The Garden of the Gods

This is a magical place. My parents have lived in Colorado Springs for more than 15 years and this is the first time I remember visiting this place. It is famous for hiking, horseback riding and rock climbing, as well as Indian artistry made by several different tribes that have historically lived in this area. We spent the day exploring and photographing some of the well known sand-stone cliffs. We also spent some time in their visitor center where Berk was able to pan for gems and crystals. We are planning on going back to ride some horses when my bothers family arrives in a few days. I think the kids would really enjoy it, not to mention all of the parents.

Berk has her first job…as a gold miner

We did it! We finally found a gold mine! WOW I never knew how challenging it was to be a minor. Did you know that only 5% of the gold found is in nugget form? The rest is embedded in granite and it takes a very sophisticated smelting process to extract it. The process is / was so dangerous in the late 1800’s to the mid-1900’s that the average miner only lived to 38 years old. They died primarily from granite dust getting in to their lungs and causing numerous diseases. Terrible way to go!

We drove to a town called Cripple Creek, CO that is actually a gamblers paradise. Tour buses leave from ports all over the city every few hours and drive to Cripple Creek. Mainly full of retired people, they can spend the entire day gambling if they so desire. Go figure! My Dad has wanted to show me the town for years, but we just never seemed to get around to it until the other day. It was fun. We had lunch, toured an old fashioned jail (and got “booked”), and learned about wild donkeys that have free reign around the town. But, I think the most fun my Mom and Dad had was just sitting next to each other at the nickel slots. Every time they pulled the hammer down, they looked at each other and smiled. I guess they still kind-of like each other in some ways. Berk and I stayed outside as no children are allowed in, but it was fun for us knowing that they were having such a nice time.

The end result, they both lost about $1 in 45 minutes of adult play time.

In any case, we went to the Molly Kathleen Gold Mine. It has been in existence for more than 150 years and is the main gold mine shaft in the area. All of the other mines tie in to this one in order to facilitate cleaner air through cross ventilation. We travelled down the shaft more than 1000 feet in an open air double-decker elevator. It was really neat. The entire shaft is made of granite. There have been no cave-ins, nor have there been any floods. I guess granite really is meant to last. We explored several spurs and were able to see and touch many of the gold veins or ore. They no longer work this mine even though gold is readily seen. Berk was even able to operate some of the old air-driven drilling equipment and ride a mining “bike” that the miners used to travel to their work sites. At the end of the tour we were able to pick a piece of gold ore from a huge container filled with it. They believe this particular container holds about 10-15 ounces of gold, but have it under lock and key in the mine as part of the tour.


Needless to say, Berk was hired as a miner at the end of the tour, but she did not seem that thrilled. “It’s too dirty and loud”, she proclaimed. My wonderful girl!

What in the heck is this thing?

OK, for two weeks now, we have been mesmerized by this “humming bird” that has been feeding on the nectar of many of the plants at my parents’ house. We saw it the first time while at the Broadmoor and then every night since then. Generally at dusk, just before it really gets dark. They travel in small groups of 3-4. I spent some time in the front yard the other night in hopes of snapping a photo … and viola, here it is. Who anyone tell me what in the world this is? It’s NOT a bird as it has antenna.

My Mom and Dad

Oh, this has been an adventure. This is by far the longest time I have spent with my parents since I was in high school. Once college began I was OUT and GONE! I will preface this passage with the statement “I really do love my parents”.

I sent an email to my good friend Deanna the other day, and without realizing it I think I encapsulated my time here with them. Here you go: “Parents are driving me crazy (and visa versa I am sure). They both need hearing aids. Dad has them, but won’t use them. Mom needs them, but won’t get them. Anyone know sign language? So far the only language working is tequila”.

It’s been hot (no AC), loud (I have to yell when I speak to them) and sometimes frustrating, but I would not change anything about my time with them this summer. It’s actually been fun in some ways. They are a hoot. Besides, I am sure having both Berk and I AND the two dogs here has more than disrupted their routine and they have not complained, so I shouldn’t either.

Abra-Kadabra….The Rodeo is Coming

What a fun night! The rodeo is on town for a few days and to kick off the competition Colorado Springs holds an annual Cowboy Rodeo Parade. This is the first real parade Berk has ever seen. It was terrific! Amazing horses, clowns, cowboys and girls, trained pets of all types and lots of excitement. The highlight was two-fold. First an older man (who looked a little like my dad – very skinny and gray), probably pushing 70 years old, rode up STANDING on two horses! He was driving them with reins, just as you would on a single horse…it’s just that there was no saddle and he was standing with one foot on the back of each horse! My dad was amazed and thought…maybe I should try that. My suggestion was that he should keep his two feet planted firmly on the ground!

The second event that Berk was just tickled pink about was actually after the parade. We quickly ducked in to this Mexican restaurant just as the parade ended. We were hoping to beat the crowd and luckily we did. After dinner this man approached our table. We had been watching him “work” a table nearby. He was an illusionist. He was trying to hypnotize a young woman while using one of her table-mates to perform a trick. He actually tapped on the shoulder of the friend but the hypnotized woman felt all of the movements. It was really cool.

Well, it was soon our turn. He approached and started talking to Berk. He broke out a deck of cards, had her pick one and asked her to write her name on it…and that’s where the magic began, literally. He did some amazing things with that two of spades. The final trick was Berk placing her card back in to the deck and mere moments later it ended up zipped and snapped in to his wallet in his back pocket. Amazing! Now she wants to be a magician when she grows up.
FYI…the man’s name was Branden Darcel and has a web site. www.brandendercel.com

Geo-Caching 2010

We were introduced to the concept of Geo-Caching last summer when my sister and her group of hiking friends took us on a geo-cache hunt. So what is geo-cashing? Simply put, it is a treasure hunt (through the use of GPS devices) for small treasures (usually boxes) that are hidden all over the world by everyday people. We purchased a couple of kid-friendly GPS’s last year and have used them occasionally, but without a doubt packed them for this road trip. The first cache we found on this trip was in Convict Lake (with the Carew’s) and the second was earlier today. Berk and I drove to a town called Manitou Springs, CO. It is known for its granite cliff faces, amazing waterfalls and a cog railroad that climbs to more than 14 thousand feet up to the top of Pikes Peak.

Rather than take the easy way, we decided to hike of part of Barr Trail which starts in Manitou (at about six thousand feet elevation) and hike a few miles toward the first cache identified by our GPS. It was quite a beautiful hike and tough as it was basically straight up hill. Thankfully this specific cache was hidden in a small cave-like structure close to a stream and water fall. Berk was very excited as we had actually remembered to bring some little trinket of our own to add to the hidden cache. We traded a nickel and a clover medallion for a butterfly shaped eraser. Berk thought that was a GREAT trade! After the trade was completed, and the cache re-hidden, we hiked down to the waterfalls and played and splashed for a while. What a refreshing mid-point break during our hike. The only other thing we still had to do…was hike back out.

If any of you think your kids would like this type of an incentive to get some exercise through hiking – try this. It’s fun. You never know what you might find.

The Allison’s Meet King Tut

Some might consider it the Luck of the Irish, but that would be hard for us to claim as we only have a small amount of Irish blood running through our veins – but, we were finally able to see the touring King Tut exhibit that is now in the US. It has not been on tour for more than 25 years, so when I found out it was scheduled for the Denver Art Museum (DAM for short) I booked the tickets ASAP. The last time it toured the US there were lines hours long. Not this time. The event started on a Tuesday and I was able to get tickets for the following Friday – “easy breezy lemon squeezy” – as Berk says. I am sorry to say that would not allow me to take any photos, but it was thrilling to see the items recovered and the condition they were in after being buried for more than 4000 years. Beds, shoes, toilet seats and other such items kept us all intrigued for more than four hours. Without blinking an eye were ushered in to the gift shop to spend untolled amounts on souvenirs. Berk picked out a book on the Egyptians and actually had more fun learning about them from the book than she did from the actual exhibit. Go figure.

We caulked this book up to one more on our summer reading goal of 20 books. Only 16 to go.

Red the Wonder Horse

We tried a new ranch this year - The BBB Ranch in Woodland Park, CO. It was a relatively short drive from Mom and Dad’s house in Colorado Springs, but it seemed like light years away. We ended up riding through some beautiful national forest lands – of all things – during a tornado watch! It was quite exciting and a little scary as Berk was allowed to ride on her own horse, Red (a girl of course), WITHOUT a guide rope. She really had to control her horse through some rough terrain, rain and thunder. My horse was of course was right behind Berk and Red. Red was the ring leader and elder stateswoman of the group of horses we were riding. My horse was the youngest male, so Red decided that she would do a little training of my horse while we were on the ride – during the lightening, thunder, rain and wind. We were riding down an incline near some old power poles when out of the blue Red decides to donkey kick my wonderful yearling – right in the FACE! My poor guy jumped about a mile in the air…with me on his back. It was all I could do to keep control over him and stay in the saddle. I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco! The wrangler almost had a heart attack as I think all she saw in front of her was a great big lawsuit after a huge emergency rescue attempt out in the middle of the woods. Bottom line, I surprised myself and everyone else in the group – no bodily harm to anyone or any thing! Yahoo!

Our First Full Round…as a Couple

We did it! Well, more specifically I did it! Bill and I actually spent the afternoon on July 4th playing golf TOGETHER on the Broadmoor’s West Course. I finished all 18 holes, I did not play his best –ball (as we normally would do), and I actually had a few terrific shots! I surprised myself and Bill. What a nice time on an amazing course! We finished just in time to swing over to Mom’s and pick everyone up for the fireworks display.

Broadmoor Here We Come…but without Grandma.

We love this place! If any of you have ever stayed here before than you undoubtedly understand why we feel this way. It’s a wonderful resort, very family (and dog) friendly, and they have three championship golf courses readily available to guests. They have a spa, gym, water park, amazing restaurants, movie theater, and a terrific fireworks display on July 4th. In other words it’s somewhere that you don’t ever want to leave.

Typically when we visit the Broadmoor it turns in to a whole family event. Mom, Dad, my sister and her husband join us for some fun in the sun. This trip started out in the same manner – that was until my Mom took a tumble in her bedroom while changing in to her bathing suit (she was planning on joining us at the water park). She tripped over a cable that was strung across the floor. Unfortunately she ended up with a little more than some bumps and bruises. She cut her left elbow and, after a trip to the emergency room, came home with nine stitches, a partial cast and a sling. We felt terrible and she was just plain MAD! She really was hoping to try the water slide again – at 82 years of age! Instead of frolicking in the pool we ended up taking her to dinner and feeding her several margarita’s…it all worked out fine in the end. She slept quite well that night, even in a cast.

The Bark Beetle

After leaving Dinosaurland in Utah, we had an eight hour drive to Colorado Springs. It was a long haul but we did finally make it. What a site it was driving through central Colorado! Beautiful country! What struck me though were the number of dead and dying evergreen trees. Several years ago the Bark Beetle made an appearance in Colorado and it has had a profound impact on evergreen populations. It’s terrible! Whole areas of forest have been decimated. You see beautiful stretches of green lush trees and BOOM the next ten miles of forest are completely dead! The state has been trying a number of natural defenses but nothing has really been able to stop the infestation. I hope this will come to a natural end at some point because it is very sad to see.

We travel to Colorado Springs several times a year to visit my mom and dad. They have lived there for the past 15 years or so. It’s a very nice Military town as the Air Force Academy is here. We arrived a couple of days before Bill was scheduled to join us for his first “road trip rendezvous” of the season. (Due to his travel schedule we typically only get to see him every other week while we are on our road trips…so we try to make the most of the time). Thankfully this weekend is also the Fourth of July, so it’s a three-day-weekend AND we are scheduled to stay at the Broadmoor (our favorite hotel anywhere).

Dinosaurland – Ever Heard of It?

You heard me…Dinosaurland. Well I hadn’t, not until we started researching Utah and its natural wonders. It’s is really quite interesting. The area around Northeast Utah was a dino-meca due to the abundance of food, water and temperatures that were conducive to reproduction. As a result more complete dinosaur fossils have been discovered here than in almost any part of the world. We stayed at a KOA so that Berk could ride the cool three-wheeled trikes that they have for the kids. It was quite fun and nice, although there were slim pickings for food except for a small grocery store. We ended up buying some food and having a very nice picnic in front of our KOA cozy cabin. Very cute.

The evening came and went quickly. We even had some rain last night which was very nice and helped bring the temperatures down, as it was over 90 degrees at 9:00 PM. Way too hot! In the morning we went to the dinosaur museum and have a close encounter with a woolly mammoth. Berk had fun. After the museum we drove off to find some Indian petro glyphs that are supposed to be the most significant Indian artistic find in the US. We had to hike for a ways up in to this canyon area…with the dogs in tow. It was quite a site once we found them and by this time Dusty was on her last little legs. I had brought some water for humans and dogs- thanks goodness. She got so tired and hot after only a short hike that she just dropped to the ground with all four legs stretched out flat as a pancake. It was very funny. We could not get her up for anything. We have now discovered her stubborn streak. So what do two dog lovers do when faced with a situation like this? We improvise and carry her of course. Thankfully I had some cold water with ice in my backpack. So I simply stuffed the little white ragdoll in the pack, let her stick her head out while she cooled off with the ice. It worked like a charm.

The Winner Is...Cave Diving

Although the polling dates have not yet ended for our Utah visit, we just could not wait! We did it – we went diving in a warm water cave!!! It was small, beautiful and exciting. The Homestead Resort has an incredible natural wonder on their hands. http://www.homesteadresort.com/Crater.

Here is a snapshot of our adventure:

Chocolate Anyone?

Park City is an incredible place. I really think I could live here, or at least spend some great winter vacations here. We visited for the first time a few years ago to ski with some colleagues from Deloitte. Berk was only four years old and Bill was delayed in arriving due to weather, but we made it and had a great time. Unfortunately, we really did not have the time to enjoy the summer post-2002 Olympic venues to their fullest. The old Olympic Village has been converted in to a summer vacationers haven…zip line rides, roller rides down the old luge tracks, etc. I wish we had more time to spend here, more specifically, I wish I had known this was available so I could have made arrangements for the dogs to go to doggy daycare. No dogs, means no Allison’s can visit – it’s just too hot to leave them in the car.

So what are two girls to do when in Park City with very little time…go to dinner and shop! Chocolate anyone?

Vroooomm – It must be Utah!

The border between Nevada and Utah was a fantastic sight for sore eyes - Firstly, because we were through Nevada and secondly, we entered in to Utah right at the starting point of the Great Salt Flats. Imagine a place so flat you seem to see the curvature of the planet and so barren that not even the simplest life forms can exist. The Flats is one of the most unique natural wonders in Utah – it’s over 30,000 acres of white, flat salt as far as the eye can see. The Flats are a fragile resource that is primarily only used in August for racing of both motorcycles and autos. Imagine the roar of engines hurtling passed you on this vast dazzling white plain. No, it’s not an alien world far from earth; it is Utah's famous Bonneville Salt Flats.

Without question we had to stop and explore. We found a rest stop midway through the plain and pulled over. The place was desolate. Berk and I were very happy to see some other families stopping at the same rest stop, doing exactly what we had planned – “walking the white” (as I nicknamed it after the fact). Ally and Dusty were the first to hop out of the car and right out on to the Flats. From a distance it looked firm and stable to walk on, but as Berk and I approached, we saw the dogs slowing sinking in to a muddy stinky mess of water and salt with a horrible odor! We had to scoop them out as quickly as we could as I was afraid that it was going to start burning their feet as salt can in the winter when it’s sprinkled on pavement. Luckily they were not in the goop for very long AND they had a water faucet immediately available for the exact purpose of washing off the mess.

In mere moments Berk had decided she had had enough – especially since the smell was a bit overwhelming. So, off we drove – Park City, UT here we come.