Fina's Birthday

Fina's roommates went all out with decorations at their pad. And then, of course, Spaghetti Carbonara, Ceasar Salad, and Cheesecake for dinner! And check out the beautiful flowers Nana found. By the time she was done, there were bouquets all over the house.

Theatre at Grand Lake

Nana and Papa headed up into the mountains this past week to enjoy a few days at Grand Lake, CO. The main attraction is the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre (RMRT). They operate in true repertory fashion with shows alternating with each day they're open. This means you could easily catch two or three different shows in one relatively short trip. And the shows are outstanding, dare I saw Broadway quality. We saw The Music Man and Come from Away this trip. The latter was truly and uniquely great. We also stayed at the Grand Lake Lodge this time which allowed us to check off another of the "Great Lodges." This one is technically not in a National Park, but it borders Rocky Mountain National Park and has that feel to it - good enough! While we were up there, we (yes, Nana was even more excited than Papa was) had to re-visit the Moffat Road Railroad Museum in Granby. Wanted to check out a few things: progress on the 7.5" gauge railroad, progress on their big HO layout project, and the Dumont Depot which was just moved to their location last year. As for food places, we revisited One Love in downtown Grand Lake (very flavorful and different Mexican approach) and newly visited Rapids Lodge and Restaurant (excellent food in an exceptional location along "the rapids"). The scenic boat cruise around the lake will have to wait till next time (they were booked). All the photos are here.

Evening at the Grand Lake Lodge

Outdoor seating at the Rapids Restaurant.

Next stop: River City!

"Sushi Petals" at One Love

Scene on HO Layout.

Broad view of the HO layout

Dumont Depot

View from the Grand Lake Lodge

A Quiet 4th with the Gib-Guscis

Actually, the morning was a little busy for Antonio and Griffen and their drivers Nana and Papa. The two boys volunteered to help run the Monument Parade. They provided communications between the starting line and the review stand. Nana and Papa just enjoyed the festivities. A nice quiet day followed with a feast at the house for dinner and a trip to the Club's golf course for fireworks.

Rise Christian Arts

We did have a little sickness create quite a mess.
Tracy's "hazmat outfit" may have been a little overkill.

The "Gib-Gusci Kids" all ready for the fireworks.
One Gib and a couple Guscis are not in town.

38-stars, when Colorado joined the Union.
https://jf2.com/flags/#38

Gib-Guscis at the Gaylord

Some of the Gibson clan flew into town to join the Regusci clan for Independence Day activities. The big one for today was water play at the Gaylord (by the Denver airport). Meanwhile, a few clan members stayed back at the house (for various reasons) - which seemed very big for just 4 people.

34-star flag. See https://jf2.com/flags/

It was hard to believe how easy it was
to do dinner for just 4 people.

Journeyers from the East

Journeyers from the East (Kansas City and St. Louis) passing through Colorado Springs picked up Nana and Papa on their way to Aspen, CO. But first, a layover in Colorado Springs to hit the WW2 Aviation Museum, the Paint Mines at Calhan, Chibar Bar in downtown, and Water World up in the Denver area. Then and only then was it time to head for Aspen via Independence Pass (using mostly Colorado Highway 24). First stop was the Hungry Bear in Woodland Park; they've gone overboard with stuffed bears and the food is quite good with a wide-ranging menu, great for hungry road warriors. We stayed at the Snowmass Village in Snowmass, CO. And then for the Great Kahuna, the pinnacles of the trip - the Maroon Bells just southwest of Aspen. Pay attention to Maroon Bells access which for most of us is only by shuttle bus. For sustenance, we visited the Aspen Public House in Aspen and Kenichi in Snowmass by our place. And don't miss Paradise Bakery in Aspen for gelato and baked goods. On our way home, we had breakfast at the Daily Bread in Glenwood Springs then on to ride the Beaver Creek Gondola to the top (almost) of the ski area, messed around a little, then back down to I-70 for the finishing lap to get one of our visitors to the Denver airport. The three remaining journeyers enjoyed a dinner at the West Main Taproom in Parker on the final leg to Colorado Springs. The rest of the trip we exercised (some of us) and  lounged around at the pool. The last supper was at Margarita at Pine Creek; we really should go there more often; the food is exceptional. All the photos are here (in roughly chronological order).

WW2 Aviation Museum (Colorado Springs).

Paint Mines near Calhan, CO.

Chiba Bar in downtown Colorado Springs.

Water World in Denver area.

Hungry Bear in Woodland Park.

Independence Pass.

Maroon Bells near Aspen, CO.
This was the main point of the trip.

Downtown Aspen.

Paradise Bakery gelato and cookies (Aspen).

Kenichi in Snowmass, CO.
Spicy tuna on crispy rice. The food was fantastic.

Beaver Creek gondola.

Denver-Moab Rocky Mountaineer

Sandy and Bob joined Lynn and Jamie for a train adventure west from Denver, CO to Moab, UT aboard the Rocky Mountaineer's "Rockies to the Red Rocks." We started with a couple days at our favorite Brown Palace in Denver during which we visited the American Museum of Western Art right across the street. Also had a great meal at the Water Grill. Then "all aboard!" What a fabulous journey. And if you are into geology, railroading, and photography - this is the trip for you! We overnighted in Glenwood Springs at the Hotel Maxwell Anderson (was Hotel Denver) - really cool place. Then on to Moab where we spent a couple extra  days at the Hoodoo Moab (Hilton Curio). Our big dinner in Moab was at our favorite restaurant there: Desert Bistro. See the last photo below for our big adventure in the rapids (shoutout to Cam of Moab Adventure Center). Then we took to regular roads for the trip home with a wonderful stop in another favorite spot, Breckenridge. All the trip's photos are here. For a little more detail on the train portion, see Jamie's ToShinyRails.com entry. We learned on this trip that Utah has a new state flag.

At the Western Art Museum

Brown Palace

Rocky Mountaineer

Yaks!

Met the California Zephyr (twice!)

From our room in Breckenridge

Float trip outside of Moab with the
Moab Adventure Center. Great trip.
You're pretty lucky if you get Cam as your guide!