silver Beach Amusement Park in St. Joseph, Michigan. A handcrafted masterpiece, the carousel thrilled riders at Silver Beach for 62 years before being purchased by a collector in Roswell, NM. It sat there, unused, until 2002 when the city of Kennewick bought it and once again made it available to the public. We were excited to ride it, as this is one of the few remaining carousels with a ring machine – you can grab rings as you ride by, with hopes of catching the brass ring which allows you another ride. Nathan and I did quite well at ring-grabbing, and I never missed a single one! During our rides, I got 2 brass rings, and Nate got 1! Hyla loved holding onto the rings as we rode around. She was so enamored by this ride that she still asks to go back today. If only it weren’t a two-day drive away!

We broke up the time on the carousel with a visit to the adjacent playground. Nate found a geocache while Hyla enjoyed the slides and other activities. Then we headed off to find lunch at Ice Harbor Brewing Company. The food was delicious – I had a French dip sandwich and shared a beer sampler with Nate. Hyla had desperately been wanting ice cream, so we were able to fulfill her wish here, and she was thrilled. She was also quite tired, and it was starting to show. Once we left, she was able to take a nap in the car until we arrived at Maryhill Stonehenge: a replica of the original Stonehenge, located high above the Columbia River. Dedicated in 1918 and completed in 1929, it serves as a WWI memorial. We enjoyed the amazing views before continuing down the road.

We headed on toward The Dalles, noting just how far from civilization we seemed to be. There really isn’t much between the Tri Cities (Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco) and The Dalles, though the views of the Columbia River prevent it from being too monotonous. Once we reached The Dalles, we thought a stop at a park would be perfect for everyone, so we made our way to a high point in town and parked at Sorosis Park. We all got quite a kick out of that unfortunate name. Hoping to find a geocache, we were amazed that such a huge park didn’t have any for us to find. Instead, we took Hyla to the playground for a bit, until she was spooked by all the boisterous kids. Then we hiked around the perimeter trail, getting some exercise and enjoying the cool air. The views from this height were astounding! What a great park!

After this, we continued on to Hood River, where we had a hotel reservation. The rest of the evening was trying and stressful for me, but we got through it. We ordered a pizza, swam, gave the kiddo a bath, and went to bed exhausted.

4/25/16

Karla’s birthday! We celebrated a bit in the room before striking out on our way again. We visited Bonneville Dam again, this time from the Oregon side. Nate and I had visited this side years ago, and I thought it was better than the Washington side. Upon seeing it again, I concur. There was just so much more to see and do here. We strolled the grounds, visited the museum which had a large field trip going on, observed some more fish ladders which were still as empty as a few days prior, and my mom got Hyla a stuffed pika. You don’t see those every day!

Then we explored the fish hatchery and ponds for a while. It’s always so neat to see these fish up close. They had some enormous sturgeon on display – I’m sure they were big enough to ride. So fascinating. We fed the fish and ducks for a while before continuing on again.

Our next stop was Multnomah Falls. Nate and I also visited here on our last trip, and we thought it was incredible enough to take our moms to see. We all went up to the viewpoint, taking in the immense power and beauty of the Falls. Karla, Nate, Hyla and I then went up to the bridge viewpoint. Karla took Hyla back down with her while Nate and I continued up to the upper viewpoint. It was a great hike, and it was easy going despite the steepness. Being down near sea level does wonders for one’s stamina. The view from above the waterfall was incredible. We tried to spot our moms and Hyla from up there, sadly to no avail. The Columbia River was just beyond the trees. The air was cool, the breeze was comforting, and the setting was serene. We didn’t stay too long, as we figured everyone would wonder where we were, so we hurried back down the path. On the way, I noticed a group of people in front of us sporting Illini jackets. I asked if they went to U of I, and they DID! What a small world.

Once at the bottom, we met up with our family and hit the gift shop. Karla bought Hyla an orange bouncy clownfish that lit up, and it was all the rage. In fact, months later, when Hyla popped the light ball out and it became a choking hazard and mysteriously disappeared, all she could do was obsess over her “yoyo fish,” and ask us to get her another one. Poor kid. Luckily, several months after that, Karla bought a case of yoyo fish – a different style, but 6 colors of bouncing, light-up fish. Hyla was complete again.

We continued on toward Portland, making our way to the Portland Children’s Museum. Despite being tired, we tried to get the most out of it. The museum was quite large, and I wish we’d have had more time to really explore, but we did at least see everything. There was a crocodile whose teeth you could brush, a whole town with interactive shops, a water discovery zone, lots of arts and crafts opportunities, a hollow tree to explore, and an outdoor area with a stick maze and lots of amazing trees you could climb.

Ready for supper, we determined there was a kid-friendly brew pub nearby: the Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. So we plugged it into our Garmin and headed there. It took an eternity to get there, thanks to the crazy traffic. We parked about 2 blocks away and got settled, glad to stop for a bit. We found that “kid-friendly” was an understatement. Kid-infested seemed more accurate! The food was good – I had the nachos. I can’t speak for the beer because I was so dehydrated, beer was the last thing I wanted. Instead I enjoyed a lovely strawberry lemonade. Honestly, I was so tired at this point, I really don’t remember many details, but it was nice enough.

We were excited to get to our hotel and relax for the evening. Pulling into the lot, we were all so relieved and ready to be done with travel. Nate went to check in, but he was out really quickly. It turned out the Garmin brought us to the wrong hotel. We still had several miles to go before we could rest. Luckily the next place was correct, and we spent the next hour or so shuttling our belongings up to our room, finding milk (the breakfast milk stores were locked, but the desk clerk went on a mission to find the key for us – he really went out of his way, and we were grateful to not have to trudge out again to find a convenience store), exploring the hotel, getting the internet code, and finding the elusive hot chocolate that was apparently free for guests. Phew! I was so glad to settle in and get some sleep at last. It had been quite a journey.

4/26/16

We woke up and took it relatively easy. Hyla got to swim before we had to pack the car to head off. Our first stop was the Portland Airport. Karla was flying back today, but luckily we had time to have lunch with her before she took off. When we parked, I was excited to see that each space had a green or red light above it, allowing you to see if a space was empty from a distance. Since the lot was so crowded, it was a huge help! Once in the building, we found a section of the airport outside security that featured a number of faux food trucks showcasing numerous cuisines. I opted for pad Thai, and everyone else had gyros. Again, I was struck by how nice this airport is! The interior is just so clean and welcoming. Once we finished eating, we said goodbye to Karla and headed off to continue our adventures.

We headed over to the Portland Zoo, which happened to be off the same parking lot as the Children’s Museum from yesterday. We paid our meter and headed inside. What a nice zoo! There were a lot of little sections, we were worried we might miss something, but I think we managed to see it all. Hyla got to ride on another carousel, and Nate and I grabbed two geocaches within the zoo itself! I almost considered not actually grabbing the first one, even though we found it, because it was behind a barrier. We returned to the site later during our visit, and since no one was around, I jumped the barrier (only a few feet from the cache) and frantically opened it and signed the log. Once I finished, there were about 5 families nearby. Eek! Luckily, I used to work at a zoo, and Nate said that I looked pretty official about the whole thing, as though I actually worked there. So go me! (Not that I advocate jumping barriers, mind you…) The second cache was near a train stop on our way out. There was a lot of construction, but the cache was present and accessible. Yay! We spent a lot more time at the zoo than I realized, and I panicked when I noticed we were there one and a half hours more than our meter allowed! I bolted back to the car, but luckily no one was enforcing the meters that day. Phew! At this point, we decided it was time to move on.

We headed north over the Columbia River, eager to get into Washington and away from the crazy traffic in Portland. We even drove right through Vancouver, WA and spotted the hotel at which my mom and I stayed our first night! Once we broke past the metro area, we were treated to lush green forests, dotted with ponds. It was a dream! We continued north along the Columbia River and eventually stopped for the night in Kelso where we’d secured a room at the Best Western Aladdin Inn. A perfect stop, since one of Hyla’s favorite movies at the time was “Aladdin and the King of Thieves,” which she talked about a lot on the trip (not that there was any theming at the hotel or anything). We asked the desk clerk for restaurant recommendations, hoping for something seafood related, being near the coast and all. He highly recommended Freddy’s Just for the Halibut, not far up the road. It was outstanding! We had a sampler platter and clam chowder, and it was all delicious! Hyla even got a surprise complimentary ice cream! We even talked to the owner for a while – it had an extremely “ma and pa” atmosphere. This was easily one of the best restaurants of our trip.

We made it back to the room and took the kiddo swimming. Then we had a good night’s sleep. It had been another eventful day!

4/27/16

Now’s where it gets tricky – I didn’t take any notes for the rest of the trip! Eep! Let’s see what I can remember…

Once we were packed, we headed out toward Mt. St. Helens. We were aware the upper visitor centers were closed for the season, but the lowest one, Seaquest, was open, so we stopped there, perusing the exhibits, watching the film (well, as much as the kiddo would let us), and taking a stroll along the beautiful boardwalk.

Then we continued up toward the volcano itself. It was a misty, drizzly kind of day, so we never quite got a good look at Mt. St. Helens, but the views of the surrounding country were amazing! We had to turn around due to a road closure right around the point when it started to snow, so we doubled back to an overlook and looked with wonder upon the green valley below. We knew the volcano lurked just beyond the clouds in front of us, and we waited, hoping the clouds would clear, but they never did. Once we returned home, we heard there had been an earthquake swarm right when we were there! Of course they were too small to feel, but that’s still exciting!

Then we headed north toward Leavenworth, an incredible Alpine town I thought my mom might enjoy. I’m not sure if we ever stopped for lunch this day, but I think we grabbed snacks at a gas station or two. I remember stopping at one station and getting Hyla a book on insects, and the lady at the checkout counter seemed repulsed at the idea that anyone should be interested in such things. Ah, people.

We drove through rain and wintery mix conditions, and eventually we made it to Leavenworth. We admired the architecture and design in this European-themed town. We knew we wanted German food for dinner, and we opted for a place that turned out only to have outside seating: The Munchen Haus. Unfortunately, they really only specialized in brats and beer, but we still enjoyed what we had! They certainly had a variety of both, and all sorts of specialty mustards to choose from. You could also help yourself to unlimited apple cider sauerkraut. It was a little chilly, but the food was good, at least. We wound up talking to a couple from Clarkston who had no idea that cruise ships visited their town and wanted to learn more. What fun. Once we were done eating, I ran down to grab a geocache, passing some familiar places from the last visit: Andreas Keller Restaurant, where we ate last time, and the Australian shop – an odd establishment for a European town! As for the geocache, it was on private hotel property, so after nosing around, I cheated and asked the desk clerk about its whereabouts, as I don’t like looking suspicious. It was an easy find after that! Nate also looked for one, but it appeared to be missing, so we called it a day and headed back to the car.

Evening was approaching, so we hurried off toward Spokane. We had a reservation for a two-bedroom suite near the airport. It would be a welcome place to settle for the night after another long adventure. I was able to write out my postcards (which took weeks to get anywhere – I was worried they were lost at the hotel!), and we prepared for the next leg of our journey.

4/28/16

Once packed, we hit the road again, heading east to Coeur D’Alene, ID. I remembered really enjoying this town when Nate and I traveled through here last time – we had spent time at Silverwood Amusement Park and stayed at a hotel with an indoor waterpark. This time would be a bit more low-key. We stopped at McEuen Park, a large park right along the waterfront, and did some hiking and geocaching. Hyla got to enjoy the playground for a while, too. Nate and I had visited here last time, as well, so it was fun to see a familiar spot. The lake views from atop the hillside are gorgeous, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

From here, we grabbed lunch at Paragon Brewing. I recall the menu was a bit limited, and the beers were good, but nothing special. We had a lot of driving ahead of us, so we didn’t really drink very much. Overall, I wasn’t all that impressed, but it was good to be nourished. Once full, we hit the road again, heading east on I-90. We stopped in Missoula, a lovely college town, and spent about an hour at Dragon Hollow Playground, right on the riverfront. A clever and unique castle play structure, I almost lost Hyla at the bottom of an enormous twisty slide. I let her slide first, and by the time I made it down, she had run off! Yikes! Nate and I took turns wandering off to try and find our first Montana geocache, but it was a bust. We observed kayakers battling the frigid currents right in the center of town. How exciting! I wish we’d have had more time to explore Missoula, but it was getting late, and we had a schedule to keep.

We decided to spend the night in Deer Lodge, part-way between Missoula and Butte. We secured a room at the Travelodge, against my better judgment (I’ve stayed in some disgusting Travelodges). It actually wasn’t too bad, luckily. My mom and Hyla stayed in the room while Nate and I went out to explore the town. It was almost completely dark, but we attempted to find a geocache until we just couldn’t see anymore. Then we drove down to look at the historic prison, which would have probably been neat to tour. Maybe one day. Finally, we swung back and grabbed some McDonalds to take back to the room, since it was about the only thing open. I was fascinated by the older people in the restaurant, wondering what their lives were like, living in this small town. So interesting. Anyway, we brought the food back and had another relaxing evening.

4/29/16

We had a lot of ground to cover today and plans to visit with friends in the evening, so we had to book it. Our first stop was the Berkeley Pit in Butte, MT. Compared to Missoula, Butte wasn’t exactly an inviting town. A bit rough around the edges, it felt very industrial. We made our way over to the Pit, which is considered one of the worst toxic waste sites in the world. This former copper mine is highly acidic and has given rise to new species of extremophile bacteria. Supposedly the water color changes frequently, but the reflectivity was so high that we couldn't really even tell what color it was. We walked to the lookout shelter and watched a foolish bird swimming peacefully in this toxic water. Beyond that, there wasn’t much else to do but answer a few geocache questions and continue on our way.

We grabbed another geocache in town, so we could say we’d found a physical one, and we dropped off our travel bug. Then we hit the road, catching I-15 and heading south toward Utah.

This portion of our trip was mostly uneventful. We stopped at a few rest areas for some more geocaches, and we marveled at the beautiful scenery. Eventually we crossed back into Idaho and decided to stop in Idaho Falls for some lunch. Nate and I had visited here back in 2008, while I was working in Utah. We decided to see if the brew pub we’d enjoyed was still around, and it was! I’m not sure if the name was the same, but Snow Eagle Brewing and Grill was certainly in the same location. In addition to pub fare, they also featured sushi now! It was a little weird eating that in front of the glowfish tetra and black molly in their aquarium, though. We also found some time to walk along the beautiful riverfront, admire the falls (which are odd in that they run parallel to the river, instead of the typical perpendicular falls), and grab some geocaches. A lovely time in a lovely town was had by all.

We got back on I-15 and continued on into Utah. I got such a kick out of driving between the border and Salt Lake City, as this was one of my major stomping grounds back in 2008. I was sad that I blinked and missed Smith and Edwards, the massive military surplus store where we bought our dragon lamp. I would have liked to have visited it again.

Once we hit Ogden, we decided to see if we could find my old residence – the Ogden Bay Wildlife Management Area. I was able to stay rent-free in a creaky old metal trailer while I did my flying squirrel and pika fieldwork. Well, it took longer than we anticipated to find it, traveling through miles of farmland and salt marshes, but eventually there it was! It appeared my trailer was either no longer there or turned at a weird angle, and more structures seemed to have been built, but there was no mistaking my old home! We parked and hiked out along one of the marsh roads, hoping to grab another geocache, and enjoying the beauty of the marshlands. Waterfowl were abundant, and the views of the distant Wasatch Range were stunning. We were at a far point when I realized how late we were for meeting our friends! Yikes! We ran back to the car as quickly as Hyla would let us and snaked our way back to the expressway for our mostly straight shot down to Salt Lake City.

I think we made it to my friends’ house about a half hour late. The traffic from Ogden to Provo (a good 80 miles) is awful, and Salt Lake City is in the center of that mess. It was so good to see my old friends again – Trish and I go way back to the days when we were both members of the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA). She’d been my pen pal since I was a kid, and she, her husband Rob, and her kids have always welcomed me every time I was in the area. Seeing them was the highlight of the two research stints I had in Utah. We hung out at their house for a while, meeting their wonderful pet rats. This was Hyla’s first introduction to rats, and she was a little nervous, but you could tell she liked them. I hadn’t held a rat in years (shocking!), but it was nice to have that opportunity again.

From there, we went out to dinner at La Puente, a Mexican restaurant. Rob was born in New Mexico, so he knew the place to take us – apparently this place had a New Mexican flare, which could even be seen on its sign, which sported the Zia symbol, the same symbol you see on our state flag! The food was wonderful, as was the company. We had such a nice time catching up. I only wish we’d have had more time. After 8 years (has it been that long?) there’s a lot of catching up to do!

After dinner, it was getting pretty late, and we were exhausted from another long day on the road. We said goodbye and headed south to Provo where we had another reservation. We hoped to be home tomorrow, and we wanted to get as close as we could while still having some civilization around. I forget if Nate and Hyla swam this evening or the next morning (I think it was the next morning), but she did get to enjoy another pool. It had been another great day!

4/30/16

We were excited to hit the road for home at last. We’d had an enjoyable trip, but we were exhausted, and we looked forward to getting back to our animals. Angling southeast out of Provo, we drove through the small town of Helper, picking up an “Inside Out” activity book at a gas station, before catching up with I-70 in Green River. We were only briefly on I-70 before we took the exit for Rte. 191 to Moab. Driving past the imposing Arches National Park entrance (we’ll have to go back sometime, though Nate, Hyla, and Karla stopped on their drive out.), we made our way to yet another brew pub for lunch. We’d eaten at Moab Brewery years ago, and it was ok. The food was par for the course, and the beers were typical, though watered-down, as is expected in Utah. Still, it was a nice place to stop and take a break. Once satiated, we headed over to Rotary Park, a neat little park with two playgrounds: one classic one, and one based around music! We grabbed a geocache (of course!) and took Hyla to enjoy the two play areas, particularly enjoying the enormous xylophones and bells. What fun!

Finally, we decided we’d better head off. On our way out of town, I hoped to find a place that sold shakes. Both times I lived in Utah, I LIVED on Oreo shakes. I was addicted! Utah makes the best ones! Sadly, I was not to get my Oreo shake fix. Next time for sure!

We continued on through the Four Corners region and finally back to New Mexico. The scenery was stunning, though much more deserty than when we started, of course. We drove and drove, eager to get home. I believe we made it back before dark, glad to be back safely and exhausted from an incredible trip!

Colorado: July 2016

Colorado, July 2016

Well, it’s been months since I’ve taken this trip, so we’ll see just how much I remember! Luckily I try to take good notes.

We had limited vacation time to play with this year, so we decided a nearby road trip would be the perfect summertime getaway. Colorado is beautiful and full of so many things to see, so it was an easy decision.

7-21-16

Being a Thursday, Nate had to work, so we didn’t hit the road until 3pm. We wanted to leave early enough to make it to Rino’s in Trinidad, one of my favorite restaurants. The drive up was uneventful, save for seeing random fires off in the distance, and we made it to town with time to spare. Located inside a former church built in 1887, the atmosphere is historic and airy. Though serving delicious Italian fare, the main draw of this restaurant is the singing staff. In my experience everyone, including the busboys and kitchen crew, sings here! It’s always a great experience, and I try to stop every time I’m in the area.

I was heartened to see the place hopping despite being a Thursday night. The food was nice, and the singing was, too, though a bit sparse. I think this was our daughter's first time here, and she got rather cranky mid-way through, so that was unfortunate. Nate took her out to the car and walked her around to see the sights of the restaurant, too. Before long it was time for us to hit the road again.

We made it to Pueblo that evening, not quite in time to enjoy the swimming pool. For the first time, our girl slept in an actual hotel bed and not her Pack N Play! She did really well (despite fighting sleep for a ridiculous amount of time)! Other than being situated along the train tracks, it was a nice spot and a good place to end our first day in Colorado.

7-22-16

Woke up relieved that our daughter didn’t fall off the tall bed during the night. She was excited to get a chance to swim in the pool before we headed out. So she and Nate did that while I packed and loaded the car. Then we drove up to Colorado Springs for our next big adventure: Santa’s Workshop!

Ever since Jeanine and I visited many years ago, I knew I had to take my kiddo to Santa’s Workshop. Geared toward young kids, most of the rides were just her speed, and I knew it would be a great introduction to amusement parks. I was so excited to finally take her here and see if she liked rides as much as I do. None of us were disappointed! She rode all but 3 or 4 rides (the only ones I remember she didn’t ride were the sky ride, zip line sleigh, and horse hopper). She loved them all! We rode motor cars, a giant spiral slide, a tilt-a-whirl, the world’s highest Ferris wheel, a Paratrooper, the Christmas ornament ride (they had one at Santa’s Village in IL when I was a kid), various kiddie rides she rode by herself with no problem, a swinging rocket ship, flyers (no cable snapping, sadly), you name it. She even rode her very first roller coaster: The Candy Cane Coaster! It was awfully rough, and she told us she was afraid she’d chip her teeth on it. Oh dear. She seemed to like it, though. I rode with her the first time, and Nate went the second time. I’m so glad she’s finally riding coasters with us! I’m sure this is the first of many!

We explored a mirror maze, visited some shops, ate at a cozy burger stand while it drizzled outside, touched the north pole (brrrrrr!), and saw some reindeer. At one point, lightning struck pretty close to the park and all the rides shut down. We took shelter in the Skee Ball pavilion and won some tickets, turning them in for a blue snowflake yoyo and two tiny rubber reptiles: a lizard and a snake. The magic show was about to start, so we hurried over to the theater to enjoy that while waiting for the weather to clear up. It was short but entertaining, and by the time it was over the rides were open again! I was able to take a ride on the zip line sleigh, and I have to say it was a little scary. I was mostly nervous about the stop – it seemed pretty abrupt, and there was no barrier between one’s legs to stop you from flying forward under the safety bar. I held on for dear life, and as you can see, I’m here today! Haha! I can see why they don’t let little ones ride it, though.

We stayed until the park closed. We never did get to visit Santa, though we did see him make a run for the exit once his day was over. I don’t think our kiddo wanted to see him anyway, so no problem there. I do have to say the staff was phenomenal – always so nice and accommodating. We had such a lovely time, and I’m sure we’ll go back again someday.

By now it was 5pm, and we were all a bit tired. Our daughter fell asleep in the car, but we still had things to see! We drove over to Garden of the Gods and took turns hiking while the other stayed in the car with her. The scenery out there is incredible!! I took some pictures that don’t do the place justice, observed the wildlife (mostly rabbits and birds), saw people on Segways, and watched a huge line of trail riders go by. How fun that would be! The weather here was perfect and seemed cooler than up at Santa’s Workshop. I would have loved to spend the rest of the day here!

Once we had seen enough, we headed to dinner at the Colorado Mountain Brewery. It felt so good to just sit and relax a while after all our running around. And this was a wonderful spot for that! Our food was sooo good! Nate had the nachos, but my duck poutine was out of this world! It was the ultimate comfort food – so tasty and satisfying. I also had the beer sampler and really enjoyed their creations. Our waitress was from Indiana, and we had a grand time reminiscing about Gino’s East pizza. How funny! A perfect end to a fabulous day!

From there we made our way to our hotel, a Hampton Inn located out east near the airport. While I love the hilly and topographical nature of the west side of town, this side was a bit less hectic and busy. It was refreshing to just slow down at last. We enjoyed the cookies they offered before walking to the nearby 7-11 for some milk. Then we grabbed an easy “lamp post skirt” geocache in the parking lot before heading in to hit the pool. All three of us swam in the frigid pool before hitting the hay. A great day was had by all.

7-23-16

Woke up to find the kiddo on the floor, fast asleep. Nate thinks she must have fallen out of bed and been so tired she didn’t wake up. It would be quite a fall from those tall beds, so hopefully she just crawled down, but Nate was probably right. Poor kiddo. Luckily she seemed none the worse for wear. We took it easy this morning, enjoying breakfast at the hotel before heading out around 10. Our first stop was The Space Foundation Discovery Center, which was free with our Explora pass. The museum was the perfect size, and it was full of fun activities for kids including exhibits on recycling, efficient houses, and healthy produce. Nate and I went nuts for the recycling video game, and I got the high score on both machines! Woo hoo! There was a working R2D2 that interacted with us, a neat show on the planets featuring a 3D orb that showed each celestial body from all angles, hands-on projects involving propulsion, and lots of outer space displays. I’m really glad we checked it out, and it would be worth seeing again.

From here, we grabbed lunch at the Trinity Brewery. Sitting outside, we were joined by an unusual beige ladybug that hung out at our table throughout the meal. We ordered another flight and were excited that it came with some cheeses. Most of the beers were great, though I wasn’t thrilled about the strawberry. I told Nate it tasted like “a computer lab.” It’s hard to explain why I felt this way – maybe it had an electrical flavor? But the amazing thing is that Nate saw where I was coming from and agreed. The food was good, though the portions were a bit small. I had the hummus, and I think Nate had a burger. In comparing this brew pub to Colorado Mountain, I’d say if you want great food, go to CO Mtn., and if you want great beers, go to Trinity. Overall, though, both are good establishments.

Bellies full, we decided it would be fun to drive to the top of Pikes Peak. We’d taken the cog railway up many years ago, but the drive sounded like a lot of fun, too. Plus, we’d be able to stop and site-see along the way. The drive on this 19-mile toll road takes you from montane forests up to high tundra at and below the 14,114-foot summit. We were told the weather was questionable and we may be instructed to turn back at some point, so we crossed our fingers and decided to go directly to the top in case they did decide to shut things down. We encountered drizzle, as well as slightly heavier rain upon our ascent, but nothing too major. On our way we saw a bighorn sheep and some incredible views of the surrounding countryside. Nate pointed out a mine in the distance, too.

The top of Pikes Peak is quite striking in that it’s essentially a giant parking lot. Kind of a letdown after driving up through some gorgeous scenery, but it is what it is. It was raining harder up here, and lightning was in the vicinity, so we camped out in the car for a while. Our daughter was asleep anyway, so there was no real reason to get out. Eventually, Nate left to use the bathroom, and then I went out to get us some of their “world famous” donuts. They weren’t bad, but certainly not out of this world or anything. While outside, I wandered over to a viewpoint and saw a rainbow reaching over the world below. It was just perfect! The rain was starting to subside, and the kiddo started to stir. It was time to head down and see what else the mountain had to offer.

Our first stop was just a little down the road, still in the tundra. We parked on the shoulder and struck out along a narrow trail. We were treated to more beautiful scenery and even saw a pair of yellow-bellied marmots! We were hoping to glimpse at least one of those critters. I was dealing with the effects of low oxygen and found myself almost gasping for air, though I have to wonder if it was more psychological than anything. You definitely do fatigue more quickly up there, though.

We descended further and were once again in the company of trees when we stopped at Glen Cove Inn for a quick snack and a bathroom break. Our girl enjoyed the gigantic bear stuffed animal by the snack shop. We wandered around in the woods for a while before descending further, stopping for a geocache along the side of the road. Then we stopped briefly at Crystal Creek Reservoir where we hiked the small trail around part of the lake and strolled out onto a couple of piers. Beautiful!

Unfortunately, at this point Nate was experiencing an awful migraine, so we got back to the car and headed out to find our hotel. I stopped briefly at Target to get him some Advil, but he was so sick at this point it didn’t do much good. We had reservations at the Doubletree, so we checked in and got settled in the room as quickly as we could. Then I took our daughter and we headed out to find some dinner.

I’d spied a Fazoli’s earlier, and, being one of the closest restaurants of its kind to Albuquerque, I knew I had to go. I have fond memories of eating there in college and, while their recipes aren’t as good as they used to be, it’s still a comfort for me. I really wanted to eat there because Nate needed some peace and quiet, so against my better judgment, I attempted my first solo dinner experience with my girl. I thought it would be so nice to spend some time with her, one-on-one, in a restaurant setting. Well, thanks to me not thinking about how she might need to use potty, this was a big fiasco. We had our number and our table, and that’s when she decided she needed to go. NOW. I tried to get her to wait, but she wasn’t having it. I wound up having to get our meal to go after all (which probably wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it was at the time), but it was a stressful experience. I’m so bummed my first mommy/daughter dinner date was a bust.

We brought the food back to the room with us, including some Burger King for Nate, and I did all I could to avoid disturbing him, though I’m not sure it worked so well. After struggling to get our girl to eat and scarfing my own dinner, I ran out to the 7-11 across the street to get her some milk. Of course, while waiting to cross at the light, some guy comes up and says something like, “You’re going to 7-11, too?” Uh, none of your damn business! I mean, I’m all for being friendly, but you don’t talk to an unfamiliar lone woman outside at night. I was already on high alert, being in strange surroundings. Mega super alarm bells for me! I grumbled something at him and booked it once the light changed, leaving him in my dust. I wanted to get what I needed and get the heck out of there before he could follow me, but of course, there was some woman at the milk case hemming and hawing for what felt like an eternity. Eventually I excused myself, grabbed what I needed, checked out, and literally ran all the way back to the hotel. At least I got a good workout from it!

Once back, I made sure everyone had what they needed, and then I made at least 5 trips back and forth to the car, bringing in all of our stuff. While I typically like Doubletree (can we say, amazing cookies??), this one wasn’t really the best. I discovered that the bottom of our door (I assume there’s usually an attached strip of metal or something) was missing, leaving a good 3-inch gap. While sitting on the floor, you could comfortably look out into the hallway. Weirdness! We also only had one bed, so the kiddo had to sleep in her Pack N Play again. She wasn’t happy, and it was a struggle. On top of it, I was starting to feel a sore throat coming on. Ugh. Still, I was glad to finally be settled for the night.

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I think we all felt better after a good night’s sleep. We made sure to get up in time to enjoy Doubletree’s splendid indoor pool. It was an unusual shape, and part of it spanned out under a glass ceiling. I’m sure it would be amazing in the snow or rain. Nate said the pool was warm and inviting, too. Of course the one day I swim is the one day the pool is ice cold! I packed up the car, explored the hotel some more (despite our room and its issues, the common areas of the hotel were splendid), and hung out with my swimming duo before we hit the road.

Today our destination was Cripple Creek, Colorado. We wanted to experience the narrow gauge railroad. We arrived at the station just as the train was boarding, so we decided to explore the town a bit and catch the next ride. We parked about 2 blocks from the main strip and wandered down, gawking at the many casinos and eating establishments. We decided to get a bite to eat at Maggie’s, which we found just off the strip in the basement of the Colorado Grande Casino. It sports a welcoming atmosphere consisting of several small rooms in a casually elegant setting. I had a French dip sandwich, but I forget what Nate had. Either way, there was a lot of food, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We had a long wait to get a table, so we didn’t quite make the next train out of the station. When we finished, a storm was rolling in anyway, so we drove over to the Cripple Creek Heritage Center, which was free and indoors, so that was a win! We wandered around the first and second floors, enjoying the informative exhibits and occasionally looking at the driving rain through the huge windows. The storm hadn’t quite subsided by the time our train was scheduled to board, but we went over to the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railway depot and got our tickets anyway. There was a bit of lightning around, but luckily it stayed out of our way during our journey.

The train consisted of the engine, our covered car, and an uncovered car. The front of the car had plastic windows, which was nice as it was pretty chilly once the storm passed. None of us were really dressed for the occasion, but we made do. We even ended up scooting toward the back of the car for a more unobstructed view. We enjoyed a 45-minute trip through historic gold mine sites and surrounded by beautiful scenery. We would stop several times so the conductor could impart facts about everything around us. The turnaround point was the abandoned mining camp of Anaconda, right next to the functioning Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine. This was most likely the mine we observed from atop Pikes Peak! We slowly snaked our way back to the town of Cripple Creek, our conductor occasionally indulging in an echoing toot or two from the engine.

Once back, we’d considered doing the gold mine tour, 1000 feet below ground, but our girl was getting pretty tired, and we weren’t sure they’d let someone so small on the tour anyway, so instead we took the long way back down to Pueblo, heading back through the peaceful town of Victor and enjoying the Colorado countryside.

We rolled into Pueblo around 7pm and headed straight for Pueblo City Park. It turns out they have a small amusement park complete with a kiddie roller coaster, and we just had to check it out! The amusement park is open in the evenings throughout the summer and has many lovely attractions including an historic C.W. Parker carousel. The tickets were $0.25 each, and the rides were either one or two tickets to ride, so it was extremely reasonable. We wandered around, and the kiddo rode nearly everything: the kiddie Ferris wheel, the kiddie circle rides, the kiddie whip, the carousel, the train (a pretty decent one we all rode, went around a big pond), and of course the kiddie coaster which, again, was rough. I was a bit worried she’d be put off about roller coasters, but she would be a trooper. She just didn’t want to re-ride this one. There were two bounce houses, and she begged to go in one. So we paid the ticket and in she went…for all of 5 seconds. Luckily the ride op gave us our ticket back. We enjoyed a relaxing evening at the park and played until dark. After a quick time at the adjacent playground we headed off to find our hotel.

For our last night, we had a reservation at Econo Lodge West in West Pueblo. After having a quick bite to eat from Sonic, we managed to find the energy to visit the pool before hitting the hay. Another good day was had by all!

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Even though this was the last day of our trip, we had a lot planned! We took it easy in the morning before heading back to Pueblo City Park to check out their zoo. It was located right across the small parking lot from the amusement park. Though it was a small zoo, it was decent, and it easily filled up our morning. We wandered around, admiring the animals and artwork. Our daughter has been fascinated by the color indigo and its absence in most depictions of rainbows, so I was excited to point out an animal that’s about as close to indigo as you’re going to find: the hyacinth macaw! In the same building, a few windows down, however, she found her favorite animals yet: meerkats. They were so active, and they were really interested in her, too. It was adorable! We fed some birds at the farm, walked down every path, and checked out an interesting area of empty exhibits: remnants of antiquated animal enclosures that wouldn’t work in modern zoo practices. Very interesting. We ended the day with a trip to the gift shop where the kiddo picked out her very own stuffed meerkat.

From here, we started thinking about lunch. There was another brew pub, the Brues Alehouse, down near the Riverwalk (which we also wanted to see), so we headed downtown and found parking. We wandered the three-armed Riverwalk, admiring the artwork and enjoying the stroll. It looked a lot more established than the last time I was there (in 2006). More art, less construction, and bigger trees made quite a difference. As we rounded the corner on the last leg of the Riverwalk, we came upon the Brues Alehouse and went in. Being an off-time at this point, it wasn’t particularly busy, but it took quite some time for the hostess to discover us. When she finally did, she asked us if we were ok sitting at a table with super high stools. Since we had a little child with us, we said we’d rather not, but she said there were no regular tables available, despite there obviously being plenty of open low tables around, as well as a few that currently seated people, so apparently they must be usable. There was also a whole other room full of nothing BUT low tables, a few of which were occupied, but most of which were quite empty. Ummm, okay.

Once seated, it took forever for our waitress to arrive. When she finally got there, we ordered our beers. At least 15 minutes later, she returned with Nate’s beer and told me the one I ordered wasn’t available. Great. So I ordered another one and didn’t hold my breath. We ordered our food at this time. Another enormous wait ensued. During this time, our daughter had to go potty, so Nate took her back to the car, which was no small walk. From what I recall, the waitress came back to me while they were away and told me the meal I ordered was not available, so I needed to choose something else (mind you, this was another 20 minutes or so after I ordered). All told, we were probably at the restaurant 2 hours or more. By the time Nate got back, we still hadn’t received our food. Once it did come, it wasn’t that great. I know that our kid’s PB&J had a homemade jam that contained seeds that could just about break your teeth! Yikes! My turkey sandwich might have been ok, but it was served on white bread – about the worst bread you can get! Bleh! Overall, we were not impressed. And we would have liked to have gotten on the road a lot sooner than this place let us. Eventually, we managed to pay and break free of its grasp. We were on the road by about 4.

Luckily, the drive home was, again, uneventful. We had a great time just enjoying each other’s company and chit-chatting. We did stop at a nice Dairy Queen in Raton (it seems like the non-Albuquerque DQs make the best George Mud Fudge Blizzards), and then drove on through the intermittent rain. The rain stopped as soon as we passed Santa Fe, and we made it home by 9pm. Another successful road trip was complete!