Day 9- Pike's Peak and the US Olympic Center

Today was a real taste of what Colorado is all about. We jumped back on the sightseeing train, both figuratively and literally, as we headed south of Denver to Colorado Springs. After a little tension in the morning as we tried to find some warm clothes for the kids, we made tracks to the US Olympic Center.

The U.S. Olympic Training Center was a great experience for both the kids and parents. It was so cool to not only look at some of the history of Olympics held in the United States, but also to see the training facilities and some athletes actually in training. Probably the coolest part of the tour was when we went by a weight room and saw some U.S. Paralympians training. These guys were doing things I couldn't even dream of doing despite the missing leg(s) or arm(s). The major focus areas at the Colorado Center are indoor summer sports (volleyball, basketball, wrestling, etc) and also some rifle shooting, swimming and cycling. Many of the athletes were wandering around and even talkative to guests as we were on our tour.

The highlight of the day was definitely riding the Cog Railway from Manitou Springs to the top of Pike's Peak (14,115 feet). It was an open air train and we had window seats for the whole ride. The rock formations and the foliage was incredible for the first half of the trip and then like someone turned a switch, everything turned into a rocky terrain. There was some great wildlife to see, including Rocky Mountain Horned Rams, Yellow Bellied Marments and even a deer sighting. The train ride got a little hair-raising near the top as we were inches away on our side (with no guard rail) from a drop off of 7,000 ft. into a valley. Jen particularly enjoyed this part. Once on the top there were many scenic picture to be taken and all was well until Emma started to develop altitude sickness. What began as a headache turned into two nice bouts of vomiting on the way down the mountain. It actually made for a nice ride down the mountain as Emma slept on my chest and I could just look at the amazing scenery.

We quite obviously won the battle with the kids today as they both passed out in the car and Jake even fell asleep on the stairs as we went into the house.

Maybe a little relaxation tomorrow before the baseball game.

Link to Today's Pictures:

June 21

Day 8--A Day at Lake Chatfield

Today was lake day. Despite the long night of partying, we all managed to be up and out the door by around 9:30 and on the lake by 10:30. What a beautiful setting to be on the water in the middle of the Rockies. Emma has basically become a water bug and was in and out of the lake like she has been swimming for years. Even Jake got the hang of the ice cold water after a little while.

Both Jake and Emma got their first rides on a jet ski, but dad kept it slow for them since they were both pretty unsure to be that far away from shore. Dane decided to go out for some high speed fun, only to lose his favorite hat as he was trying to jump behind a boat.

The big plus was getting a free fishing rod today when we pulled up a practically new Shakespeare rod that someone must have lost on an early morning fishing trip. After a quick rinse with fresh water, it looks brand new.

Unfortunately, the cloudy weather and wind set in and we had to leave the lake a little earlier than inspected. This is when Grandma-G saved the day and we got to go swimming at the indoor pool at the Holiday Inn. Jake absolutely took off jumping in by himself (with his life jacket on, Dee) and then refusing help and loudly stating "I do it by myself," as he swam back to the edge.

Alas, the weekend has taken its toll as Emma came into the house, saw all the other kids, looked at Jen and said, "I want to go to bed."

Goodnight and on to tomorrow!

Link To Today's Pictures:

June 20

Day 7- Castle Rock, CO- Steve and Erika's Reception

Day 7 was all about Steve and Erika (Jen's sister). We got going about 11:00 am and the party kept on rolling until at least 11:00 pm, which is when I finally gave up. It started as a barbecue and turned into an all day block party. Tons of great neighbors and all kinds of playmates for the kids. Jake and Emma must have run non-stop for all twelve hours and still fought us when it was finally time to call it quits.

Pam, if you are reading, I have a new version of washers that I must build and bring down because it is even more fun than the original. Aunt Liz seems to be a master at the new version and we are currently waiting for her blood work to come back on her steroids test. Meanwhile, I still manage to lose most every game, despite thinking in my head that I am actually pretty good.

The kids are having a blast with their new cousins and can't wait to hit the lake tomorrow.`

Link To Today's Pictures:

June 19

Day 6: A Little R & R in Castle Rock

The first and foremost goal of today was to make sure that Dane had a place to watch the US World Cup game at 8:00 in the morning and since Erika does not have cable, this became a dangerous task. After leaving the house at 7:00 am, a sufficient sports bar was found by 7:45 and the game was on. After 30 minutes Dane was ready to leave, but stuck it out for the tie (although did yell at the TV when we were robbed of our game winning goal.) It is hard for your day to get much better when you have had french toast and three pints by 10:00 am.

The rest of the day was a great opportunity for Emma and Jake to meet their new cousins Hunter (11) and Tyler (7). The kids had a blast and Emma is following Tyler around like a puppy. It was nice to catch up on some rest with a nap and some lounging around on the coach and in the beautiful garden patio at Erika and Steve's house.

The coupe of the day was getting a pair of Rockies vs. Red Sox tickets for Dane and Jake on Tuesday night.

Ended the night with a great taco dinner as Aunt Liz and Uncle Jerry rolled in with Heather. Lots planned for weekend as we have the big wedding party for Erika and Steve on Saturday and the lake on Sunday for all the dads.

Link to Today's Pictures:

June 18

Day 5: Onward to Colorado!

Well, we loaded up the van and drove out of St. Louis at 6:40 am.  At approximately 6:55 we hit a torrential rain storm that lasted for no less than 1 hour...  Dane was white-knuckled, and happy to give up the wheel when the skies cleared.  Our first stop was an unplanned one...  We saw a sign for Emma, Missouri, and we just had to stop!

We drove to Kansas City, MO to make two stops:  1st stop was at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.  We enjoyed it quite a bit, but the kids were tired and hungry.  2nd stop was at Fritz's Restaurant, which was very cool.  After you sat down at your table, you ordered your food by using the phone at the table.  Your food was brought to your table via train...  Needless to say, Jake was in heaven!!  **There's a video of it on the Picasa website which you can get to by using the link at then end of today's post...  I couldn't figure out how to upload it to the site...

And then we hit Kansas...  Oh sweet Lord, what a long state...  Definitely an easy drive, but definitely long...  We stopped to play a little "Goony Golf" ...and thank God we did, because there was not much else to see or do!  Dane was very sorry to see that Prairie Dog Town (home of the 6-legged steer, etc) was already closed for the evening...

We crossed the Colorado border around 8:00 pm, and around two hours later, we were at Erika's!  We've gone a grand total of 1,880 miles!

Link to today's pictures:

June17

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We've had some questions about how to post comments...  I think you just have to click at the bottom of each post where it says "0 comments" or "1 comment" --then it will take you to a box where you can type in whatever you want to say!!

Hope this helps!  If it doesn't, please email us at jenperry2003@gmail.com and we'll try to figure it out!!

Jen & Dane

Day 4- Last Day in St. Louis

Today was awesome! We started out at a place called The Magic House.This was by far the coolest childrens' museum we have every seen. It had a bank, grocery store, electrical plant, crime scene, train station, garden, construction site, plus many more things for the kids to interact in and play. Jake was all about the construction site and sitting in the real life bulldozer on display, while Emma couldn't get enough of climbing the giant beanstalk.We spent over 3 1/2 hours inside and could have stayed for another three and not run out of things to do.

After lunch we wrapped up St. Louis with a trip to the Purina Farms. This is Purina's national headquarters. We got to see and pet all kinds of farm animals and dogs, along with a tractor ride to tour the facilities. However, the coolest part was the dog show. This is the same arena that hosts the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge (frisbees, jumping, obstacle courses, etc) ever year. We got to watch a 30 minute show that included the frisbee tricks and the long jump into the pool. The two jumping dogs were amazing and covered 25-28 feet before they landed. The kids and parents were amazed at this one.

St. Louis has been awesome- on to Colorado tomorrow.

Link to Today's Pictures:

June 16