ADTE: Day 3

Happy Fourth of July!

Woke the kids up with the smell of blueberry pancakes. We couldn’t find the syrup anywhere and finally found it in the fridge… I learned something today: cold syrup is gross.

The altitude was getting to me and I started the day with a headache that wouldn’t go away. We didn’t have to break camp since we were spending the day in Denver, and that was nice. We went to Lookout Mountain where you can see 4 states from the top of the mountain and visit Buffalo Bill Cody’s gravesite.

While we were there we went to the Buffalo Bill museum and learned all about “America’s Favorite Son”. What a fascinating man! There were a lot of artifacts and pictures and it was fun to learn more about him. For someone who gave people a look into a bygone era, he was a man ahead of his time. He was vocal in his support for women’s rights and believed in the natives holding onto their customs and treating them fairly. He employed several tribes in his Wild West shows and gained their trust and respect as a friend.

After visiting Buffalo Bill’s grave, we headed into Denver where it was so awesome to meet up with a longtime friend and his fiancé for lunch and a Rockies v Dodger game at Coor’s Stadium. Will and Kristin told us to drink lots of water to help with the headaches… and that simple tip made a huge difference for us. The stadium was beautiful and we went in early to watch batting practice. Mr. John, hoping to get a ball, yelled to Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers, “We drove all the way from California for this game!” Hanley said, “So did I!” Mr. John’s retort? “Don’t lie to me, you flew!” Hanley laughed and threw Mr. John a ball. Then he started chatting with Steven Fife and he asked Mr. John is he was wearing a Boise State hat. He answered yes, and Steven said that was his home town and threw him a ball.
The stadium is full of green seats except for one row on the third deck six rows from the top, which is purple. That row marks the mile high point, and that is where we sat. Cheering for the Dodgers on the Rockies’ turf was fun. There were some scattered Dodgers fans in the crowd. During an inning break we were on the jumbotron and Mr. John did his best Elvis impersonation to Suspicious Minds for the packed crowd. The Dodgers ended up losing, but it was still a fun game.

The evening ended with the most spectacular fireworks show I’ve ever seen. They were fired off so low that it felt like we were IN them! They were huge and synchronized beautifully to all the patriotic songs. Call me a crybaby, but when “I’m proud to be an American” played, I may have gotten a little misty… okay, I’ll admit some undeniable moisture classified as tears slipped out. And then they played “What a wonderful World” and sitting there with my family under the gorgeous fireworks, the kids pointing out all the colors and squealing with delight, it was a perfect moment.

On the way back to our car, we walked to the Capitol building and stood on the stairs marking the mile high point. What a great city! We’re falling in love with every place we visit and it’s been amazing to see our diverse and beautiful country! God bless America!

 

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  2. Audrey July 8, 2013

    Proud to be an American gets me teary too! I thought it was just me. 🙂 Looks like you all are having a blast. Thanks for taking us on your trip!

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