Saturday Oct 7
Day 5
Left the Guest House early this morning. The innkeeper packed us a bag with stuff for breakfast because we left before it was served. A couple of bananas, juice some pastries. It was nice of her.
We drove to the cogwheel train station in nearby Manitou (10-15 minutes) for our trip up to Pikes Peak. The trip up was about an hour. We got to spend about 1/2 hour at the top and then the trip back. Nothing real exciting, but going to the summit of Pikes Peak is a unique thing to do. The trip up was scenic and the scenery from the top was breath taking. Pics to be posted.
When we got back, we took off directly for Telluride. Close to a 7 hour drive. Most of it was really beautiful country. For a while we drove along the Gunnison River on RT 50. Pictures to be posted will show a bit of the beauty of that ride. About the last hour before pulling into Telluride it got dark. We missed the scenery that night but are hoping to catch more of it in the morning when we leave for Durango. We went to sleep early tonight - both of us exhausted.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Monday, October 9, 2017
Western Trip 2017
Fri Oct 6
Day 4
Breakfast at The Bradley, then we went to Liberty Puzzle factory.
Very cool operation - at least 25 people working there. The guy at the desk was from Carrol County in MD.
We bought 4 puzzles. 1 for Ivy, 1 for Danielle, 1 for Monica and 1 for us. Hope everyone likes them as well as we do.
Drove to Colorado Springs, but went directly to Garden of the Gods first.
Breathtaking scenery. We drove through. We went from there to Manitou Springs for lunch at a place called The Sahara Café. Pretty good and only 10-15 minutes to our place in Colo Sprgs - Old Town Guest House. Colorado Ave was the main drag and there was an event in progress, first Friday of the month, where participating stores offered wine and cheese and other things to potential patrons.
One store, the owner was a woman who had a clothing store (high end) in Manitou, but it was flooded out. She spent an inordinate amount of time explaining what an asshole her landlord. Complicated story!
The Inn was nice. Room was small, but comfortable. There was a pool table in the basement with a pinball machine. We didn't play. We met another guest who was the mother of a CC (CO College) student who was there for parent's weekend. She told us about "block semester". I'll explain in another post.
Day 4
Breakfast at The Bradley, then we went to Liberty Puzzle factory.
Very cool operation - at least 25 people working there. The guy at the desk was from Carrol County in MD.
We bought 4 puzzles. 1 for Ivy, 1 for Danielle, 1 for Monica and 1 for us. Hope everyone likes them as well as we do.
Drove to Colorado Springs, but went directly to Garden of the Gods first.
Breathtaking scenery. We drove through. We went from there to Manitou Springs for lunch at a place called The Sahara Café. Pretty good and only 10-15 minutes to our place in Colo Sprgs - Old Town Guest House. Colorado Ave was the main drag and there was an event in progress, first Friday of the month, where participating stores offered wine and cheese and other things to potential patrons.
One store, the owner was a woman who had a clothing store (high end) in Manitou, but it was flooded out. She spent an inordinate amount of time explaining what an asshole her landlord. Complicated story!
The Inn was nice. Room was small, but comfortable. There was a pool table in the basement with a pinball machine. We didn't play. We met another guest who was the mother of a CC (CO College) student who was there for parent's weekend. She told us about "block semester". I'll explain in another post.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Western Trip 2017
Thurs Oct 5 2017
Day 3
At the visitor's center, a ranger suggested we get sandwiches in Estes Park at Scratch and eat them at one of the sites in the park. We got HUGE sandwiches. We did eat half at a site, and saved the rest for dinner later in the evening.
We stopped at Sprauge Lake, where we ate. Then on to Bear Lake. Parking was a problem, so we took the shuttle.
We met some Israelis on the shuttle.
We took the main road, RT 36, back to the Inn, where we finished our sandwiches and supplemented with Inn happy hour.
Walked to Boulderado Hotel - a historic site in town.
Later in the evening we went to the Fiske Planetarium at Colorado University. It was a tribute to Prince music show. Disappointing.
Day 3
Turns out the English guy was Victor not Luke. Didn't get his wife's name for sure.
At breakfast we met Heather, the Inn owner, and Jane(?) manager. They suggested we take the peak to peak hwy instead of 36 to Rocky Mountain National Park. Turned out to be an excellent suggestion. It was a very scenic route.
At breakfast we met Heather, the Inn owner, and Jane(?) manager. They suggested we take the peak to peak hwy instead of 36 to Rocky Mountain National Park. Turned out to be an excellent suggestion. It was a very scenic route.
At the visitor's center, a ranger suggested we get sandwiches in Estes Park at Scratch and eat them at one of the sites in the park. We got HUGE sandwiches. We did eat half at a site, and saved the rest for dinner later in the evening.
We stopped at Sprauge Lake, where we ate. Then on to Bear Lake. Parking was a problem, so we took the shuttle.
We met some Israelis on the shuttle.
We took the main road, RT 36, back to the Inn, where we finished our sandwiches and supplemented with Inn happy hour.
Walked to Boulderado Hotel - a historic site in town.
Later in the evening we went to the Fiske Planetarium at Colorado University. It was a tribute to Prince music show. Disappointing.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Western Trip 2017
Day 2
Wednesday Oct 4
Day started with breakfast. A couple different kinds of quiche, coffee and coffee cake. Very good.
We met a couple from Kansas. He (Luke?) was originally from the UK. She, Kate (?) was from Kansas. They were retired, having worked for University of Kansas. Nice couple. She was teaching Qi Gong. She had been to China to train.
After breakfast, we went to Denver. First stop was Red Rocks (should be posting some pictures in the near future). What an impressive concert venue! A natural amphitheater in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The seats were added in the 30's. We did some steps - rows of seats. A lot of younger people were there running and other types of exercise.
Then on to Tim and Jaia's house in Denver. A bit of a busy street and rather modest looking house from the outside. The inside was amazingly beautiful. Tim and Jaia have done a wonderful job making this an incredible home for themselves and for Ayla. The have 6 chickens and consequently fresh eggs. They even get enough to sell them by the dozen to neighbors! Jaia is quite the farmer too. Lots of fresh veggies growing in the yard. And quite the carpenter. She used old wooden fencing and made a beautiful functional desk for Tim who works from home. And he's no slouch either on the home front. He built the chicken coop and made lunch for us. Apparently he does most of the cooking.
Interesting item here. The backyard had some bushes that were full of these beautiful butterflies. We actually saw lots of butterflies in the Denver area. Actually at Red Rocks, Janice was taking pictures with a camera, and suddenly a butterfly landed on the finger! It stayed long enough, 4-6 seconds, to be blown off her finger.
We bid farewell, but looking forward to seeing them during the Thanksgiving holiday when they'll be coming to Baltimore - With Mark and Susan and maybe Heather.
We went into downtown Denver to the Tattered Cover book store. Interesting, but we got tired of it pretty fast. We stopped for coffee at the Pigtrain inside the Central Train Station. We decided to head back to Boulder for dinner and a night out. Side note - we contacted Stefan Smith and thought we'd see him while in Denver. But he was working and we were tired, so we missed that opportunity.
Back to the Bradley for a little snooze. Then out to dinner at Foolish Craig's and then back to the Laughing Goat to see a jazz group called Purple Squirrel. They did all original jazz numbers except for one medley cover of "Lucy in the Skies" and "Dear Prudence".
Probably going to Estes Park - the entrance the Rocky Mountain State Park.
Wednesday Oct 4
Day started with breakfast. A couple different kinds of quiche, coffee and coffee cake. Very good.
We met a couple from Kansas. He (Luke?) was originally from the UK. She, Kate (?) was from Kansas. They were retired, having worked for University of Kansas. Nice couple. She was teaching Qi Gong. She had been to China to train.
After breakfast, we went to Denver. First stop was Red Rocks (should be posting some pictures in the near future). What an impressive concert venue! A natural amphitheater in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The seats were added in the 30's. We did some steps - rows of seats. A lot of younger people were there running and other types of exercise.
Then on to Tim and Jaia's house in Denver. A bit of a busy street and rather modest looking house from the outside. The inside was amazingly beautiful. Tim and Jaia have done a wonderful job making this an incredible home for themselves and for Ayla. The have 6 chickens and consequently fresh eggs. They even get enough to sell them by the dozen to neighbors! Jaia is quite the farmer too. Lots of fresh veggies growing in the yard. And quite the carpenter. She used old wooden fencing and made a beautiful functional desk for Tim who works from home. And he's no slouch either on the home front. He built the chicken coop and made lunch for us. Apparently he does most of the cooking.
Interesting item here. The backyard had some bushes that were full of these beautiful butterflies. We actually saw lots of butterflies in the Denver area. Actually at Red Rocks, Janice was taking pictures with a camera, and suddenly a butterfly landed on the finger! It stayed long enough, 4-6 seconds, to be blown off her finger.
We bid farewell, but looking forward to seeing them during the Thanksgiving holiday when they'll be coming to Baltimore - With Mark and Susan and maybe Heather.
We went into downtown Denver to the Tattered Cover book store. Interesting, but we got tired of it pretty fast. We stopped for coffee at the Pigtrain inside the Central Train Station. We decided to head back to Boulder for dinner and a night out. Side note - we contacted Stefan Smith and thought we'd see him while in Denver. But he was working and we were tired, so we missed that opportunity.
Back to the Bradley for a little snooze. Then out to dinner at Foolish Craig's and then back to the Laughing Goat to see a jazz group called Purple Squirrel. They did all original jazz numbers except for one medley cover of "Lucy in the Skies" and "Dear Prudence".
Probably going to Estes Park - the entrance the Rocky Mountain State Park.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Western Trip 2017
Day 1
Tues Oct 3 2017
Got picked up at home about 7:25 AM. 795 and 695 were totally jammed with traffic, so the driver took us through the city. Quite a tour of some of the poorest neighborhoods in Baltimore. Monroe Street to 295 to the airport. Lots of boarded up houses. But we made it to the Southwest departure terminal on time.
We skipped curbside check-in and went through the process pretty quickly. We had TSA PRE, but as usual, I got stopped because of my hips. But no problems. We boarded and the plane left on time.
We sat in a 3 seater - window and middle. The woman on the aisle seat was not very nice. I did a little arm wrestling with her for the armrest. She seemed to have a really sour attitude. Janice spilled a cup of water which got to her seat. Then I spilled a cup of Mrs T's Bloody Mary mix. That didn't help her attitude.
Arrived in Denver without incident. Got a 2017 Dodge Journey. Not bad, comfortable but no Sirius XM radio, no back up camera, no electric seat. We'll survive.
About 40-45 minutes to the Bradley Boulder Inn. Very nice place, but no elevator. We have 3 pieces of luggage, plus a couple of carry-ons and my CPAP machine. Our room is on second floor. Lugged up the steps. but just once and we're here 3 nights. So not bad. Kathy(?) is the Inn manager. Nice lady. Young (40s?) and hip.
We walked around Pearl Street - the main drag - and met Tim and Jaia and Ayla for dinner. They drove up from Denver. The original restaurant they chose was closed, but we found another, Zeal, within walking distance. The baby is adorable and we enjoyed Tim and Jaia's company.
They left about 6:30. They were taking a class in Boulder. Janice and I went to The Laughing Goat for coffee and dessert and listened to some live jazz. Very nice - Matt Human Trio. Matt Human was the bass player. It's about 2 blocks from the Inn.
Back to the room. Janice is sleeping as I write. Late. Going to bed myself now.
Tomorrow morning we'll go to Red Rocks in Denver then go to Tim and Jaia's house. We might hook up with Stefan Smith. He lives in Denver.
Tues Oct 3 2017
Got picked up at home about 7:25 AM. 795 and 695 were totally jammed with traffic, so the driver took us through the city. Quite a tour of some of the poorest neighborhoods in Baltimore. Monroe Street to 295 to the airport. Lots of boarded up houses. But we made it to the Southwest departure terminal on time.
We skipped curbside check-in and went through the process pretty quickly. We had TSA PRE, but as usual, I got stopped because of my hips. But no problems. We boarded and the plane left on time.
We sat in a 3 seater - window and middle. The woman on the aisle seat was not very nice. I did a little arm wrestling with her for the armrest. She seemed to have a really sour attitude. Janice spilled a cup of water which got to her seat. Then I spilled a cup of Mrs T's Bloody Mary mix. That didn't help her attitude.
Arrived in Denver without incident. Got a 2017 Dodge Journey. Not bad, comfortable but no Sirius XM radio, no back up camera, no electric seat. We'll survive.
About 40-45 minutes to the Bradley Boulder Inn. Very nice place, but no elevator. We have 3 pieces of luggage, plus a couple of carry-ons and my CPAP machine. Our room is on second floor. Lugged up the steps. but just once and we're here 3 nights. So not bad. Kathy(?) is the Inn manager. Nice lady. Young (40s?) and hip.
We walked around Pearl Street - the main drag - and met Tim and Jaia and Ayla for dinner. They drove up from Denver. The original restaurant they chose was closed, but we found another, Zeal, within walking distance. The baby is adorable and we enjoyed Tim and Jaia's company.
They left about 6:30. They were taking a class in Boulder. Janice and I went to The Laughing Goat for coffee and dessert and listened to some live jazz. Very nice - Matt Human Trio. Matt Human was the bass player. It's about 2 blocks from the Inn.
Back to the room. Janice is sleeping as I write. Late. Going to bed myself now.
Tomorrow morning we'll go to Red Rocks in Denver then go to Tim and Jaia's house. We might hook up with Stefan Smith. He lives in Denver.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
NE Trip 2016
Day 10 - Tue Sep 6 2016 (Janice's Birthday)
Our hotel had an electrical problem so we had breakfast at a place a block away owned by the same company. Much better breakfast.
Turned out to be a very overcast morning - maybe due to the remnants of Hurricane Hermine. We wanted to hit the loop road around Acadia again. We started out doing it, ending up at Thunder Hole.
A pond on the Loop Road with the fog rolling in.
Rough water off the Maine coast, probably caused by hurricane Hermine.
Then we decided to just move on to Portland - a 3 1/2 hour drive.
We go into Portland about 5, settled in and walked to a place called BLUE. Cool little cafe/coffee house with live music - and great fresh homemade Maine blueberry pie. On the walk, we passed a circle of musicians in a little park. Fiddles, bass, banjos etc. We stopped to listen for a few minutes. Very cool.
Day 10 - Tue Sep 6 2016 (Janice's Birthday)
Our hotel had an electrical problem so we had breakfast at a place a block away owned by the same company. Much better breakfast.
Turned out to be a very overcast morning - maybe due to the remnants of Hurricane Hermine. We wanted to hit the loop road around Acadia again. We started out doing it, ending up at Thunder Hole.
Rough water off the Maine coast, probably caused by hurricane Hermine.
Then we decided to just move on to Portland - a 3 1/2 hour drive.
We go into Portland about 5, settled in and walked to a place called BLUE. Cool little cafe/coffee house with live music - and great fresh homemade Maine blueberry pie. On the walk, we passed a circle of musicians in a little park. Fiddles, bass, banjos etc. We stopped to listen for a few minutes. Very cool.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
NE Trip 2016
Day 9 - Mon Sep 5 2016 (Labor Day)
Had breakfast in the motel cafe. Well... it was a place with tables and chairs where the hotel provided hard boiled eggs, some cereal and pastries. Not great, but okay.
Then we went to Acadia National Park. We hiked around the Jordan Pond. We did this about 15 years or so ago with the kids. Took us about 2 hours! The hike was beautiful (see pics) but we forgot there are a few rocky/boulder sections that aren't the easiest to get by. There was also a rather long stretch where the path was split logs, flat side up and laid end to end. Sometimes a little narrow
This is from the north end of Jordan Pond. If you look closely, you can see a gap in the foliage at the far end. That's where the Jordan House is.
Our reward after the hike...
Then we took a walk around Bar Harbor in the daylight...
Porcupine Island
Bar Harbor
BA HA BA (Bar Harbor)
A real photographer taking real photos!
LOB-STAH (Lobster) traps!
A place we had dinner..
Something that reminded us of home...
A funny sign...
Tomorrow... more of Acadia (?), then on to Portland!
Day 9 - Mon Sep 5 2016 (Labor Day)
Had breakfast in the motel cafe. Well... it was a place with tables and chairs where the hotel provided hard boiled eggs, some cereal and pastries. Not great, but okay.
Then we went to Acadia National Park. We hiked around the Jordan Pond. We did this about 15 years or so ago with the kids. Took us about 2 hours! The hike was beautiful (see pics) but we forgot there are a few rocky/boulder sections that aren't the easiest to get by. There was also a rather long stretch where the path was split logs, flat side up and laid end to end. Sometimes a little narrow
This is from the north end of Jordan Pond. If you look closely, you can see a gap in the foliage at the far end. That's where the Jordan House is.
Our reward after the hike...
 |
| Jordan House Lunch. |
Then we took a walk around Bar Harbor in the daylight...
Porcupine IslandBar Harbor
a cruise ship leaving Bar Harbor
LOB-STAH (Lobster) traps!
A place we had dinner..
Something that reminded us of home...
A funny sign...
Tomorrow... more of Acadia (?), then on to Portland!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)