...So I Went West.

Well, as you know I ventured to the great Western state of Colorado last month...

....and it was EPIC!

When we arrived my Aunt informed Isaac, Channing and I that we needed to experience/do 3 things we'd never done before. On the very first day we'd already crossed a few "firsts" off our list... just by flying, traveling out West, and beholding the Rocky Mountains. :) We had such a fun and eventful time that we did at least 3 things every day that we'd never done before!! It was all so much fun and I don't think words can justly describe how incredible our vacation was.

Our first time flying!! .....eeeks!! So exciting! =D

Judy and Mark really gave us the time of our lives. They sure know how to turn 17 days into the most unimaginable vacation. I don't even know where to begin but I'll try to keep it brief just because... well, I took over 3,000 pictures, and each picture is worth 1,000 words.... plus I captured a few videos... do the math. It would be a lengthy blog post to say the least. ;) 

Day One:
Mark and Judy took us to Boulder, CO. We saw the flat irons... Chief Niwot's curse is upon us (google it!). We toured downtown Boulder, went up to a lookout point on Flagstaff Mtn. (more of a foothill... as Aunt Judy often reminded us), and finished the night off with authentic Mexican (smothered in green chili... it's the thing in CO; we need this in WI!), and ended the night with a little musical jam session in Uncle Mark's man cave. 

 

At the lookout point on Flagstaff Mtn.

 Cruising around downtown Boulder....

 Our first night in CO, eating some delicious, authentic, Mexican food.

 Uncle Mark at the drums... in the epic basement!

Day Two:

We started off day two with an easy-going pace and breakfast at a Greek restaurant. Once again food could be ordered with a good smothering of green chilies.... how cool is that?! Then we packed up our things and headed out to Steamboat Springs, CO. The drive there was through the mountains... we stopped at Loveland Pass, which is at the Continental Divide.  A friend of Mark's had a cabin out there that he let us stay in and it was a perfect and peaceful spot to spend the weekend. We could see Hahns Peak from the cabin windows. We settled down for a relaxing night of pizza and conversation.

(It was also my daddy's birthday so we called him to wish him a very happy one!)

 Breakfast...

 So many switch-back roads in the mountians!!

We made it to the cabin... =)

 Chilling at the cabin...

Day Three:

I picked a bed in the cabin's loft... and from the window at the head of my bed I could see Hahns Peak. Everything up in the mountains was still snow-covered and wintery. There's nothing quite like waking up to such a glorious picture.  It was on this day that Channing, Isaac, Mark and I went in snowshoes up Hahns Peak! Elevation of 10,839 feet. Quite a feat for a couple Wisconsinites. It was hard work but well worth the climb. The view was breathtaking... as was the wind up there! ;) We could see so many different peaks, ranges and even Wyoming from our vantage point. Once we returned from conquering our first mountain hike we spent a few hours in Strawberry Hot Springs!!!! ....an excellent way to relax our weary muscles and enjoy nature's unique hot tub (although we were glad for the cover of darkness as there were a few skinny dippers, as the swimming rules allowed after a certain hour. Eeks!). We were hungry for dinner and ended up dining at Old Town Pub. Some of the best restaurant food I've ever had. On our way home we almost hit some elk who were crossing the road. First time seeing wild elk. :)

The cool old snow-cat at the snowshoe rental place.

 Hahns Peak

Snowshoes... steep grade... out of breath... three hours of climbing...

 The top. Totally worth the work it took to get there.

First time climbing a mountain!!!

 Uncle Mark, Isaac and Channing

At Old Town Pub, after the hot springs...

Day Four:

Started off our Sunday morning with coffee. We worked our way over to Steamboat Springs for an unusually delicious breakfast and some window shopping. A beautiful town with lots of unique people. Gotta love the hippies. :) We had to venture into F.M. Light & Son's western wear store..... just because there are literally a billion billboards for the company on the roads to and from Steamboat Springs... for miles. According to the website, "No matter what road you traveled into Steamboat, you knew about F.M. Light & Sons. In 1928, Clarence Light erected 260 signs in a 150-mile radius of Steamboat Springs. Eventually, that number grew to 300. Lady Bird Johnson’s highway beautification act resulted in more than a 150 signs being removed from roadways. Those that do remain standing are considered historic..." It was more comical than anything. We also went on a hike to see a Fish Creek Falls.... Gorgeous view!! Though there was still knee-high deep snow on the ground (which we attempted to walk through, by the cabin) the weather was balmy and warm. On our return route home Mark and Judy took us through North Park area, Walden (the moose capital... though we didn't see any) and Poudre Canyon. 

 Hiking at Fish Creek Falls!!

Beautiful water fall and my beautiful family!!

The cabin!! =)

 Such deep snow!!!!!

 ...but such warm weather!!!

The vast and expansive beauty of the North Park area.

 Making a pit-stop in Poudre Canyon. There's a big river below us....

Day Five:

Mark and Judy both had to work so Channing, Isaac and I went adventuring on our own. We had to eat lunch at Chipotle (because it originated in CO and it's just so tasty). Then we walked to a park near Judy and Mark's house. There we had a stunning view of the mountains and enjoyed the sensation of 80 degree weather without suffering from the nasty moisture that accompanies weather in the Midwest. We had a lazy day and chilled on the deck. Vacation style. :) Once Aunt Judy returned home from work she and I had pedicures. Also a first for me! ...having nails done professionally is super amazing and the polish lasts so much longer! My toe nails are still a pretty color of pink. Pizza and ice cream for dinner. Blue Belle ice cream in THE BEST!!!! =D

 Walking down to the park...
 

Pretty in Pink!!!

Day Six:

St. Paddy's Day!!! We woke up bright and early, Aunt Judy cooked us a hearty breakfast and Mark, Channing, Isaac and I left for a day of skiing at Loveland!!! Channing and Uncle Mark were all over the slopes... hitting up bowls and zipping down crazy, steep mountians sides. Isaac and I stuck together and attempted to master the green circles. He hadn't been skiing in ten years and I was still unsure of how to master the carving business. We went down an (almost black) blue square and I barely made it alive. =S We spent the evening watching the footage from Channing's GoPro and went to bed early because we were all pooped.

 Time for some real slopes!!

 The view from Loveland...

Isaac and I riding up on a lift.... about to go down the killer hill. 

(Hence the slightly terrified looks on our faces.)

Day Seven:

We spent the morning making music in the basement.... Channing really plays drums well for never having played them before. We drove Judy to work, but ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant first. Then Judy left us with her vehicle to drive around the countryside to our heart's content. We went back to Flagstaff Mtn. .....were I decided it would be a good idea to pick a prickly pear cactus to take home with me. Not such a good idea. Glochids? I had never heard of them before but I'll never forget them now as I had an intimate experience with the tiny, invisible prickers and a newly acquired set of tweezers. We managed to remove my hand and belly (because I'd put the cacti in my jacket pocket), and then we drove to Golden, CO to visit Buffalo Bill's gravesite. Beautiful view from Lookout Mountain were the grave and museum are located.

 Me and my Auntie!! :)

 Finally a fortune cookie with some good advice. ;)

 

 Climbing a little mountain. ;)

On top of the boulder.... looking out over Boulder, CO

 

 Prickly Pear Cactus..... they grow like weeds in the West. ;)

 

Don't try picking cactus with your bare hands... 

  Bill Cody's grave

 The view from Lookout Mountain

 Channing, Isaac and I.... up on Lookout Mtn.

Day Eight:

Aunt Judy took the boys and I out to breakfast at a restaurant called Home Cookin'. Mainly because they serve this cream-filled doughnut that comes without the frosting on top but fried to deliciousness!!! Then we went to see American Sniper at the Flatiron Crossing mall. Stellar movie. Oh, and did I mention the theater seats were leather..... and they reclined???? Glorious theater experience. The evening was fabulous.... Uncle Mark made the MOST amazing spaghetti bolognese. He used legit Italian cooking tricks. The secret's in the sauce. ;) But hey! A little Frank S. on Pandora, the smell of Italian cooking on the stove, a glass of red wine and perusal of a picture book of the best  artwork in history.... with the very best of company. It doesn't get much better than that!

 

Breakfast at Home Cookin'!!!!

Amazing movie theater!!! Amazing movie!!!

Uncle Mark... cookin' it up with style!!! ;)

Looking at artwork....

 Secret's in the sauce. ;)

 Classy dining!

All of us enjoying a relaxing evening.

Day Nine:

Had a very chill morning.... coffee, cereal (quite a treat, really!) and couch time with a good book. Then we went with Aunt Judy to get massages. She had a bunch of hours saved up from a membership... and we each had an hour-long massage. A first for Isaac and Channing! So wonderful! That evening, once Uncle Mark had returned from work, we ventured out to Red Rocks. A magnificent, outdoor amphitheater with natural acoustics. It only made me wish I had gone there to see Mumford & Son's play when they were performing at Red Rocks.... but at least I could imagine. =) We ate dinner at a fancy little place in Morrison, CO. That night the guys got their jam on in the man cave while Aunt Judy and I watched a movie about Beethoven, "Immortal Beloved".

Aunt Judy... while we were waiting for our massages.

 Red Rocks!!!! So big and beautiful!!

Lots of peeps come to RR to exercise or workout. 

 We found a really cool little nook behind the stage...

 Sitting on a wall at Red Rocks..... just for kicks. :)

Dinner in Morrison, CO 

Day Ten:

It was a chill, spruce up the house, sort of morning... for in the afternoon, we went to the airport to pick up my cousin, Dustin!!!! He was on Spring Break and was out to visit Judy and Mark for a week. We were told that Dustin was a shy fellow and not super talkative... which was weird cause we didn't remember him being that way. BUT.... it had been 6 or 7 years since we'd seen him last. To our pleasure, he wasn't shy at all... or at least not around us. He was just as cool and funny and enjoyable to be around as we'd remembered! Aunt Judy made Ruben sandwiches for lunch. The BEST I've ever had. ...and my favorite sandwich, too!! Dustin got his first "first" taken care of because he's usually a picky eater and he'd never had a Ruben (luckily, he liked it!). Uncle Mark, Dustin, Isaac and Channing went golfing at a 3-par course in the afternoon. I went along to take photos. It was sunny and 70 degrees!!! Then that night we had a little house party and had some guests over. My uncle's nephew Austin came with four of his friends, and a friend of my Aunt's came with two of her friends. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks, getting to know new people.... a little fire outside in the warm night air. It was a really great time!!!

 An afternoon of golfing

 Making new friends and enjoying a beautiful, Colorado night...

 Cousin Dustin and Channing, ....being hilariously awesome as usual! ;)

 Aunt Judy and Uncle Mark!!

Day Eleven:

Austin and his friend David, whom we'd met the night before, picked us up Sunday morning and took us to church with them. It was a beautiful day, downtown Denver... and church with new friends! The service was great and afterwards we went out to eat at Spicy Basil... a Thai restaurant! Great food! I guess I was having such a good time that I totally forgot to take photos while we were hanging out... which drives me nuts. It's super unusual for me to forget to take pictures. Anyways, Dustin, Judy and Mark went golfing while Channing, Isaac and I were out on the town with Austin and David. Then in the afternoon Dustin, Judy, Mark, Isaac, Chan and I went hiking and also visited the place where Judy and Mark were married. Lovely country!! We even climbed a big boulder... which, on the way back down, Channing did some "hardcore parkour".... meaning he took a tumble!

Chillin' outside after church. Did I mention Squeaky is adorable?!

 Hiking in the foothills!

Where Mark and Judy were married!!! Awwwwww......!!!

 Did I also mention how cute Lil Bit is?!

Channing's little scratch from his tumble.

 On top of the little boulder. :)

Day Twelve:

On this day Mark and Judy both had to work so the boys and I made the trip over to Colorado Springs area to take the cog railway up Pike's Peak. The train ride was fun and different... the view was spectacular. We could see Kansas, an operational gold mine and the "purple" mountains that were inspiration for the song, America, The Beautiful! Super incredible. Oh, and the guy who came up with the idea of having the cog railway up Pike's Peak came from Wisconsin!!! We weren't able to make it to the top of the peak as the snow was still too deep. After the train ride and a tasty packed lunch (Dustin had PB&J.... which he chose over pizza. Unbelievable! lol), we went to visit Garden of the God's. The red rock formations were so beautiful and we had some great hiking adventures all over the garden. We made it home in time for dinner and a trip to the ski rental shop. We ended the evening with big bowls of ice cream and an intense game of Farkle.

 As high up Pike's Peak as we could go...

 Soooooo windy!!!!

 A nice gentleman took a picture of the four of us together. :)

 Stunning view of Pike's Peak from the Garden.

 Channing, chillin' ....Greek god style! ;)

 Dustin, chillin' ....Greek god style! ;)

Isaac, chillin' ...Greek god style! ;)

 Rock climbing!!!!! Oh yeah, baby!

Dustin, Isaac, myself and Channing

The incredibly beautiful Garden of the Gods.

Day Thirteen:

Another bright and early morning.... The guys, Uncle Mark and I left early for Copper Mtn. and a day of skiing/snowboarding. The car ride was hilarious... because thanks to Dustin's cherry chapstick we had Katie Perry's song stuck in our head... along with a few Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber songs (since we were on an annoying song roll). In order to reverse the annoying song trend I had to show Dustin Julian Smith's, Oh Jeffery, song. After that we couldn't get Oh Jeffery out of our heads for the rest of the vacation, but we had some pretty good laughs over it's catchy tune!!! 

We made it to the Mtn. in good time, in spite of the icy road conditions. With a fresh snowfall we were able to experience a little powder and this time around skiing was AWESOME!!! ...well, it started out a little rough. Isaac hadn't been sized right and ended up with boots that were too large. We ended up stuffing the toes with napkins which seemed to help. Then Isaac and I (doing our own thing again) accidentally went down the side of the mountain that only had Blue Squares. I did what Uncle Mark calls, "yard sale".... which means loosing your belongings whilst crashing. In fact I managed to yard sale three times in a row. After that I finally got the hang of craving... and skiing with speed. ;) Needless to say, the rest of the dudes accidentally went down a run that was moguls from the top to the bottom and after that Dustin was so exhausted that he cruised on the green circles with Isaac and I for the rest of the afternoon. Aunt Judy had enchiladas prepared for our hungry, weary bodies when we returned home. We ate ice cream and watched some GoPro footage till our eyelids were so heavy we couldn't prop them open any longer.

 Being crazy on the way to Copper... XD

 Ready to head up the mountain!

Eating some lunch after some successful yard-saling! ;)

  The view from Copper Mtn.

Myself, Dustin and Isaac... about to hit the slopes!

 *I just had to throw this in*

Day Fourteen:

Uncle Mark and Aunt Judy were gone when we woke up. After our excitement the day before we took it easy. A chill breakfast... Farkle... joking around and laughing hysterically (especially about the toilet incident). We ended up rolling dice to determine which movie to go see in theater. It was a snowy/rainy day so it was perfect for reclining in the epic Flatiron theater seats. When we made it back to the house Uncle Mark was watching a movie so we finished watching with him. Then there was another cool movie on after that and the boys wanted to watch it.... however, I didn't want to waste all my time watching TV when I was in CO... so I went for a walk to the park nearby. Another game of Farkle before bed. Quite addicting!!!

 The rain that turned to snow and then back to rain...

Some things are so terrible you just gotta laugh.... ("Sincerely, Bigfoot")

Practicing our Farkle skills....

Day Fifteen:

Us kids had the house to ourselves again for the morning... so we went to Denver to visit the Forney Museum of Transportation. Guys and their automobiles, ya know. ;) Then we met Aunt Judy and we went to lunch at a cool, new place called The School House. Dustin and Mark went golfing in the afternoon and Judy took Isaac, Channing and I to Rocky Mtn National Park. We saw huge herds of elk, majestic views and even stopped to see the hotel that inspired Steven King's book, The Shining. I'm not really into the horror novels or movies but it was a beautiful hotel from the early 1900's. Then we met up with Mark and Dustin for dinner at Original Pizza... owned by a real Italian fellow! Some of the best pizza I've ever had. 

 The Forney Museum of Transportation

 Cars, cars, cars.

 Cruisin'!

Isaac is way too cool.

 Chan the man.

 Dustin is awesome.

Automobiles are good for taking photos of
(...Dustin recommended blinker fluid for my car.)

 Lunch at The School House!

 Really cool atmosphere.

Aunt Judy took us to this little bakery and brought us home divine treats!!

 Driving through Estes Park

 Auntie Judy and the boys!

 The haunted hotel.... so beautiful, so creepy? So the story goes...

 Relaxing on the hotel porch.

 Rocky Mtn. National Park

 Checkin' out the view at Rainbow Pass

 Talk about snow drifts...... *so deep*

 
Day Sixteen:

Aunt Judy took us out to Home Cookin' again so Dustin could experience the wonders of the fried doughnut delicacy. Isaac, Channing and I weren't at all bummed about experiencing that again. ;) hehe! We had a chill noon of relaxing outside on the porch, playing Farkle. We had some pretty intense games!! I almost won my first game but then on the victory lap Dustin beat me by 50 points!  When Uncle Mark got off work we all put on our hiking shoes and journeyed to St. Mary's Glacier. We climbed up the glacier and slid down on plastic trash sacks!!!! It was ridiculously epic!!! The glacial lake was frozen still and the terrain was stunning. I had to take a gazillion photos of the gnarly trees, of course. We drove the scenic route home.....  (as if every route in CO weren't scenic?!). Aunt Judy made lasagna for dinner and we had another classy, Frank Sinatra sort of evening!!! Dustin was especially impressed. :)

 Game on!

 Farkle, sunshine, music and coffee. :)

Cousins!

Sitting on a random, gnarly tree... :)

Brave enough to walk on the frozen lake: Superman!

 About to go glacier sledding!

 A view of the glacier lake.

(photo cred. goes to Aunt Judy!)

(photo cred. goes to Aunt Judy!)

 Up at the top it seemed so scary to slide down...
(photo cred. goes to Aunt Judy!)

If you ever get the chance to sled down a glacier.... just do it.
(photo cred. goes to Aunt Judy!)

Gorgeous view of the mountains from St. Mary's Glacier
(photo cred. goes to Aunt Judy!)

Uncle Mark is a natural born, impromptu comedian!!! The guy is hilarious.

The Crew

Mmmm..... so yummy!!!

Farkle score sheets... stackin' up the wins!!

Day Seventeen:

Saturday. The last day. Well, all good things must come to an end. Even an epic vacation to Colorado. We spent the morning at the house... cleaning, packing and preparing to go home. We ate lunch on a rooftop of a restaurant called  LoDo's.  One thing we don't have much of in the Midwest is rooftop dining. It's everywhere in Colorado! ...and so much fun!!! I ate an elk burger... because you always regret not trying those weird food items. :) It was a really, really good burger. Then we drove Dustin to the airport and said goodbye. =(  Channing and I didn't fly out until 8:30 so we went back to the house for a few more hours. Isaac... the lucky dog, got to stay until Monday morning. While we were waiting at the airport I was browsing Facebook and realized that a friend of mine was also waiting in the airport... and was flying out on the same plane!! Crazy!!! So we visited for a bit.... then the flight home... Mom and Dad picked us up... and then a two hour drive. We weren't home until 2:30am. What a trip.

 The boys helped do a little Spring cleaning.

So many cell phones. ;)

 Lunch at LoDo's

 Rooftop dining is epic.

 Behold! ...the elk burger.

 

 Waiting to board the plane.... wishing to stay.

 Heading back home.

Isaac got to stay a day longer than the rest of us. Lucky dog.

To sum things up though....

 

I used to think the West was a boring wasteland. A harsh environment and a desert full of nothingness. Well, maybe some of the West is like that..... but the Colorado that I experienced is absolutely incredible. It's a place of diverse terrain, kind people and stupendous beauty. Not full of rugged harshness but rather the epitome of survival and life in extreme conditions... not because it's required but because it's possible. It's hard core out there but that's what makes it so wonderful.

I think I left my heart in the foothills, and I can't wait to go back again!!!!

A big THANK YOU, to Aunt Judy and Uncle Mark for having us out for such an extended and adventurous visit!!!! We had the time of our lives and made so many great memories!!!

 At Original Pizza