Our Babycation!!

So they say that before you have your first child you should just go get away! So Katie and I decided to do that. We wanted to go somewhere laid back, in the states, and somewhat cooler than Houston. So we got to Denver as fast as we could. I spent many hours leading up to the trip researching what to do. We got on a flight and off we went!!!!!
Our trip started in downtown Denver. We really wanted to go on the Denver Mint tour, but go figure that they were all sold out and had been for quite a while. So we put PLAN B (echo, echo, echo...) into motion. In Golden Colorado, about 20 minutes from downtown the Coors Factory gives free tours. So..... yea. We were on it.

The tours are self guided, and take you through their factory. So very cool. Adolf Coors founded his brewing label when he was just 26 years old... And its been going strong ever since. The Coors label makes many a great beers... Take a look!

From here they take you to the brewing room. They crush up the hops in these GIANT crushers and then fill them with water and magic in these two story copper kettles. Kinda like an adult Wonka factory!! hehehe.

After this room is the lab. The automated thing said that they've moved the lab they use now, but that this one is what they used to use.

After this I got my first free, yea that's right, free beer. When it was all said and done they give you three and a half beers. Pretty awesome!! After my first sample we got to look into the packing part of the plant. This is Katie's favorite part. It's like watching a real life Unwrapped episode!

From here its straight to the bar! Time to enjoy the fruits of their labor!

Here's Katie enjoying her... Pepsi.

I totally enjoyed myself. Katie was quite jealous, seeing as how she's pregnant, there was no free beer for her. She was a great sport! After we left the tour we went and ate lunch at this delicious pizza joint two blocks from Coors. From Golden we headed to the hotel. And what a hotel.

We had a mountain view room!! So beautiful. Day and night!

The next day, Saturday, was our favorite day of the trip. Katie and I headed to the mountains!!

Our first stop was in Silver Plume Colorado. An old mining town and home of the Georgetown Loop Railroad. We took the train ride to go on a tour of an old silver mine.

 Nothing like traveling like they did over 100 years ago. Silver was found in this mountain in the 1860s. The Lebanon mine and mining camp was founded in the late 1880s. Before we went down in the mine our tour guide, Walter, showed us the mining camp.

This is Walter and the heater house. They would keep the dynamite in here to keep it from freezing. The miners would hire children for $.75 a day to keep the fire going and to run in supplies to the miners. Below is a picture of the dynamite storage box that would be kept right next to this heater!!!

Obviously this was a good box, because it's still intact!! lol. From here we got to look around the rest of the little camp.

This is a rail line with a timber on it. Walter said it took thousands of timbers like this to just start building a mine entrance.

Finally we got to enter the Lebanon mine. Katie and I got to go first!!

My little preggo miner!

Inside the mine it is always about 44-48 degrees. Outside it was already in the 80s. So it was a nice cool off. The mine tour only goes about 1000 feet into the mine, but the mine goes well over 3000 feet into the middle of this mountain. In this mine there are also 5 different levels. this is level 3. There are 2 above us, and there are 2 below us. The lower 2 levels are completely flooded. Here are a few pictures of the inside.

Mine entrance.

Railroad ties that were driven into the wall by hand over 120 years ago!! 

Some really cute miners!!

This is what Walter calls "Dragon's Blood". When water runs over silver in the rock it tarnishes the silver and runs out a black licorice color. Walter said if Colorado would just give him a few days at this spot he'd be a very rich man!!

The lunchroom. In the mine!

When they mined 120 years ago there wasn't electricity yet. Each miner was given 3 candles a day to burn in the mine. Walter turned out the lights and light the candle. Men were expected to work for 10 hours a day, swinging sledgehammers at each others head, by candlelight. Crazy.

Our mine tour was so great! If you are ever around the Denver area make the time to go see it. I know that we will definitely go back.

Georgetown Loop Railroad steam engine.

The Loop Bridge

After our train ride and mine tour we headed further into the mountains to the next town of Silverton. Just so happens to be the town where my Grandmom used to own a cabin. I hadn't been up to her cabin since she sold it when I was like 4 or 5 years old.

Snow. In June. Not something we see in Texas.

This is my Grandmom's old cabin. I would give anything for it to be back in the family. As I was taking pictures the owners were outside, so I introduced myself and they were so gracious enough to let us come inside. Only in Colorado would someone let a complete stranger in their home. They are currently remodeling the cabin and it just looks awesome. I don't have many memories, but as soon as I stepped inside it all came back to me! Good times were always had at the cabin!!

The loft above the living room. Used to sleep there when we'd visit.

The view from the back. Not what I remembered. About 5 years ago Mitch said they had a blowdown and had to remove most of the giant pine trees. Only good thing is now they have a lake view!

The front porch. Christmas, her dog, used to just hang out right here all the time and keep watch out for bears and other critters. Mitch and Sherry said that now the problem is Moose! They just come right up to the house and are not people friendly. Sherry said that they will chase you straight down the road!

I had one more trip down memory lane planned for Saturday. I remembered going to this restaurant that had a diving show in the middle of the place. This place is called Casa Bonita! 

The fact that they dive is pretty cool. The food and entertainment.... not so much. Definitely a place for kids, which is probably why I liked it 24 years ago. 

The rest of our trip was not as action packed. We went up to Boulder and walked around Colorado University and had lunch downtown, and just chilled out by the pool. Coming back to the hotel there was a whole colony of Prairie Dogs!

They were really cool. Just hanging out off the side of the road. The last thing we did was hit up the oldest restaurant in Denver. It's called the...

It was pretty good food. We ate upstairs in the bar area and had some pretty good burgers. They have animals and crazy old stuff everywhere.

Overall our trip was excellent. Makes us want to go live in Denver! We just loved everything and everyone!! Can't wait to go back and take our baby boy skiing one day.