Colorado – Pellegrini Page

Camping in Colorado

All about our Colorado Summer 2024 trip, plus a few more fun things going on in our worlds.

At the beginning of this month, our family enjoyed an amazing trip to Colorado. We were gone for 10 days, which was the longest we had ever been away from home as a family. Before getting into the details of the trip I want to thank Grandma and Grandpa Martin for being such gracious hosts. They made sure we had all kinds of fun things to do at their house, and having their RV to camp in was very nice. They showed us places that the kids and I had never seen before, let the kids take four-wheelers and other vehicles out whenever they liked, and I even got to go out on a motorcycle ride with Tom one afternoon. It was our first time visiting Colorado outside of winter and turned into a trip that we will never forget!

The plan was to spend the weekend camping in Estes Park, which is just outside of the Rocky Mountain National Park. Each day we would go into the park for hiking and sightseeing, and then most evenings we would go into town to shop and eat. Estes Park is a charming little town that reminded me of my childhood summers at Lake Chelan. It’s probably most well known as the home of the Stanley Hotel, which was the birthplace of the Stanley Steemer and was featured prominently in the cult-classic movie, “The Shining”. Jessica spent a lot of time there as a kid and was so excited to show these places to us that she frequently got choked up. Her grandparents used to own multiple properties in Estes Park, so it was reminiscent and special for her to now be there as an adult with her own family.

We drove up to Colorado the previous weekend on a Sunday, then I worked from their house Monday through Wednesday before taking Thursday and Friday off for our camping excursion. Grandpa Tom had the four-wheelers, dune buggy, and mini bike all ready to roll as soon as we got there. By day two the kids needed no help in firing each one up and taking off around the property. It would always crack me up when I’d look outside and suddenly hear them roaring up towards the house, chasing each other on one motorized vehicle or another. They’d be screaming and laughing the whole time, living their best lives and making lasting childhood memories.

On Tuesday afternoon, Tom and I took their Harley’s out for a 60-mile ride through the canyons. There was a winding river next to us on one side and sheer vertical mountain walls on the other. It was also my first time riding a motorcycle in seven or eight years and was easily one of the most beautiful rides I have ever done. At one point a gorgeous red Ferrari passed us in the canyon going the other way. It certainly reinvigorated my love for motorcycles, so I made sure to tell them that if they ever decide to part ways with one of those Harley’s to please let me know.

On Wednesday afternoon everyone but me spent the day at Grand Lake. I had to work and wasn’t able to join them but they had a nice time at the lake, as well as exploring the town. The pictures were beautiful and they enjoyed some delicious pizza for lunch, so I hope to be able to check it out next time.

On Thursday morning we drove the RV and our van to Estes Park. The town is located just east of Rocky Mountain National Park, so getting there means we had to enter the park on the west side and go all the way up a mountain pass, then descend that mountain on the other side. At one point we were up at 13,000 feet elevation! Some of those windy and narrow mountain roads make me nervous because there’s a huge drop-off only a few feet away, but we took it slow and careful. The views up there were incredible, so we stopped a few times to take it all in. Here’s a photo from our first stop, near the top of the mountain.

The Pellegrini Family at Rocky Mountain National Park

Once we were settled in our campsite we decided to check out the town of Estes Park. We had a nice lunch, then split up for some shopping. I felt like this was a perfect time and place to get Enzo his first pocket knife, so that became our mission for the afternoon. We bounced around from shop to shop until we found the right one. I thought of it as a right of passage, and it reminded me of similar experiences with my own Dad. I still have the first pocket knife he got me from a small town on the coast of Washington, and I’m sure Enzo will always keep his as well.

He learned how to flick his knife to open the blade and spent much of the remainder of the trip showcasing his newfound skill. The knife has “Colorado” branded on it, and there’s a cutout of an elk with big horns in the blade. Here he is practicing with it on a hike.

Enzo Pellegrini and his first pocket knife

The next couple of days were spent hiking and sightseeing in the park. There were so many wild animals to enjoy, including tons of elk, birds, chipmunks, deer, and even a moose or two! Our first day of hiking took place at Bear Lake, which is one of the most popular attractions in the park. It sits at a high elevation so you have to take a bus up there, then once you arrive there are various trails to explore. We first did a short hike around the lake, then took on the vertical portion and headed up the mountain. It wasn’t a particularly hard hike, especially for someone as experienced as Jessica, but the rise in elevation combined with that thin mountain air is enough to get a little burn going in your lungs.

It was immediately apparent to me why this is such a popular attraction. Whether you were near the lake or going up the mountain, the scenery was incredible. I had my camera out and tried to get as many good shots as possible. There was a surprising amount of snow still around, but it didn’t feel cold at all. We stopped several times to rest and view different rivers, waterfalls, and scenic outlooks. We had lunch at the top, took a few more photos, then made our way back down. It was easily the best day of hiking I have ever experienced and I’m glad I was able to document it with so many photos. Here are some of my favorites.

Ava Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Elise and Michael Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Enzo and Michael Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Elise Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Ava and Elise Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Jessica Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Michael Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Family hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Michael and Jessica Pellegrini hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

The Pellegrini kids hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park

Elise Pellegrini at Rocky Mountain National Park

Enzo Pellegrini at Rocky Mountain National Park

Family photo at Rocky Mountain National Park

After leaving Bear Lake we visited a beautiful waterfall with the cleanest mountain water I have ever tasted. We had a bit of a scare when Ava started hiking up the mountain and disappeared for a while. Jessica and I had to go up there looking for her and eventually found her at the top of the waterfall. We were not pleased in the moment but it’s another one of those things that we won’t forget. Here are a few photos from that portion of our day.

Jessica and Michael Pellegrini at Rocky Mountain National Park

Elise and Jessica Pellegrini at Rocky Mountain National Park

Grandma and Grandpa at Rocky Mountain National Park

We did another hike on Saturday morning at a much less populated trail. It wasn’t as scenic as Bear Lake but we did see some nice rivers and rushing rapids. Our timing was excellent because a big rain storm rolled in right as we were ready to head back to the campground. While there were intermittent rain showers throughout our trip, this one was by far the biggest. It really poured down on us, so we spent the afternoon napping and reading in the RV. That evening there was a little concert at our campground’s lodge so we all went to check it out. It was a trio of older musicians who sounded good and were clearly having a blast performing, so it was a nice way to spend our Saturday night.

On Sunday morning we rode the Mustang Mountain Coaster, which was a blast. It’s a new attraction that Jessica found online and we decided we had to check it out. Enzo was the only one who couldn’t ride alone, so he rode with me. As we were ascending the mountain our adrenaline started pumping and he asked me if he could swear. I would normally always say no but due to the circumstances I said yes. Little did I know he would be cursing like a sailor the whole way down the mountain. I didn’t even know he could speak that way and kept telling him to stop because I was filming the ride, but it added to the humor of the situation. It kinda sounds like I’m swearing as well but I wasn’t. That was just me screaming out in a combination of terror and joy. Here’s the video we made.

After the mountain coaster we drove around for a bit. Amy and Tom took us to an old country store who is famous for their cinnamon rolls. We then got to see the property that Jessica’s grandparents used to own in the 1990’s. It was a bit emotional for Jessica to be back there, but again, also quite special to be there with the kids. After that we had to split up because they had the campsite for one more day but I had to get back to the house so I could work on Monday.

Jessica and I drove the van down to Boulder and spent the afternoon shopping in the Pearl Street pedestrian mall. It was a perfect afternoon to walk around. We were stopped by a monk and chatted with him for a while, then purchased one of his books. There was also a Jewish food festival going on. I got a new hat and necklace while Jessica got a really nice hiking backpack. That evening we drove to Golden, home of the Coors brewing company, and had an excellent dinner at an Indian restaurant, then made our way back up to Amy and Tom’s house.

Monday was our final day before heading home on Tuesday, but we managed to do one more special thing before leaving. Tom let me take the Jeep out and teach Ava to drive! There’s plenty of open space out there, and the roads are private, so it was the perfect setting. I have fond memories of learning to drive with my Mom, Uncle Jim, and my sister Dana, so it was great to come full-circle and be the teacher. I stayed calm, and honestly, she did a great job. It was something that we’ll never forget and I’m glad to have it captured on video.

Overall, it was an epic trip that we will always remember fondly. I loved getting to experience Colorado outside of Winter and I feel like I finally got to see the true beauty of the place. Certainly Winter is beautiful as well but for me, this was really special. We’re already thinking about when our next visit will be, and again, a huge thanks to Amy and Tom for going out of their way to make this such a special experience for us! Here are some more pictures from our trip.

Elise and Grandpa driving the dune buggy

Enzo washing one of his new rock crystals

Jessica Prepares for Testing

Jessica has been working hard during Summer break to prepare for her entrance exams. Her masters program begins in September and she has three tests to take, so she sets aside daily study time and will soon be taking the math test. Reading and writing tests will soon follow, but the good news is that the tests don’t have to be completed before classes begin, and there’s no limit to how many times you take the test. It’s all about putting in the work and she has already proven that she is more than willing to do that.

Family Biking Adventures

Ever since Jessica got a new bike on Memorial Day we have been going on regular bike rides. There have been a handful of rides which have included at least one child, and one or two where all five of us went, but more recently it has become something that Jessica and I do together. We have done at least a 10 mile ride on each of the last 3 weekends, and yesterday’s 12.5 mile ride was our longest yet. Living in Henderson is great for bike rides because there are so many trails, paths, and bike lanes available; you just have to time it right with the weather because it has been extremely hot lately.

Michael’s New Job

I have been working at Unabated Sports for about a month and a half now and I’m loving it. After spending 12 or 13 years working in corporate America it’s so nice to work in an environment that is totally non-corporate. I love the team I’m working with and can say with confidence that I have never been a better software engineer than I am right now. Not only am I learning new things at work, but my workflow has been revolutionalized by the use of AI. It’s basically a requirement for us to use AI in our workflow and they provide us with a Claude.ai team membership. It’s similar to Chat GPT, but better in my opinion. Now, whenever I run into code that I don’t understand, or when I’m stuck on a coding problem, I just ask Claude about it. Also, when I’m working on any type of repetitive task I give the details to Claude and it finishes it for me. I even use it for stuff in my personal life. The AI revolution is in full effect, and if you figure out how to harness it, you’ll be amazed at the results and productivity gains.

Beyond all the workflow stuff, I’m just truly loving the work I do. Literally every day now has a component of sports and sports betting for me. I’ve never been more successful betting on sports, but more importantly, I’m one of the lucky ones who wakes up literally 7 days a week excited about the work I’ll be doing that day. On the weekdays it’s all about Unabated work, then on the weekends I focus on Cappers. I’m already taking so many learnings from Unabated and applying them to Cappers, so it’s a very exciting time for me.

Enzo and Michael’s Final Baseball Game of the Season

Part of the reason I waited until the last day of June to do this post was because today was our final baseball game of the season. There’s actually one more game on July 14th, but that’s Elise’s 11th birthday so I won’t be able to make that one. It’s been a blast out there playing for the past few months, especially since Enzo joins me for almost every game. He doesn’t have any other activities going on these days so I think he looks forward to the games just as much as I do. I know the guys love having him there to kid around with and he seems to eat it up.

Today was the first time Jessica, Ava, and Elise came to a game, so it was great having them there to cheer us on. I started the game at catcher, which was a first for me, and I played the first 3 innings there before they switched things up. No one plays a full game at any position these days due to the heat, but I did pretty decent behind the plate and it was a cool way to finish the season.

While I very much enjoyed myself this season, I’m not totally sure if I’ll be playing next season or not. On one hand, I have made friends on the team and love getting out there every weekend, especially since it’s a special thing that Enzo and I get to do together, but on the other hand, I’m about to turn 44 years old and playing baseball is hard on my body. Not surprisingly, I have a variety of little nagging injuries that I’m constantly dealing with, and I know from my experiences playing hockey years ago that something more serious could happen at any time. It’s also about a 4 hour time commitment when you factor in the time to get there, warm up, play the game, and come home. I know that if I decide to stop, that will be it for my baseball career, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I commit to playing again in the Fall, but I also have the option of playing on my friend’s slowpitch softball team, so I might consider that. Obviously it would be easier on my body, but again, if I quit playing hardball that’s going to be it, so I may tough it out for one more season. Only time will tell. Here’s a picture with me and the kids after today’s game.

Exciting Stuff Coming Soon

We like to stay busy during the Summer, so it seems like there is always something, or several things, to look forward to. First up, we have Grandpa Rick coming out to visit next week for the 4th of July. He will be in town for several days and we have some fun stuff planned during his stay. The following weekend we will be heading down to Phoenix for Elise’s birthday weekend. Our plan is to leave on the morning of Thursday, July 11th, then head home the evening of Saturday, the 13th. It’s only about a 4.5 hour drive so that’s nothing for us. The AJR concert will be in downtown Phoenix on Friday night, so we have Thursday and Saturday to do whatever we want.

Originally we were considering staying at a hotel in downtown Phoenix, but once we discovered the Hilton Phoenix Resort at The Peak, which is about 15 minutes north of downtown, we decided that would be a better fit. The resort features a water park, lazy river, mini golf, and more, so it gives us plenty of things to do if we wish. I’m sure we will spend at least one afternoon at the water park, but we don’t have any concrete plans other than attending the concert on Friday night.

The week after that our good friends the Palmers are coming down from Washington for their annual Summer visit, then a couple weeks later we will be heading to San Diego to visit Auntie Dana and Uncle Brad for some much needed SoCal beach time! We have lived in Henderson for 3 years now, yet this is our fourth Summer, and it’s definitely shaping up to be the best one yet. Not a day goes by that I don’t realize how fortunate we are to be able to live the lives we live. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next month.

Spring Break in the Mountains

All about our 2024 Spring Break in Colorado!

Overall, March has been a good month for us, but I’ll go ahead and get the bad news out of the way first. Jessica’s Grandma Sherry passed away at the beginning of the month, which is about 9 months after the passing of her husband Larry. The two of them were married for 67 years and the family always said once one of them goes, the other won’t be far behind. This turned out to be true.

Obviously, it was very sad news to receive, and the timing was especially difficult because Jessica had already made plans to visit her in Iowa. She knew the time was coming and wanted to get one more special visit in, but unfortunately, Sherry couldn’t hang on long enough. Jessica decided to keep her Iowa plans and will be flying there this Friday. She’s looking forward to spending time with her Dad, as well as driving over to Illinois to spend some time with her friend Laurel. From my perspective, I will always have fond memories of Larry and Sherry spending Christmas 2010 with us in San Diego. It was our first year of marriage, as well as our first Christmas in San Diego, and having them spend a week with us in our tiny beach shack was something I’ll never forget. My condolences go out to Amy and family; she was a great woman and always played a special role in Jessica’s life.

Now that the sad news is out of the way, we’ve got a lot of good things to get into. At the beginning of March, the kids and I attended the NASCAR race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. None of us had ever attended anything like this but we had a great time. I never used to be a big NASCAR fan but after seeing it in person I feel like I totally get it. It’s hard to describe the sensation of seeing those cars go thundering by at 160 mph! The sights and sounds are very exciting, and since then I have watched every race on TV. There’s another Las Vegas race in late October and we have already made plans to attend it with Grandma and Grandpa Martin, who will be driving down from Colorado at that time.

Our Colorado Roadtrip

Speaking of Colorado, we had an excellent Spring Break vacation there and are already planning another visit in June. We drove up on a Friday, and without meaning to, ended up stopping at all of the exact same places we stopped at during our first Colorado road trip for Christmas 2022. It was unbelievable and totally unplanned.

We stopped at the same little gas station in Joseph, Utah with the cleanest bathrooms and an excellent candy selection. Then we stopped at the same rest stop with a scenic view in Central Utah. We even had lunch at Starvin Arvins again, which is a little diner in Fruita, Colorado. The first two-thirds of the drive was perfect and gorgeous. It was a beautiful sunny day and I can never get over how beautiful the scenery in Utah is.

Shortly after lunch, as we were just beginning to ascend the Rocky Mountains from the west side, we started seeing signs saying I-70 was closed at Vail Pass. It sounded like there was a snowstorm up there but we later learned that a pair of semi trucks had jackknifed, causing a massive slowdown on the interstate. Jessica immediately started researching alternate routes and then got on the phone with Grandpa Tom to get his advice.

We ended up getting off I-70 and took a little two-lane highway for the remainder of the trip. Around 90 minutes before sunset we started noticing a lot of deer out and about. They were eating plants and we ended up seeing hundreds of them. It was an awesome sight to see, but my biggest concern was that one would come onto the highway. A while later we came around a bend and about 150 yards ahead I could see a deer on the highway. It wasn’t in my lane, but this was a two-lane road so I started slowing down.

Beyond the deer, I could see a blue Subaru sedan approaching and it seemed like it had plenty of time to slow down but it didn’t work out that way. They slammed on their brakes but it was too late. Right as we were approaching they hit the deer and all I can say is that it was an awful thing to see. I have never seen something like this before and also never witnessed so much carnage. It all happened so fast but I could see there were two adults in the car and that they were able to safely pull over on the side of the road.

For a second I thought maybe I should stop but there were multiple factors that caused me to keep going. First, I had no idea where we were so I didn’t think I could be of much help. I knew there were two adults in the car so it wasn’t like someone was dealing with this alone, and their car wasn’t totaled so they were in control after the collision. I also didn’t want to expose my children to that type of carnage, plus we had already been on the road for 11 hours at that point. We were getting tired and I felt like my number 1 priority was to get them safely to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I felt bad about not stopping but based on all those factors it seemed clear to me that I needed to stay the course. It was hard though, and I can still vividly remember exactly what that collision looked like.

We arrived safely at Amy and Tom’s house about an hour later but it was a little strange because they weren’t there. As soon as they knew Sherry was close to passing they had to get back to Iowa as quickly as possible. This was a Friday and Sherry’s service was scheduled for that Monday. Their plan was to fly home on Monday evening after the service, so we knew we would see them on the back half of our trip, but for this first night, it was just us in their beautiful mountain home.

On Saturday morning we let the kids play in the snow for a bit, then we made the drive down the mountain and into Denver. Although I have been to Colorado several times, those trips have always been up in the mountains, so my only Denver experience before this was related to the airport. We arrived in Denver before our hotel was ready for us to check in, so we ended up hanging out in this really cool little neighborhood on Tennyson St. Our lunch at Vital Root was excellent, and then we enjoyed walking around for a bit.

The hotel was nice because it was right in the heart of Denver and we had a corner suite on the 12th floor. There were two bedrooms so we gave the kids the room with all the windows. It was so cool seeing them lying in bed with an expansive view of Downtown Denver.

That night the five of us walked to the Summit Music Hall for the Moon Taxi concert. We arrived right when the doors opened, which was an hour before the opening band was scheduled to go on, and immediately made our way to the front of the stage. Enzo and Elise were right on the rail at the very front, while Ava, Jessica, and I were directly behind them. We held our ground and kept that spot for the entire show, even when it started getting crowded. Small venues like this are the absolute best way to see a concert and the kids had never experienced anything like it, so we had a lot of fun.

Moon Taxi played all of our favorite songs and also did some unexpected covers. At one point the drummer had to replace the head on his bass drum so the singer started playing “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes. Immediately the whole crowd joined in and we all sang together. It was such a fun show that we will never forget, but my favorite part was when the singer reached down to Enzo near the end of the show to give him his guitar pick and a fist bump. It was amazing. Enzo was afraid he would lose it so he gave it to me to hold onto. Every few hours for the next two days he would say “Dad, do you still have my guitar pick?”

The walk back to our hotel was a little chilly but we stopped at a pizza food truck for a few slices, and then made our way back to the room to talk about our favorite parts of the show.

On Sunday, we had a free day to explore Denver. We lucked out with beautiful sunny weather in the mid-60s and bounced around to a few places. We visited a little art walk, then took the kids to play at a park. You could tell the locals were loving the weather because everyone was out walking a dog in shorts and t-shirts.

Denver is a really cool city with an interesting mix of old west history and modern eclectics. They have a great food scene and it seems like everyone has a dog. For our Sunday afternoon, Elise and Jessica went to Meow Wolf while Ava, Enzo, and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather by playing 36 holes of mini golf at an outdoor course.

That evening we enjoyed some of the best pizza of our lives at Red Tops Rendezvous. It’s Detroit-style pizza and was easily the best deep-dish pizza we have ever had. We have already decided that any time we return to Denver we will have to eat there again.

On Monday morning we drove back up to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The kids spent the day playing in the snow, and then later that night Amy and Tom arrived from Iowa. We then spent the entire day on Tuesday outside in the snow. The kids did a bunch of sledding and built two snowmen, plus we got to ride four-wheelers. It was a perfect way to end the trip and we’re looking forward to getting back up there in June.

We drove home on Wednesday and ran into every type of weather imaginable. A big storm was coming in and we’re lucky we left when we did because parts of Colorado got up to 3 feet of snow! It was their biggest storm in 3 years and we barely made it out in time. We made our way through the beginnings of the snowstorm as we were heading down the mountain on Wednesday morning, which then turned into a heavy rainstorm once we got to a lower elevation.

Shortly after making it into Utah, we found ourselves in a big hailstorm, then as the day progressed there were two strong windstorms. Despite all this crazy weather we still made it home in 10.5 hours, which was record time. We opted not to stop for lunch and just eat in the car, which saved time but still managed to once again stop in all of the exact same places for gas and bathrooms as we did on the previous trip. It was unbelievable.

Since getting home from Colorado things have been great. Ava is busy with softball and I’ve been an assistant on the team, while Elise has been doing choir, running club, and acting classes. She is also interested in playing softball and is currently planning on joining a team for the Fall season. I’m going to work with her between now and then to get as prepared as possible. We’re still looking for some new activities for Enzo to engage in so hopefully that happens sometime soon.

This week Jessica and I will celebrate our 14th anniversary, although we’re holding off on the actual celebration until she returns from Iowa. She leaves this Friday and comes back on Monday, so my Mom will be coming to the house to hang out with us for the weekend. Another exciting thing for Jessica is the fact that she was nominated for Support Professional of the Year for the Clark County School District! I’m so proud of her and it goes to show that she found the perfect thing after moving down here. We will be attending the awards ceremony in April, and regardless of how it turns out, she has a lot to be proud of.

Easter Morning

Today is Easter so we did our annual egg hunt. Normally we would do it in our backyard but it was rainy yesterday so we decided to do it indoors this year. Jessica did a little homage to her Grandma this year by including a scavenger hunt for the kids. Sherry used to do this for the grandkids back in the day and our kids loved it! The rest of our day will be pretty chill but Jessica and the kids had Friday off school, and they have tomorrow off as well, so it’s a nice 4 day weekend for them. Here are a few photos from this morning.

Upcoming Plans

As I have already mentioned, we will be going back up to Colorado to stay with Grandma and Grandpa in June. We’re still figuring out the dates but I’m excited because it’s a nice getaway for us and we can drive there in a day. All of my Colorado trips have been during the winter so I’m excited to see it during the nicer weather.

Our other big plan for this summer is that we will be spending a weekend in Phoenix for Elise’s birthday. Once again, we’re traveling to see one of our favorite bands perform. We love a band called AJR and had a great time seeing them in Vegas at SEMA Fest, which was a big part of Ava’s 12th birthday last November. We were looking at AJR’s tour schedule and saw they were playing a show in Phoenix two days before Elise’s birthday this July, so we decided to go. It’s only about 4.5 hours to drive down there and we’ve never spent time there, so it should be a lot of fun.

That’s about it for now. Here’s a little video collage I made from our Spring Break trip to Colorado.

Christmas in Colorado, 2022

All about our Christmas 2022 road trip to Colorado. We spent a week at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in the mountains, playing in the snow and enjoying the season.

Our family recently returned from a week at Grandma and Grandpa Martin’s home in the Colorado Rocky mountains! We hadn’t been to their place in a few years, and the kids were really hoping for a white Christmas this year, so we decided to make a road trip out of it. Most of our time up there was spent playing in the snow, sledding, ice skating, and lounging around the house.

It’s a 725-mile drive between our homes, and I was able to do it in about 11 hours both times. We left our home in Henderson at 3:45 am on Tuesday, December 20, with the goal of arriving at Grandma and Grandpa’s house before dark. The drive was surprisingly easy until you start ascending the Rocky Mountains. You basically just take I-15 north out of Las Vegas, which then dips through the northwest corner of Arizona for about 20 minutes before taking you into Utah. Once you’re halfway up Utah, you get on I-70 East, which takes you all the way up into the Rockies.

We’ve never done this drive before because almost all of our road trips involve going to California, but I have to say, this was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever experienced. Central Utah has the most incredible natural rock formations I’ve ever seen, and that was just what was visible from the freeway! I have to say; I really like Utah. Every time I’m there, it seems like they have the friendliest people and some of the cleanest public bathrooms, plus the roads are always empty, and gas is cheap. We couldn’t believe how little traffic there was in Utah on both ends of our trip. The same could not be said for Colorado or Nevada.

Once you get into Western Colorado, it’s still a couple hundred miles before you get into the Rocky Mountains. This was our first time ascending the Rockies from the west side because we normally always fly into Denver, then drive up into the mountains coming from the east. This was my first time seeing Vail, which looked beautiful. By the time you reach Grandma and Grandpa’s house, you have crossed four or five mountain passes, so you really need to be alert for the final stretch of that drive. They live 15 miles up a private mountain road, and that stretch of driving is by far the most intense part of the trip. That’s why I insisted on leaving so early and arriving before dark. It worked out perfectly, too; we arrived right at sunset, and just over 24 hours later, a major snowstorm rolled through.

The Pellegrini family at a beautiful rest stop in Utah. — Taking in the beautiful sights of Utah during a quick rest stop

Getting Settled at Grandma and Grandpa’s house

Our first full day in Colorado was spent at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Actually, every day except one was spent at their house because it’s a bit of a production going into town was this big of a group because you have to take two cars down (and back up) the mountain. On that first day, we mostly just went sledding and played in the snow. They have an epic snow hill on a private road adjacent to their property. Since it’s not a county road and no mail/delivery trucks will go down it during the snowy season, the neighbors all regularly groom it for sledding.

From the sledder’s perspective, the best part about it is that you don’t have to walk back up the hill after each run. We bring four-wheelers over there and give everyone a ride back up the hill, which became my defacto job the whole time we were there. I enjoy riding the four-wheelers in the snow and spinning around, but I have to admit, there were times when it would lose traction and start to slide down the hill, causing me to slightly panic because it reminds me of the time I totaled my car in the snow. Everything was fine, though. We had a few sledding collisions at the bottom of the hill, but nothing serious.

Sledding and 4-wheeling at the Grandparents' house — Doing my four-wheeler duties during a sledding session.

Besides sledding, another activity we did several times throughout the week was taking a hay ride around the neighborhood behind Grandpa’s tractor. Tom is a very talented mechanic who loves to keep busy with various projects. He found this old tractor abandoned in the woods. It didn’t run and was in pretty sorry shape then, but he brought it home, fixed it all up, and painted it; now it runs like a champ and looks great!

The whole area around their property is like a private winter wonderland. We really enjoyed riding around and getting a tour of the whole area. The key is to do it in the right weather. Obviously, it always appears cold out there due to all the snow, but the temperature swings that we experienced during our week there were extreme. After the big storm hit, we experienced night-time lows that were about five below zero. The day after the storm, it was in the single digits all day, and it was way too cold to do anything outside. Ava and I went sledding for a little bit, but within an hour, we had to come inside because of the extreme cold.

For comparison’s sake, we had other days during the trip that reached the mid-thirties. I realize that also sounds cold, but when you’re dressed for an outdoor winter outing, anything above thirty degrees feels pretty warm. Those were the days when we spent a lot more time outdoors.

Grandpa Tom's restored tractor — The view from a hayride on Grandpa’s tractor

Ice Skating at Keystone

Our one big outing of the trip came on Christmas Eve when we went to the Keystone ski resort for some outdoor ice skating. They have the country’s largest outdoor ice skating rink, and this was our second time going there. We went there during our last Colorado Christmas trip, and at that time, I was playing hockey regularly, so we skated a lot more, and I was able to get into a pickup hockey game.

This time we took it a lot slower because we were out of practice with skating. That said, I was impressed with Ava’s skating, considering she hadn’t been on the ice in about a year. All the years of hockey practice have done her well, and it was great seeing her out on the ice again. We’re still holding out hope that she decides to get back into hockey, but we wouldn’t force it on her. That last team was too intense, but maybe we can find a better option.

Elise and Enzo aren’t as comfortable on the ice as Ava, but they both did great out there. At first, Elise used bars to hold onto, but I couldn’t believe how fast she would get going with them. Eventually, she started skating without the bars and did very well. Enzo also had a lot of fun out there, but I think his favorite part was to get going fast, then drop and slide on the ice as far as possible.

Skating out there on a frozen lake is way different than skating in an indoor ice arena. First of all, lake ice is much harder than arena ice, and you can feel the difference in the blades of your skates. Next, and this is actually the bigger differentiator, is that the lake ice has big divots where chunks of ice are missing. I ended up falling once out there because the toe of my skate went into a divot. You really have to watch where you’re going, but the divots are easy to miss, and if you hit one the wrong way, you’re definitely going to fall. I was skating pretty carefully due to the fact that I was out of practice and not wearing any protective gear besides a helmet, so I felt lucky coming out of there with only one fall.

I’ll admit it can be a little scary because the lake ice has these huge cracks going all the way down. You can see that the ice is about three feet thick, and obviously, falling through would most likely be fatal, but they groom it with a full-sized Zamboni. Those things probably weigh more than a car, so if the ice can hold that thing, I don’t think there’s too much to worry about.

We should start going skating as a family more often. We were doing it regularly for a while back in Washington, and there are plenty of options now that we live in Nevada. It’s a fun, healthy activity for everyone, and it’s safe as long as you wear the appropriate gear.

The Pellegrini family ice skating at Keystone, Colorado

Ava and Mom ice skating at Keystone — Ava and Mom out on the ice

Christmas morning

We were up early, as expected, on Christmas morning. Grandma had picked out matching pajamas for everyone, we had a nice fire going, and the kids were super excited to open their presents. Everyone was very happy; the kids each received some new clothes, Pokemon trading cards, and a big Pokemon wallet to hold all their cards. Elise got a hoverboard, then Ava and Enzo got attachable seats for their hoverboards. There were several other things as well, but the biggest gift for each kid was a brand-new iPad.

They had been using the kids’ Kindle Fire tablets for the past two years, and we felt like it was time for them to graduate onto a premium device. We got each iPad engraved with their name and an emoji that suits them. Ava’s has a heart, Elise’s has a unicorn, and Enzo’s has a thumbs up. They were thrilled with them and continue to thank us daily. These are by far the nicest devices they have ever used.

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house, getting into our new stuff, playing games, and cooking. My Mom got me a really cool drone for my birthday this year, so I brought it along for the trip. On Christmas afternoon, I went out to fly it around their property and got some great footage of their property. Once again, Ava helped me by controlling the camera from my phone while I controlled the drone. The whole time we were there, I was working on a family Christmas video, which you can find below, and the aerial drone footage ended up being the end of my video.

The Pellegrini kids in front of Grandma's Christmas tree

The Pellegrini kids with Grandma and Grandpa Martin on Christmas — Matching pajamas!

The Pellegrini family on Christmas morning, 2022 — I swear I didn’t Photoshop myself into this picture

Heading back to Nevada

The day after Christmas was our last full day in Colorado. It was also the warmest day of the trip, so we spent several hours outside sledding, riding snowmobiles, hiking, and taking tractor rides. It was a very fun and fitting way to end the visit. Then, like the week before it, Tuesday was our day of driving.

I honestly think I could have been a long-haul trucker because I love road trips. Just like on the way there, I had no problem driving us the whole way home in one day. I like being out there on the highway, taking in all the sights, and I like truck stops. You don’t realize how vast and empty much of our country is until you get out there and drive through it.

Getting out of the Rocky mountains was the hardest part of the drive, only because you don’t want to wear out your brakes as you descend the mountain, so you have to be comfortable with downshifting and engine braking. Once again, we had the Utah highways mostly to ourselves. The roads and highways were much busier in Colorado and Nevada than those in Utah.

We were home a bit after dark, and our cats were so happy to see us. We missed them a lot, but they were fine while we were gone. We had a neighbor come over a few times, and my Mom was nice enough to make the drive to check on them once.

As always, you enjoy the trip, and then you’re happy to be home sleeping in your own bed. We all don’t go back to work/school until Tuesday, January 3rd, so it’s nice to have a few days at home to get stuff done before getting back into the routine.

To all our family and friends, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and happy new year! Here’s the video I mentioned about our trip, as well as some of my favorite photos from Christmas 2022. See you next year!

Elise Pellegrini decorating our Christmas tree

Ava Pellegrini decorating our Christmas tree

Enzo Pellegrini decorating our Christmas tree

The Pellegrini kids opening their stockings on Christmas Eve — Opening stockings on Christmas Eve

Going for a hayride on Grandpa's tractor — Ava and Enzo on a hayride with Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa at their home in Colorado — Thank you for hosting us, Grandma and Grandpa.

Christmas in Colorado

The 5 of us recently returned home from the winteriest and snowiest of Christmas vacations one could possibly imagine. We spent a week at Grandma Amy and Grandpa Tom’s house in the mountains of Colorado, and were joined by: Joel & Melanie, Emily, Derek, and their son Cole, plus Tom’s son Trevor. Although the house was full, Amy and Tom went out of their way to make sure everyone had what they needed, and we ended up having a great week to remember. Before getting into it I just want to thank Amy and Tom again for everything – we had a great time and will remember it forever.

Although the week was good, it started out a little rough. We would normally fly out of the small airport up in Bellingham, but that wasn’t an option this time, so we were stuck with SeaTac. It was a work day and traffic was unreal, so it ended up taking us two hours just to get our car dropped off and shuttled to the airport. On our way down, a metro bus shot a rock into the windshield of our new van, leaving a decent size crack (repair coming tomorrow).

Luckily once we made our way into the airport, things started getting better. Although I generally try to avoid SeaTac airport whenever possible, I have to give credit where it’s due – they did a great job with security. No one had to take their shoes off or pull any electronics out of their bag, you just had to go through a single-file line and allow a dog to sniff you. It was really efficient and they got everyone through security really quickly.

Emily and family had flown in an hour or so before us, so Amy and Tom were there in a big 15 passenger rented van to pick everyone up. It was Thursday the 20th, meaning it was the first day of Winter and the shortest day of the year. By the time we had a quick bite to eat and started pushing through Denver traffic towards the mountains, it was already getting dark. It was pitch black out by the time we reached their house, but Trevor had a fire going and every light in the house was turned on, so it kinda glowed like a beacon in the night.

This was our first time visiting their house, so they gave us a nice tour. It’s a very unique house because it was hand built with logs, and the logs weren’t local, they’re from British Columbia. The house was initially built up there, then deconstructed and transported to Colorado, then reconstructed. Every log had to be sanded and treated, and the house is pretty huge, so the amount of work that was put into building this place just blows my mind. The main living area downstairs is really open, and there’s windows everywhere, so during the daytime the views are gorgeous in every direction. There’s also decks going around the whole house, so you can sit outside anywhere (including the hot tub) and soak up the mountain air. Upstairs is mostly bedrooms and a tv area, but they also have a pool table up there, which I enjoyed.

Just across from the house is Tom’s garage/workshop, and it’s incredible. The RV is parked in there, along with the motorcycles, four wheelers, dune buggy, and pickup truck. There’s a nice full-sized bathroom, kitchen, and laundry. There’s a woodworking shop, an office, a huge closet, a loft with couches, tv, and workout equipment, plus a full ski shop with everything you’d ever need for a day on the slopes. There’s two bedrooms: one full of bunk beds for the kids, then one for Jessica and I, then the RV ended up being Joel and Melanie’s bedroom. I’ve never seen anything like it, but it was very cool. Kinda like the ultimate mother-in-law meets the ultimate home garage.

Their house is somewhere between 8,500 and 9,000 feet elevation, and that type of elevation is no joke, so we intentionally had no plans for the first two days we were there. You basically just need a bunch of downtime to allow your body to acclimate. For me I couldn’t sleep at all the first two nights because I couldn’t shake these splitting headaches. I was drinking a ton of water, but it didn’t matter. The difference for me came when Amy gave me a canister of pure oxygen to breathe from. That thing saved me and killed my headaches. After a few days your body gets acclimated and you don’t need the air, but it was crucial during the early part of our trip.

Anyway, Joel and Melanie weren’t going to be there until Saturday, so the plan for Friday was to take it easy around the house. The kids went out sledding that morning (the first time of many), and proceeded to get spoiled by having an adult on a four wheeler there to tow them back up the hill each time they went down. Then later that afternoon Jessica and I decided to take the truck down into town and experience some real pond skating. We went to the community pond, which was right across the street from Silverthorne elementary, and ended up sharing the ice with kids who were out there playing around for their P.E. class.

I had never ice skated outdoors before, and didn’t really know what to expect. What I quickly figured out is that ponds that aren’t groomed with a Zamboni are quite bumpy and hard to skate on. It soon became a game of just trying to stay on your feet and not run into any of these kids, who were all just running around the ice in just their boots. Since everyone in our family now owns ice skates, we just brought all of them along for the trip, and this was the first of multiple times using them.

Saturday was the day Joel and Melanie arrived, and it was also the beginning of all the activities Grandma Amy had planned. We started at the sleigh in Frisco, and were unexpectedly greeted by horses (and riders) who were there doing photos. After meeting the horses we all took turns doing photos on the sleigh, then headed over to this cool little art/pottery shop in town. Basically we had a reservation in their studio to do any kind of painting/glass etching/wood burning activity you could want. Jessica, being the professional art teacher she is, was quite at home in this environment and dove right into helping the kids, as well as making stuff of her own. I’m not quite as comfortable in this type of activity as she is, so I stayed back to take photos, help wash hands, and compliment the various pieces being created.

As things were winding down, Ava and I took a chance to go for a walk around downtown Frisco. There was so much snow everywhere, so Ava kept stomping her boot and yelling “Footprint!”. I’m not sure why I asked, but for some reason I said “So what do you think Aves, you really want to play hockey in the Olympics someday?” and without hesitation she responds “I’m never giving up on my dream Daddy. I’m never giving up.” She had this dead serious tone that was so genuine, it must have brought a tear to my eye because she later told Jessica she made Daddy cry on our walk.

Sunday was without question my favorite day of the trip. Basically most of us headed out to the Keystone resort that morning, then split up. Tom and Trevor went skiing, while our family, Amy, and Emily’s family stuck together. First we visiting the “Chocolate Village”, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s probably 25 feet long and 5 feet deep, featuring a chocolate waterfall, a working railcar system, tons of famous characters and superheroes, huge nutcrackers, and all kinds of random things to try and spot. Everything was made of chocolate and it was unbelievable!

After that we headed down to the Keystone ice rink, which is this enormous outdoor skating area on a frozen lake, but unlike the free pond Jessica and I had visited a couple days earlier, this one is constantly being groomed by a Zamboni. All I can say is it was the best ice I’ve ever skated on. You’re looking down and it’s actually kinda scary because it’s clear straight down. You can’t help but worry for a second about falling through, but when that huge Zamboni drives by without any issue it gives you a little peace of mind.

I ended up renting a hockey stick and puck, just to skate around with, but when we got out there I saw they had an entire area set aside just for hockey. It didn’t take long before I made my way on over there and found myself getting into a pickup game with a bunch of random people. Besides my skates the only gear I had were elbow pads, but it didn’t really matter. No one was geared up, although I quickly figured out that most of these guys I was playing with were much more experienced than myself. It took all I had just to keep up with them, but when you play with people better than you it elevates your own game. The pinnacle for me was scoring just a single goal in the game, even though I’d been out there nearly 90 minutes. You’re up there playing at like 10,000 feet, on the best ice you’ve ever skated on, with unreal mountain views in every direction. As our kids like to say, I was living my best life out there.

My second favorite part about playing hockey that day was breaking my rented stick, which was just a cheap wooden stick. Before getting into the game I was using it to practice slap shots, which probably wasn’t good for it, then after playing in the game for a while, I was battling for a puck, and snapped it like a toothpick. I came skating back into the lodge with the stick in two pieces and Amy busts out laughing. Then Jessica gets this worried look on her face like we’re going to be responsible for it. I just went to the counter and asked for a new one and it was no big deal. After another half hour of hockey, Jessica had to come get me and say she knew I was having the time of my life, but everyone else was hungry and ready to go, so I had to call it a day. It ended up being a day of skating and hockey that was so unique and memorable, so I’m very thankful we were able to make it a part of the trip.

After skating Amy took everyone out for pizza, which ended up being delicious even though our server was clueless. We were able to meet up with Tom and Trevor, then head back up the mountain. Later that night, Tom made a deep fried turkey outside, and I swear it was my favorite thing we ate all week. Same for Jessica. We couldn’t believe how good it was, and if I wasn’t afraid of burning my house down, I’d do it at my house as well. Either way props to Tom, because that turkey was the bomb.

Sunday was Christmas Eve, and we woke up that morning to a heavy blanket of new snow. It must have been going all night because we had gotten dumped on. The plan for that day was to go on a Christmas train with Santa down in Georgetown, which is about halfway down the mountain towards Denver. The problem was that due to all the fresh snow, we didn’t have a safe route down the mountain towards I-70, which is the main freeway you’d take to go towards Denver. So we had to go the long way, with all 13 of us in the rented van.

Jessica and I sat in the furthest back bench seat, which was stupid on our part. There’s no suspension back there, so every bump is jarring, and the good ones make you wonder if you were minorly concussed. The heat was blasting back there, the windows were all fogged up so you couldn’t see out, and it was so bumpy, that for the final 20 minutes of that trip I was just trying to concentrate on not throwing up in the van. It ended up taking 2 hours and 45 minutes to get there, and I think everyone was a bit miserable when we arrived.

As we walked down towards the train station, they had all these fires burning. There was even a guy roasting chestnuts on an open fire, which was incredibly authentic for a Christmas train. It was all quite picturesque, but when the smoke from those fires reached my nostrils, my nausea battle went into overtime. I held it together, but was miserable for the next 15 minutes. Once we got on the train and I was able to sit down and drink some water, and things started getting better. But between that and the altitude sickness earlier in the week, I was hurtin’ a little bit.

The Christmas train ended up being a big highlight of the trip. The kids got a bunch of interactions with Santa, and the views were incredible. It was a bummer trip getting there, but worth it in the end, and something we’ll always remember. We ended up getting a family photo on the train to signify it, then we lucked out on the way home because we were able to take I-70 back up the mountain, meaning the trip home was much shorter than on the way out.

After we returned home from the train, we all had to put it in gear to get setup for a little holiday gathering we were hosting with the neighbors. Everyone started working on putting food out and getting things together, and within 30 minutes the place was ready. It actually felt like we were running a little restaurant together for a minute there.

Their neighbors (and associated family who also came) were all great and I found myself in multiple engaging conversations. We didn’t end up seeing them again during the trip, which was a bummer, but that night was so much fun and we had plenty of delicious food to snack on.

Christmas morning got started early, which was by design. We all met at the tree at 7:00am, which for Trevor (the college kid) was borderline torture. The plan was to open presents early, then have the rest of the day to play, nap, and just hang out. We ended up never even leaving the house, which was fine with everyone considering how busy we’d been. Christmas Day was the sunniest and warmest day we had, so the views that day were insane.

I knew Tom was doing a prime rib that day, and since I had nothing else to do, I decided to basically take on the rest of the holiday meal. It wasn’t that much, but I made a ton of garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable stir fry. It ended up being a really nice chill day, capped off with a nice family meal.

Wednesday was our last full day in town, so Jessica and I decided to get away that morning and do a bunch of outlet shopping in Silverthorne. We ended up getting a bunch of clothes, shoes, and a new suitcase, before enjoying a delicious lunch at Sauce on the Blue. That evening we all made pizza’s at the house, then went out for our last group outing (which ended up being another highlight of the trip) – the Ice Castle in Dillon!

The Ice Castle is this huge castle made entirely of ice, filled with ice slides to go down, tunnels to climb through, enormous icicles hanging in the air, and light shows being shown on ice backdrops. It was cold, but so cool and unique. Everybody enjoyed it, and it was a really cool way to punctuate the trip. After exploring the castle for over an hour, we all went inside to enjoy hot chocolate and compare photos.

Thursday was our travel day, but our flight wasn’t until 9:15pm. It certainly wasn’t ideal to have such a late flight, but the only other option was early in the morning, and we didn’t feel like we could make it. So we basically just hung out that morning and let the kids go sledding one last time. We ended up leaving in the early afternoon, and obviously that was tough. Leaving is always emotional, but in a good way because we really did have an awesome week.

We left early that day because we wanted to head down to Denver and explore a bit. Even though this was my 4th or 5th trip to Colorado, I’d never been to Denver. We took our time driving down the mountain, then started our Denver evening by having dinner at an awesome diner called Steuben’s. I had found this place online and it looked like the perfect place for us, which ended up being the case. It’s a classic American diner originally from Boston that had been redone to have a cool modern feel. The food was excellent (Jessica had the fried chicken and I had meatloaf), great service and atmosphere, very reasonable prices – it was perfect.

After dinner we decided to drive around downtown Denver so we could see as much as possible. A bunch of the buildings were still decorated for the holidays, and there were tons of lights, so we really enjoyed checking everything out. Overall my impression of Denver was that it’s a really cool town with lots of good restaurants and lots of cool stuff to do. I’d like to spend more time there next time if possible.

We ended up arriving early to the Denver airport, which was good, because unlike SeaTac a week earlier, they had us pulling everything out of our bags and taking our shoes off. It’s all typical and makes getting through security with kids a bit hectic, but to their credit, the kids did very well. Unfortunately we found out upon arrival that our flight had been delayed until 9:50, which was a bummer, but there’s obviously nothing you can do.

The flight home was smooth and uneventful, but waking the kids up at midnight to drag them through the airport and wait for our bags was not fun. The bags were delayed, and we were all getting a bit grumpy. Including our ice skates, we had 7 checked bags, plus our carry ons, and we had to catch a shuttle to take us to our van. By the time we got home it was nearly 2:00am and the kids were zombies. We were hoping that they would sleep in the following day, but that simply wasn’t the case. By 8:00am they were all up, because that’s just normal for them.

Friday we were all pretty out of sorts due to sleep deprivation, so we just stayed busy unpacking, cleaning, and trying to get things in order. We went to the gym in the late afternoon, then Costco after. Poor Enzo was so exhausted that he was passed out and drooling all over Jessica’s coat in the shopping cart. Needless to say we were in bed early that night and everyone slept for about 12 straight hours.

Then the following day we drove up north to the Palmer’s house and enjoyed a day of relaxation and football, while they treated us to an incredible holiday meal. Talk about a nice homecoming! By now everyone is officially back to normal, but we still have a few more days to enjoy at home before getting back into our routines.

As expected, it has been an excellent winter vacation that we are very thankful for. Overall I’d say 2018 has been a great year for us. Unlike some recent years, there have been no surgeries or broken bones, we’ve picked up some good healthy new habits, and have had a lot of exciting firsts. If we’re lucky 2019 will go about the same, but I hope it doesn’t go too quickly. To all our family and friends, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!