Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays everyone! We are currently in Davenport hanging out with the Mueller clan and Ben is getting some cousin time. :-) We had Christmas at our house in Pleasant Hill again this year on Christmas Day. Both sets of great-grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Bendixen (my parents), Kari, Jon, Erin, and my Uncle Loni all came over for food, family time, and some fun! We had soup, goodies, and I even made a veggie tree (thanks pinterest!) You will have to check out my mad creative skills below. After our meal we all enjoyed opening gifts from Santa (of course!) and to each other. Ben was super excited for Thomas TRAINS! Santa knew he was a pretty good boy this year (if he would only eat his veggies, but eh, we will work on that), so he brought him new choo-choos. He has not set them down since he got them. We have played trains everyday and most of the time he has to have MOMMY play choo-choos, not daddy (trust me, I asked). All in all our holidays have been awesome and can't wait for the New Year with new adventures! Check out some photos we have taken so far of all the fun we've had! And stay posted, I am sure Andy will have more to add later including some photos.

Wow! Are all these presents for me?!!! This is awesome!!!

Ben playing trains on Aunt Kari, Gma Cloey opening presents.

The living room decor, Ben watching his Caillou holiday movie with Aunt Kari.

Opening presents from Gma and Gpa, still with my Thomas trains!

The whole family, presents time!

Veggie Christmas tree, yay for pinterest!

Hanging out in my sweet new chair from Gma and Gpa!

Merry Christmas and choo choo!!!

Growing up is rough...

Hi all. Today Ben had to go in to the doctor and get some shots since he's around 18 months old. Andy said it was the most nervous Ben has ever been at the doctor's office and the experience was not so great. He weighs around 25 pounds and is getting taller too (almost 34 inches)! I think the shots got the better of him because when I got home from school he was absolutely miserable. He did not want to eat, just drink some cold milk. He has also been getting his "I" teeth which I have heard can be super painful for tots. I gladly gave him some ibprofen to help with those teethies and to relieve any pain from the shots. And of course had some snuggle time with me while watching some tunes. Needless to say, he went to bed early from not feeling so hot. So he's all tucked in with his Horton buddy and I, my lazy self, am still watching kid cartoons (right now it's Caillou) while blogging and working on a school project. And where is Andy do you say? He's currently at another geeky fest playing some game with the guys. So I guess I should enjoy this tv to myself time and put on something really girly that he would cringe at if he were here. Yes. Must go do that. Just thought I'd update you all on recent events. Talk to you later! Nite!

Pumpkin Patch! - Sep 2011

This fall we visited the Center Grove Orchard (and pumpkin patch). This place was a phenomenal success with our 18 month-old Ben. He was able to participate in just about everything this place had to offer, which I've found to be rare in my short experience as a parent. So I was almost as happy as Ben as we took him from area to area - he loved every second of it. He was distraught and cried as we left one section only to shout with glee as we approached the next.

You enter the main area through a large building that serves as a gift shop and tasting area for the farms various food products including pies, apples and fudge. We passed quickly through however, anxious to get on with the fun. Our first stop was a giant pool full of corn kernels!  This massive swimming pool of corn kernels was about a foot deep and offered an interesting walking experience for a toddler! Mommy climbed in and joined in the fun. We then moved on to giant slide. This was one of the highlights of the day. Revelers climb onto a burlap sack and slide down a plastic slide mounted on the side of a hill. We took turns holding Ben and sliding down. He couldn't wait for the next slide, running up the hill without us.

When we finally decided to suffer another agonizing scream-fest from Ben as we drug him away from the slide, we moved on to the hay-bale maze. Not understanding and not interested in a maze, Ben simply had a great time running around the area not being able to see over the rows of hay bales. After that it was on to the giant bouncing pillow. We spent about 20 minutes getting some exercise with Ben on this one as we all struggled to keep our balancing jumping high into the air. He had great fun again just trying to stay upright.

 

Finally it was time to head to the actual pumpkin patch to pick out some good carve-able jack-o-lanterns. A 20 minute hay-rack ride took us to a massive spread of pumpkins.  We let Ben run around a bit, but we probably would have lost him pretty quick.  We each picked out a pumpkin and took them to the weigh-in booth.  Our last stop on the way out was the store to pick up some delicious caramel apples and apple pies.

A fun time was had by all.  I would highly recommend this location to all families.  Kids under 3 are free and everyone else was $10 each.  But season passes can be purchased for only around $20.  Check it out!

Denver Trip - Part 3 of 3

Journal from Denver vacation - Wed Aug 3rd - Sun 7th, 2011:

POST #3 of 3: Saturday Aug 6th: Garden of the gods, Royal Gorge and Casa Bonita

After our awesome day in Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday, I seriously considered heading back there for a second round. But I wanted to make sure that we hit the main locations, so we headed South today toward Colorado Springs and the Garden of the gods.

On the way south we passed the Air Force Academy and football stadium. I didn't realize how far from the highway it is, but it lies nestled in the foothills of the mountains. Driving by you can barely see the famous chapel in the distance.

A good hour's drive from Denver, the Garden of the gods seems to spring out of the landscape. We first spent about an hour in the massive visitor's center opposite of the actual park. Here we picked up many a fun things, including one of Ben's new favorite - Wolfy: the strangely-spherical wolf stuffed animal.

The park doesn't take that long to drive through, but the views are incredible. There are enough trails to keep the most avid of hikers busy for a good day. It was a very hot day and we had other destinations, so we didn't walk around that much. But we did have to get out to explore the famous balanced rock! I had heard that it had fallen over, so I had been keeping an eye out for it. I was slightly disappointed to discover that it had been put back on its pedestal and reinforced with concrete... How you call that a "Balanced Rock" with a straight face I'll never know. But it still looks cool.

Yeah, not that impressive with the CONCRETE holding it up!!

Yep those are guided tours on Segways. Only in America!

We next set out for the Royal Gorge. I had been excited to explore the massive gorge and accompanying bridge. Like many of these tourist destinations, it is surrounded by gimmicks and a full amusement park on each side! I thought I had read that it was free to drive across the bridge, but upon arrival we discovered that they wanted $25 per person to gain access to the amusement park (which of course is the only way one can get to the bridge). They also structure it in such a way that is impossible to even see the bridge without entering the park.

After sadly choking up $50, we entered the park vowing to drink from every fountain and use every restroom to get our money's worth. But after driving for over 2 hours I couldn't NOT check it all out. I guess they figure that's how they get you. The views though were incredible however! The main visitor center hangs over the edge of the gorge. Exiting out the back doors you find a terrific view off a large deck hanging over the side. Tiffany convinced me (by telling me I had to) to go across the gorge on the "Aerial Tram". This gondola is suspended across the massive gorge and as our conductor told us: "The ride is 4 minutes across, and 8 seconds down!". I stood in the very middle of the thing.

"Its four minutes across, or 8 seconds down..."

Do you see the rafters?

Standing in an observation point on the far side of the gorge, my Iowa State shirt was apparently visible enough for a Hawkeye fan to heckle me from his spot on the passing Aerial Tram 30 yards away! I also got some great video of some crazy people flying far out beyond the edge of the gorge on what they call the "Skycoaster" - basically a human slingshot for insane people to enjoy.

We crossed back to the original side of the gorge by crossing the bridge on foot. The bridge is just barely wide enough for two cars, and it is mostly clogged with pedestrian traffic. So we decided against driving across it. But I think you get a lot more out of the experience by walking across the bridge. Being an engineer I also had to check out the supports and construction elements to the bridge, of course.

Tired and very hot we returned to the car for a long drive home. On the way out I just happened to notice a "Skyline Drive" road sign, with no other details and I thought: "Hmm, I wonder that is". My curiosity got the better of me on the return trip and I veered left at the sign. It is a strange thing - there is a one-lane, one-way road heading up steeply into the foothills with this name and no other information what-so-ever. There is a gift shop type place at the bottom, but it was closed. So, as any other self-respecting American would do, I put the little Yaris in drive and headed up! Skyline Drive is awesome! At times the narrow cliff upon which you are driving is barely wide enough for the road, and both sides drop off very sharply hundreds of feet below! At some points, it feels as though you are floating - just don't get too distracted and veer left or right! Tiffany was very nervous...

We finally headed back to Denver to check out a massive Mexican restaurant called "Casa Bonita". This was a recommendation from one of my team members at work. It is really hard to describe this place without just showing it, but suffice it to say it is a massive place with waterfalls, stages, and numerous little alcoves with seating. It is more of an experience than a restaurant, and excellent for kids! Every 15-30 minutes they have a mini show of some sort, and divers actually jump from the top of the 3-story waterfall to the pool below. They then climb back up the rock face of the waterfall and repeat the exercise!

Leaving on Sunday and watching the mountains fade away in the rear-view mirror was truly an exercise in self-control. I really wanted to call home and report that we were spending an extra day... But it was hard to be away from Ben for so long and we both wanted to see him. It is almost like I could imagine him in my arms, and they felt empty! So we started our non-stop 12-hour drive home to Des Moines. It was a long journey, but seeing Ben running to us was worth it.

Reflecting on the trip as a whole I made two conclusions: 1) If we go back to Denver, we should try to stay near or within the Rocky Mountain National Park and spend several days there. 2) I really want to go back to Yellowstone, but that is a slightly longer journey. Perhaps we can take Ben there! Regardless, there are many great sites to see around Denver, even if you have a few days. But you could easily spend a week exploring the area. Thanks for reading! I'll add a link to the full gallery of photos when I get them all arranged.

Denver Trip - Part 2 of 3

Journal from Denver vacation - Wed Aug 3rd - Sun 7th, 2011:

POST #2 of 3: Friday Aug 5th: Rocky Mountain National Park

After a late night at Dave & Buster's, we didn't wake up until 9 AM on Friday - and we took our time. I explored the hotel coffee shop aptly named "Perks" for some Starbucks and a breakfast sandwich while Tiffany got ready. Then we headed out to Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the highlights of our entire visit.

The journey to get to the main entrance to the park just on the other side of a town called "Estes Park" is half of the fun. The road from Denver to the park takes you through Boulder and the University of Colorado. This picturesque campus is supported by what appears to be an absolutely brand new downtown area through which you drive. Not only are you likely to find any store you are looking for, but they all appear to have just been built.

Leaving Boulder you head out into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, edging ever closer to the park. I was astounded by the number of cyclists on these roads. They have bike lanes everywhere in Colorado, even on the Interstates you see "Share the Road" signs everywhere with very well-manicured bike lanes.

The drive into the park:

After another half-hour or so, you begin some winding ascents into the mountains and get closer to the actual park. This steep climbing put a strain on the car, but it was a lot of fun coming down later! Shutting off the air conditioning, we continued on to 7,000 to 8,000 feet or so to the park entrance. We picked up some maps at the first visitor center and then headed toward a hike that Tiffany had found on line - to Alberta Falls.

The short mile-long trail took us through several different environments within a few hundred feet of elevation. The trail followed a fast moving stream coming from the falls farther up the trail. We finally reached the falls for which the trail was named. Several outcroppings offered great views of the 100-foot falls as the water crashed below.

The hike to Albert Falls:

Leaving this first trail we went to Bear lake, the very end of this first road we took into the park. After reviewing the maps, I wanted to go drive up into the mountains further. We drove up to Trail Ridge Road, which winds around the entire park, up to a maximum altitude of just under 13,000 feet. Along the way there were lots of small pull-outs to park the car and take in the views. Driving on these small roads, very near sheer drops was nerve-racking at times, but still a lot of fun.

The journey to higher altitudes:

At these altitudes (still only half as high as Mount Everest) the air is thinner - there is less oxygen. I wanted to do some jogging around to see how this impacted my stamina. I'm no triathlete, but I could definitely tell a difference between running at 600 MSL and 13,000 MSL. I was quickly out of breath, and I had to take a lot of breaks. At this altitude is was also only about 50 degrees before wind chill. The other interesting thing of note was how quickly the weather changed. It went from bright and sunny to rain to strong winds in a matter of minutes.

We only went as far as the Alpine visitor's center. Anything over 11,000 MSL is considered Alpine, and is above the tree line where trees can survive due to the short warm season and bitter cold -30 degree temperatures in the winter. We turned around and headed back down at this point, passing a neat looking trail that I just had to pursue. It led me up to a rocky outcropping, up which I climbed and then took some 360 degree video to help capture the moment.

Look, no trees:

The drive down these mountain passes is tiring! I can see now how the newer cars have "hill assist" features that automatically downshift automatic cars to save on the brakes. Between braking and downshifting to go down, it was a physically exhausting process. When we finally made it back from the park to our hotel we simply went to the hotel's restaurant to get a late dinner.

Part 3 will finish up the trip details with our journey to the Garden of the gods and the Royal Gorge south of Denver, and our trip home.

Denver Trip - Part 1 of 3

Journal from Denver vacation - Wed Aug 3rd - Sun 7th, 2011:

POST #1 of 3: Wednesday and Thursday:

Wed. Aug 3rd: Today I took a 1/2 day of vacation from work to leave town early and get halfway to Denver. This was my intern Frank's last day, so I drove into Pella for this 1/2 day. We left about Des Moines around 4 PM and made it to North Platte, NE where we stayed in a lackluster Holiday Inn Express that had no temperature control and was freezing!

Thu. Aug 4th: Today we finished our journey to Denver, CO. We left North Platte around 9 AM and arrived in the Denver area in the early afternoon. It is always fun to see the mountains slowly come into view! We made it past all the boring scrub brush and lack of anything interesting to look at through Nebraska and Eastern Colorado! It was actually raining on and off quite a bit for most of this day. We headed straight for "Lookout Mountain" just outside of Denver. We didn't really see much there, as it is actually hard to "lookout" from anywhere on lookout mountain. I did check out Buffalo Bill's grave which is up there, and I bought my first post cards from his gift shop.

RIP Mr. Buffalo Bill...

The seating for the Red Rock Amphitheater:

We then left Lookout Mountain and checked into our hotel (Hyatt Regency - 4 stars, very nice).

After a brief respite we headed out for the Red Rock Amphitheater south of Denver. This is a natural sound stage built into some impressive red rocks (in the aptly named "Red Rocks Park"). We unfortunately were unable to enter the stage as they were preparing for a concert that evening. But we were able to walk all around it - the area itself is pretty neat to look at.

Finally on Thursday evening we decided to check out Dave & Buster's in Denver as Tiff had never been to one. We spent the evening having a few drinks and playing enough games to win Ben a cool stuffed animal. Dave and Buster's was a lot of fun, but I think we payed about $100 for that $2 stuff animal! But Tiff became fairly skilled at a special jackpot game that allowed us to win several hundred tickets at a time when she managed to hit the jackpot (which she did 3 times!) I then insisted that we see Harry Potter 7 part 2 a second time as D&B's was right next door to a massive 9-screen IMAX 3D theater!!

Dave and Buster's - oh yeah, drinks and arcade games!!

Stay tuned for Post #2 on Friday's adventure into Rocky Mountain National Park!!