We started out in Denver Thursday. Dad and I arrived late afternoon within an hour of each other at Denver International Airport, and we met up with middle brother Forest, who lives in Aurora, at our hotel by the airport. Forest drove us down to have dinner with dad's cousin Charlie and his wife Helen. We had a fantastic fish dinner at the Cherry Crest Seafood restaurant and enjoyed catching up. I hadn't seen Charlie and Helen for close to fifteen years! It was a joyful reunion, and the start of our fantastic gastronomic tour across Colorado with lots of different and excellent foods.
Mountains in the distance in the rain
Youngest brother Chuck arrived around 1AM and joined us at our hotel room. Forest picked us up Friday morning and we had breakfast with Charlie and Helen at the Original Pancake House, where I had the biggest omelet (Cowboy Omelet) I have ever seen, light and fluffy (oven baked) and stuffed full of ham, bacon, Tillamook cheese, and covered with delicious sausage gravy! Oh, and it came with 3 pancakes also! Needless to say I was stuffed!
L-R: Helen, Forest, Don, Chuck, Jim, and Charlie - the Before Picture
After breakfast we drove to Hertz to pick up our rental van. Chuck went to visit some of his former optometry office friends. Dad, Forest, and I drove around town and visited where Grandpa's house was (where dad grew up), Knudson Hall on the campus of Denver University, named for my Grandpa Clarence, who was the dean of Chemical Engineering, and his apartment building on Harvard.
House on Clayton
Forest hamming it up
We drove to Charlie and Helen's house and visited until Charles finished his running around and joined us so we could start our cross-state journey. Charlie's dad (Charlie) was inducted into the Wall of Honor for the Douglas County Fair this year, and we enjoyed reading about his award and seeing some of the Kirk family pictures.
Don and Charlie with the Kirk Family Photos
We got away just after 1PM, and drove I-470 around Denver to I-70 West to go to Grand Junction. It was rainy the first part of the trip but eventually turned partly sunny as we drove farther west.
We stopped in a small mining town (Silver Plume) to see if the bakery that dad and Helen loved was open, but it had been converted to a bar. The houses were very interesting and picturesque.
We stopped for a late lunch at Frisco (9,000' elevation), at the Butterhorn Bakery and since the sun was shining, sat outside and enjoyed the warmth and beautiful views of the mountains.
I had forgotten just how beautiful and majestic the mountains of Colorado were, and I took lots of pictures out the window. Many of them didn't turn out very well due to light conditions or dirty windows, but they still tell the story of our journey. At every turn there was a different sight to enjoy, different geology/topography, sky/cloud/weather conditions, wildlife and flora. Trust me when I say that the pictures don't do justice to reality!
A PortaPotty on Wheels? Who Knew?
We stopped at the Grizzly Creek Rest Area to stretch our legs, and Forest saw and took pictures of a black bear cub. As you look up river you can see the elevated highway that runs down through the canyon. The sun was starting to throw long shadows in the canyon before we exited and drove into Mesa country as we drew nearer to Grand Junction.
After Grizzly Creek we drove hard to try to get to Grand Junction before dark. Didn't stop as many times as we did up to that point. The canyon gave way to badlands and then to flattop mesas.
And after that picture, my Nikon Coolpix, which had been on almost all afternoon, ran out of battery (never happened before, but that was the way it was every day - had to recharge the battery every night). I have to get the rest of the day's pics uploaded from my iPhone to show you Grand Mesa and the rest of the trip to Grand Junction.
Moon rise over the mesa
Grand Mesa in the background
We finally arrived at our motel in Grand Junction around 7PM. We called my cousin Frank and his wife Margie and had dinner at the Rib City Grill down the road. I hadn't seen them for close to ten years.
Our motel was a throwback to the 50's and 60's, cute and quaint. It gets 4+ out of 5 on TripAdvisor, and for good reason. The owners have done a nice job refurbishing the El Palomino, complete with the red neon sign by the road. It was a typical old-style motor court, interior courtyard with a small pool (too cold to swim), smallish rooms, small bathrooms, two double beds, small TV. It did have some nice modern amenities, DirectTV, free Wi-Fi, coffee maker, refrigerator in the room, and a very nice continental breakfast. The staff was very friendly and the hotel was full both nights we were there. The rates were low enough we had two rooms. Dad and I shared one room and Chuck and Forest shared the one next door. Even though it was right next to a busy road, it was quiet and comfortable.
No comments:
Post a Comment