Ariel and Craig do Denver

So technically the first person to visit us at our new abode was Hallie (Zach’s best friend from college and one of my bridesmaids). But she only stayed for dinner and we had a much longer visit later with both Hallie and her husband, so I’ll talk about her later. Ariel and Craig were really the first to visit us for any period of time. I met Ariel while teaching last year in Delaware; she was a first year English teacher full of promise and hopeful expectations…and while she might have lost some of her naiveté after a year with some truly horrid youngsters, she still remains an awesomely creative and brilliant teacher.

Ari and Craig (who just graduated from the same master’s program that I went through and who will further be teaching Spanish in Worthington this year) arrived in Denver on July 10th. I picked them up from the airport and brought them back to see the glories of our apartment and the 16th Street Mall. By that time Zach was back and we were able to begin our weekend. It included a trip to Red Rocks, a Ducky trip down the Platte River, adventures in gold mining, dinner at Casa Bonita, and the discovery of the Silver Linings.
Before I can really explain everything that occurred that weekend, I feel I must admit that I had recently gotten a case of food poisoning. It wasn’t terrible, but it was annoying. For most of the time that Craig and Ariel were with us I was unable to eat much without feeling nauseous—which was horrible because we went to so many excellent restaurants. But getting back to the enjoyable parts of the visit…

We started with a morning trip to Red Rocks. When there isn’t a concert, you can explore the amphitheater and the surrounding area as a park. We hiked up a small, rather sandy hill so we could see the whole amphitheater. This little adventure was particularly amusing for two reasons. First, there was an abundance of crickets. They swarmed around us, landing on any part of our bodies that they could find a purchase. For some reason, this particularly disturbed Craig, who would jump back in startlement every time a cloud of crickets appeared. I know I shouldn’t make fun of him, but it really was funny to see a grown, rather serious man trying to avoid harmless little crickets. And then there was Ariel. Poor, sweet Ariel who did not bring a sensible pair of tennis shoes. The sandy hill that we climbed up provided great difficulty to Ari, who kept sliding backward with every step up. I had to hold her hand during most of the ascent, and sometimes shove her forcibly upward. But we eventually made it, surveyed our surroundings, and then decided it was time to move on.

Next we went to Idaho Springs and the Phoenix mine, where we were able to take a tour. It was not only interesting to see a working mine, it was also quite a bit cooler in there, providing us a respite from the 90 degree weather. After lunch at Idaho Springs we headed back to Denver.
The next day we all took a 3 hour Ducky tour down the Platte River. A Ducky is a kind of inflatable kayak. It can go down rapids and looks like a miniature, inflatable canoe. The benefit of it is that it is much more stable than a traditional kayak, and thus easier to control for those new to the sport. The trip was a ton of fun, highlighted by Craig falling out of his kayak when he tried to take a mini rapid standing up.

That night we wandered around the mall listening to the various street performers. Eventually we came across two guys playing in a little courtyard. They had set up microphones and such, and they gave a terrific performance. They were called the Silver Linings, and supposedly they will be on iTunes soon. I certainly hope so.

The finale was on Sunday night when we all went to Casa Bonita. If you want a quick highlight of what Casa Bonita is like, go to YouTube and type in “Casa Bonita South Park.” Even if you’re not a fan of the show, they do a pretty good homage to the experience of this restaurant. It is a winding maze of a restaurant that includes mines, a ghost tour, a lagoon with divers, and much more. It is a very interesting experience that was tons of fun.

Well, I’ve rambled for a ridiculously long time. I hope you’ve stuck with me throughout this post. And I hope you enjoy my future posts detailing such adventures as: “The Parents Arrive!” “Beer Festival with a Pregnant Woman” and “Where Exactly IS Saint Mary’s Glacier?” Tata for now!


Here's Ari and Craig asleep on our way back from Idaho Springs. Aren't they cute?
















Here's Ari at the Molly Brown Museum trying on some period headware.















And here is the always adorable Meghan trying on another hat.