Denver trip '09, Round Two.

I have returned to my favorite city in the world, Denver, to see the last three Avs games in what has been a dismal season. However, this time I am all by myself, though I do know a few people in town for the games as well. Hopefully I'll have a bit of different stuff to update on (maybe the zoo!), but I'm not exactly sure what my plans are for the trip other than the games.

Day Five Update

In our last day in Denver, we saw the Avs lose a third consecutive game to the Ducks. I'm glad we traveled all the way to Denver to see them lose all three games we were at. However, the moment we had all been waiting for, meeting Mike Haynes(!!!), made the trip the best ever! After the game, we waited outside the arena for Mike to walk out. We got to talk to him for about 10 minutes and he was pretty much the nicest guy ever, along with his partner Peter McNab of course. Luckily, while we were talking with Mike, Peter himself walked out so we were able to get a picture with two of my favorite people in the entire world!!! This was the last thing we did on the trip before heading back to the airport, and it was pretty much the best way to end our wonderful trip to Denver. Until next time..


Mike Haynes and his kids Kiara and Kian, Peter McNab, Paul, and me. Probably the greatest picture I've ever been a part of!


Me, Mike Haynes, the kids, Paul, and my dad. Awesome.


Me and the great JOHN-MICHAEL LILES!

Day Four Update

Day Three Update

Today, the three of us traveled to the Rockies (John Denver was definitely NOT full of shit) to a little town called Estes Park, a place we had visited on our previous trip to Denver. If you want to read more about the town, here is a link to some information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estes_Park

As soon as you get into town, the majestic Stanley Hotel looms over you at the top of a nearby hill. This hotel is supposedly haunted, and was the inspiration for Stephen King's famous novel "The Shining", which of course was made into what some would call the 'scariest movie of all time', starring Jack Nicholson. The hotel, built by F.O. Stanley (inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile) in 1909, was absolutely breathtaking, even 100 years after being built. It sits on a hill, overlooking the entire town of Estes Park with the snow-covered Rockies serving as the backdrop. At first, I was a bit hesitant to visit the hotel, as the stories of hauntings that I've read don't exactly portray the hotel as a 'must-visit' destination on the trip, but after I saw it on the hill, I knew I had to at least go see what all the fuss was about. They have 'ghost tours' that run a few times a day and take you to all the haunted rooms and hallways in the hotel, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time for that today. However, anyone who knows me knows that I love Dumb and Dumber, and The Stanley was used to film all the hotel scenes in Aspen in the movie. I could NEVER stay at this hotel after hearing the stories, but I would definitely love to visit it again someday and take the tour. Here are a couple links to more information about The Stanley:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Hotel
http://www.stanleyhotel.com/index.html

After leaving the Stanley, we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park but decided against going in and driving through the wilderness. On the way back to Denver, we stopped at Jellystone Park, which we had seen on the drive towards Estes Park. It was a campground with statues of Yogi the bear and friends all over the place. They are only open from May to September, so it was absolutely deserted when we were there. We had to hike through a foot of snow to get to some of the statues. You can see pictures with the statues and the destruction we caused to the perfectly laid snow below.

When we got back to Denver, we ate at Cherry Cricket, which is a favorite burger place around Denver. It was great, but not as good as Smash Burger, which might be my favorite burger ever! Tonight, we went to see the Avs play the Leafs. Even though they lost (again), at least they scored a goal (four, to be exact) tonight. It was a lot of fun of course, but we'd love to actually see a win for once. After the game, we went to Old Chicago again with all of our Avs fans. While there, a number of players walked in, including my beloved Ben Guite. I said "hi" to him, of course, and quickly forgot about the loss as I ate my meal a mere 15 feet away from the legend.

Day One Update #2

Tonight, the three of us headed to Pepsi Center to see the Avs take on the Sharks. While, the Avs weren't even able to score a goal, we still had a blast being around all the Avs fans, compared to what we're used to when we go to games back home. After the game, we were awarded the opportunity to be able to go on the Pepsi Center ice. Can you imagine my excitement?! As you'll see below, I was able to sit on the Avs' bench, the penalty box, and center ice! This will definitely go in the books as one of the best nights of my life. Do people really keep books for these types of things? Maybe this blog is my 'book'. Anyway, after our ice escapades, we finally got to eat our first meal at Old Chicago, the restaurant that is constantly advertised during Avs' games on TV. The pizza was great, as was the giant chocolate cookie for dessert. I can't wait to go back on Thursday after the game!

Enjoy the pictures from tonight. I still can't even get over them myself!

Day One Update #1

Before I begin, let me just say that southern California is SO spoiled when it comes to weather. When we landed in Denver, it was eight degrees, and I don't even know how to describe a temperature like that. Wow. We got our rental car and headed to the hotel, checked in, and went to eat at the Ruby Tuesday's down the street. We've been to one in Vegas before, but it has been years since we've eaten there. In my opinion, the food was much better than the restaurant (Friday's) that it rips off. The current Burg count is at one for the trip. After lunch, we drove a couple miles down the road to the strip-mall that my dad owns part of (see: picture below). Right now we're in the room getting ready for the Avs game tonight. I can't wait to boo Blake!

Here are some pictures from our first day in the 'ver:

First travels of 2009!

Hello readers. I write to you from LAX as I wait for my plane to whisk me away to the wonderful state of Colorado for the next five days. To say I'm excited would be the understatement of the century. While there, I will be attending three Colorado Avalanche games, one Denver Nuggets game, and one Colorado Eagles game. I will be constantly updating this blog with pictures and details of my journey, so please enjoy yourself!