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Colorado Family Memories

November 2019 - February 2020
A 108-day adventure by Two to Travel Read more
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  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Peek @ GotG

    November 17, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    A week ago today we disembarked Nieuw Statendam, changing states from Florida to Atlanta to Colorado that afternoon. It’s been a quiet week since then. Not by choice. Mom contracted an upper respiratory virus the day before we disembarked … as well as conjunctivitis. She’s slowly getting better but has been pretty miserable since we came home.

    Having been mostly stuck at home for a week, we were all ready for a change of pace ... a breath of fresh air. Even if it was a short one. So, this morning we took advantage of blue skies and sunshine to take a car ride. Though the high temp was only up to 53F, it felt much warmer in the sun … warm enough to go out and about without a heavy jacket.

    First, we went to the Garden of the Gods — the GotG in the title of this footprint. Of course, this place of red rocks is best enjoyed by hiking the trails, but that was not on the agenda today. We drove around a bit, made a few quick stops for photo ops, and moved on to another spot we wanted to show mom and Aylin.

    Mui and I found the America the Beautiful Park purely by chance when we were in Colorado Springs in 2018. A great big circle in a wide-open greenspace — visible from the highway — caught our eye and piqued our curiosity. Turns out the circle is part of a fountain installation and it frames Pikes Peak if you walk far enough away at the right angle. The park also has a memorial to the poet who wrote the song, "America the Beautiful.”

    We wrapped up our brief get-some-fresh-air outing at one of our favorite casual eateries in Colorado Springs — Il Vicino. Tasty Italian food.

    Not sure when we will go out again as it depends on how mom is feeling. In any event, I hope to have some fun things to report in the days and weeks ahead.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Seven Falls

    November 24, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    While we've not been sightseeing this past week, we have been out of the house quite a bit with mom and Aylin. Mostly shopping to decorate the house for the holidays. We also went to a performance by the Seven Falls Indian Dancers ... at one of our local libraries. These activities were bookended by snowstorms ... one not worth mentioning; the other one dropping over three inches earlier this week.

    With most of the snow gone by yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the better weather today to go to Seven Falls for a bit of sightseeing and lunch.

    The first time Mui and I went to Seven Falls was years ago. I recollect that we stopped to visit The Broadmoor and Seven Falls on our cross-country drive from Salt Lake City to DC in 1991. Back then we were able to drive right into the park. Not so this time. Not sure how recent the change is, but this time we had to park near the Penrose Event Center and take the shuttle (~10-minute drive) included in the admission to Seven Falls. Don’t recall paying admission back in 1991 either. But things change. Or it could just be my memory is faulty after so many years.

    Although it was quite comfortable in the sun, it was downright nippy otherwise. Since the tall cliffs on either side of the canyon left the .8-mile road up to the falls in the shade, we decided to forego walking "Colorado's grandest mile of scenery." Instead, we took the miniature-train up. The train is $2pp but is included in the senior admission … for which all but Aylin qualified.

    At the top, we had two options to get to Eagle’s Nest, the observation terrace … stairs or the mountain elevator. We opted for the latter since the stairs were in the shade and, of course, mom would not have been able to negotiate them.

    The observation terrace was in the sun, so we took our time, enjoying the views of the canyon and the falls. The downside was our timing … the falls were in the shade, with the sun behind them. Less than ideal for photography. It being winter, there wasn’t much water flowing over the different tiers of the falls … a lot of it frozen. It definitely would be better in the spring.

    Next, we made our way to the base of the falls. Leaving mom to rest in the pavilion, Aylin, Mui and I hiked partway up the 224-step staircase to the overlook from which we could look down on tiers four through seven ... and look up at Bridal Veil Falls … the third tier.

    When we rejoined mom, we walked the short distance to 1858 … the restaurant at the base of the falls. The place is named for the year in which gold was discovered in the Colorado Territory. The menu had a limited selection of items … but we all enjoyed the food we ordered. Because the portions were small we were comfortably sated … with enough room in our tummies for dessert. Aylin and I opted for the gourmet hot chocolate … a little too watery. Mom ordered the goldbrick sundae … made with vanilla ice cream and a mix of chocolate and caramel sauces. Yummmy!

    It was downright freezing on the shuttle train back down to the park gate. Luckily, once we arrived, we did not have to wait long for the shuttle bus back to the parking lot. A good thing we have remote access to our thermostat. It felt good to walk into a warm house.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: Great Russian Nutcracker

    November 27, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    This footprint doesn't really qualify as a day trip. However, it is one of the things we did here in Colorado Springs with mom and Aylin, so I think it is apropos.

    Following a snowstorm that left the roads icy — but navigable — we went to the Ent Center for the Arts at the UCCS campus tonight. The performance was staged by the Moscow Ballet and included young dancers from the local area ... part of the Moscow Ballet's Community Engagement Programs Across the Country.

    We enjoyed the performance very much ... but could have done without the cold air blowing on us from the ventilation system above us. Good thing we had cold weather gear with us or we would not have lasted through the performance.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    CoSprings: First Thanksgiving

    November 28, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 30 °F

    We were lucky enough today to celebrate our first Thanksgiving in our new home with mom and Aylin; old friends Sonia and Boris; and new friends Greg and Helen. Alas, except for a few photos I took before our guests arrived, I have nothing to show for our evening. Not that photos really matter ... it's the memories that count. We sure made some great ones tonight.Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    Old Colorado City: Stroll & Dinner

    November 30, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 34 °F

    A news piece on one of the local TV channels encouraged us to visit Old Colorado City this evening … to see the Christmas lights, listen to carolers strolling around town, and check-out the small businesses that line the main drag on either side.

    We did all that … but it was darned cold with a light breeze adding to the chill factor. I guess that’s the downside of Christmas in December. The lights are best enjoyed after nightfall … and by that time the temps dip considerably. With no sun to mitigate the chill, it gets very cold ... very quickly. Popping into shops — we didn’t buy anything — afforded us brief respites from the cold … enough to keep us going until dinner time.

    (I can hear friends who live in warm climates saying that we could enjoy Christmas cheer in their states and not be cold. But that would mean dealing with hot temps — and sometimes humidity — other times during the year. I think we’ll stick with Colorado.)

    Mui had called ahead to our favorite tapas place in OCC — TAPAteria — for 7:30p dinner reservations, requesting one of the two tables in the nooks by the front-facing windows. Noting the limited holiday lights and the cold temps, however, we changed that reservation to 6:30p. And actually ended up going to the restaurant even earlier. The manager was able to accommodate us … as long as we were willing to give up the window table. We were … and, as it turns out, that was good as the nooks near the windows were quite chilly.

    We've been to TAPAteria several times. Since we were familiar with the menu, we took it upon ourselves to order tapas dishes for the four of us to share … consulting with mom and Aylin as to their preferences. A carafe of blood orange sangria was at the top of our order. For tapas, we opted for the white bean hummus, jamon-wrapped dates, pan con tomate, grilled gambas, Caprese skewers, verduras tower, and albondigas. Comfortably sated, we split two desserts to wrap up our meal — crema Catalana and cedar plank smore … really liked the first one, and while the smore was good, I would not order it again.

    All in all, a fun outing ... despite the cold evening temperature.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    Aurora: Holiday Cheer @ Gaylord

    December 2, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    The Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center offers quite a few activities during the holidays. There was a Cirque de Soleil style show that I thought might be interesting, but the timing didn’t work out. So I pre-purchased tickets for ICE! ... featuring the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This ice-sculpture exhibit consists of characters carved by Chinese artisans … from millions of pounds of colored ice. As well, there was an elaborate nativity scene carved using clear ice.

    We really enjoyed wandering around the sculptures, and some of us braved the ice slide. I had read that the attraction was kept at a chilly 9F, so we bundled up so as not to have to use the heavy parkas they hand out at Gaylord. Turns out that the parkas were not optional. That actually was a good thing as we definitely needed the extra warmth the parkas provided ... over our own heavy layers.

    After leaving Rudolph and his friends, we went for a wander around the resort — first inside … and then outside. I loved the holiday decorations at the indoor-pond … especially since the water reflected the Christmas tree. I think the photo I took of that scene will make for a nice e-card for Christmas.

    Nightfall brought out the beauty of the lights outdoors. While it was chilly, it wasn’t unbearably cold and we enjoyed strolling the path that wound through the lit up trees. Perfect holiday cheer. And even better ... there were few people out and about so it was rather peaceful with Christmas carols as background music.

    We debated eating at the resort, but decided to go to one of the restaurants in Centennial. More choices … and it would serve to break up the drive from Aurora back to Colorado Springs. We ended up at Seasons 52 and had a nice meal to wrap up our evening out.

    For more holiday cheer, click this link to visit my online gallery — https://eenusa.smugmug.com/North-America-US-Can…    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories

    Calhan: Paint Mines Interpretive Park

    December 3, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    Another beautiful blue-sky and sunshine day in Colorado Springs. Of course, we had to take advantage of it. I had a destination in mind — the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan … about 30 miles from the house. The area is so named for the colorful clays that American Indians at one time collected to make paint.

    I was concerned that this outing might require more hiking than mom is capable of doing, but we decided to at least check it out. Unfortunately, I was right. The most colorful sites at this unique open space in El Paso County require getting deeper into the park.

    We got a short ways up the trail where, finding a bench, Mui and mom sat down to wait while Aylin and I continued on. We didn’t get far either. It quickly became apparent that we’d have to leave mom and Mui waiting too long. Add to that the fact that the melting snow had left much of the dirt trail muddy. We decided it was smarter to just call it quits today. Mui and I will visit the park another time ... after we return from Europe next year.    Read more

  • Two to TravelColorado Family Memories
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    Denver: Parade of Lights

    December 7, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Another evening outing to enjoy holiday cheer ... this time in downtown Denver.

    Having driven up from Colorado Springs early enough to have dinner first, we found a parking spot not far from the stands where I had purchased seating for the 9News Parade of Lights. That done, we walked to The Pavilions ... a good place to get a bite to eat. Or so we thought. Alas, we were out of luck … long waiting lines at every restaurant. So, we continued on to the pedestrian-friendly 16th Street Mall. Here we easily found a table at Earl’s Kitchen & Bar. Good timing as the place filled up soon after we were seated.

    Our tummies thus sated, we picked up a few more clothing layers from the car and walked over to Bannock Street. We ended up sitting in the stands for an hour, waiting for the parade to start. But I’m glad we arrived early as we managed to find seats on the very back row of the stands set up in front of the Denver City Hall (aka the City & County Building). The back frame of the stands provided a backrest that made our seats more comfortable. Heavily bundled up, we weren’t overly cold. That said, I’m glad we thought to take blankets with us to spread on the seats as without them we would not have been very comfy.

    The idea to go to the parade was a last-minute one. I was researching something on the internet when I came across a link for this year’s parade, sponsored by 9News. I’m not much of a parade person, but I figured this would be a good holiday activity. None of us knew what to expect. We were all pleasantly surprised by the floats — some of which were quite elaborate. The oversized balloons, while not plentiful, were fun to see and reminiscent of the big parades seen on TV. The crowd favorite was the “bouncing cars.”

    The big surprise of the evening was the light and music show projected onto the façade of the City & County Building just after the parade ended. We enjoyed the spectacle from the stands. Visiting the City & County Building to see the lights was on my list of things to do, so we killed two birds with one “parade stone.”

    Since I had "encouraged" everyone to skip dessert at Earl's, following the parade we returned to the 16th Street Mall for a sweet treat. At the Rialto Café, we checked to see if they could seat us for dessert. The place was packed, but they managed to find us a booth. With each of us ordering a different dessert, we had a "sweet treat orgy."

    After our dessert splurge, we continued up 16th Street towards the Clock Tower. I had walked over there earlier to take a video clip of the “snowfall” art installation on its face and noted the ChristKindl Market nearby… another holiday attraction that was on my list. I thought that after seeing the Christmas markets on last year’s river cruise on the Rhine River, this would be particularly fun. Frankly, it was disappointing. For one thing, it was so packed that checking out the various craft stalls was impossible. For another, it was very small. I’m glad we got to see the ChristKindl Market without making a specific trip to visit it.

    All in all, we had a fun evening with plenty of holiday cheer.    Read more

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