Mom and Dad's Visit

Mom and Dad came for a nice long visit last week!  They may be in their 80's but believe me, they are still ready to get out and explore.  There's no grass growing under their rockers, that's for sure.

We had FABULOUS weather and we took every opportunity that we had to get out and do some touristy stuff with them.  They arrived later in the day on Tuesday so we just sat around the house and got caught up on the latest.  On Wednesday, one of my parent's friend's daughter, who is a retired Lt. Col. in the Army took me, Mom and Dad to Ft. Carson.

Entry to Fort Carson, Colorado

My dad was stationed there in 1955-58 and he was anxious to see how things had changed in those years.  Well of course he expected massive changes but he didn't expect that the only thing that still looked the same was Cheyenne Mountain! We drove through the base and also went to the museum that they had on the 4th Infantry Division that was housed at Ft. Carson over the years.  My dad had lots of stories to tell of his time there and it was fun to hear all of the shenanigans that he and his buddies did while he was there.

Dad looking at the Hambone exhibit at the museum

Thursday we did a bunch of shopping for odds and ends that Mom and Dad can't find in Lakewood.  Friday we finished up on their errands and went out to eat at a fantastic Indian food restaurant.

Saturday we got up bright and early and headed up to the mountains.  We figured if we got on the road semi-early-ish we would miss the traffic but it was AWFUL.  What normally takes us about an hour to get to Central City took us nearly 2 1/2 hours.  We planned to drive to Estes Park and drive back down through Rocky Mountain National Park.  About the time we got to Nederland, CO it was lunchtime so we stopped and had a great lunch at the Black Forest Restaurant.  Mark had elk goulash that was to die for!

Black Forest Restaurant in Nederland, CO

Dad and Mom

Estes Park, CO

By the time we got to Estes Park, we realized that we didn't have time to get back down the mountain if we went through Rocky Mountain National Park in time for our train ride we had scheduled in Georgetown at 6 pm. So we headed back down the mountain and got to Georgetown with a little less than an hour to get our train tickets and get checked in.  On our way down, we drove through Central City and Nevadaville so we got to do a little sight seeing along the way.

The one and only building in Nevadaville, CO

We took a Beer and Brats train ride that left out of Silver Plume and went to just outside of Georgetown.  They served us 5 different types of beer to sample and 3 different types of bratwurst to eat while we were traveling on the train.  The scenery along the train route was simply spectacular and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Georgetown Loop Railroad

All of us boarding the train

Dad and Mom…ain't they adorable?

On Sunday we just hung out and later in the day Mom and I prepared food for our neighborhood Labor Day block party.  Almost all of the families on our block came and we enjoyed ourselves until late in the evening.

Mark shooting at the rabbits that are eating our plants

Block Party

On Monday we headed south for the day.  The first place we went to was the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs.  Mark and I have been several times but each time we see something different.  Mom and Dad had not been there even though they have been to The Springs several times over the years.

At the Olympic Training Facility

After that we made our way to Pike's Peak and drove the 19 mile trip to the very top.  It was about 90 degrees when we started out but dropped to 35 degrees when we arrived at the tip of the mountain.  The view from the top is breathtaking and we had a 360 degree panoramic vista from there.  We all laughed and said that we had all done our first 14-er (Colorado jargon for climbing one of the 14,000 foot peaks) and decided that it would probably be our last!  The air is very thin at 14K feet and many people up on top were complaining of headaches and dizziness.  We noticed that there was an EMT  administering oxygen to a lady so we decided that between the cold and the lack of oxygen, it was time to head down the mountain.

14,110 feet!!

View from the top

On our way back we drove through The Garden of the Gods. 

Garden of the Gods

On Tuesday, my folks and I drove downtown and went on a tour of the Molly Brown House.  It was interesting and the tour guide was very informative.  Margaret Brown (she was never known as Molly until the movie came out) was quite an interesting lady and should be better known for her social activism instead of simply surviving the Titanic disaster.

Molly Brown Mansion

We picked Mark up after work and then we went out to eat for one final meal together.  Mom was craving Greek food so we went to Berkeley and ate at Axios.  Ohmygosh!  It was delicious!!  Best Greek food we have found in Denver so far!

Unfortunately, they had to leave yesterday because as we all know, they are busy and have a million things they have on their calendar.  I'm so grateful that both of them still have their health and are always up for fun and adventures while they are here.