May 7, 2013 - Denver

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. We've been very busy with house, yard, and rig projects. The rig is loaded now with everything except what we need for today. We are making a big loop SE this year. Our first major destination is Maryland. I'm hoping to see plenty of gators in the gulf this year. I'd love to see the Everglades, but I'm not sure Bill will be willing to go there, given that Pythons have taken it over. He hates snakes worse than Indiana Jones!! I'm not a fan of them, either. But...

May 1, 2013 - Snowstorm Achilles

As we checked the weather just a couple of days ago, it was 80 degrees in Denver. Today, as we are driving through, it is 30 degrees and snowing - hard!! Just north of here, in Estes Park, they are expecting 2 feet! Denver should only get about 7 or 8 inches. Still - crazy for May!! That's ok.. . we're headed to Vegas and should be nice and toasty warm SOON! We are taking a day or so to drive to Grand Junction. It's only 4 hours away, but there are so many neat little towns between here and there and we LOVE to explore them. After Grand...

Apr 28, 2013 - Denver

For dinner last night at Fruition both Bob and Josh had the Pasta Carbonara as an appetizer. House-Cured Pork Belly, Hand-Made Cavatelli, Six Minute Egg, Cacio Pecora Broth. For an entrée Josh and I had the Grilled Bavette Steak with Heirloom Pommery Potatoes, Arugula & Green Garlic Emulsion, Trumpet Mushroom Marmalade. Bob had Colorado Spring Lamb Loin with Braised Lamb & Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Tortellini, Minted Spring Peas, Lamb Sweetbreads, Spring Pea & Radish Salad. Bob had a cheese plate and Josh a lemon dessert of some type. Wines were...

Apr 27, 2013 - Denver

Night was not too cold so slept well. We all did our exercise. Josh went for a run, Bob took the bike on the Cherry Creek path and I went to the gym for some weights and a half hour on the recumbent bike. About 11:00 we went to the Boulder National Center for Atmospheric Research which is in the Flat Iron area of Boulder. The Center sits up high overlooking the town so we had great views on our short hike around the center. Didn’t spend too much time inside the center as we wanted to be outside in the gorgeous weather. Drove into Boulder...

Apr 26, 2013 - Cheyenne to Denver

Another clear and much warmer (45 degrees) morning. Decided to explore downtown Cheyenne, the capital and most populous city (population 60,000). The Union Pacific Railroad gave the city it’s depot which has been turned into a lovely Visitor’s Center and Museum that faces the gold domed Capitol building nine blocks north. In front is the Depot Plaza which is the home of farmer’s markets, concerts etc. We took the self-guided walking tour up Capitol Avenue and then over to the Governor’s Mansion. Now about 65 degrees and perfect for...

Feb 28, 2013 - Weeks 90-107 (5/23-9/25)

Weeks 90-107 (5/23-9/25): And a great Summer it was! Colorado was sublime. The wildfires missed us, thankfully, but not by much. We had fantastic running trails right out our door, and demanding roads for biking all around us. It was pretty ideal. One of the best parts though, was the community center just a few miles away. We took full advantage of the two pools with twisty slide, the game room, and the basketball courts; not to mention the satellite TV to watch the Olympics and bike races. We did plenty of hiking, and plenty of driving...

Nov 12, 2012 - Denver

Left Reykjavik at 05:00pm on a 757-200 plane about three quarters filled had a exit row seat so had lots of leg room, lol. The flight was 8 hours and 25 minutes a little bumpy so had seat belt sign on about half the flight. Got into Denver through passport control and to baggage claim with both checked bags making to Denver, got a shuttle bus to hotel and then out for dinner, had a real nice steak and shrimp, very good. On the 12th Nov will be heading back to the airport and on to home, so next post will be from home, been quite a trip in...

Oct 30, 2012 - In Memory of Joe

IN MEMORY OF JOE SCHUTTE Today we lost a dear friend and valued member of our Western Spirit and Big Top Balloon Teams! Joe Schutte has been a member of our balloon teams for many, many years. After an incredibly long and valiant battle, Joe lost his fight against cancer. He and his wonderful family including Marty, Al, Matt and his wife Mary have traveled with us all over Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico. His daughter Mary Jo is on our home crew and watches our home and dear Tessie dog while we are away. Joe always had a smile and...

Oct 27, 2012 - Hellish travel home

Our flight from Auckland to San Fran was actually pretty painless. Air New Zealand was much better then United, so the flight was actually pleasant. We even had our wine tour friends sitting in front of us to keep us company! Our flight from San Fran to Denver was delayed by two hours, unfortunately since they said it was going to be a 1.5 hour delay we didn’t look to rearrange our travel plans, that included a 2 hour and 5 minute layover to catch our flight to Madison. The delay ended up being 2 hours though and when we landed we ran so...

Oct 22, 2012 - Estes Park, CO to Denver, CO

Day fifty two: Destination- Denver Soundtrack- John Mayer, Derek and the Dominos, and Weird Al Here's the view we woke up to at the hotel this morning. We checked out Rocky Mountain National Park this morning. Most of the roads and buildings were closed for the season, and there was a fire. It was extremely hazy from the smoke, and there wasn't much to do. We didn't spend much time in the park, but the mountains are beautiful. We ate lunch in the park right in front of a whole herd of elk... Although there was an Asian gentleman who...

Oct 15, 2012 - Denver Airport

We took Jared to the airport this morning for his flight back home to Las Vegas. We had a wonderful time with him and miss him much. We stopped on the way to the airport for one geocache. He didn't have any for the state of Colorado, now he can mark Colorado on his geocaching map. I am adding a few pictures of the Denver International Airport, it is a very cool airport. At 53 square miles it is the largest airport in the United States by total area, and the second largest airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport. Check...

Oct 13, 2012 - Denver, Colorado

We left Casper this morning around 10 and arrived in Denver around 5. We did make a stop for lunch and a bit of shopping at Walmart in Fort Collins, Colorado. We drove about 280 miles and are very happy to be set up for the next few days at Chatfield State Park. We are about to get our fire going outside. The sun is about to set over the beautiful mountains. We are all happy campers. :-) Check back later for more from Colorado.