Colorado - Day 1

Before I tell you about our first day in Colorado, I want to say a few words about the person I was sitting next to on the flight from Columbus. We were on a Northworst DC-9. The air nozzle wasn't working for my neighbor and the plane was getting very warm. No matter which way you twisted the nozzle, there was no air. That's when my neighbor, MacGyver, began thinking about ways to force it open. Now, since the TSA agents neuter all travelers - no swiss army knives, fingernail clippers, silly putty, etc. - MacGyver had to dig deep to find the solution. In a flash of brilliance, a piece of the barf bag was trimmed, rolled, and inserted into the nozzle, freeing the much needed flow of cool air. Sure, it wasn't like Mac stopped a sinister plan by a misguided evil doer, but it was no less impressive. And the best part? MacGyver was my clever wife. She rocks.

Our first full day in Colorado began with a tour of the Hammond's Candy company in Denver. I saw them profiled on a food network show a couple of years ago and have been wanting to visit. The cool thing about this company is that they still make all of their candy by hand! They employ about 100 people and have master candy makers that learn the trade by apprenticing in the kitchen. All of their candy canes are 'crooked' and packaged by hand. The ribbon candy is still made on a 'crimping' maching that dates to the late 1800's. We both really enjoyed the tour (and the candy samples coming out of the kitchen!). [more pics here]

After the candy tour, we headed north to Boulder. Of course, we made our obligatory stop at the Flatiron Crossing Wal-Mart (trying to help those stock prices Mark!) to pick up some supplies. In Boulder, we like to visit the REI store, shop and have lunch on Pearl Street (this year we ate at Juanita's - very tasty mexican, especially the chips and salsa), and pick up some groceries at Whole Foods. The Whole Foods in Boulder is much smaller than the one in Dublin. The one in Dublin is great, but the one in Boulder feels like a neighborhood market. It's always busy and crowded - but in a fun way.

We finally made it up the mountain and are in #7 again this year. We stayed in this unit last year too. Most of the units have a guest book, and it was really fun reading the entries from the families who have stayed here in #7 since our trip last October. There are many people who really love this area like we do and are repeat visitors. It always amazes me how connected Susan and I always feel to this area. In a lot of ways, it feels like coming home.

We finished the days with an indoor 'picnic' in front of the fire. It was a good end to a good day.