Holidays, USA 2016

Farewell USA – see you next year …

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We had the usual packing to do today but not before Jenny wanted to visit the nearby Walmart and do some final shopping before heading back to Oz. I gave her an hour while I did some local geocaching but Jenny had more luck than I did with the geocaching.
 
While waiting for her to return, I had a craving for a calzone for lunch so after a bit of research, there was a pizza bar in Benicia that had a good reputation for them.
 
A quick stop off at Napoli Pizza Bar and we soon had 2 calzone made on the spot.They were good too.
 
With the packing finished, it was time to have a few final drinks with Joanna and Jiana before Paul turned up with our Bay crab dinner. With the clam chowder that Joanna had prepared, it was a great send off dinner from San Francisco.
It wasn’t long before we needed to be on the BART to San Francisco Airport.
 
Joanna dropped us off and we bit farewell to our hosts, took up a heap of room in the carriage with our pile of luggage and we’re on our way for the hour and a quarter ride to the airport.
 
We were sure that the luggage would go overweight and all the bags tipped 23 kg plus but we were surprised when they didn’t ask us for overweight fees. No arguments here.
 
The TSA checks went well but soon we realised that we were on the wrong side of the checks for the American Express lounge. Oh well, means we will just have to bump it in the normal waiting area.
 
The plane loaded early but we didn’t get away early. In fact we took off an hour late due to some passengers not turning up and their baggage needed to be found and unloaded. Happy to wait that extra time than have something happen over the Pacific Ocean.
 
We farewelled San Francisco in rain with next stop Sydney.
Holidays, USA 2016

Still aboard the California Zephyr …

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After a good nights sleep and gaining an hour as we moved into the Pacific time zone, it was time for breakfast. This time we were seated with a mother and son. The son was taking his mum on a short holiday to California from Colorado. He is living in Norway and spent 3 years in New Zealand so had an appreciation for Australia.
 
As we passed through the Sierra Nevada mountains, you could notice a big change from 3 weeks ago. There is now several feet of snow on the ground where there was none back then.
 
But as we passed through another tunnel, it was like someone had flicked a switch as the snow stopped and the rain started. There was fog, rain and autumn leaves.
 
Time for another meal (our last on the train ride). We sat with a bloke from Texas and a woman from Iowa. The Texan was doing a 5 day trip to Portland Oregon, staying for 2 days then 5 day trip back.
 
That was the end of the views for the rest of the train trip with constant drizzle out of the window but we did get into Martinez early. Joanna was at the station as soon as we walked out and we soon back in Benicia with a chance to have a shower after 2 days. Unfortunately although we had a shower in our cabin, there was no way you could take one without breaking or spraining something.
 
Joanna had prepared a great salmon dinner for us. One more day in the US before the big jump over the pond back to Australia.
Holidays, USA 2016

All Aboard, time to head through the Rockies …

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There had been forecast for 6-8 inches of snow overnight but ended up being 1-2 inches which was still cool to see. I had expected to have to dig the car out but it ended up that the snow was that light and powdery, you just swept it off with your hand.
 
Even with the low amount of snow, it still slowed down the freeways with the traffic flowing at 25mph rather than the madness of 70mph. It still didn’t take us long to drive the 5 miles into Union Station.
 
In the usual Thompson manner there was a park right outside the front door with my name on it. Soon the bags were checked in and I left Jenny with our carry-ons at the station while headed up-town to drop the car back.
 
It nearly took as long to drive the 15 blocks to the Hertz office as it did to get into town. This was due to none of the lights being synchronised and getting a red light each block and then trying to get grip taking off on the green. Luckily the Hertz girl was at work early and grabbed the key and lucky again that Denver had a free shuttle bus through Downtown as it was still snowing and the wind was rocketing through the buildings.
 
We were sitting in the Union Station waiting to board the train when someone came up and said “Hello Scott”. I had just checked into Union Station on FB and a FB geocaching friend who I had never met was walking through the station on the way to work. It was good to meet Art in person. Isn’t it a small world.
 
Out into the cold and snow again to board the California Zephyr and were soon on our way west.
 
Even though we had breakfast at the motel before we left, it was a couple of hours ago and we called up for complementary breakfast on the train. Sounds like it is going to be a 36 hour foodfest.
 
We had met another couple from Texas in the boarding queue at Denver, Stan and Jessica. They were just doing a day trip to Winter Park, a couple of hours out of Denver so we spent those hours chatting with them. Not sure that they were prepared for Winter Park when they got off so Jenny gave them our gloves to at least keep their hands warm.
 
It was spectacular as we travelled through the Rockies and it was made even better with the 11 inches of snow that fell overnight in the mountains.
 
It was not long before it was time for another meal. Even though there is a lot of empty tables in the dining car, the staff put you with another couple (and different one) each time which is good to be able to meet other passengers along the way. For lunch we sat with a German couple.
 
Between the meals, meeting others and the views out the windows, it has been a great trip. Before long we were out of Colorado around sunset and it was time for another meal and another couple, a hippie / bikie (not sure what they were) couple from California who had just returned from a trip in Iceland and were taking the train all the way from New York to home in California.
 
We hit Salt Lake City around 1030 pm (before schedule), our room was turned into night mode with two beds and it was time for some shut eye through Utah. It certainly is a lot easier to sleep on a train where you can stretch out flat than in a plane. Goodnight.
Geocaching, Holidays, USA 2016

Now that is Bloody Cold at the Top of Pikes Peak …

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Another early start, at least for me but Jenny had a sleep in. I was attending a local breakfast geocaching event to catch up with local cachers. One of the attendees was the the most prolific finder for Colorado – mondou2 (140 000 finds). It was a good turnout and I managed to lighten my load with dropping off a bag of trackables for others to move on.
 
Jenny was nearly ready when I returned to the motel and soon we headed into Downtown Denver to recce out Union Station and the Hertz office ready for tomorrow morning. With that all sorted we headed south to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak in sunshine even though it was still -6C outside.
 
With the weather over the last few days and the impending storm this afternoon, I was surprised that Pikes Peak Highway was open to the top but it was. The only words of wisdom from the gatekeeper was to use the lowest gear especially on the way home due to ice on the road. I guess there was no world record to the top today in a rental car.
We were lucky enough to have great views all the way to the summit but the temperature plummeted to -15C which didn’t take into account the wind chill. Stopping a few times to take some photos and grab some geocaches and you soon appreciated the wind chill.
 
Just as we arrive at the summit, the cloud rolled in and winds started to really roar. The car was still indicating -15C but with the wind chill the temperature was -35C. I took my gloves and coat off for a photo and my hands soon froze. What didn’t help was having to chase one glove that got blown away. Sitting back in the car, it took 10 minutes to thaw out with the heater flat out before I could grip the wheel for the return journey back down.
 
They are serious about the low gear on the way down as there is a brake check 1/3 the way down where they measure the temperature of your brakes. If the temperature is above 300F then you have to park to the side and wait for them to cool. No issue with hot brakes today.
 
There was one more stop before getting back to Denver. We called into the Castle Rock Fire Department to catch up with some buddies of Billy (our friend in Ohio). We met up with Norris and Oren and got the tour of Station 151 in Downtown Castle Rock and chatted. Before long it was dark and we needed to get back to our motel before the storm hit. Just as we made it back, it started snowing so timing was all good.
 
For dinner we grabbed some takeaway Mexican at the taco joint next door and packed our bags ready for tomorrow.
Geocaching, Holidays, USA 2016

GC30 – Mingo, the Worlds Oldest Active Geocache …

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Today is a Geocaching Day and not just any geocaching day but a trip into Kansas to find and sign the oldest active geocache in the world.
 
The cache is GC30 – Mingo and was hidden in May 2000. It is located at a exit on the I-70 near the town of Mingo in Kansas. It is also a 3 1/2 hour drive from Denver and a 3 1/2 hour drive back. Of course Jenny was over the moon about this day (Not).
 
The plan was to meet some local Kansas geocachers at the cache then head to nearby Colby for lunch. However, I did not take into account the change of time zone going into Kansas so we headed to lunch first then headed out to Mingo. One of the attendees was ZROZRO7 who is one of the top 3 finders in Kansas if he ever logged all his finds. Apparently Bruce has about 5000 to log that would put him at #2 in Kansas.
 
While at the cache, the farmer that the cache is nearest stopped and had a chat. He mentioned that he liked to chat to all the visitors as cachers came from all over the world for this cache. He also enjoyed reading the stories in the log book.
After grabbing all the caches around Mingo, we headed back on the road just in time to get the rush hour traffic of Denver. 
 
Tomorrow is the drive to the summit of Pikes Peak.
 
Holidays, USA 2016

Wheres Kenny …

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Jenny’s body was definitely not up for another day of skiing, so we packed our backs and bid farewell to our hosts, Anna and Dustin and headed off a different direction to Denver.
 
The route we took was over the Continental Divide through Hoosier Pass and into Fairplay. Fairplay is supposedly the town that the TV show “South Park” is modeled on and they have a few things set up and names to commemorate that fact.
 
The drive took us through prairie, rolling hills, mountains and more snow which was a little more interesting that the interstate we took to Breckenridge.
 
After checking into our motel just north of Downtown Denver, there were still a couple of hours of daylight left so we headed up the road to Golden which is the home of Coors and of course the brewery tour and free samples. It is always interesting doing brewery tours especially the samples along the way and at the end. They limit you to 3 schooners at the end. That doesn’t mean a lot here as the beer has less alcohol than back in Oz.
 
Tonight was a leftover night for Dinner. Tomorrow is a big day as we will be searching for Dorothy and her three friends in Kansas.
Holidays, Skiing, USA 2016

Now that is some serious Santas …

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The sun was out again today and so was the wind giving a wind chill factor that made it a lot colder than the actual temperature of -8C.
 
The other thing today was the number of people on the slopes with huge queues on every chair. Given the overall lack of snow meant that only Peak 8 & 9 were open. I would say that the there was probably 5X the number of people than yesterday.
 
We persevered for a few hours but with the waits and the large number of boarders just straight lining through the crowds on top of Jenny’s legs giving up, we called it a day.
 
Originally we were going to ski on Sunday as well but given that the crowds were to be the same tomorrow and Jenny’s legs probably not going to last too long, we decided to make today our last day on the slopes of Breckenridge.
 
Even with today’s conditions, we enjoyed our time skiing here and it certainly spoiled us in comparison to skiing in Australia both in the quality of the snow and the length of the runs.
 
After a quick cleanup at the Condo, we returned back down to Main Street as today was the start of Xmas celebrations with a Dog Parade, Santa Run and lighting of the Xmas tree.
 
It was a huge turnout for both spectators and Santas even if it was bloody cold.
 
The dog parade didn’t quite go to plan as they forgot to clear the street so they had to weave through the crowd. The Santa Run followed and they just managed to clear the street before the start.
 
There was probably close to 200 Santas with around 15 that were serious runners and the rest just happy to participate and raise some money. Given the altitude and the cold, it was impressive to see the winners and the speed they achieved at the finish.
 
It was time for Santa to light the tree but it wasn’t quite dark yet so hot chocolate and cookies were in order and the chance to find some warmth in the Visitor Centre. It actually gave us a chance to see the history of Breckenridge and it has had a very different time to today with the gold mining that started it all.
 
After watching the tree, we headed back to Mi Casa Mexican with Paul and Sophie for a farewell to Breckenridge drink and snack. (Didn’t need any-more leftovers).
 
Tomorrow we head to Denver.
Holidays, Skiing, USA 2016

Another Great Day of Skiing Colorado …

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What a difference a day makes with me having recovered from the altitude sickness – I have obviously acclimatised to the 9600 feet elevation (at the resort) but we did go up to 11000 feet while skiing.
 
The sun was out in the morning but there was a slight breeze so even though the temperature was the same as yesterday it felt colder due to the wind chill. The car-o-meter looked OK but would have liked a lot more.
 
This didn’t stop us skiing but we did take a couple of breaks to warm up at 10 Mile Station.
 
Once again the snow was dry and there was no ice so you didn’t get the chattering of the edges when turning like back in Australia.
 
It was a little busier than yesterday but there was still no waits on the lifts. The clouds came in with some snow flurries in the afternoon. We finally gave up when our fingers and toes told us that it was getting cold.
 
We caught up with Paul and Sophie again for dinner at The Dredge as we didn’t have a chance to catch up during the day. Another good meal but too big so more leftovers in the fridge.
 
As we were about to head to bed, our hosts Anna and Dustin arrived home so we chatted into the early hours of the morning.
Holidays, Skiing, USA 2016

Is that Altitude Sickness but what about the snow …

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Well that wasn’t a good start to our skiing holiday. There is always talk of altitude sickness and it has never been an issue in the past but I guess I have never been at 9600 feet before.
 
I didn’t get any sleep, had a massive headache, felt nauseous, couldn’t eat and basically felt like shit and after consulting WebMD, it was all the symptoms for altitude sickness.
 
This wasn’t going to stop us hitting the slopes as the sun was shining even though is was -12C.
 
We headed out the door, all rugged up and caught the bus to the Beaver Run. After meeting up with Paul, lift tickets purchased, we hit the slopes.
 
With the temperatures well below zero I was expecting the conditions to be icy but it was far from it. The surface was dry powder and was great.
 
Both the runs and the lifts were long. You could fit 4 or 5 Australian runs in one of these runs and with the dry powder you didn’t feel exhausted at the end of each run.
 
It wasn’t until around 2pm that it started to cool down and start to snow so we called it a day. Jenny back was starting to become sore.
 
There was still a couple of hours of daylight so we went to explore Breckenridge, checking out the Railway Park with all the old steam trains, riding the Gondola then wandering along Main Street.
 
The sun was setting and it was getting brutally cold as we waited for the bus back to our condo.
 
It continued snowing through the night so will be interesting to see how the car-o-meter looks in the morning.
Family Life, Holidays, USA 2016

Whoa – it is cold outside …

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A travel day today into a new timezone and also new climate. We were heading from the warmth of Texas to the frigid temperatures of Colorado.
 
There was no easy way to the airport with all roads around Austin in grid lock but we finally got there with an hour to spare. Time for the suitcase shuffle. It ended up that we only had to move stuff from one bag to another to get them all under 50 lbs and it was not from the suitcase we thought it would be.
 
Just after takeoff there was a “moment”. We took off at the usual angle but we were only at about 3000 feet when the plane leveled off and the engines were dropped right back. It appeared to be only just enough thrust to keep us moving forward. Another couple of minutes at this altitude then the engines spun up again and up we went to the usual cruising altitude. All I can think is that there may have been a near miss with another aircraft. I guess we will never know.
There were no more mishaps and we were soon landing in Denver, however there was no gates free so we waited out on the tarmac until one came free.
 
It certainly was a lot cooler here than in Austin with both of us soon grabbing jumpers.
 
Picked up the car then picked up some supplies and motored down the 70 towards the mountains. The highway was 2 to 3 lanes in each direction for most of the trip but the amazing thing was the rapidly reducing outside temperature.
It was novel when it reached 0C but then it kept going down … -1C … -2C … -3C … -4C … -5C … -6C … -7C … -8C … -9C, when was it going to stop. When we arrived in Breckenridge it had dropped to -12C and the sun was still out. We were not ready for this.
 
It was interesting driving a rental car not really set up for snow and ice on the road but the rules are not as strict here as in Australia. Stopping and starting on ice is fun.
 
We found our accommodation OK and it is very nice. We booked it through Air BnB. It is a two bedroom condo (with 2 bathrooms) of which we have one bedroom and share the rest of the condo with the owners Anna and Dustin as well as Indy the Golden Retriever. It was still -12C so it was a quick emptying out of the car without slipping on the ice and snow.
 
An old school mate, Paul was also in town with his wife Sophie so we headed out to meet up at Mi Casa Mexican to catch up and have a meal. It was good night and we made plans to meet up tomorrow and spend the day skiing. Of course the meals were huge so looks like leftovers for another night.
 
On returning to the condo we chatted with Anna and Dustin (our hosts) before hitting the hay.
Tomorrow is going to be our first day on the slopes.

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