Colorado Catch Up: Part Two

An exciting part about traveling is being able to share the experience.  I like to think I make up for being the rebel child who lives far away from my family by providing a free place for my parents to stay in a variety of locations.  My parents have somehow been able to sneak in a visit to almost every assignment I've been on.  It's fun to let them in on a part of my ever changing lifestyle.  I like to give them an excuse to have a taste of the travel bug and Colorado was next on the list.

When Becky and I arrived in Colorado, I couldn't stop bragging to my family about how nice the weather was and how gorgeous the views were.  The sun seemed to always be shinning and the snow-capped mountains were the perfect backdrop as I drove into work.  I laughed and said I had a much easier time navigating the city because I always knew the mountains were to the west.  It didn't take long for my parents to book their trip to see if I was telling the truth.

As luck would have it, a few hours before my parents' plane landed a freak snow storm waltzed through Denver.  I suppose I can't really call it a freak storm because the weather in Denver is always changing, but the amount of snowfall was definitely unexpected.  At any rate, I hopped in my Jeep and picked them up at the airport.  We decided to grab dinner at a restaurant close to our apartment so we wouldn't have to worry about driving too far if it got really bad and started planning a few adventures to fill their time during their visit.  

The next morning the snow had stopped, but it was one of those cold raw New England type days.  Poor Becky was outnumbered by 3 northerners, and we all decided to brave the cold weather and head out downtown.  We stopped by the Tattered Cover - a bookstore you can easily get lost in for hours, meandered down the 16th Street Mall, and we found our share of delicious restaurants.  We even chowed down on some unusual game meat at the iconic Buckhorn Exchange that my parents had heard about from a family friend.  Despite the cloudy days, we ventured down to Colorado Springs and took the trusty Jeep through the Garden of the Gods and then up as far as we could drive toward Pike's Peak.  It was fun twisting around the bends and curves in the road but it's unreal how high some of the peaks actually are.  I have a new appreciation for true mountain climbers.

 

 

 

 

Before my parents went back, the three of us decided to check out the Coors Brewery out in Golden, CO.  It's one of those small town friendly feel kind of places and the Brewery provided free tastings!

 

Glad you guys could make the trip!  Next stop - Hawaii!

Becky's mom and sister were also able to come for a little visit.  We showed them around downtown and managed to get a much better shot of us on the mile high step.  We also found shelter from an unexpected downpour and checked out the Molly Brown House.  While down in Colorado Springs we took a tour of the Olympic Training Center - the closest to the podium I'll ever get.

 

 

 The Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs were definitely interesting to walk through.

 

Why not get random tickets to see Wicked on our last night?

Colorado - you were fun, hope to see you soon!

Colorado Catch Up: Part One

The ship set sail a couple of days ago and is currently on its way back to Madagascar for the next field service.  Reading countless facebook posts and seeing pictures on instagram documenting the journey has got me reminiscing a bit about my own time with Mercy Ships.  It doesn't seem that long ago that I was packing up, panicking, and heading out on my own unforgettable journey.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll return to that floating hospital, but for now scouring over patient pictures and retelling my experiences during little Mercy Ships reunions will have to suffice.

Speaking of little reunions, my experience in Denver, Colorado was just that.  Becky and I landed travel assignments at one of the hospitals right in Denver from March until June.  Much to our excitement that meant not only would we get to explore the gorgeous state of Colorado, but we would be able to catch up with five of our friends, four of whom we knew from the ship.  The sights were breathtaking and the experiences refreshing.  Surely that assignment will not be my only visit to Colorado.

In the beginning of our stay we met up with Laura Jo - she introduced us to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Our friend Kari, also from the ship, made a little weekend visit from Atlanta to get in on the fun.

  

This was after we braved walking over the "frozen" Bear Lake.  The ice was thick but the creaking beneath our boots made us squeal a bit.

 

We all took a turn sliding down the little ice slope, on purpose or not remains unknown.

Elk for days!

 

Fast forward to Easter...

Becky and I headed out to Red Rocks to participate in an Easter Sunrise Celebration.  It was pretty amazing.  After I caught my breath walking up the hill and then up a ton of stairs (the altitude actually does make a difference, that and the fact that I am ridiculously out of shape), I was greeted with hundreds of people celebrating the day as the sun peeked over the horizon.  We kept thinking - last year we were in Congo, this year is Colorado, what does next year have in store for each of us?  I can assure you, we soaked in the experience for all it was worth.

 

One weekend Becky and I found our way to the Mexican Festival that was being held downtown.  We wandered through food booths and checked out the souvenirs while being serenaded by catchy tunes.  After we pulled ourselves away from the dip mixes and wine slushies we continued our little downtown Denver tour.  We stood on the Mile High step and struggled to take the required awkward photo of ourselves.  

 

I'm sure onlookers had their share of laughs...

We had been told to venture down to the Colorado Springs area and check out the neighboring town, Manitou Springs.  There is a common hike that some friends suggested as a "must do before you leave kind of thing."  It's a good thing I didn't do any research prior to the drive up to the trail, otherwise I may not have gone through with it.  As we approached the Manitou Springs Incline, I was excited to learn that it was only about a mile long...then I learned it was a 2000 vertical foot climb.  Too prideful to turn back I got out of the car and Becky, Laura Jo, and I prepared for the work out. 

It'll be fun they said...

I didn't believe them...

This isn't even halfway up!

Go ahead, I'll catch up...

We made it!!!

Despite a little misstep on our way back down, somehow the three of us survived yet another adventure together.

Newlywed Hannah figured out a day for all of us to meet and catch up a bit.  It's fun to realize these ship friendships are the kind that last.