Time away

It had been over a year and a half since Mandy and I had a weekend alone together without the kids.  We love the little buggers, but it sure is nice to have an entire conversation, or even speak an entire sentence without being interrupted.  So we arranged a babysitter, booked flights to Colorado and went.

We landed at DIA at 7:30, hopped into the rental car and met our friends who lived about 30 minutes away.  We shared some fun conversation amidst a few beers and slices of pizza, and managed to keep their four-year old up way too late.  We left and headed to Boulder, checked into our hotel and fell asleep fast, two hours past our normal bedtime.

Short hike around Boulder

The next morning, we went to a great Creole cafe (Lucille's) for breakfast, followed by a short hike on Flagstaff Mountain, just west of the UC campus, in order to help get acclimated.  We wandered Pearl Street after our hike, and had lunch at Pasta Jay's.  We had no particular agenda, and it was nice to just relax without having to rush back to kids.  After our late lunch, we drove to Estes Park.

We arrived at our little cabin - a mother-in-law's quarters, really - around four.  We unpacked, went into town to get some food for our hike the next day, and capped off the night at the Rock Inn, a local hangout that has been one of our favorites since our snowshoeing trip out here.

The next morning, we left early to do a hike up to Black Lake, a nice little lake nestled high in Glacier Gorge.  The drive into the park was pretty, with low-lying fog highlighting the alpenglow of the mountains in the background.  It was cold at the start, around 35-40 degrees, but it was a beautiful day with little wind and bright sunshine when we weren't in the shade of the trees.

Looking off into Moraine Park

 We cruised past the ever-popular Alberta Falls, on up to Mills Lake.   The lake looked much different than the last time we were here, in February 2011, when it was frozen solid.  It was also blowing about 40-60 miles per hour, and at one point we were hurled across the ice.  We stopped and took a quick snack break, but it was too cold to stay put for long, so we continued on.

Looking off into Glacier Gorge

Mills Lake - that large rock in the lake on the right was what we tried to take shelter behind when we were up here in the winter. 

Another strong wind event in November 2011, with gusts up to 90 miles per hour, blew down a mile or so of trees from Mills Lake to  Black Lake and making the trail impassable for some time. The scale of this was hard to imagine, almost as though a tornado had touched down and heaved these massive trees everywhere. In some places, it was almost like walking through a canyon, with rock walls on one side, and massive tree roots on the other.

We passed Ribbon Falls just before we finally arrived at our destination.  We were starving, so we found a rock at the edge of the lake and devoured our Subway sandwiches.  After lunch, we agreed to go on to Blue Lake even though we were pretty tired by then.  There is a steep uphill along the falls for about three-quarters of a mile when we finally called it a day and turned around.  We were in the right spot, and I was certain the map showed the lake to be "just over that hill", but I saw no trail and we were too tired by then to do any bushwhacking, so we turned around and headed down.

Ribbon Falls

Above Black Lake

It always seems to take longer to go down than go up, especially if you're covering the same ground.  We were both dog-tired, and stopped to rest at Mills Lake again.  After a few minutes, we heard blood-curdling screams towards the end of the lake.  Thinking someone was seriously hurt, we practically ran in that direction.  We eventually caught up to a couple with two kids in backpacks on their backs, including a two-year old who had fallen in the water, and who was pissed when her mom made her ride in the backpack rather than walk in her wet shoes.

We finally made it back to the car, made it back to the cabin and quickly showered.  We "face-timed" with the boys, who both seemed to be having a great time with the babysitter, headed out to do laundry and then, gratefully made to Ed's Cantina for mexican food and margaritas.

The next morning, we almost decided to go to Starbucks instead of hiking.  We were both tired, a little sore and I thought we had gotten up too late to do the hike we had discussed the night before.  Mandy convinced me we had time, so we packed our backpacks and set off for Twin Sisters.

Twin Sisters from our cabin

Not having been there when he did it, Mandy really wanted to see what Noah climbed the last time we were here.  Twin Sisters is actually a couple of peaks, both over 11,400 feet, that overlook the city of Estes Park, and several other peaks in the area, with awesome views of Longs Peak.  It's a 7.2-mile round trip, mostly forested, but with the last .7 miles above tree line over rugged ground.  We were tired from the day before, but actually feeling better - a little more acclimated, and feeling a little stronger overall.

It was another beautiful day, with cool temps and almost no wind.  Toward the top, Mandy was moving a little slower than Noah was on our last trip, but we eventually made it to the top.  The views are excellent from here, and we ended up spending nearly an hour on top, taking pictures, eating a snack and enjoying the views.  We hoofed it down in about an hour and a half, and finished the entire 7.2-mile hike in about 5.5 hours, only an hour shorter than it took Noah and I to do it in July.  Mandy was impressed that he was able to do it at all.

Singing at the top

After the hike, we hit Ed's Cantina again for a bite to eat, then grabbed a shower at the local laundromat before heading to Denver to see our friend Paul, who married us both at Chasm Lake eight years ago.  That remains, to my knowledge, the only wedding ceremony the good Reverend has performed.  We enjoyed great grilled pork chops over a few beers as we got to know his wife and kids.  Afterwards, we  headed to the airport, dropped off the rental car and hung out until our flight back to KC.

Best post-hike snack

It was late when we got home, so we checked on the sleeping kids. They handled the weekend just fine without us, according to the babysitter, and we enjoyed the time away alone.

Colorado summer of 2012 highlights

I can't believe we haven't found the time to post about our annual summer trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It's just been busy this summer.  This is the first time since Noah was 10 months old that we've gone without my mom, sister or a babysitter to help with kids and give us the chance to go out on a solo hike/dinner date.  Adding a Spring Break vacation, cut our budget down considerably and at first Paul was going to cut it out completely.  Eventually we settled on a smaller scale vacation.  We rented a smaller cabin outside of the popular tourist town of Estes Park.  It was only 8 miles north of Estes Park and about a 20 minute beautiful drive.  Although it only had 2 bedrooms and one bathroom, it was actually quite roomy.  We enjoyed being situated in a canyon and in solitude, where we had access to private trails only for homeowners and their guests.  The cabin was in the Roosevelt National Forest.

The roadtrip there went well.  We stopped in Goodland, KS for the night and enjoyed our stop over.  They had a nice pool, with water slides and diving boards, and it cost us all of $6 for the entire family.  It was great after six hours in the car, and after our swim, we ate dinner at a local place recommended to us by someone at the pool,  and by someone Paul works with.

The next day, it was a pretty easy trip into Estes Park.  We stopped for Pizza on the Riverwalk and let the kids climb on some rocks and put their feet in the water.  We checked into the YMCA of the Rockies (for 2 nights only in their lodge), before we headed to Glen Haven for the rest of the week.

They were so busy that our room wasn't ready until 6pm, so we killed time playing at the playground and having the kids make tie-dyed shirts at the art center. We also went out to eat at the Rock Inn Mountain Tavern, just down the street.  The YCMA is very popular and after staying above the grounds 2 years in a row at the big house we've rented with family, we decided to check it out.  Not really our thing.  They offer tons of activities for kids (but mostly aimed for older kids) and also offer day camps for kids.    They have lots of crowds, and it's like camp, but a really nice camp.  After 2 nights in the small room, we were so happy to check out and head to our mountain cabin.  

Here are a few highlights of our trip.  We'll follow up with individual posts about hikes we did, with pictures.  

Monday - hiked around Lily Lake and up Lily Mountain as a family.  Both kids surprised us at their progress.  Noah has always been strong, but in the past couldn't focus on a destination.  This time, he kept going and going and we had to keep up with HIM!  Elliot amazingly kept up really well.  He didn't go as far as Noah, but climbed pretty high up some pretty steep areas and on boulders.  It was fun for all four of us.  After our hike, we grabbed lunch and ate a picnic at the park, while Paul had a conference call in his car.  Once he finished, we rented a pontoon boat on Lake Estes for an hour.  Very beautiful, relaxing and a surprisingly cheap activity.  

Tuesday - Paul and Noah went on a BIG hike.  Noah's first peak - Twin Sisters at 11,482 feet and 3.4 miles to the top.  Noah was ready and excited and did fantastic.  Paul has amazing pictures of this hike we'll share.  We are both so proud of him.  While they did that hike, Elliot and I went to the park and then hiked around the Lumpy Ridge Trail.

That evening, as we were getting ready to go to sleep, we got a text from Noah's close friend (whom he and Elliot had played baseball with and shared a helmet with right before leaving town) that their kids had lice.  Noah's head had been itching, so got up and ran to the nearest barber shop.  After buzzing their hair and a quick trip to the YMCA nurse to confirm the diagnosis (it was a mild case, and we couldn't see any, but Noah was itching)- we headed to get the shampoo for us all.  After checking into our new cabin and eating the dinner Noah picked after his big summit (mac and cheese, cheese pizza and ice cream), we all shampoo'd and went to bed.  Fun times.

Wednesday - due to our unwelcome "guests" that we had just learned accompanied us, and Noah and Paul's big hike the day before, the boys and I took it easy, playing around the cabin, hot tubbing and watching the wildlife feed on the dried corn we put out, while Paul headed to the laundry mat with all our clothes (clean and dirty) and all the bedding in the house.  Oh and pillow pets and stuffed animals.  And towels.  Fun times for him.  But, he got it done quickly and got the car vacuumed out as well.  With no intentions of a real hike, we headed into the park to the Alluvial Fan.  We had a bottle of water and a camera - only expecting the boys to climb on some rocks.  Well Paul and Noah quickly made it to the top.  Elliot and I went up over halfway, before heading back down.  And it was some serious climbing.  It was created after a flood in 1982 and lots of boulders and a waterfall formed.  The kids really loved it.

Thursday - We headed to the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead and started up to Gem Lake.  It's only a 2 mile hike, but steeper than we expected.  After .5 miles Noah and I continued to Gem Lake, while Paul and Elliot went along the Black Canyon Trail.  Gem Lake was small, but beautiful and serene with GREAT rock climbing.  Noah had a ball.  Then we ran into some friends from Kansas City.  The boy and Noah hadn't played in a few years, but were the perfect match.  They became fast friends climbing rocks to the top together.  We hiked with their family back down, met Paul and Elliot at the trailhead and then headed to Fun City.  That night we grilled out at the cabin.

Friday -  This was our "off" day.  We played around the cabin.  I went into the tiny town of Glen Haven and got some jewelry at a little shop and a cinnamon roll for us to split the next morning at the General Store.  That evening after dinner we decided to take a walk in our neighborhood.  We found a trail by the river and the kids really enjoyed it.  We collected rocks to make our own rock cairn at home.  

Saturday - Our last day we let the boys pick what they wanted to do. They both wanted to head back to the Alluvial Fan.  This time I went with Noah and Paul went with E.  After climbing the boys spent a lot of time making a fort out of logs fallen from trees.  Afterwards we drove to Loveland to meet some friends from Denver for lunch.  They have a 4 year old daughter and both the boys enjoyed her company.  It was a beautiful drive through the canyon from our cabin to Loveland.  The kids stayed up late that night making a fort out of sticks in the backyard.  

Sunday - we hit the road as soon as the kids woke up.  Naturally, they chose to sleep in that day.  It was a long day, but we made record time.  First they wanted chicken mini's for breakfast on the way out.  Perfect.  There was a Chick-fil-a in Loveland.  DOH!  Forgot it was Sunday and they weren't open.

Then we PUSHED through to Burlington, Colorado (near the Kansas state line) even though they really wanted a break before, to go to the awesome old school park we found last year.  You can imagine all our disappointment when we found the park was GONE!  Completely gone!  Instead we got gas, went potty and I let the kids pick a treat at the gas station.  The chocolate Hostess cupcakes were their only solace until we got to Hays, Kansas.  We looked up a park and headed there.  Fail.  It was 100 degrees and this "park" was just land, trees and a "lake" the boys discovered.  A dirty/stinky/littered with filth sewage drainoff is what it actually was.  We headed to Sonic and let them play at their outdoor playground for 15 minutes, eat and we drove home.  All the way home with only that one crappy, hot stop.  It's always more fun driving TO vacation than FROM vacation.

Overall, we had a great time.  Enjoyed our cabin, enjoyed hiking with the kids and as always, loved the weather and mountains.  Pictures and hike reports to come SOON!  Meanwhile, here's a few for now.

On a walk through our "neighborhood" 

First day, giddy to be needing fleece after a short afternoon storm

Lake Estes 

Mommy's hiking buddy - Lumpy Ridge

first Elk spotting at the YMCA

Brothers bonding on Lily Mountain

Twin Sisters summit

Alluvial Fan

Hot tubbing at our cabin while watching the wildlife in our backyard

Gem Lake trail

Gem Lake

Spring Break

It was more than three weeks ago that we traveled to Florida for Spring Break.  These long trips are hard to blog, because there is just so much that goes on.  The short version is that it was a blast for all involved.  We’re mountain people, so when Mandy came to me with the idea of a beach trip, it didn’t sound all that appealing.  I like active, physical vacations, and I pictured lying around, doing nothing for a week as the most boring vacation possible.  She convinced me that the kids would love it, and she really wanted to go, so we agreed.  It turned out that doing nothing was pretty relaxing; the sound of the wind and waves was medicine for the soul.   Watching the boys delight in their new playground was priceless.

We left on March 12th.  I went in to work early for a meeting, while Mandy finished packing for the trip. Mid-morning, I bailed and headed home.  Mandy had the van ready with kids in their seats, and we rushed off to the airport.  The kids love an adventure, so the flight was not bad even with E getting bored towards the end.  

By the time we got rental cars and luggage squared away, and finally made it to our house, it was nearly 6:00 PM. My first move was to back the minivan into the wall behind our parking space while trying to park.   This house had four parking spaces, and given the narrow alley behind it, three of the cars had backed into that same wall by the end of the week.  Noah and his friend Murray immediately wanted to play in the ocean.  They were excited and fearless, treading right on out into the surf to get slammed by waves.  Surprisingly, for me, I was nervous watching them.

There were two great things about our beach house: it was right on the beach, and it had a pool, and the following day we took advantage of both.  The kids alternated between them for about 8 hours, stopping only to eat a snack once in awhile.  We found a man-o-war on the beach, and suddenly Noah was aware that there really were animals that lived in the oceans.  He became much more reserved about going in the water, unless I carried him.  Despite all of our best efforts, it was impossible to keep them adequately sun-screened 100% of the time, and we ended the day with some seriously red faces and shoulders.  Bedtime was easy.

Given the sunburns, we decided to go to the Miami Seaquarium the following day to see the big fish.  We petted the stingrays for a few minutes, then headed off to swim with the dolphins.  The trainers came back for Noah and Mandy, and directed them to a dressing room for wetsuits.  Not understanding the physical dynamics of wetsuits, Noah asked the innocuous question, “Does that suit fit you, Mom?” while watching her struggle to get it on.  

They watched a safety video, then were led out into the “pool”.  The water was cold, and Noah was nervous.  He shook hands with the dolphin, but refused to submerge and watch him swim by and listen to him ‘talk’.  Mandy gave the dolphin a kiss, then got splashed for her efforts.  Afterward, we played at the playground, and watched the sharks get fed.  

Elliot’s sandals had burned blisters into his heels, and he cried pitifully as I tried to clean and bandage them.  He and I sat and had an ice cream while he recovered, then joined Mandy at the killer whale show.  It is both sad and impressive to see those giants in action, and brave/crazy of those trainers to get into the water with them.  On the way out, we visited the crocodiles and sea turtles, which were the best part of the day for the boys. 

The next day, we were back to the beach/pool routine, but this time we had lots of sunscreen poured on. It didn’t seem to do much good, as Noah got too much sun again - probably a function of the sand taking off the sunscreen.    

The following morning, the boys were up early as usual, so went to IHOP of all places, so the kids could have pancakes. Noah’s nose blistered and opened, making the decision of beach/no-beach for us.  Mandy took E for the day, and I took Noah to an indoor play place called Funderdome.  He did the rock climbing wall, the sky ropes course, foam ball guns and the giant playground, but his favorite was the laser maze, where you try to climb through a dark room filled with lasers without setting off alarms.  

The day with Noah reminded me that I needed to divide and conquer a little more often.  He was a perfect little kid - excited, gracious, fun and well-behaved.  We stopped for pizza for lunch, then played some more.  Afterwards we went for frozen yogurt, where he made the “best ice cream dish ever, right dad?”  We drove down to the inlet and looked at all the massive cruise ships on display, boarding new passengers.  He was awed by their size, as was I.  Seeing all those people pour onboard made it even less likely I would ever take a cruise.

The next day, Noah woke up early because he “wanted to play on the beach in the dark”, so we grabbed a pop-tart and sat out on the front porch for breakfast.  He only ate one when he decided he wanted to go play in the giant hole.  We grabbed shovels, dug for a little while, and then sat in the hole to rest and talk.  He told me he missed his friend Zaria, but that he wanted to stay in Florida “at least two more days”, and then asked me to tell him a special story.  

After that, we retreated back to the porch to finish his pop tart and watch the sun come up at 6:30.  Once everyone was up, I read stories to both boys on the couch.  In one, I made a snoring noise about the man who was portrayed as sleeping, when Elliot said, “Daddy, you make that sound in my bed!”, referring to the many times I fall asleep while putting him to sleep at night.  

Afterward, we walked along the beach until Noah decided he wanted to play in the “deep waves”.  He and I went out pretty far, and Noah got back some of his bravery.  I told him to “shake his bootie” at the waves so he would turn around when they hit, rather than hitting him head on and splashing salt water up his nose.  Eventually he got comfortable enough to start swimming in the rough surf.  After a little bit, we went back into the pool for a few hours, breaking only for lunch and drinks. Elliot faded soon after, and he and I went down for a short nap.  Mandy and I went next door to Oceans 11 for a drink while Elliot was napping.

It was St. Patrick’s Day when we rented one of the beachside bikes that scream “I’m a tourist!” and rode down the beach.  We stopped at  a bar for drinks and hotdogs, and generally had a lazy evening walking and riding along the boardwalk.  

Our flight back to KC left at 9:45 AM.  On our final morning in Hollywood Beach, we had last minute packing to do, and rental cars to return, but wanted to enjoy one last walk down the coast.  We walked north this time, to the park area, where I told the boys to be on the lookout for alligators, which they took semi-seriously. Noah insisted again on staying a couple more days..

The flight home was fine, even with an extra stop, but all of us thought the vacation had been too short.  Even several weeks later, Noah’s favorite memory was of he and I going out into the waves to play.  I hope they both have good memories of this trip.