#11--Princesses and Indians

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8/25/11 to 8/31/11

Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado

What I love most about this cross-country journey is how it has allowed me to spend time with some friends who are scattered around the nation. I formed my route around these stopovers, with plans to spend the most time with the Hayes family: Dave, Kristy, Mackenzie (5), Josie (4) and Frankie (2). Kristy and I have known each other since we were 11-year-old seventh graders at Jordan Intermediate. We maintained a close friendship... even went to prom together... and continue to be, well, family. Her husband Dave is as easy to love and we all have always have a fun time just hanging out.

Aspects of this part of my trip were the most relaxing, some, the most chaotic. I'm not use to being around kids and pets, so I think this might have been the most foreign part of my U.S. travels. What struck me the most, however, was what good parents Kristy and Dave are. They don't see it, (probably like most good parents), but they seem to master balancing the day-to-day juggling routine that parents of three young girls encounter.

For example, in the midst of combing hair, cleaning and cooking breakfast, one of the girls spotted a bird in the backyard. Kristy stopped what she was doing, whipped out the bird book she has on hand, and helped the girls correctly identify it. Their basement has been transformed into a giant playroom, complete with their own bounce house, but what entertains the girls and all the kids in the neighborhood is Kristy's "clinic" on making bird feeders with hangers, peanut butter and paper-towel rolls (Until the dog gets out and all hell breaks loose). Every Saturday (when Dave works late) it's "girls night," and every meal is gourmet--(How does a mom of three bust out a few quiche in the morning?) We baked blueberry muffins along with cookies that looked like mini hamburgers, and the girls participated in the baking process. When dad came home, the girls ran to the door to give him a hug, and Dave played and gave love until it was time to help out with the cooking, changing of clothes, etc. etc.

The best part of this well-oiled machine is that there's as much time for the adults as there is for kids. Dave and Kristy are fun people, and they have turned their formerly quiet neighborhood into party central. Every evening, the Hayes driveway is transformed into the Highlands Ranch social hour. Neighbors come out of their homes with a folding chair and beer in hand to shoot the breeze. The kids run around, scream, get dirty and get to be kids, while the adults laugh, drink, eat and get to be adults. Perfect. What great friends I have to be able to show me around Colorado.

One of the places we explored was the Littleton museum and farm. It was a great place to take the kids to explore some local history and check out farm and school life in the 1860s/1890s. I think the hot day made up for some pretty interesting shenanigans. There was a blacksmith who did a lot more chatting then blacksmithing, picklers who didn't seem to be pickling, animals that were missing in action, kids that were hot and tired and sheep that were crazy in attack mode.

The girls learned about outhouses and how laundry was done in the 1800s. Kristy and I learned how a hundred or so sheep make noises that sound like humans making fun of sheep, and when you make the sounds back at them, they chase you. I have an interesting travel history of being chased by animals: deer in Japan, drunks in Myanmar, and now sheep in Colorado. We ran like the wind while being pursued by a flock of pretty pissed off sheep. Kristy went in to survival mode and made sure she was able to run the fastest by pushing me towards the herd. I hid in some 1890s farmer home until the threat passed.

Dave wanted to make sure I saw the freaks in downtown Denver. (I didn't tell him it felt very homey to me...) We ate and explored the downtown area and I took pictures of the capitol. But my favorite part about my Denver visit was stopping in at Pat's Downstairs Bar. Dave knew the bar manager, so he styled the girls (and stopped them from racing their strollers and crashing them into local drunks) by giving them a big glass full of cherries. The girls thought they tasted funny. We sampled them and agreed...something was very wrong with these cherries. It wasn't until the girls got a little groggy and the mortified bartender filled in the pieces that we learned something was very right with these cherries! They had been soaking in everclear! From the bar, we went to the Mellow Mushroom and Dave had us try some pickle shots. I don't know if I had more cherries or more pickle shots, and I also don't know how I was still standing at the end of the night. I think I need to give a little credit to the kitchen manager at the Mellow Mushroom who was able to take me off Dave and Kristy's hands and show me a little of the Denver nightlife.

I think the coolest things I saw in Colorado were in Colorado Springs. My favorite was the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings, which were absolutely amazing! We self-toured the various rooms and alcoves of the Anasazi, or the Ancient Ones (also known as the Ancestral Puebloans). These Native Americans lived in the area between 1100 and 1300 A.D. until drought forced them to move elsewhere. The living area for an entire family was so small, but it allowed them to stay warm when huddled together during the cold months. It was remarkable how these brick structures have stayed intact for over 900 years; even some pictographs survived over time. I remember learning about these cliff dwellings in the fourth grade, with a picture of the structures on the cover of our social studies textbook. It fascinated me then and I feel so fortunate to have visited these dwellings.

We thought the kids (and adults alike) would enjoy a visit to a ghost town, so we checked out the local offering. Inside this giant warehouse was a collection of buildings: a blacksmith, saloon, stable, barbershop, apothecary, general store, hotel and Western Union bank. They told us the buildings were all authentic but had been relocated to Colorado Springs. The girls enjoyed playing on the stagecoaches and old cars, while we had stupid fun setting off the animations on the rifle range with our camera flashes. We are all easily amused. Although the mannequins in the buildings were cheezy scary, the items on display were authentic and interesting to look at. I think Kristy and I panned for gold for about an hour while Josie secretly tried to splash us with water. (Just like we did when we were kids at Knott's Berry Farm.)

Our final stop in Colorado was Garden of the Gods, a park made up of red sandstone rock formations. The way the wind and water have shaped the rocks reminded me of something from a Salvador Dali painting. Unfortunately the park was teeming with scores of very loud visitors who offered no respite from their screaming and climbing. We were able to outrun a couple of school busses by moving to another viewing point, only to run into gaggle of gangbangers on some sort of family vacation. I will visit this interesting and beautiful place in the future, when it is quieter and more serene.

I can see why my friends chose to resettle in Colorado. It seems to have a little something for every taste. Denver seemed fun and alternative, while the suburbs offer a safe and beautiful place to raise a family. While I will miss the mountainous scenery, I will mostly miss drinking in the driveway, rocking out to Yo Gabba Gabba and playing Pretty, Pretty Princess with Kristy, Dave and the beautiful Hayes Girls. Thanks for the fun visit!

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Photos

The Hayes Family
Dave, Kristy, Mackenzie (5), Josie (4) and show off Frankie (2)...

Listening to a Chatty Blacksmith
Frankie, Kristy, Josie, Dave and Mackenzie

At the Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Home of the Anisazi (1100 to 1300 A.D.)

Inside the Colorado Springs Ghost Town
The Hayes Girls (and their horse)

Holding up the Balanced Rock
At the Garden of the Gods

In a Pueblo Tipi
Josie, Mackenzie, Frankie, and me!

Inside an 1860s farmer's house
Mackenzie (in Pink), Josie (in her glamourous dress) and Frankie (Sweeping)