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Emma's Denver Adventure
Smokies Trip 2008
Basement Remodel 07-08
Starved Rock May 2008
Knobstone Trail 2008
McCormick's Creek
Smokies Trip 2009
Gabe's First Communion
Smokies Trip 2010

Emma's Denver Adventure

Move to Denver on May 5 - 9, 2008 and return to Chicago on August 5-10, 2008

Photos 1 - 98 of 98

First a pre-move - Will comes home for the summer

The most precious item

Pretty clean, thanks to Mom - ready for the sub-leasee

L-R: Age and Beauty

Packing for the rain that never came

Move #2 - Emma moves out of Lafayette forever

Trailers galore

Emma, as ready as she could be - no problem

Mom gets busy

Domestic Will dusts the blinds

Emma does the finishing touches

On the road to Denver - first stop for lunch in Davenport IA, Cracker Barrel of course.

No one except Dad believed that everything would fit

The Malibu is loaded, too.

Em and Dad at Cracker Barrel - Em endures another old folks thing

First night - Best Western, Lincoln NE

Lincoln NE

First things first - surf the Net

Fast forward through Nebraska to Colorado

Visitor Center

First glimpse of mountains, barely visible amongst the bugs on windshield

Rear of Emma's place - 3rd floor

39 Steps - 5,800 ft above sea level

Slow and steady wins the race

View from Emma's front window

View through Main room to Bedroom - Emma checks out the carpet

Emma's view of the mountains

Not bad - almost made the 39 steps worth it

Where to start - view from Kitchen area

All of Emma's worldly possessions

Things take shape - the futon assembled

The $20 couch arrives from Salvation Army

The first step

2nd floor landing - it just makes it

2nd of the three landings

Main room set up

New TV stand

Still more boxes in the eating area

Bedroom with new desk - Emma stealing wireless from an unsuspecting neighbor

$50 slip cover on the $20 couch

Main room with classy slip cover and pedestal lamp

Return trip overnight - Heartland Inn, Altoona IA

Dad catches up on work stuff

Mom goes wireless

Mom takes her shift through Illinois

while Dad mugs it up in the passenger seat

Home is where your heart is - Will greets Mom

8/5/08 - The Return Trip begins a little fuzzy
Dad meets Megan Flynn in Niles

Phase 1 - The Train Ride: Actually the Bus Ride; tracks were closed from Kalamazoo - busing to Chicago

Arrived in Chicago at 1:00 pm for 2:00 pm boarding, just enough time for lunch - I likes it like that

crossing the Mississippi at Burlington IA

more Mississippi

This proves we are in Burlington

Ottumwa, IA at sunset; where Tums are manufactured

smoke stop somewhere in Iowa to control the restless, nicotine starved natives

Dad's coach with a Troop headed for Philmont from Ithaca NY

Arrival bright but not so early at Denver Union Station - only 90 minutes late

Emma excited to start getting a paycheck

Emma got a lot of stuff done prior to Dad arriving

Phase 2: The Camping Trip
On the road toward Boiulder

Brainard Lake - elevation 10,300 feet

the Campground - got one of the 2 remaining spots

a wet reception at Campsite 43

still drizzling, but it stopped for dinner

and long enough to have a bit of a fire

not Dad's best tripod work

a rain-free, but overcast breakfast; we look pretty good for a long wet uncomfortable night of fitful sleep

what we came to see - snow in August

If I had faith the size of a mustard seed - heck I'd move some mountains to Indiana. Off for our short hike

local color on the Brainard Cutoff trail

Emma enjoyed the hike (I think); but it was a bit longer than she wanted

our turn for the return loop - to Red Rock trailhead

Dad powers up

St. Vrain Creek upstream - the only good thing about a night long rainstorm, a really roaring, cool looking creek the next day

St. Vrain Creek downstream

the blue trail blaze, once we found the trail again

no commentary needed

Emma's gymnastics training pays off on the balance beam

OK, back at the apartment wet and tired; drying out the equipment on the porch

the neighbors were hopefully away at work

8/8/08 - Phase 3: The Packing; U-Haul upgraded us to a 17' truck; we could almost have put the Malibu inside and still had enough room

getting a little more sparse in the apartment; no pictures of us carrying the love seat, bookcases, TV, desk or TV stand

down to the bare walls

Oh, yeah, Dad, we have to clean the whole place, too, duh!

the last night's arrangement

this is all the fuller we could load it; one layer and nothing over the cab

8/9/08 - Phase 4: The Drive to Chicago. Hooking up the car amid high anxiety

OK then, this is it

the first of 6 gas stops; this is where the car got stuck on the bumper post and we had to back up (a U-Haul no-no); it took three tries; first and last problem enroute

a long uneventful ride with Dad; picture taken while driving 70 mph somewhere in Nebraska, just to keep the adrenaline going

a happy reunion at Jon & Anna's in Waukegan

Jon outdoes himself with the smoker and 2 grills - smoked brisket, chicken and grilled shrimp; it was worth the drive!

Emma gets her graduation present - her longed for laptop; a Sony loaded up and fine tuned by Will

what it looks like when the camera timer goes early

a final group shot, including Poindexter

Copyright © 2008 Will Grauvogel. All Rights Reserved.

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