| Subject: Canon City |
Author:
Beth
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Date Posted: 09:15:48 07/28/06 Fri
Author Host/IP: AC926A15.ipt.aol.com/172.146.106.21
In reply to:
Beth
's message, "About our trip..." on 07:56:11 07/28/06 Fri
We got into Canon late, so we just got settled into our motel and headed to bed that first night.
The next morning I went to throw clothes in the hotel laundry...the one listed in the guide book and on the hotel maps. They didn't have one! So, I had to get the boys up and haul them to the laundromat. Teiguen and I were fine...but after a week at camp and two days on the road, Liam was out of clean underwear. We went thru McDonalds drive thru for breakfast and ate while I did laundry. When the laundry got dry we headed up to the cemetary. It was clean and looked wonderful! I was thrilled to see that. They are actually caring for it these days.
Then we went to Garnet's. Tanner was there...but asleep. I wouldn't have recognized him. He's probably 5' 8", skinny, and has long hair and an earstud. He wears those clown clothes that skaters wear. Nic was at her dad's house, so Chuck went to get her. She was quick to warm up to us...it took Tanner a bit more. I took all the kids out to a new Mexican restaurant there in town. The town has grown so much that I didn't recognize most of it! Lunch was nice. We talked about their schools and what they do for fun. Seems Tanner plays drums in a punk band, lol! We dropped Tanner back to Garnet's because he was too cool to do any of the stuff we had planned for the afternoon.
First we went to the dinosaur museum. There have been 8 kinds of dinosaurs found in Canon City. The most complete stegosaurus ever found was found there a decade or so ago. The kids had a great time in their discovery area. They played there for nearly and hour.
Then we went over to the train. The more expensive seats were sold out, so we went in the cheap seats. It was okay...but we were in the food car and had to live with the smell of sausages and hot peppers. Oh, well. For most of the trip going out of town we went outside to the open observation car anyway. The kids were thrilled to wave to the rafters and kayakers. Teiguen latched onto Nic and wouldn't leave her alone. It took Liam and Nic a bit to warm up to each other...but they did. When we got to the end of the track going out, we had to sit and wait about 20 minutes for clearance to head back. Just as we started back the daily storm (it rained every day, just like when I was a kid, lol!) kicked in. We got hailed and SNOWED on going back towards the bridge. They stopped under the bridge for a bit, then hauled us back to town. The whole ride lasted about 2 1/2 hours.
We went back to Garnets to visit more. I purposely left the kids on their own. Within 20 minutes Teiguen had all of the roughhousing together. I'm glad they finally got relaxed and started treating each other like family, lol!
I was hoping the kids would go with us to Cripple Creek the next day, but they were supposed to go to the Springs with their step-aunt. For some reason, Garnet had not told them or Scott that we were coming, so they'd made plans. We stayed awhile, then took Nic to a buffet where we all got dinner before dropping her off to her dads.
The next morning the boys and I went to see Mac...my fourth grade teacher. She's not in good shape. Due a hip replacement gone-bad, she's using a walker these days. We visited with her for a little over an hour before heading up to Cripple Creek.
That area sure has changed. They've paved the road and it has a TON of traffic...all gamblers who couldn't care less about the scenery. My little putt-putt car was having issues with the grade and the severe lack of oxygen, so I pulled over more than once to let maniac's by. I didn't even recognize the town. It has gone from 300 to 1200. They now have two schools...one is K-6, the other 7-12! They've paved the roads there in town. I had a hard time finding where I used to live because of new building. The Red Lantern was torn down and replaced by a 4 story parking garage!
We headed up to the top of Bennett Avenue and got train tickets. The little train ride was nice. The kids got to see the old mines...and the huge one that is working there now. It was an old fashioned steam locomotive. Teiguen loved it! After that we walked down Bennet Avenue, only to realize that there is nothing there for families! The potter who was there when I lived there is long gone. As are all the restaurants and shops. Now it's just casinos. The only place to take kids in to eat had terrible service. We waited almost 40 minutes for chicken strips and a meatball sandwich. On the way out of town we stopped to go to the bathroom. Teiguen managed to lose his squished penny, so we went back to make another one. (Did I mention it started raining as soon as we got of the train..as if the skies there are on a strict schedule.) On the way back out of town we found the burros in someone's backyard. All we had to eat was Cracker Jacks. They ignored us until I shook the box, then they all came running. The kids had a great time feeding them.
We headed back to Canon and I called my friend Gina. As luck had it, she and her husband were in town. We met them at Chili's for dinner. They are both friendly as all get-out. Gina was wearing a size 4!!! Last I saw her she weighed 180. I asked what gives...she says it's all stress. Her husband's ex is trying to get full custody and her son sided with his kids in the case, making it all very sticky. Anyway, then we went out to Penrose to their house and visited for a couple of hours.
After that we headed back to Garnet's...only to find out that Tanner and Nic could have spent the day with us. Scott had gotten drunk and changed his mind, and wouldn't let them go to the Springs after all. UGH. I felt so bad! Anyway, we stayed there for almost 3 hours. The kids had a great time together!
The next morning I picked them up and took them all to McDonalds. It gave us another hour and a half to visit. I told them I'd like for them to come out here next summer. When I talked to Garnet she said I'd have to pay the way, because Francie wouldn't. She confirmed what I already knew...the trip to CA was free.
After we dropped them off we went to see my friend Mac again. We'd missed her daughter, but her younger son was there. We visited for over an hour, and then hit the road for Denver.
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