Move, day 4

Date - August 31st
Departure time - 1:30 PM
Departure location - Arvada, CO

Sunday morning we headed down the hill from Chris and Pam to visit our old next-door neighbors Jan, John and Owen. Daughter Sarah was away at college. We have been very fortunate over the years to have great neighbors. No matter where we've lived, there's always been someone that we continued to stay friends with long after we had moved on. The Arvada neighbors were no exception to that rule. In fact, they stayed with us in Madison a few summers ago as they were on their way out east.

Celeste enjoyed pounding the skins on the basement drum kit.

It was interesting to see the first true house we had owned. Not much has changed and some of the slight improvements I made can are still there. I was so happy to have our own house that I sat outside out on the sidewalk the night we moved in and just stared at it for a half an hour or so. Unfortunately we only lived there for seven months (d'oh!), so we don't have a lot of memories. I did have big plans of adding a second garage and finishing the partially-finished basement. The buyer was a realtor who has used it as income property for the past seven years.

The girls and Jupie on an April day, 2001.

We had one more stop to make in Parker, CO to visit friends Besty and Jim and their two boys. Unfortunately this put us behind schedule a bit, so we had to scoot south on I-25 to try to get to the Great Sand Dunes National Park before nightfall in order to set up camp. Allie and I had camped there years ago with Jupie and really enjoyed it. Quite stunning to see these enormous sand dunes backing up to moutains.

Colorado Hwy 160, west of Walsenburg

Dark clouds loomed over the mountains west and south of Colorado Springs. Being optimistic, I figured the front would pass by the time we rolled in. It didn't. We drove through some heavy rain only to find the campground sold out for the night. Allie had called and the ranger assured us that they would be space (first come, first served). Oh well, we'll just march on into New Mexico.

Red River, NM is a ski resort town in the mountains, surely they'd have space on a summer weekend, right? We arrived after driving through some unfamiliar/winding mountain roads only to find the entire town booked to capacity. Onward to Angel Fire...


Here's where we ended up staying - Angel Fire Resort. "Pardon our dust" is an understatment, it looked even worse under the parking lot's sodium lights. But we were all beat and needed sleep.

Celeste cried when she found out that I was successful in getting a room. "I am NOT staying there". I told her not to judge a book by the cover, inside the place was very nice. Later Celeste said that it was the nicest hotel she had ever stayed in. Since the only non-smoking room available was a king, we all piled in. Celeste kicked Allie and I throughout the night.

Arrival time - Late
Arrival location - Angel Fire, NM
TOTAL MILEAGE - 391, including a 200 mile detour to the Sand Dunes.

Move, day 3

Date - August 30th
Departure time - 9:30 AM
Departure location - North Platte, NE

The Western scenery really starts to kick in once you head into western Nebraska. The plains start rising, and you start to notice the changing elevation.

Celeste got to ride her first Sinclair dinosaur at a Big Springs truck stop. Fun for both her and her Webkinzzzzzzz (those little stuffed animals that she is hopelessly addicted to).

We stopped at the Colorado visitors center just off of I-76. I have to dig out the photo of Allie, Jupie and I stopping there when we made our first trip out west when we moved to Boulder in January 1997.

Finally, we rolled into Arvada to spend the night with our friends. I met Chris when we worked together years ago. Allie, Celeste and I also lived in Arvada a few miles down the road. Chris and Pam's son Jackson played with Celeste many afternoons when they were both toddlers.

It had been four years since we last visited Boulder, so we asked our hosts if they'd be gracious enough to take us up there for the afternoon and evening. Our van was down one seat as I had removed it to make room for the gigantic cooler.

Boulder's Pearl Street Mall didn't have this cool little kiddie fountain when we lived there. Who knows exactly how many dirty Rainbow Family hippies have bathed in it.

Of course Celeste and Jackson looked like little hippies themselves - running around the lawn of the Boulder County courthouse barefoot and Celeste in a tye-dyed swimsuit.

Jackson's little sister Carly had a good time as well.

Dinner was at Boulder's venerable Mountain Sun Brewery. When we first moved to Boulder, our crappy and cramped apartment was a few blocks away.

My friend and neighbor Ron and I used to hit the pub for their happy hour - grab a couple of half-priced pitchers of XXX Pale Ale or Java Porter and an enormous plate of nachos (kids nachos pictured). Much away and stumble back home. I'm happy to report that the nachos and the beer were just as good as I had remembered them.

Celeste trying to get Jackson to try some of her delicious "ocean water" (salted tap water)

Being back on the Pearl Street Mall on a warm summer night brought back a flood of memories. Here's a pic of the location of the "flying burger patty incident". My poor mom was walking with us one evening when, from out of the sky, a lukewarm (but cooked) hamburger patty came flying from a rooftop, smacking her in the head and knocking her glasses off. Thankfully she was a good sport about it. We never figured out how that happened. Aliens maybe?

We think Celeste has a crush on Jackson...

We hit Ben & Jerry's for a nightcap. Celeste decided that gummi bears would make a great topping on her Phish Food ice cream in a dipped cone.

Thank you Chris, Pam, Jackson and Carly for the great accomodations!

Finish off the post with a sweet mulletino.
Arrival time - 2 PM
Arrival location - Arvada, CO
TOTAL MILEAGE - 272