It has been seven years since Anne has been in Colorado and at that time it was for our wedding so we were unable to be the hosts with the most. We asked her to join us for Christmas this year and she agreed. We were SO excited to have her join us and for her to visit Colorado once again. In typical Colorado fashion, Mother Nature greeted her with a snow storm of over a foot of snow. By noon, the snow flakes stopped falling, Keith had shoveled the driveway and we were ready to welcome her to Colorado, the state of many weather changes.
Anne flew in from Reno, NV and after picking her up from the airport, we headed Downtown Denver for dinner at The Chop House.
We had a great dinner which provided the two of us a chance to catch up and have some girl time prior to embarking on the craziness of the Ham Fam House.
Before leaving the Chop House, we asked the valet guy to take a picture of us. "A" picture turned into a bunch as he took photos from multiple angles. He clearly enjoyed this and told us he had been asked to take a few pictures in his valet career. It was fun to get a few pictures from our evening with the freshly fallen snow.
On our way home, we drove past the court house to admire their amazing display of lights.
On Friday, we had planned to drive to Vail for lunch. It is my absolute favorite mountain town and a 1.5 hour drive on clear roads. With the new snow, we were concerned that we may have delays or traveling difficulties. We had dinner plans Friday night so we opted to forgo Vail for the day (huge bummer) and stay closer to home to explore the sights. Our first stop was just down the road at Red Rocks Amphitheater. The new snow and clear blue skies provided an amazing view.
Anne and Carrie at the top of the Amphitheater.
Even though a crew was quickly removing the snow from the steps to the stage, it was a bit icy so we opted to stay at the top of the theater. We did take some time to tour through the visitors center and explore the history of this amazing location.
Downtown Denver from the top of the Red Rocks Amphitheater.
The contrast between the red rocks and the blue sky is always breath taking.
Next we drove West on I-70 to the Genessee Exit. This is the same exit that the church is where Keith and I got married. This is also the location of my favorite freeway view in Colorado. Just as you crest the hill, you get an amazing view of the snow capped Rocky Mountains. (see later photos). Also at this exit is a heard of Buffalo that were enjoying some recently served lunch.
Rocky Mountain High, Colorado.
(feel free to sing along!)
From the over pass, the view of the Rocky Mountains with I-70 flowing below.
On our way to Look Out Mountain, we stopped to pay our respects to Buffalo Bill. Here lies William Frederick Cody and his wife, Louisa Maud Cody.
From Look Out Mountain you can see a view of the MillerCoors Golden brewery in the valley down below.
Our last stop in the tour was downtown Golden. We had a nice lunch followed by a walk down to Clear Creek. The creek was frozen over with the rocky mountain water flowing below. Again, we had a great view of the brewery. In case you're wondering, my office is basically below the big red Coors sign.
Anne and I had a great day exploring the area. Thank to Keith for juggling the kids while finishing up some final touches for Christmas. The fun doesn't stop here. It's time to bundle up because this evening brought us chills.
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