Last stop, Denver

Breakfast at Summerfield was great. It offers hot breakfast including egg, sausage, bagel, toast, fruits. Most people needs coffee to wake up. I really need eggs and sausages to wake me up. So, I started the day with bright eyes and bushy tailed.

Denver has a good public transportation. They called it light rail, a.k.a RTD.
We lived about 5 minutes from the RTD station. We drove to Arapahoe Village stop, parked and rode the train. You need to pay $2 for parking your car. The machine doesn't give change. Hubby bought the parking ticket and not realizing the machine didn't give change. He paid $8 too much.

RTD costs $3.5/ person as we were in the zone C. Children 3 and under is free. We decided to buy round trip ticket to get to downtown Denver.
We rode F Lincoln train, and stop at 16th and California stop. Only few steps from the train stop, you'll find Denver visitor center.

What is the likely hood for a person, who came from WI, and met someone in Denver, and we were wearing the same style watch from The Metropolitan Museum? I thought it's one in a million chance. But that one in a million chance do happen.

We met Linda, who helped us locate place to eat, to go, to visit. She brought to my attention that she had the similar watch like mine... oh wow...
We took a picture with all of us showing the watch.


We bought sandwich at Susy Q and sushi at Sushi Han for lunch. We walked through Millenium bridge, stop by … park and had lunch. It was really scorching hot, but I thought it was worthed as we could see a bunch of people learning kayaking in front of REI building.

We rode the free ride to the other end of 16 mile mall and went to Denver mint. They do have a tour, but it's fully booked. So, next time, should we come to Denver again, we will definitely book a tour. They have gift shops.., and of course, I got to buy something there.

We then continue walking to Denver Art Museum, Capital, Convention Center (where they have blue bear) and stop by the frozen yogurt place. It's not as I expected frozen yogurt I know in WI. It's very light and soft yogurt.

We then rode the RTD back to Arapahoe Village Stop. We went to Jaya grill for dinner. They provide south east Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesian) menu. It was good. But I got headache due to the scorching heat in Denver today.

We are heading back to Wisconsin tomorrow... As always, travel feels too short.

Happy Fourth of July....

It has become a custom that we would watch fireworks to celebrate Fourth of July. This year is no exception. We drove to lakefront at around 5 pm and brought our bikes. We parked in the Discovery World and rode our bike to get dinner.

We had dinner at Comet. It's has the best Artichoke melt subs and Mexican cup cake ( chocolate cup cake with a kick of cayenne pepper). When we rode back to Discovery museum, the lake front drive was closed for cars. We were riding our bikes in a empty two lane street... Wow.. what an experience. We plan to do it again next year.

Regardless how you celebrate it, happy Fourth of July everyone...

Royal Gorge, Pikes Peak Colorado Springs.

We went to Royal Gorge, the highest suspension bridge. I'm not very keen being in a high place. But I think it worth to be there. The tram ride was scary at first, but then the breathtaking view took it away. We also rode the incline ride. We drove the car over the wooden suspension bridge. It's a bit scary for me. Luckily, hubby was the one who drove the car, so I can close my eyes when I feel like it.

On the other side of the bridge, they have a small wildlife area where we saw rams and buffalo and kids rides. It was scorching hot and the rams and buffaloes seems to be cooling down under the trees.

TIPS: I learned that if you spend only 1 hour at the location, they will give you $7/adult. The ticket is $25. If you come at an quiet day or the line look short, you can make about 15 minutes aerial tram ( they run every 30 minutes. A round trip ride is about 15 minutes), 15 minutes incline ride, 30 minutes walk on the bridge. If you want to spend longer, try finding a coupon. I got mine $2 off at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post.

Did I tell you cooler is the most useful item we brought? We had our left over from dinner for lunch. Because it was hot and sunny, hubby decided to put our lunch on the windshield for 5 min to heat them up. Perhaps, not a very good idea but it works...

Then we drove to Pikes Peak, where we drove up 14100 ft elevation to the summit. If you don't feel like driving, there is a cog's train that would bring you up.

Up in the summit, you will find spectacular view, gift shop, cafe. It was 70F in the base, 37F in the summit. It was cold. Luckily, we were prepared for that.

I got mountain sickness again. I felt light headed and was breathing hard. Hot cocoa helps a bit, Of course, I just have to buy some souvenirs from pikes' peak.

Down close to the base, you can find Santa's workshop in North Pole, Colorado.


We had dinner at Everest, Longmont,CO. It was an interesting food. I ordered Mango Lassi for the drink, Samosa, Chicken Curry, Nan bread. The waitress helps recommend food to order. I really like the bread. It's soft and fluffy and best eaten with Curry.



That night, we stayed in Englewood, Denver, Summefield Suite by Hyatt. It was the most impressive lodging for our trip. It has one bedroom, complete with kitchen, living room ( with sofa bed ). It's very spacious, modern decor.

When we were there, the Denver Broncos' stayed on the same floor. It made me feel important...
The bed was very nice. I had one of the best sleeps during the trip.

Things we did in Colorado Springs, CO

We left Aspen after having a nice and hearty breakfast at Mountain Chalet. We drove through Independence Pass and stop by continental divide to have lunch. It was a long drive to Colorado Springs. Our first stop was Garden of the Gods. It's a park with many rock formations. The visitor center is across the park. The trading post is inside the park. We met a very nice guy form the Trading Post, Laslo. He give a lot information about things to do in the area.

We tried to find all rock formations. The rock changes depending on what angle you are looking from. It's a fun family outing as each of us would come up with different idea on what's the rock formation look. The one that you can't miss is the kissing camel. There are a lot of rock climber in the park.

This night, we ate at Caspian Cafe, a Mediterranean Restaurant. The building may not look too appealing from the outside, but in the inside, is a wow. It has hanging lights on each table, curtains on the window. It made me feel like inside a high class restaurant with affordable menu. Best of all, they have gluten free kids menu.

I ordered Gyros Platter and Mediterranean salad topped with Falafel for hubby, kid.'s kabob for the baby. My gyros is very tasty, hubby likes his salad especially the Falafel. The food was great, the ambiance was great, the waitress was great. It was really a great dinner.

We stayed at La Quinta Gardenn of Gods, just a few steps from Caspian Cafe. We got an outdoor room (the entrance of the room is facing outdoor instead of a hallway) and a very strong citrusy scent room. The bed is OK for an overnight stay. It wasn''t very impressive. They provide free continental breakfast. No scrambled eggs. I wonder if we should stay at Hyatt Place just across the street. Well.. the decision was made by choosing the most reasonable hotel for overnight stay. It fits the bill...

Things we did in Aspen, CO

What should we do in Aspen during summer? A lot. In addition to summer activities, we did some hiking and visited ghost town.

Today, we plan to spend all day at Aspen.

We started the day with a hearty breakfast. They provided egg croissant, sausage, oatmeal, fruits, cereals, and choices of juice, coffee, tea and milk. The breakfast lady is so very friendly. When we arrived there, the sausage was only 3 left. And I asked her if she has more and she said it was already in the oven and she will bring it up for us.
She even offer to bring banana and eggs along as she knew we were planning on hiking.

We stopped by City Market (local grocery store) to get some lunch for a picnic. They have choices of prepared food. We decided to get sushi for lunch and they have a very good ocean sushi.

We went to Maroon Bell. It's the most photographed view in the area. After paying $10, you will get to a picnic place and hiking trail. Maroon bell trail is flat, unpaved trail circling maroon bell lake. You will see beaver dam and water falls towards the top of the trail. They even have benches where you can picnic and enjoying the view of the lake.

We hiked up to the water fall. On the way circling the waterfall, our 3 years old fell in to the lake. It was a scary experience in the first few seconds as I didn't see my daughter. She was shivering and crying. I decided to take her clothes off and wrap her in my fleece. God was watching over us.

Next stop, Ashcroft It was a mining city that got competition from Aspen and now a ghost town. The ticket is $3/ person to get in the ghost town. There are more visitors come to ghost town than its population.

Then we went to John Denver park in downtown Aspen, where we met Joe and Pistol the dog.

We had dinner at Boogie's Diner. The décor would remind you in the 60's. The food was not very impressive and they don't have kids' menu.

Then, we walk to down town Aspen. It was pretty nice and quiet while enjoying sunset. There's a corner ice cream shop we have to try. Next to Wagner park is a playground and public restroom. It's a great place to sit and enjoy the night while watching water fountain.

Loveland, Boulder, Aspen

Before we leave Loveland, we stopped by Loveland post office to mail a post card. Loveland is known for sweet heart valentine card.

We visited CSU for picture taking. Then we drove to Boulder to meet my elementary school friend, Gaby

Forrest Gump famous quote, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get" it's kind of true for me.

Three years ago, after I named my baby Gabrielle, I remember that I had a friend named Gaby. Who would have thought, about 2 years later, I found her on the internet and today we are going to meet her.

We then continue our trip to Aspen. We decided to take independent pass to get to Aspen. It was another breathtaking view with me gasping for breath. Luckily, hubby drove the car and he barely have problem with mountain sickness.

Finally, we arrived in Aspen. Aspen lighting is so dimmed. They do have Mc.Donalds, but don't expect you will find their yellow arch. Because we arrive close to 9 and it was a holiday, the only place open was the gas station snack bar. That's was the best dinner for us.






Mountain Chalet is an interesting place to stay. It's owned by the Melville family since 1954. The décor makes you feel like in an “European chalet” It has pool, sauna, exercise room, laundry room, breakfast room in the basement and rooms facing indoor or outdoor the building. Best, it has underground parking and wifi. It located very strategically in the middle of Aspen. It's one block from the bus station, right across Wagner park and few blocks from Silver Queen gondola.

It also the first lodging I found that they put a comment envelope so you could give gratitude to the house keeper or they will dived up for every one.

They provided free breakfast, egg croissant and sausage... Did I say sausage? Yes... some people needs coffee to wake up. I need good hearty breakfast... Will continue next.

Fire, Food, Fashion and Fun

Are you wondering what to wear for Summer. How do you accessorize your outfit? Join us for tips on looking great and family fun with our second annual open house and summer solstice party.

Bigib,LLC and Impeccable Image LLC invites you for an evening of fun and fashion tips. Conny from Bigib, LLC is going to have a jewelry showcase. Kimberly from Impeccable Image LLC will talk about how to accessorize your summer looks.

While learning some fun tips, your family is invited to a summer solstice party where we will have fire, games, smores and yummy Indonesian dessert while enjoying the longest day of the year and meeting new friends.

June 26 same time for rain day.

Bring a friend and have a chance to win door prizes.

6:00-7:30: Jewelry showcase - Conny Karman
6:30-7:00: How to accessorize your summer look - Kimberly Gomez
7:30-10:00: Summer Solstice Party - Please bring lawn chair or blanket.

If you live in Waukesha, WI area, please email me conny(at)bigib(dot)com

Picture borrowed from Evite.