Golden 2010

Our friends Matt and Rene extended an open invitation to come visit when they moved to Golden. Dave and I visited in 2008; last year, Dave went by himself. This year we decided to take Gavin for his first trip to the foothills of the Rockies.

Gavin was great on the flight up. He spent his time looking at books and playing with my iPod. About 30 minutes before we landed, he got a bit restless; but all in all it was a good flight. Matt met us at the airport, saving us the expense of a rental car for 3 days. Thank you, Matt! We met Rene for dinner at Blue Canyon in Golden before heading to their house to get Gavin down for the night.

Saturday morning, we all went for a nice walk with the dogs, Axis and Teela. We spent a lazy day watching football and wrestling with Gavin to get him to take a nap. Gavin 7-Nap 0. After admitting defeat, Dave and I played outside with Gavin, trying to burn some energy off. Gavin finally settled down on my lap to watch TV. He laid back on the pillow while eating his Goldfish.
The next thing we knew, he was asleep, cracker in hand and partially chewed crackers in mouth. After Gavin fell asleep, Matt prepared a great dinner of antelope steaks, grilled chicken, grill-roasted potatoes, and yummy deviled egg pototo salad. Then, the four of us played Sequence in front of the fire. It was great to visit and laugh with friends.

Sunday, we again headed out for a walk. Feeling a little guilty for being so lazy the day before, we planned to try a nap for Gavin and if it didn't take, we'd head out for a drive. If it did take, we'd go for a drive later. The nap failed. So, we all headed west to Georgetown for a drive.

Dave and I requested a scenic drive, and Matt and Rene delivered. The mountains in the area are beautiful. We could see snow already on some mountains. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees as we climbed higher. Gavin is the king of the backseat.

After driving through the quaint downtown area of Georgetown, the road turned to dirt.
Around the first turn, Dave spotted this deer about 20 feet from the road. He rolled down the window to snap these photos.

The deer must have been a local, as he was unphased by the car and the photos.

Higher we climbed, admiring the beauty of the golden leaves on the Aspens.

When we reached a pull-over and the end of the passable road (the pass was being redone), we let Gavin get to stretch his legs.

He was thrilled to see the rocks.

And, to throw the rocks.

The view from the overlook.

More rock throwing.

And, running to different rocks.

We did get a pretty good family picture.

We admired this waterfall on the drive back down.

A nice Aspen.

Back in Georgetown, we had lunch at Ed's; the burgers were great.

The one of the store fronts in Georgetown had this cool metal step stamped from the Denver Ironworks.

Gavin loved running around on the step.

On our hour drive back, Gavin was alert and chatting. Five minutes before arriving back at Matt and Rene's, Gavin fell asleep. So, Matt drove up a nearby peak that overlooks Golden and is home to the grave of Buffalo Bill.

That evening, Gavin walked around with the spray bottle that Matt and Rene were using to discipline Axis and Teela when they barked at Gavin. It was funny that when he saw the bottle he kept saying "dog." It was even funnier that he was trying to spray Teela. Axis and Teela were very good to Gavin. Axis gave him kisses. Teela let him pet her. Gavin really wanted to play with the dogs, but they sometimes ignored him.

After hotdogs roasted in the fireplace and covered in homemade chili, there was a bit of time to relax before bed.

Monday morning found Rene headed to work, and us packing up after another morning walk. Matt worked for a bit before we headed out for brunch and then to the airport.

At the airport, Gavin was tired and extra mischevious. Dave and I were exhausted. I began to pray that Gavin would sleep on the plane because I knew that Dave and I were at a breaking point. We were just counting down the hours until we'd be home. God answers prayers. As we taxied down the runway gaining speed for take off, Gavin rested his head on my shoulder. He fell asleep and rested for about an hour and twenty minutes. He roused up as we began our descent into DFW. He ate a cookie on the way down, which kept his ears from hurting.

We had a great trip. Maybe we didn't wear Matt and Rene out too much. I know I'm still tired.

And, hopefully, that invitation still stands. :)