Like, really fawkin' high. Even the kids.
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FJ60Cam an' Fam Get High AF
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- #2
If you couldn't guess by the shirt, our family vacation this year involved going to Colorado and getting quite high. We also got pretty baked. Then we went to California and had our minds expanded.
But more on all of that later, first we gotta GTFO of Memphis.
But more on all of that later, first we gotta GTFO of Memphis.
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- #3
Family vacations, for us, usually mean an extended weekend in one of the surrounding states, or a weeklong trip to the beach with our extended family.
For the past few years, I've had the good fortune of being included on the NorCal spring GTFOthere trips and having my own personal vacation by myself, or maybe my son and/or dad.
My beautiful wife has to stay home and juggle work, the kids, the dogs, and the house, while I go do hood rat stuff with my friends. I'm not saying that's not how it should be, but she'd like to see some cool stuff too.
But, the spring trip is usually during the school year, and doesn't line up with her vacation schedule, which she has to book six months in advance.
We're not really beach people, and we want to see some mountains and cooler temps on our vacation, so I decline the invitation to the NorCal spring trip (but make plans for the fall Death Valley trip
), decline the big family beach trip, and instead try to map out some epic adventure for the whole family.
For the past few years, I've had the good fortune of being included on the NorCal spring GTFOthere trips and having my own personal vacation by myself, or maybe my son and/or dad.
My beautiful wife has to stay home and juggle work, the kids, the dogs, and the house, while I go do hood rat stuff with my friends. I'm not saying that's not how it should be, but she'd like to see some cool stuff too.
But, the spring trip is usually during the school year, and doesn't line up with her vacation schedule, which she has to book six months in advance.
We're not really beach people, and we want to see some mountains and cooler temps on our vacation, so I decline the invitation to the NorCal spring trip (but make plans for the fall Death Valley trip
), decline the big family beach trip, and instead try to map out some epic adventure for the whole family.
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- #4
I've met a ton of friends all over the country through this Toyota chat room, so I loosely map out a mileage-intense road trip, based on the locations of my fellow double rainbow chatroomers, that makes a big loop around the western states. I figure we'll bomb it to CO, cross into Utah & Nevada, then see CA from Tahoe down to I-40, where we'll head east and stop in Arizona on the way back.
This sounds really cool until we try and fit it to a schedule and a budget.
My, wife, who is much more reality-based than me, suggests we fly to CO, drive around, and fly home from CA. This will still cost a fortune, but cuts the time down.
After a few more iterations, we decide to spend half of our time in Colorado and half in California. And she figures we can get Southwest credit cards with promotional miles to cover most of our airfare.
This sounds really cool until we try and fit it to a schedule and a budget.
My, wife, who is much more reality-based than me, suggests we fly to CO, drive around, and fly home from CA. This will still cost a fortune, but cuts the time down.
After a few more iterations, we decide to spend half of our time in Colorado and half in California. And she figures we can get Southwest credit cards with promotional miles to cover most of our airfare.
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- #5
To cram the most in with the least number of PTO days used, we catch the Friday 8:00pm flight out of Memphis.
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- #6
We taxi to the runway, chasing the sunset West.
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- #7
We drop in to Houston, switch planes, and catch the 10:35 to Denver, which we almost missed because my son left his favorite hat on the first plane and didn't realize it until we were boarding the next.
So, after running back and forth between gates a few times, his Memphis Grizzlies hat now being worn by a Southwest employee, we board the plane at the last second. Only middle seats are left by the time we get there. There is no sitting together this time.
My daughter, the manipulative one of the bunch, turns on the tears when she gets split from mom, guilting some weak-willed aisle-seated passenger into switching seats so they can sit together.
My son is not willing to do this, so we each have to squeeze in between grown men for this leg.
An eternity and a time zone switch later, we land at Gate C44 at midnight.
So, after running back and forth between gates a few times, his Memphis Grizzlies hat now being worn by a Southwest employee, we board the plane at the last second. Only middle seats are left by the time we get there. There is no sitting together this time.
My daughter, the manipulative one of the bunch, turns on the tears when she gets split from mom, guilting some weak-willed aisle-seated passenger into switching seats so they can sit together.
My son is not willing to do this, so we each have to squeeze in between grown men for this leg.
An eternity and a time zone switch later, we land at Gate C44 at midnight.
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- #8
We are headed to Colorado Springs, which is an hour:20 south of Denver.
After spending nearly an hour in line for a rental car, it is quite late by the time we arrive at our AirbNb.
...but the 25% humidity more than makes up for it
...as does the tasty beer our host left for us in the fridge
After spending nearly an hour in line for a rental car, it is quite late by the time we arrive at our AirbNb.
...but the 25% humidity more than makes up for it
...as does the tasty beer our host left for us in the fridge
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- #9
We sleep in until we can stand it no longer. I make some coffee and step out on the side deck for some cool, dry, fresh morning mountain air and spy Pikes Peak looking at me through the trees.
We head to a late breakfast, enamored with the mountain views in the near distance.
We head to a late breakfast, enamored with the mountain views in the near distance.
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- #10
After a breakfast of breakfast burritos smothered in chile verde and gravy, bacon, hash browns, eggs, and cinnamon rolls from a nearby diner, we are comfortably numb from the combination of full bellies and lack of sleep.
But the bright sun and cool, thin air offset the sleepies enough to send us off in search of adventure.
Our first stop is about two minutes away in Palmer Park, a mini-mountain smack in the middle of the city. I figure we'll start small so we don't get scenery fatigue on the first day. We drive to the top and park next to the overlook. After checking out the views of the city from above, we pick one of the many trails and start hiking.
IMMEDIATELY, the kids are taking off, trying to climb every rock in sight. They are in HEAVEN. Mrs. FJ60Cam, however, is not. She is anxiously watching their every move, nervous that they'll fall off the edge.
I'm itching to try out my new google street view app to take some 360 panoramas, and this looks like the perfect place to try it out, so I climb down and join them...
Palmer Park <---- click for the street view pic
But the bright sun and cool, thin air offset the sleepies enough to send us off in search of adventure.
Our first stop is about two minutes away in Palmer Park, a mini-mountain smack in the middle of the city. I figure we'll start small so we don't get scenery fatigue on the first day. We drive to the top and park next to the overlook. After checking out the views of the city from above, we pick one of the many trails and start hiking.
IMMEDIATELY, the kids are taking off, trying to climb every rock in sight. They are in HEAVEN. Mrs. FJ60Cam, however, is not. She is anxiously watching their every move, nervous that they'll fall off the edge.
I'm itching to try out my new google street view app to take some 360 panoramas, and this looks like the perfect place to try it out, so I climb down and join them...
Palmer Park <---- click for the street view pic
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- #11
Don't let the clouds fool you. It was sunny AF. And warming quickly. And we were 6,000 feet closer to the sun than we are in Memphis. And the humidity was under 20%. While me an' the boy are pretty sturdy, my daughter is not. There's just not that much moisture in her small body, and she was shriveling up rapidly. She didn't realize it while she was having fun, but once we hopped back in the car, she looked like we might lose her.
We needed some water, STAT! We found a nearby 7-11 and stocked up on giant waters and Coke Slurpees, and then drove around in our rental Ford while we plotted our next move. We had nothing to do and ten days to do it.
We were just getting started.
We needed some water, STAT! We found a nearby 7-11 and stocked up on giant waters and Coke Slurpees, and then drove around in our rental Ford while we plotted our next move. We had nothing to do and ten days to do it.
We were just getting started.
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- #13
Once we turned our little raisin back into a grape, we turned the rental toward the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
I'm not big on zoos because they're usually hot and they stink, but it wasn't Memphis hot, and this one is built into the base of Cheyenne Mountain, so there was actual air movement to keep the smells at bay.
I'm not big on zoos because they're usually hot and they stink, but it wasn't Memphis hot, and this one is built into the base of Cheyenne Mountain, so there was actual air movement to keep the smells at bay.
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- #14
The best part about their zoo, IMO, was not the animals, but the chairlift that goes to the top.
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- #15
This Zoo is the highest elevation Zoo in the U.S. Denver's elevation is ~5300 ft, Colorado Springs is ~6000 ft, and the zoo is at 6800'. And we were going up from there.
The view from the top was phenomenal, the lack of oxygen was just what we needed.
The view from the top was phenomenal, the lack of oxygen was just what we needed.
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- #16
While the generally pleasant mood the lack of oxygen put us in was very nice, we still weren't high yet. So we head another 1500' up Cheyenne Mountain to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. This is accessed through a road in the zoo, and included with admission.
I confess to not knowing much about Will Rogers, but Spencer Penrose, who developed much of the area, certainly had a huge admiration of him. In any event, this was really cool.
It's a 100 foot tower on top of an overlook, with homages to Will Rogers placed throughout. Inside the tower is a staircase that spirals to the top.
I confess to not knowing much about Will Rogers, but Spencer Penrose, who developed much of the area, certainly had a huge admiration of him. In any event, this was really cool.
It's a 100 foot tower on top of an overlook, with homages to Will Rogers placed throughout. Inside the tower is a staircase that spirals to the top.
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- #17
We were pretty wiped out after all the fun in the sun up in the clouds. So we dropped back in to town for naps and campuccinos.
I stopped at a wine/beer/liquor store that absolutely blew my mind with the selection. You could try a new beer every day, and it would have taken years to cover them all. I picked up two sixers that didn't look two crazy and peeled out.
The rest of the afternoon was spent experimenting in the shade in our AirbNb.
I stopped at a wine/beer/liquor store that absolutely blew my mind with the selection. You could try a new beer every day, and it would have taken years to cover them all. I picked up two sixers that didn't look two crazy and peeled out.
The rest of the afternoon was spent experimenting in the shade in our AirbNb.
It's nice to see Sugar Momma happy. Usually when I see her she is expecting you to spend long hours talking or wrenching and thoroughly ignoring her so she is usually frowning.
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- #19
2+ weeks off with full attention will do that!
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- #20
Before sunset, we went to a parking area that looks down on Garden of the Gods hoping to catch some killer views.
F'ing amazing.
The clouds covered up the sunset, but the wide open sky was just magnificent.
After, we went for a short night walk through the GotG. Sublime.
F'ing amazing.
The clouds covered up the sunset, but the wide open sky was just magnificent.
After, we went for a short night walk through the GotG. Sublime.
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