Well, we're officially in our brand new home owned house! And, we have internet again! So, it's time for me to get caught up on my last blog from Denver, and some other stuff. Also, it's a good way to procrastinate on the unpacking. I did a TON yesterday, and we were down to 12 boxes (6 of which are board games, and I need the shelves in the office to get put up before I can unpack those). But then, I went over to the old house three times to fill up the car. We were there until almost 2 this morning, but nearly everything is out of the old house, so progress! I'm feeling it today though. Even in my fingers, which is making typing a bit of a challenge. I do have lots of new house pictures to share, but I have to get through the last of Denver first.
So, onto it we go. It was nearly two weeks ago when we went to the Denver mint. We got to see pennies and quarters being made, and had a good lesson about the history of coins (the first ones were made from melted down silverware belonging to George Washington), what exactly the mint does and how it's funded (not by our tax dollars, but because the coins are cheaper to make than what they are worth), and how it's evolved over the years (apparently we used to mint coins for other countries!) You can't take pictures inside, but I snapped one outside.
Later that afternoon, we went to the Denver Zoo. I had asked the boys for some things they would like to do, and zoos are always on their list for when we visit new cities.
We were lucky to have another really nice weather day, note the shorts and t-shirts. When we first walked in, we were greeted by some mongoose! I LOVE mongoose!
There were lots of free range peacocks. Calib wasn't thrilled about that, what with his fear of birds and all, but Peyton thought it was cool.
We made our way all around the zoo. It's pretty par for the course, but we had a good time. And, since I've been trying to get this blog done all day, I'll just let the pictures do the blogging for me.
There were some pretty cool recycled sculptures all over the zoo.
And Peyton decided Asa needed a picture of this sign.
Plus, it totally counts as homeschool, right? We learned some things along the way.
We did convince Calib to go in the bird house, because originally it didn't look like you walked through habitats. Then, once he did one, he was stuck going in and out of a bunch of them. Peyton, however, loved it. It won favorite part of the day for him. One of the bird rooms even came complete with a sloth!
Even the zoo gift shop had Broncos gear!
After our trip to the zoo, I took the boys to a late lunch. They picked Hard Rock Cafe, which was just a block down from the hotel. We got some burgers and sandwiches, which were all pretty good.
Then we did some window shopping up and down the 16th Street Mall. There were lots of Broncos stores, which made Peyton happy.
Later in the afternoon we met up with mom who had the evening free. (This picture is out in front of our hotel- the sculpture was a Pokestop, Peyton could sometimes hit from the room).
We walked a couple of blocks down to the State Capitol Building, just to check it out.
Engraved on the steps is the spot that at one point was surveyed as exactly one mile above sea level. There's actually a couple of other medallions to denote where one mile was surveyed at other various points in time, but they don't really make for as good of a picture.
The view from the steps is pretty good too.
And Peyton made sure to take the Pokemon gym.
My mom wanted to go in to check out the Capitol, and I'm glad we did. It was pretty impressive. We made our way up and around all three floors, and they were all gorgeous.
Overall, a fun stop! Especially with how close our hotel was.
We walked back up 16th street with mom, and did some more window shopping.
We decided to make our way up to Union Station for dinner.
But, with a late lunch, we just did some happy hour appetizers at Next Door. Those garlic smasher potatoes were awesome.
Then, I treated everyone to some ice cream.
Union Station was pretty, but I was expecting more. Maybe if I hadn't just come from the Capitol, I would have been more impressed. Still a nice stop, and it's at the end of the free mall shuttle, so it was easy to get there.
We took the shuttle back to the hotel, and all the tables were up for mom's conference.
Peyton couldn't resist running up to the Club Lounge to get his nightly cheese and crackers, and then we spent the evening hanging out in mom's room, watching HGTV. The boys were all into the home improvement shows.
While we had our nice room downstairs, the boys chose to stay with my mom in her room every night, but that meant sleeping on the couches. They didn't mind, and it was nice not to have to deal with Calib's snoring.
The next day we went out to Red Rocks. It's a little under a half hour trip from Denver to Red Rocks, and I heard it would be well worth it to make our way out there. Peyton is scared of heights (not on rollercoasters, mind you, just buildings, mountains, ect), so he wasn't thrilled with some of our choices of trails. But he did go on all of them with us. Again, enjoy the pictures. I have got to finish this blog tonight.
After our trails, we got back in the car to drive down to the amphitheater. We even got to go through a rock tunnel! (And Peyton was catching Pokemon left and right).
After enjoying some views of Denver, we decided to get lunch, since you couldn't beat the setting. We split some appetizers, including elk sliders!
We also visited the little museum to see everyone who has performed at Red Rocks.
And then we walked down to check out the amphitheater. It's a sight to be seen, really my pictures don't do it justice, and my camera apparently had a smudge on it (boo).
And now we reached the point in the trip, where the boys told me I couldn't take anymore pictures. (I always yell at them 'I'm documenting your childhood!', but they still don't appreciate all the pictures).
After Red Rocks, we made a quick stop at Lookout Mountain. It's not far, has good views of both the mountains and downtown Denver, and it's where Buffalo Bill is buried. It's a nice little stop, and we picked up a souvenir for Hayden while we were there.
We headed back to the hotel, but stopped by VooDoo Donuts. We'd had them once before when Brandy brought us some from Portland, and delivered them to us in Seattle.
We had some work to do that evening, setting out a reception and such, so the boys actually spent a little time in our room. The next morning, we had one last Club Lounge breakfast. I miss the yogurt bar.
When we booked our trip, we decided to stay until Thursday because Thursday thru Saturdays, there are tours of the Broncos stadium. And since we weren't there when the Broncos were playing it was the next best thing. The tours are $20 a person, which seemed pretty steep, but it was actually a really great tour. As you can see by the pictures, the weather had drastically changed overnight, and we were now, literally, freezing.
I had reserved our tickets online, but there really wasn't a need. Our tour group was rather small, but then maybe a Thursday isn't prime time for getting into the tour.
You meet at this little part of the stadium that belongs to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, so as you wait for the tour to begin, you get to visit the little museum.
Our tour guide, Steve, was pretty awesome. He took us all over the stadium, and was super knowledgeable and personable. Our first stop was up to the Suites. And by the time we got there, you can see the weather had changed, and it was now snowing, and pretty hard too.
After we learned all about the seating prices (the cheapest tickets are twice as much as the Bucs), and what each level gets you, AND that 95% of the seats in the stadium belong to season ticket holders (the maximum the league allows), we got to go through the hall to where John Elway and Pat Bowlen watch the game. (We didn't get to go into the owners suite, but we heard all about how crazy it is! There's even a wall with a secret elevator that goes right to the Broncos locker room.
We also got to see where the media broadcasts from. CBS was the last network in the booth, so their sign was still there, but Steve told us all about how they transform this pretty dingy room into the production of a Sunday night football game.
We also got to check out the instant replay booth.
And then we went down to where all the Sports writers and local sports broadcasters get to sit.
I will note, Peyton never told me I was nearing my picture limit at the stadium. He was pleased to take pictures anywhere and everywhere.
Outside of the stadium, Steve pointed out, there is a mini Mile High Stadium, denoting where the old stadium once sat.
We made our way through the halls, and to a very exclusive club.
It's called the Champions Club, and the only way to get there is to be invited by the Broncos. You do that by playing for them- for at least five years. Once you do that, your family is welcome to come along with you, for free (food included), anytime you like. (Somehow I think Peyton Manning is welcome here even though he didn't hit 5 years in Denver).
There's even outdoor seating, and Steve let us go out there to check it out.
There's a lot of signatures all along the wall in the Champions Club of former players, it's a pretty cool place.
By every elevator, there's a statue of the Broncos, and all the windows provide some good views of Denver, or the mountains. (Probably a better view when it isn't so crappy outside.)
Our next stop was down to the Club Level. Behind Peyton, you can see the bar and the giant fireplace (which actually has a Bronco carved into it). It was pretty cleared out, but Steve told us all about how it looks on game day.
And then we took the elevator down into the bottom of the stadium, where you have to have important credentials.
We didn't get to go in, but we heard all about the locker room for the Refs (apparently they even have a treadmill in there!)
And right across the hall is the biggest kegorator you'll ever see. Steve told us all about how it worked, and the massive amount of money they make on beer every game (a million bucks!)
The tour doesn't take you into the Bronco's locker room, although we did get to see pictures, and hear about it- but you do go into the visiting team locker room.
Steve also gave us a lesson on how the altitude effects some of the visiting team players. Apparently it can take you five weeks to adjust.
We also got to see where the Bronco who runs out on the field every pregame spends his time.
Then, we got to walk out of the Broncos tunnel. Peyton was super excited about it! I mean, I was excited about it, and I'm not even a huge Broncos fan or anything.
By now, the snow was really coming down. But, that almost made it cooler. Calib even thought it was awesome, and he doesn't even like the Broncos. Peyton, meanwhile, was having the time of his life. We were right down on the track around the field!
We ended the stadium tour going out the way the team comes and goes on Sundays. It was totally worth the price of admission. Raymond James (the Bucs stadium), gives out free tours- but it's not nearly this cool. You just don't get the info or the access we got here.
Back out at the front of the stadium, despite the snow, we took a few more pictures, and I got another stadium checked off my list!
Of course we couldn't visit the stadium without visiting the team store. Peyton picked out a souvenir, and a couple of items for Christmas, but he passed on the clearance Mark Sanchez jersey.
That was it for our stadium visit- it was back out to the snow for us.
We had a little bit before we had to head to the airport, so we went back to the hotel and took advantage of the hot chocolate one last time in the Club Lounge, and we got take out from Zoup for lunch. It was in the lobby of the tower part of the hotel- so it was quick, convenient and yummy. Plus, we were freezing, so soup was perfect!
As we sat in the hotel room, we could tell the snow was starting to stick, and I was getting a little nervous about driving in it, so we decided to leave for the airport early.
It was a good thing we left early, too, because the snow really picked up. By the time we got out to the airport to return the rental car, the ground was covered. (And I really should have pre-paid gas so I didn't have to pump it in that nonsense!) I guess I should be happy it was just one day when we were there- instead of all week. For the most part we had lovely weather.
In any case, we made it to the airport safe and sound, complete with Calib's new moose in tow. (Marvin really enjoyed his first airplane ride.) We were delayed, and then every plane had to be deiced, and we ended up being two hours late- which wasn't great, since we didn't land until well after 1 in the morning. But, what can you do? It was a super fun trip!
The next morning, we were sure to give Hayden the souvenirs we had picked out for him. And weird- that's a picture of living at the old house, as I currently type this from my new house! I'll share all the progress with you on the new house in the next few days. I didn't take too many pictures, but I do have some.
Oh, and we also were reunited with Flat Hayden on our trip. My Aunt had taken him to Europe, and even sent a postcard and got a book in French. She was a lovely host, so thanks Aunt Patti!
I didn't do as good of a job with Flat Hayden in Colorado, as I forgot about him most of the time. But, we did manage a few good pictures.
Peyton, all in all, had a pretty good week. The day we got home he got his new DS game in the mail. He asked to have it pre-ordered on his birthday, so he had to wait quite some time for this birthday present. But, he's been loving it, so it was worth the wait.
Next Up: Maybe I'll finally get to that new house blog!
