I know what we should name our town
Friend, Nebraska (conveniently located just south of Beaver Crossing)
Colorado 2012 Mini-Vacation
When my daughter’s favorite group, Atmosphere, announced they were performing in the first ever winter show at my favorite venue, Red Rocks, we had to figure out a way to make that happen. After some mad Google Mapping and creative budgeting, the road trip was on.
We packed up the MINI and hit the road last Thursday afternoon. After a quick stop at the Axel’s Bonfire in Eagan to eat some free birthday Bull Bites, we drove to Lincoln, Nebraska (420 miles). Holiday Inn Express was our hotel of choice this trip, thanks to their decent breakfast food and relatively low prices.
On Friday, we drove from Lincoln to Littleton, Colorado (500 miles) and checked in earlier than planned at the hotel. I totally forgot about the time change, so we had an extra hour before the concert started. We hit the local King Soopers grocery store to check on discounted lift tickets (not a great deal – skipped it) and had dinner at a surprise Chick-Fil-A (totally forgot they are in Colorado). I don’t care what anybody says – that food is damn tasty!
The concert was scheduled to start at 7:30, but I wanted to hike around Red Rocks before the sun went down. We had about 45 minutes of daylight, which turned out to be just about perfect. Since we were so early, we also got an awesome parking spot in the VIP area immediately below the main exit. We hung out in the car until gates opened at 6:30 and made a beeline to the merch table, which unfortunately was at the very top of the amphitheater. Many stairs later, the kid got what she wanted and we hiked back down to row ten to watch the show (it was general admission, so we took what we could get).
The bill consisted of Get Cryphy, Grieves and Budo, Common and headliner Atmosphere. Get Cryphy was playing as soon as the gates opened, which was nice. The set by Grieves and Budo was brief, but entertaining. Technical difficulties delayed the start of the Common set by about 30 minutes – I felt bad for his band (two keyboardists, a drummer and an MC), who just sat there in the cold the whole time.
I’ve listened to most of the Atmosphere albums, but there are still a lot of songs I just don’t know. This was not a problem for the kid, though, who sang along to everything. I do know that God Loves Ugly was the opening song and Brother Ali finally came out for the very last song (which wasn’t really an encore, as all the performers went off stage for only a minute or two at the end). The crowd was a little rowdy, but the close quarters and movement helped keep it warmer. A few snowflakes added character, along with lots of “special” smoke in the air, too…
The show ended around 11:45 and we were able to beat the worst of the traffic, thanks to our great parking spot. We made it back to the hotel around 12:30 and were back on the road by 8:30. I decided to skip Beaver Creek this time, opting to take the Loveland Pass over to Arapahoe Basin. I-70 looked good on the traffic cams at 7AM, but all three lanes were bumper-to-bumper about five miles up the grade. We finally made it to the Loveland Pass exit and I white-knuckled it up and over the treacherous two-lane road with no guard rails. Even driving my own car with snow tires, I wasn’t comfortable at all and will probably skip that option in the future.
A-Basin was just perfect. I had been there once before in high school and not much had changed. I take that back – they had a great new high-speed detachable lift right in front of the base chalet and a nice mid-mountain restaurant called the Black Mountain Lodge, where we had lunch. Rentals were quick and easy for the kid and I loved the pricing, which was cheaper than what we paid in Minnesota. Since they consider teens to be kids and not adults, her lift ticket and rental was only $59. Add in my $74 adult ticket and you had quite the Colorado bargain.
We took most of our runs off of that high-speed quad, with the “green” run Sundance being her favorite. Parts of that run are steeper than most “blacks” in Minnesota, so I didn’t mind skiing it like a mid-length cruiser. I was also quite fond of High Noon and took a few runs from the top of the mountain too. I would’ve done more up there, but the wind really picked up as the day went on. We managed around ten runs total before stopping around 3PM.
The rest of the trip was basically a big highway blur: Arapahoe to North Platte, Nebraska (320 miles), overnight one last time at the Holiday Inn Express, followed by 640 miles back to Minnesota on Sunday. We stopped for a steak lunch in Omaha at the lovely Upstream Brewing Company in the Old Market part of town and had some boring Wendy’s in Clear Lake, Iowa, for dinner.
Great trip, but oh so short. First vacation in three years, though, so I’ll take whatever I can get.
Now to figure out how to finally become a ski bum… 
Seems like a good deal (for Vegas)
Super Bowl party at The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Loveland Pass is not for the faint of heart
My first (and likely last) time driving over Loveland Pass, Colorado
Ski chalet food sure is improving
Smoked 1/4 chicken and sides, Black Mountain Lodge, Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
A room with a view
View from room 316, Littleton Holiday Inn Express, Littleton, Colorado
The tickets have arrived
First winter concert at Red Rocks, Atmosphere, January 27, 2012 – can’t wait!
My Favorite at Disneyland
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/12/things-you-might-not-know-about-the-matterhorn-at-disneyland-resort/
Red Rocks in January
When I saw Atmosphere’s tweet tonight about the first ever winter show at Red Rocks in Colorado, I was hoping I could figure out a way for kid one and I to go. Google Maps says it’s a 14 hour drive from home and I have relatives that live in Denver now, so that part should hopefully work. Just needed to confirm it was an all-ages show (yes) and if seats were reserved (nope – general admission). When I saw there was a cheaper pre-sale price before the general public on sale tomorrow, I pulled the trigger.
This trip will be a birthday present for both of us. I haven’t had a vacation in almost three years, so I couldn’t be more excited. We’ll also get some bonding time during the MINI road trip through Iowa and Nebraska, along with a day of skiing at an area to be determined (Beaver Creek?).
Kick. Ass.
Happy Belated Birthday to WDW
40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World (10/1/2011), Orlando, Florida
The “Joys” of Air Travel
The current state of the commercial aviation experience in the United States is approaching epic tragedy. The terrorists keep on winning every day as the core, fundamental rights of American citizens are violated by their own government every day. I’m not a big political junkie either way, but it’s amazing to me how almost everyone just rolls up any opposition to what’s going on here. Combine this with apparent apathy from the airlines and a big lack of common sense when it comes to TSA policies and suddenly the Pan Am era of aviation seems like paradise.
I’m angry about my experience at the Las Vegas airport today, but some of the blame falls on me. I probably should know the TSA rule about snow globes by now, but when that’s all your ten-year-old asked for, you don’t really think about a one-inch glass ball being a security risk in your bag. You also have to wonder if the 50 snow globes for sale in the gift shop on the other side of security were ever checked at some point. And don’t get me started on liquids, nail clippers, tiny screwdrivers or any of the other stupid policies…
My options for the snow globe were to throw it away, leave security and mail it or go back to the front check-in desk and pay to check my carry-on. All of these options sucked, but I chose to walk all the way back to the front of the airport and check the bag, as the post office was closed, the self-service kiosk was out of envelopes (and cost $23) and there was no way in hell I’d let them take my daughter’s gift.
The TSA agent and supervisor I spoke with were both professional and courteous. I tried to remain calm, as you don’t want to make a scene there for fear of what might happen (again, so wrong that I even need to worry about that). I had plenty of time to do all of this, but I had to wait in the long screening line a second time.
The other issue today was the full body scanners. This was my first experience with them at any airport and I had planned to opt out. But like all the other people I complain about in the first paragraph, I submitted too. Who needs the Fourth Amendment, anyway? Thankfully, it broke down the second time I went through screening.
So who do we have to elect to get Bruce Schneier in charge of airport security?
