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After many trips that seemed to be canceled due to something-or-the-other the fam decided to take a trip to the mountains. Not sure of anything except were we wanted to end up (Estes Park) we headed north on I-25 and took a nice road right into Estes Park. The weather was beautiful on the trip up, but it was getting a bit colder. A few stops to find a place to stay and we found a room right on the river. Estes Park is a small town similar to Gatlinburg right at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a beautiful place with lots of places to eat and shop. The kids really liked the candy shops that were scattered around the main strip. The rest of the day was spent walking around the town to see the sights. We met a nice shopkeeper who directed us to the other side of the town to take a small hike, we were hoping to see some Elk, but only found some water foul.

Dinner was unfortunately a let down, as it was pretty much just overpriced food, make your choice & take your chances I guess. As the evening got near the end the town pretty much closed down so we walked back to the hotel to rest and relax. We planned on leaving early in the morning so everyone hit the hay and slept well.

The next morning was quite brisk, but we all headed out early as planned. I had spied a dough nut shop while driving through the town that was unfortunately closed, so our next direction was right to the park. Heading into the park the Ranger informed us that Ridge Road was already closed for the season. That kinda stunk, but we decided to head into the park anyway. Being the middle of the week things were quite slow and not crowded at all. We stopped a few times for family photos and before long got to where the road was blocked off. It was a very nice overlook and we soaked it up a bit. Since we had seen this section already we headed up to Bear Lake to take another small hike around the lake. This was an area of the park we did not visit in our last trip through RMNP, so we were all excited to see some new places. During peak times the lake parking lot is always full, and shuttle buses are used to ferry people pack and forth. Our visit was not during this time, so we were able to drive right up. Bear Lake is beautiful and it sits right at the bottom of a few 10k mountains to make for a great view. We all took the 1 mile loop around the lake, and saw a few squirrels. The kids also found many tracks of small animals like rabbits, but nothing else.

It seems were were all somewhat froggy, because after this hike we all stopped at another lot to hunt for some water falls. This hike was about 3 miles round trip, so we had a bit more whining from the kids. The payoff at the end was a beautiful falls that had some nice ice crystals to frame the falls. The hike back out was pleasant and as we finished everyone was ready to do a bit of riding in the car. Our route back was chosen to be different and we got to drive through some beautiful country I had not seen before, finished with a quick tour of Blackhawk which is a small casino town just west of Denver. All in all what a great trip, the only thing I wish was that we took it in the bus.

With my engine build project on hold, it was time to hit the road and visit somewhere. Coors Brewery was the destination. The drive to Golden was a nice easy trip with golden hills surrounding the small valley town comfortably wrapping around it. Golden is also the home to Colorado School of Mines which is a world renowned engineering school, much different than what the name conveys. We arrived at the parking lot for the tour and found quite a long line. Either it was going to be good, or very busy. Since we made the trip we decided to stay and wait. Before long we were on the bus to the drop off location. Outside the brewery was an original brew kettle that was restored in the 1990s. We arrived in the guest relations area where each group is given a “product label” which is used to call a particular size of group. We were “Molson Canadian Beer”. Soon we took the elevator to the top and got to see how beer is brewed. One particular item of interest is that Coors stayed in business during prohibition by selling malted milk to Mars Co. who used it for their candy. The tour was decent, but kinda bland, as many of the items we saw were not very enlightening. The end of the tour was the highlight with free beer. We only stayed around for one round of drinks (you get 3) because the kids were all very grumpy and complaining. It was time to just get out and get some food. I will head back again sometime and enjoy all my free beer. I think the coolest thing was the quick stop during the tour were we got to sample some beer that was about a day old, talk about fresh!

We finished the evening by stopping at a local place, Old Capitol Grill. While it was a neat place, with some cool decor, it took us about 1.5 hours to get out of there. The food was ok, but service was some of the slowest I have ever seen. The people were quite nice, it just took way too long. After dinner, we headed home. There really were not a lot of photo ops, so we only have 3 photos, sorry.

The new Pack 649 Tigers den took a short hike in a state park just south of Parker. We all had a great time. Olivia took the opportunity to get everyone that would carry her, to help . The only problem that happend was Olivia took a spill and bit the dust pretty hard. I was glad I brought my first aid kit on a short hike as well. Always be prepared I guess.

The day began with a walk through of the home and home inspection, which I am happy to say went through without a hitch. Once that was completed I guess wander lust will still in the family, instead of heading north to home, we went south. I wanted to show the kids what GOTG looked like so we headed south to Colorado Springs. The trip down was uneventful, and we easily made it to the visitor center. Once there we picked up a map and headed into the park.

Looking for a nice place to take a walk I ended up taking at least one extra loop around the park. The turns in the park are kinda funny and if you are not careful you will go around the same loop again. Once we finally found the trail we were looking for we headed up the hill. Everyone did very well and we reached the siamese twins rock formation we took a break. Everyone seemed to have a great time at the park. The clouds started to move in so we packed up and hiked back to the suburban. We were fortunate to actually come across a mule deer which went on it’s way.

Once in the car we all wanted to keep viewing scenery so we headed west into the highlands of CO. Our trip took us to Fairplay where we stopped for dinner at a small asian/american diner. The food was pretty decent, and everyone but Stryder ate their fill, Stryder ended up eating none of the sweet & sour chicken he had to have. Our path home also took us through Breckenridge which we all decided we would take another trip back there for a visit. Not many photographs of this trip, but there are here.

With today being an off day the family decided to make a trip. It took us a bit of time to get ready so by the time we were off it was nearly 3:00. We gave the kids the choice of where to go and the decision was made to go West. Problem with west is that you have to go through some traffic first before you can get going. After about an hour we were through traffic and heading up I-70. We were all chatting about this and that, when I noticed that the check gauges light was on in the Suburban. The coolant temperature was way hot so I slowed down and we got off at the next exit. We also needed diesel so I took the time to fill up. I’m not sure exactly what the issue was, it was perhaps also the added pressure difference of sea level vs 8000 ft. Either way it did start to overflow so we let it cool down and filled it back up with coolant and headed out.

Right at the exit is the Gunnison buffalo heard, so we made a quick stop and took a look at the buffalo and their calfs. The kids let me take a photo op and then we were off. A quick poll on where to stop for dinner wasn’t real helpful, so I decided we would drive to Georgetown and see what was there. Unfortunately all the neat shops and diners were closed so we took a quick drive through the Historic section of town. Most of the building appeared to have been built in the 1850′s-1880′s. Lots of neat art shops and a few places to spend the night. There is also a railroad loop, which we didn’t take a look at. Since Georgetown didn’t offer up much, we headed back to Idaho Springs which we drove by a few minutes before.

Idaho Springs is another of those mining towns along the I-70 corridor that now appears to be targeting tourism. Weekdays don’t appear to be very busy so we easily found a parking spot on Mining Street. The gps system that Troy let us borrow suggested the Buffalo bar as a place to eat so we were thinking of eating there, but just to get a feel for the town walked back down the street to Tommy Knocker Brewery just so I could see it mostly. The kids made a vote and the Buffalo Bar was chosen. The crew walked back down to it and we got a seat. It is located in a neat building that appears very old. Lots of old trinkets on the wall as well as some great charm. The kiddos got normal food for them. I gave a buffalo burger with black bean chili a shot and was very pleased. Also a few pints of some IPA from right down the street. Steph gave the steak sandwich a shot and we all filled our bellies.

We finished the day in Idaho Springs with a few fun games of billiards in the Buffalo game room. Everyone had a great time doing that as well. Some photographs can be found by clicking below.

went somewhere you can see photos here

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So, for my birthday I couldn’t go home, the next best thing is totally camping however. What a great time to have our friends Jen & Chris and The Wicals. We were first going to camp elsewhere, but the snow was still enough that it was only partially open. 11 Mile State Park was the next location and it worked well. I arrived late at the lake where Troy and I spent a good hour trying to find where Chris had parked his vanagon, we finally found it and parked for the night. Next morning came early but appeared to be a beautiful day. The morning was spent just relaxing and making plans for possible adventures later that day. Chris and I took a quick excursion to scout out the top of a rock bluff where it looked like we might be able to take some photographs. Both of us had a good amount of huffing and puffing at this higher elevation, but we made it to the top. The top of that bluff was beautiful. We hung out there for a while before taking a different route to the bottom. Both Chris and I decided that it was too difficult of a path for the kids so the next trip would be adults only.

After lunch the guys picked up some water and camera gear and headed out to climb the bluff again. The climb was not bad and we were racing to get to the top before the sun really set down. After we arrived at the summit we just relaxed and waited for the sun to set. With the campground so barren it was amazing how quiet it was. After a bit we all set and took some photographs of the landscape. I think we would have stayed longer, but some dark clouds were rolling in and appeared to be heading towards us. We made it back down and just as we arrived at the camp the rain started to fall. We all took cover in our buses for a bit and it quickly blew over. The remainder of the night was spent hanging around our campfire and chatting. Everyone turned in and I slept quite well.

The next morning we all left the park back a long way that Jen & Chris took. The route was a great trip full of beautiful views of Pike and surrounding mountains. On the way back we all stopped to take a tour of the petrified redwoods near there. After the tour we all took a quick trip through Garden of the Gods park. I can’t wait to go back there, it’s quite beautiful.

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As the weather started to turn cold again the yearly cries from all over Tennessee and North Carolina became louder and louder. We want to camp! So starts the yearly excursion into the untamed wilderness at the coldest time of the year. Plans started rolling and soon the weekend was set. January 12 has got to be freezing, windy, and with mountains a good chance of some snow. Several weeks passed, and it was time to gather. The odd issue however was dealing with the extreme weather for this time of the year. Instead of packing in enough gear to safely camp at 0 degree weather, we all had to adjust to 50 degree weather with potential for rain. Strange, but true.

I decided to take Friday off this year from work and give me time to get to our rendezvous point early enough to enjoy it. I left Dickson about two hours later than I intended (which is typical for me) and got on the road. The bus ran great and before long I was rolling into Knoxville. I met with Chris and together we drove to pick up Jamie. As a side note Jamie lives in a neat historic area which I wish I would have had more time to visit, but we were men with a mission. Before leaving however I got to meet his family and two of his daughters. Both were a total joy but we were back on the road as quick as possible.

Naturally the interstate drive was long, but as soon as we turned off on the small highways the trip got a lot more enjoyable. Our two buses pushed through the mountains and before long, we pulled into Hot Springs, NC. Our cabin was located just right off the French Broad river banks, and we found it easily. Ric & Bobby had already arrived and I found myself enjoying the warmth of a roaring fire in minutes. With plenty of time until our hot tub appointment we set to the task of feeding ourselves. Various smells started to appear in our camp, all of which were quite delicious. Sitting and enjoying the fire we ate our fill, and then some. Andy also showed up at this time and the group was complete.

Hot Springs has been a destination for people for a very long time. At one time a huge bathhouse and hotel stood on the site, but in the 70′s it burned down. Now it is a much more spartan layout, however the same 105 degree spring water fills the tubs as it did at the turn of the century. We all piled in the bus and drove down to the springs. We waited just a few minutes and then followed our attendant up to our tub. We sat and talked about life, kids & jobs all the while enjoying the soak. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was over. Turns out we soaked for about an hour. Afterwards we all piled back in the bus and picked up where we left off around the campfire again. The remainder of the night was spent just having some male bonding time, telling jokes, stories and other assorted tall tales. Sometime late we all retired to the cabin. I hate that I didn’t take any interior photos of the cabin, it was a fantastic design that held six people fantastic. The last thing I remember was cracking the window to hear the music of the river rolling by.

I slept like a log and woke very refreshed the next morning to Ric reminiscing about some dream. I’ll let him explain that one, but I will say Charley Brown would have been proud. Before long we were cooking some breakfast and talking about our plans for the weekend. Rain was still in the forcast, and that cabin was certainly comfy. In the end however we make our plans to hike Max Patch and enjoy what mother nature had to offer. The group also got the opportunity to meet two ladies from Charleston (Emma & Kinnett) who were up for the weekend to relax. It was obvious they must have been dazed and confused from the spa treatment the previous night, because they asked for our suggestion of a good day hike. We described Max Patch to them and it seemed to be a good trip for them, so I showed them how to get there and we all parted ways.

The weather became more and more unseasonable as the skies opened up and we had beautiful weather. During the trip up to the Patch I realized I was just about out of gas, and made a mental note to mention that to the group when we left the next day. When we got to the parking lot we took the remainder of the spaces of a quite full lot. Looks like lots of people had already decided to take advantage of the weather and do a day hike. We unloaded our gear and did some last minute plans, talked for a few more minutes with a local shop outfitter who was dropping off a thru hiker. About this time a familiar SAAB turned the corner, so we waited a few more minutes for Emma & Kinnett who had just arrived. The consensus was to all hike up and make a large group. The hill looked daunting, and didn’t let us down. It was quite a steep assent from the parking lot. All of the savage group were loaded down, so we took a few breaks to catch our breath. I kept hearing an odd sound and never quite found it, however I think it might have been the girls laughing at us under their breath at how out of shape we all were
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It didn’t take long to make the summit. All sore legs were quickly forgotten as we all just soaked up the view and fantastic weather. While up there I walked with Ric & Jamie and found a geocache easily then made it back to the group. Those that were hungry fixed some lunch and everyone relaxed. There was a family up there from Charleston who had an amazing number of things in common with Kinnett so they jawed for quite a while. No complaints here, since the older grandmother of that group had the most fantastic Charleston accent I have heard. Kinda like going back in time. While up there we also took some group photographs and just soaked in the environment. Many groups of people came and went while we were up there. It was quite the spiritual place. As the day progressed the decision was made to start looking for a place to stay.

Our first thought was to hike about 5 miles to a shelter. We ditched that idea when we all realized that would require another 5 mile walk at night to come and do some star gazing. Everyone put their packs back on and headed down the trail. The down part was really nice as the trail was all downhill for many, many miles. A short while into the woods, Emma & Kinnett headed back in order to make it to the spa on time. It was sad to see them go as they added a fun dynamic to the group for conversation, after the fact I also realized I missed a chance to practice my portrait photography on two good subjects in a beautiful place, oh well. A short while after we found our campsite, and proceeded to make camp.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent finding a water source, and exploring the woods. As the sun set, stomachs started to grumble, so dinner was put on the stoves and prepared. A few hours later after enjoying the company around the campfire, Bobby suggested heading back up to the peak to view the sky, so we all grabbed our lights and headed back up the path. I cannot put into words the beauty of Max Patch after dark. It was quite honestly stunning. The entire group just lied on our backs watching the clouds blow across the hill. I was surprised how much light polution there was, but the site was fantastic. After some stretch of time we stood back up and headed back to camp. We spent the remainder of the night talking about the beauty of Max Patch and also (as normal) telling bad jokes. I was one of the last to retire but eventually did.
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I woke early, well before sunrise with the desire to make it to the peak again to watch a beautiful sunrise. Apparently I could not talk my body into getting out of the sleeping bag and rolled over back to sleep, dreaming of things that didn’t involve me getting out of my tent. A bit later I did get going and got to watch the sun crest over the distant mountains, so I did get to witness that work of art. Everyone seemed to be quite cheery so packing up the camp did not take any time. There was already some talk around the campfire of having another soak, so everyone agreed to have some breakfast then see if a tub was available. The hike out was beautiful with the warm colors of the sun lighting all the muted colors well. We arrived at the parking lot with a new challenge however. How to get my bus back to town to get some gas. We put our heads together and realized that there was at least a gallon of coleman fuel (just unleaded gas) among all of us, so it all went in the bus.

I spent the entire trip keeping a close eye on the gas gauge, but we did make it to the cafe for breakfast. We ate heartily and then did a bit of walking around the town. A quick phone call to the spa confirmed that we had an appointment for one more soak, hooray! As we arrived and gathered our towels I saw a familiar face. Apparently Emma had decided to have one more soak as well, so we all compared stories of our somewhat boring adventures and went our separate ways. That last soak was great, although not as good as at night. As our time expired everyone said their good byes and headed out. There was not one open gas station in Hot Springs on Sunday, so I had to pour a bit more fuel in the bus and cross my fingers. Chris followed me and I did make it to a gas station to put some much needed go juice in the TigerBus. The two buses continued home. At Knoxville Chris & Jamie turned off to their homes and I continued west. The bus ran good as always and I made good time. The weather held out for me with only a few periods of some showers. I arrived home to fine a family who were very happy their daddy/husband was home. I love that part.

Thanks to old friends for making this trip another fantastic excursion, and to our new friends, thanks as well for hanging out and letting me enjoy your company.

74755No not quite what you might think, but an addition anyway. This past weekend the boys took a road trip to Columbia, MO to pick up a 1964 Apache camping trailer. I managed to get a very good deal from a bus owner in Nebraska and via a series of hand offs it finally made it back home.

We had considered leaving Friday evening, but with temperatures dropping into the single digits and me being exhausted from several late nights, we decided to crash early and hit the road first thing in the morning. By 1:30am the boys were all on the road heading west. Most of the trip was uneventful however after turning onto I-64 a major head-wind kept the bus pretty handicapped. I didn’t even realize how much I was pushing it till we stopped just east of St.Louis and the oil light flickered. We also noticed many electrical utility crews that were all heading home after spending the week getting power back to MO from a major early winter storm that ground the state to a halt the previous week. After a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel and filling the oil, we headed off again.

Before long the bus was cruising past the sprawling city of St.Louis and into some very beautiful country of central Missouri. Most of the fields we passed were coated in a beautiful coat of white, with the sparse color of the drab brown trees or rocks just bearly breaking the monotone feel. As we drove I received a phone from our host D-Rick who made sure I had directions and was keeping an eye out for us. We arrived in Columbia with no problems and found his homestead easily. Right after pulling in I got to meet D-Rick in person. He also introduced me to a friend of his (who’s name I cannot remember) who was up for the weekend. We all spent a bit of time chatting, looking at his beautiful bus and watching the boys have a fantastic time in a snow fight. This amount of snow might seem small for most of you, however us Mid TN boys find anything more than 2″ a lot.120119

After easily hooking up the trailer, thoughts turned to food. D-Rick mentioned grabbing a bite to eat at a local pizza place, and we all agreed. Truth be told, not all agreed Stryder simply wanted a lunchable from Wallyworld, but we promised he would get it later. The easiest vehicle to ride in was D-Rick’s 66 passenger bus, so we all piled in and rode into town. My first impression of Columbia is quite nice. Just an overgrown college town that had a great feel to the place with lots of activity and neat places. Just a few minutes later, we found ourselves ordering some pizza and waiting for it to be cooked. Waiting was not a problem for the boys, who played a few games of pinball to kill the time. “Jason, Pizza’s ready” crackled over the overhead speaker, and I went to retrieve it. Pizza didn’t seem to kill the conversation and everyone proceeded to chow down. Stryder even helped when he was able to have a few slices of pizza as a “snack” and not real lunch. A young boy needs to save space for his lunchable after all. I sat, talked and ate to my hearts content with some very fun company. I also had a chance to soak up the ambiance of the establishment. Obviously a locally owned place mis matched chairs and tables were organized in a typical fashion around the many rooms. Some booths were scattered around, with a bar in the room adjoining us ready to serve drinks at a later hour. The dark and old brick wall had assorted items to add to the gruff feel. Drinks were served in plastic cups (which we got to keep) and instead of napkins, everyone was given a washcloth. While dining a group of college students entered with some familiar greek letters on their clothes. Apparently the local chapter of Delta Tau Delta were also going to have a bite to eat. I introduced myself as an Epsilon Alpha alumni and then moved back to chatting and eating.

We eventually made it back to the house and then said our goodbyes. Next stop was Wal-Mart to supply up for camping. D-Rick had suggested staying at Graham Cave State park just an hour or so east. It sounded like a good idea and we headed east. As we arrived at the park, it was a very hilly section of the state and the roads were quite steep. Fortunately the state had seen fit to clean the paths so travel was not an issue. We drove directly to the campground and near the restroom house saw a cluster of three deer. They quickly scurried off and we circled the park and picked our spot. We were not completely alone, but one other small group were camped out as well. The remainder of the night was spent cooking and playing checkers. No body wanted to enjoy the fire I had started, so I let it die down, and we all went to sleep early. Before sleep though I made the boys get out and look up at the start. I have not seen as many and as bright of stars since our trip out west in ’05. The trees somewhat blocked our view, and we went to bed.120147

The next morning we woke and started to pack. It didn’t take long with just three young men to pack. Within the hour we were pulling out the park and on to St.Louis. I had really wanted to see the Anheuser-Busch brewery, but were were a good hour or so early. The boys were up for visiting the Arch one more time so we made a detour to visit it. We packed in nearly the exact same spot as a few years ago and walked the long abandon street to the Arch. There were hardly anyone milling around, and it seemed nearly deserted. Fortunately for us there were rangers on duty and things were functioning normally. I didn’t want to spend the extra money to ride the elevator again, so we walked around the museum for about an hour and looked at the many exhibits. The anamatronics impressed Stryder the most and Wyatt liked the movie that covered how Lewis and Clark funded their famous expedition. About the time their attentions were waining we left to find the brewery.120171

I only had an address and vague idea of were to go. A quick U-turn and were were putting down a residential neighborhood that had been around for many, many years. Suddenly we came to the end of the rainbow, or perhaps the Mecca of Beer. For as large of an area as the brewery is, it certainly was quite hidden from us till we were right on top of it. I parked the bus away from everyone because of our trailer and as we walked the parking lot both of the boys covered their noses from the potent smell of fermenting yeast. The tour was schedule to start in about a half-an-hour so we took the time to look at all the neat history and gift shop that was available to view. The tour started with a trip to the Clydesdale stables where I was quite astonished by the time and money spent just for a “horse house”. The remainder of the tour was all down hill through various stages of the brewing of beer and some tid bits of history. I had a great time and the boys both either were entertained, or they simply behaved fantastic. During the tour I realized we had a “star” among us. Steve Valentine from the TV show Crossing Jordan and his (I assumue) wife were on the tour as well. Kinda neat watching them just hang out as normal slobs like the rest of us. After the walking tour, we headed to the Budweiser courtesy room for some free beer. I had a glass of 5 day old Bud, and a Rock-something or the other. Both were quite good, and I enjoyed them. The boys, being a few years shy of the minimum drinking age had Pepsi. We just hung around for a little bit, and during that time Stryder managed to spill his drink. We cleaned up, hung around some more and left. One the way out I picked up a bottle opener for the bus.120177

Getting out of St.Louis took a bit of work. I followed the signs to I-55, but apparently none of the signs indicated that I could only get on one way. Yet another u-turn and a few zig-zags in downtown later we were on the Interstate heading east. The new trailer pulls with little work and it was easy to forget it was back there. The route home was the same as we took to get there. Nothing eventful, and we arrived back home in time to visit and show off our new trailer.

Pictures of the trip are here

The third annual “HeMan Woman Haters Club” campout was a blast. Nothing better than quality time with old and new friends alike. Thanks to Ric and Pam for putting us up for a night. We camped at a campground at Doll Flats which is directly on the Appalachian Trail. Beautiful country.

Friday was spent with the troops gathering at Rics house. Naturally I was the last to arrive and was greeted with smiling faces, pizza and cold beverages. The night was spent telling some jokes and stories around a campfire outside then retiring to the floor. Moring came quickly but Slay was nowhere to be found. Lots of discussion ensued about theories of where he might be. Nobody remembered him leaving. Eventually we actually got up and looked for him, and discovered he just spend the night in Lurch outside. With that aside we all packed up in the Astro van to drive to Bobs Dairy Land for some good greasy breakfast. At Bob’s we expected to meet up with the other local, Bob. As the impatient lot we are waiting proved to be more than we could handle. Soon we were back on the road hunting him down.

Not finding him at the trailhead we went back to his homestead and found him grinning in the driveway. (Bobby grins a lot) He loaded up in his truck to put at the end of the trail and we headed off. Before long everyone was in the van heading up our last paved road to the trailhead. Lively and talkative, we sat and watched the scenery pass by. Suddenly the van lost traction on a bit of frozen road. Ric expertly handled the situation with a controlled slide backwards to a stop. With heartrates up a bit we piled out and I managed to get my gear run over a bit as Ric turned the van around. Nothing damaged, we all loaded gear up and started the long trek up the hill. This proved to be quite a chore with a road that was little more than a sheet of ice, but as experienced campers we plunged on.