I missed the third game of the hockey tournament I mentioned yesterday due to the annual Flipcup’alooza flipcup tournament and party.  You may remember this party from many years before.  This time was a little different from past years, as Kim didn’t attend.  Obviously she couldn’t play in the tournament, and she decided to skip the drinking centered event altogether.  The guys on our team remained the same as last year: myself along with our friends Ken and Pulli.  We relied on Ken to provide some girls for our team, and he did eventually come through, even though one participant didn’t show up until a minute or two before the games started.  I guess that was better than last year, when we pulled a random out of the bar to join our team.

Despite some changes, the results were much the same for our team as years past.  The tournament was setup as a round-robin style at one of sixteen tables.  At each table there were five teams all competing for a single spot in the sweet sixteen elimination style bracket.  My team, Sunday Morning, started off with a couple of losses right away.  We did eventually win our third game, but were quickly back to losing the fourth.  We finished 1-3 in the round-robin with no chance of advancing through to the next round.  Despite the results, we had a good time with many of our friends from Denver.

While Nick was in town over the weekend, we did a few other things besides taking him to his first concert.  On Saturday morning we drove back out to the Red Rocks area for a hike along the Dinosaur Ridge.  We started on the side closest to Red Rocks, so we had to hike up and over the ridge to reach the visitors center.  Fortunately, we had decided to pick up sandwiches before our hike, otherwise we wouldn’t have made it.  We ate our sandwiches at the visitors center, looked through the gift shop, and thought about paying $3 per person for a ride back to the car.  We didn’t have enough cash, so we decided to hike back to the car, covering the mile and a half pretty easily once again. 

 

Later in the evening, we took Nick to a Colorado Rapids soccer game along with a few of our friends.  We bought tickets from Groupon a few weeks ago, which gave us VIP tickets and a free shirt.  During the drive to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the weather became a little questionable.  Fortunately our VIP tickets were about fifteen rows off the field and had a roof over our heads.  During the game there were brief periods of rain but we didn’t get wet at all.  The game itself was fun, though there was no scoring in the first half.  Eventually Colorado scored a goal against the visiting Columbus Crew, and that was all it took for the victory. 

 

Additional pictures can be found on the Hais Family Picasa site.  Nick took most of the pictures that he is not physically a part of.  Here is a slideshow containing all the photos. 

Last weekend, we traveled through New Mexico. After seeing Albuquerque on Saturday, we moved up to Santa Fe on Sunday. We arrived in the early evening at La Posada de Santa Fe, the resort I had reserved on Priceline for only $110. “Nestled on six beautifully landscaped acres in the heart of Santa Fe, this AAA Four Diamond name in Santa Fe hotel resorts is a haven of Adobe-style architecture, colorful gardens, and cozy outdoor fireplaces.” The old structures have been completely renovated and easily exceeded our expectations.

After we found our room, we spent a little time relaxing at the heated outdoor pool. While there we started planning our remaining time in Santa Fe. Originally I wanted to go to The Shed for dinner that night, but we soon realized that they are closed on Sundays. Instead we decided to walk around the downtown plaza area and see what caught our eye. Eventually we ended up at the Cantina at the Coyote Cafe. We dined on more tacos and enchiladas, specifically the Al Pastor tacos (Special Spice Blended Pork, Sweet Grilled Pineapple, Vidalia Onions, Roasted Tomatillo & Salsa Fresca) and Chicken & Cheese enchiladas (Arroz Verde, Refried Beans, Red or Green Chile, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Guacamole & Mexican Crema).

We walked around Santa Fe after dinner and again were back to the hotel and in bed by eleven. The following day we snacked on leftovers and things we had brought along in the morning. We then toured the Loretto Chapel, San Miguel Mission, and the New Mexico State Capitol. Out of the three, I think the Loretto Chapel was the best, though San Miguel was also very interesting to see. After a few hours of walking we had worked up a good appetite and headed to The Shed for lunch. Kim had the Green Chile Stew and salad, while I continued on the trend and had the Enchilada and Taco Plate. This was one rolled, blue corn enchilada filled with cheddar cheese, onion and covered with red chile. One soft blue corn taco with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, baked chicken with green chile. Served with pinto beans & posole. Their red chile was my favorite!

After lunch we left Santa Fe and started on the drive back to Denver. Our only notable stop along the way was near the city of Taos, at Taos Pueblo. Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Native American tribe of Pueblo people. It is approximately 1000 years old and said to be the oldest continuously inhabited houses still occupied in the US. We almost backed out after seeing the $10 admission per person and $5 camera fee, but I’m glad we decided to go through. As we were walking in, a tour was starting, so we joined that and then spent some time on our own exploring the ancient pueblo buildings.

Santa Fe on Dwellable

After exploring the Sand Dunes Saturday afternoon, we continued on our way to Albuquerque.  Along the way we stopped in Alamosa, Colorado for lunch at San Luis Valley Brewing Company.  Kim and I shared both the Chicken Hot Italian Sausage and the Chicken Skewer appetizer. I washed it all down with a Grande River IPA. I definitely enjoyed the beer more than the food, but it is still worth a stop if you are in the area. We eventually arrived in Albuquerque in the early evening and checked into our hotel for the night, the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque. I had won it on Priceline for $42 and it was well worth that price. We had a room on the fifteenth floor with a view of the city. I would have preferred a mountain view, but the room amenities were still great.

For dinner on Saturday, we decided to venture to Sadie’s, a local institution that serves up simple but spicy New Mexican food. We arrived close to eight in the evening and there was still a wait for a table. We found the self-service chips and salsa station and make a basket to hold us over. Immediately we were hit with spiciness from the salsa, and that was just the beginning. Once seated we feasted on a variety of enchiladas, tacos, and chile rellenos. The green vegetarian chile was very spicy as well, but oh so good. We don’t have much to compare it to in Albuquerque, but I would highly recommend Sadie’s.

After dinner we drove over to the area of town known as Old Town. By this time it was getting late, and most of Old Town was pretty deserted. This area of town is famous for its adobe building dating back to 1706. Though most of the shops were already closed, we took a leisurely stroll through the streets of Old Town and enjoyed the nice weather. We were back at the hotel and in bed by eleven.

To start off Sunday morning we drove over to the University of New Mexico and walked through the adobe filled campus. Once we had worked up a good appetite we crossed over the street to the Frontier Restaurant. This restaurant must be packed when school is in session, as it was very crowded on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning. The line wrapped halfway through the long rectangular restaurant. I decided to just sample one of their enormous cinnamon rolls and Kim had a breakfast burrito of some sort. It’s an interesting place, but was dirt cheap and pretty good. Breakfast for the both of us was under $10 total.

On our way out of Albuquerque we stopped at the Sandia Peak Tramway for a ride on the world’s longest passenger aerial tramway. It is a fifteen minute ride from the base to the top, covering 3,819 ft in elevation gain. The slope of the mountain is very steep and picturesque as viewed on the ride up. Once at the top, the Sandia Peak Ski Area offers both winter skiing and summer mountain-biking. There is also acres of forest with many trails to hike along. We hiked for around five miles or so, and then decided we had better get moving on to Santa Fe if we wanted to enjoy our time there.

Albuquerque on Dwellable

On our way down to New Mexico for the long weekend, we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in south central Colorado.  This has been on our list of things to see for a while, and since it was only about an hour and half out-of-the-way, we decided that this would be the trip.  We left bright and early on Saturday morning and arrived at the Sand Dunes in the early afternoon.  After a quick stop at the visitors center, we headed toward the main parking area near the dunes.  We were warned that this was traditionally the busiest day in the entire year, and though there were many cars overflowing the lots, there didn’t seem to be too many people out on the dunes.  The biggest draw of the park seems to be Medano Creek, which flows only from spring to early summer.  The majority of the people in the park appeared to be enjoying the shallow and wide creek.

After parking the car in a picnic area near Medano Creek, we waded across the creek and on to the sand sheet.  We quickly realized that the sand was quite hot in spots, and that our sandals would have to stay on most of the time.  Our initial goal was to hike to the top of High Dune, which is around 650 feet tall.  That didn’t sound like it would be too tough, but once we were out in the dunefield, we realized it was harder than expected.  First, everyone should be able to imagine what hiking in sand is like.  Every step forward is like three steps backward.  And on top of that, the winds that whip through the dunes carry sand and small rocks with them.  At times this was very painful and we were finding sand all over ourselves even days after the hike.

We considered bailing on our initial plans to hike to the top of High Dune, but eventually decided to go for it.  We decided a slow and steady approach would be best, and I think it took us around an hour or so to summit the dune.  Once at the top the winds were so bad that we could only stay for less than a minute before beginning the trek down.  Going down was a blast, as you could easily let yourself go knowing that you wouldn’t run into anything hard or sharp.  I think I ran down most of the way, especially when the winds were kicking up sand again.  I’m not sure if the winds are always this bad, but I would definitely keep that in mind on future visits to the dunes.  Despite the wind, I’m glad we finally had the chance to spend some time exploring these wonderful sand dunes.

Westcliffe on Dwellable

It’s been nearly three weeks since I last posted pictures from our trip to Arizona, and finally today I give you the last installment.  On our second day in Sedona we took a ride with the Pink Jeep Tours along the Broken Arrow trail.  Our group of five was assigned to a jeep, we hopped in and the driver/tour guide started the two-hour tour.  We stopped a little down the road to pick up two others who would be joining us on the adventure.  After driving on the roads for a few minutes, we quickly hit the trail.  At first it was a little bumpy but didn’t seem too bad.  Eventually that thought would change as we went over steep, bumpy, and twisting terrain.

We stopped at Submarine Rock for our first picture opportunity and history lessons.  Later we drove out toward Chicken Point, with great views of the Two Sisters rock formations.  Along with the great scenery, the off-roading was a blast.  The super steep “Road of no Return” was especially fun toward the end of the ride.  This tour is a bit expensive, but I’d say it’s worth every penny and definitely highly recommended.

After the tour, we loaded into our own car and started the drive back to Phoenix.  We took a scenic route rather than taking I-17 back.  Our route followed AZ-89A through Cottonwood and Jerome, eventually taking us to AZ-89 and Prescott.  This part of the drive was very scenic, as Jerome sits high on Cleopatra Hill.  We stopped in Jerome briefly, but there isn’t much to see in the Ghost Town other than the wonderful views.  Once in Prescott we stopped for lunch at, you guess it, Prescott Brewing Company.  I don’t remember much about their beers, but the food was great.

After lunch we continued on AZ-89 and eventually found our way to US-60.  This section of the drive was not nearly as scenic, but slowly the large Saguaro cactus started appearing more frequently.  This took us all the way back to Phoenix, approaching from the northwest.  We headed across town and made our way to the Arizona Grand Resort, our final destination of the trip.  We didn’t do much else for the short remainder of our trip besides hanging at the tiki bar, lounging in the lazy river, and wishing we had time to sneak in a round of golf.  Oh well, next time.

Pictures from this last full day in Arizona are below.  It was a wonderful trip.

Sedona on Dwellable

After our big hike at the Grand Canyon, we spent the rest of the day working our way to Sedona.  We traveled east out of Grand Canyon National Park along AZ-64 and then south along US-89.  When we reached Flagstaff, we stopped for dinner at the Beaver Street Brewery.  We had excellent meals and beers at this brew pub and continued on our way down to Sedona via AZ-89A.  At this point, it was already getting dark out.  I wish we could have seen more of the scenery in the Oak Creek Canyon, as I’m sure it’s a very pretty drive.  We finally made it to Sedona, checked into the Sedona Real Inn, and called it a night.

The next set of pictures comes from the following day, our third day in Arizona.  We started off the day by driving down to the Montezuma Castle National Monument.  This is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America, built by the Sinagua Indians around 700AD.  Part of the ruins was built deep inside a cave, and therefore it was protected from the elements.  I wish visitors were still allowed to climb up to the ruins, but that stopped in 1950.  There wasn’t too much to see, so our visit was fairly short.  We also made a quick stop at the Montezuma Well on our way back to Sedona.

Once back in Sedona, we stopped for some information at one of the visitors centers and then drove around looking at some of the amazing rock formations, namely Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Courthouse Butte.  After that we stopped for lunch at the Oak Creek Brewery & Grill.  Yes, it was my goal to hit as many breweries as possible!  Again we had another great meal and washed it down with some delicious beers.  We had originally planned to take a ride with the Pink Jeep Tours this day, but decided to wait on that until the next day.  Instead, we decided to rent mountain bikes from Bike and Bean for a couple of hour adventure around the Bell Rock area.  It was so much fun, and I think everyone really enjoyed it!

After beating ourselves up on the bikes, we picked up a few six-packs of local beer and headed over to the west side of Sedona to view the sunset.  We decided on a spot along the Red Rock Loop Road, and enjoyed the amazing views east.  Sunsets in Sedona are viewed looking east, not west.  This is because the setting sun really lights up west-facing faces of the red rocks.  It was beautiful!  From there, we had another late dinner at the Barking Frog Grille.  Their website says they are an American restaurant…with a Southwest bark!  The restaurant is much nicer than their website or even the outside of the building would suggest.  We were all treated to some of the best food of the trip, along with some delicious margaritas.  I even got a belated birthday desert!

As mentioned earlier, my photos from the day are below, and again for more pictures see my mom’s flickr page.  Including this one:

Flagstaff on Dwellable

Earlier this week, I wrote about our big hike into and out-of the Grand Canyon.  Today I am posting photos from this amazing day.  For even more photos of our hike, check out my mom’s flickr site.

Arizona on Dwellable

As mentioned yesterday Kim, my family, and I all met up in Phoenix last Wednesday to start celebrating my 30th birthday. After everyone had arrived at the airport, we found our rental car and started driving north toward our first destination, the Grand Canyon. Everyone was already pretty hungry, so we decided to stop in Cave Creek for lunch. One of my guide books suggested a place called The Original Crazy Ed’s Satisfied Frog Saloon & Restaurant in the tourist trap Frontier Town. We found Frontier Town without any problems, but couldn’t find the restaurant. Finally we realized that it had changed names and is now the Silver Spur Saloon. Fortunately they still had the same good bar-b-que that the book promised, which we washed down with our first tastes of Oak Creek Amber Ale.

After lunch we continued on our way north to the Grand Canyon. We didn’t make any other stops along the way, but it was very interesting to see the drastically changing scenery. Around the Phoenix area there were cacti everywhere, especially the Saguaro cactus. The further north we drove, the higher in elevation we gained, and the less cacti we saw. In fact, there are national forests surrounding much of the Phoenix area. As we approached the Grand Canyon we even started spotting patches of snow, along with evergreen trees. The route we took was I-17 to Flagstaff, I-40 west towards Williams, and then finally AZ-64 north.

We arrived at the Grand Canyon as the sun was beginning to set, which was our goal. We quickly found the Maswik Lodge, our home for the night, and then walked swiftly over to the Grand Canyon rim. The colors of the canyon walls were already beginning to glow, so after a few photos near the Bright Angel Trailhead, we walked west along the rim toward Hopi Point. As we reached Maricopa Point, a park shuttle bus was passing by, so we hopped on it and were quickly dropped at Hopi Point. The view from there was amazing, as you could see for many miles west into the canyon as the sun was setting.

After enjoying the sunset views we headed over to the El Tover Dining Room to sample the food of the best restaurant inside the Grand Canyon National Park as well as a nice bottle of wine.  I had the Garden Penne in Lemon Garlic White Wine Reduction with grilled chicken and it was delicious!  I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate my birthday and to kick off my 30th birthday Edventure.  Some photos of our first day are below, and my mom has added her’s to her flickr site.

Cave Creek on Dwellable

Saturday was the day for our now yearly ritual of watching the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I originally thought it was the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade west of the Mississippi. This is true, but after reading it again I think it’s actually the largest parade for any event west of the Mississippi.

The Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade bears the reputation as the largest parade west of the Mississippi River and one of the largest in the United States. Over 230 individual units mass together in a parade of 10,000 plus participants. Winding through the streets of Lower Downtown Denver on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, over 200,000 spectators enjoy a three hour plus parade.

Either way, it’s a fun way to kick off a typically great Saturday afternoon in Denver.  As with years in the past, the weather was great.  I was telling our friends that it’s usually the first day of the year for people to get a nice sunburn.  Standing around outside for over three hours can easily do that will all of the sunshine.  Once again the parade entries were as strange as ever.  The Hare Krishnas were back, and a large group of Star Wars characters joined in this year as well.  The longhorn cattle made an appearance, along with lots of drunken float riders.  The best part is that we finally brought a camera along to capture some of the experience.