Road Trip!

This week I found out how much I am addicted to blogs! My iphone was my only source of internet as I was on a road trip with my sister. It was a tremendous help as we were searching the Celestial Seasonings Tea Co. or hunting down Hammond's Candy Co. But to pull up blogs on such a small screen... well, it is just not the same! I missed reading daily accounts of what's going on in my friends' lives (those I know personally and those I have only recently become acquainted with online).

My sister Jodi has a son that lives in Westminster, CO. She was heading out there to take a load of personal belongings to him. So I hopped on board to tag along. And boy, did we have fun! As we were heading out Sunday morning, we were laughing our heads off before we even got off my road!! We were laughing so much, that she had to stop on the side of the road and wipe the tears from her eyes before she could continue on. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the trip. Ah, I just love sisterhood!

Jodi and I are huge fans of the Food Network and our favorite show is "Unwrapped". We just know that we are the only people that plan our trips around food stops and how different foods are made!

Our first stop on Monday was Johnstown, CO for a "World Famous Cinnamon Roll".

Their roast beef was delicious. As was the breakfasts and other foods that were ordered. When you think of truck stop food, the word delicious is usually not associated. Our tummy's were full but we came for the cinnamon roll... so we had to conquer! Well, it took me a few days to conquer mine. He he! We took them home with us because they were huge!

We enjoyed our first stop immensely and knew we were in for a fun trip! I'm not sure what was so funny, but in this picture I'm trying not to bust out laughing.

On our way...

to our next stop in Boulder, CO.

Celestial Seasonings Tea Co. factory tour, tea sampling room, gift shop and cafe.  We spent the afternoon here.  Jodi was excited about her Lemon Zinger tea sample that was our ticket for the tour.

We enjoyed the sampling room!  =]

The time we spent at Sleepytime Drive and Zinger Street made fond memories for us.

... that will not be soon forgotten.

Tuesday we went to Denver, CO to Hammond's Candy Factory for what seemed like a step back in time.

On this day they were making canes, lolli's (lollipops, not suckers!), and cinnamon & butterscotch pillows... all natural of course.  You can see the excitement and joy in my sister's expressions.  Which is why she is the perfect companion for this kind of trip.

My nephew Jason (on the left) and his buddies enjoying the free candy samples.  They had a good time at the candy factory too!

How awesome that we were able to take pictures in the actual working factory!  In the following picture, they are putting the flavoring inside the cane.  It's actually a separate piece of candy block that gets wrapped up in the color of the cane.

 

Then the candy is put through a machine where it comes out looking like a long rope.  In this next picture, the candy is being cut and hand twirled into a lollipop.

We also got a view of the packaging/shipping area.

Then the real fun began... Shopping for candy!

Yum!  That was a fun time!

We dropped off the boys and headed to the mountains.  In my lifetime, I've only seen the Smoky Mountains in TN.  They are beautiful, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to encounter!

On the drive up the mountain, I was being teased with beauty all around.  I was in awe at every turn.  I kept wanting to stop and take it all in.  Jodi pressed on as she kept telling me to hold on, be patient.

We drove about 4.5 miles up the mountain to Lost Gulch Overlook which is on Flagstaff Road from Boulder, CO.  The view was utterly breathtaking.  All we could do was sit in silence.  I was in AWE!

I wonder how they get to their house... if you can even see it in the picture.

Quietly I just sat and praised God, thanking Him for just a glimpse of the beauty we will one day see in Heaven.  These mountains, this incredible view is His work.  Wow!  I am just amazed at His glorious creation!!

We had to call, text and update facebook status at the top of the mountain.  Just because we could.

The people on top of the rock on the far right-- that's where we spent most of our time.

Coming down the mountain was just as beautiful.

Boulder doesn't look as big now.

Just a few more pictures coming down the mountain.  I know, I know, I get carried away.  It's so hard to choose a few good ones out of the 200+ pictures I took just in the mountains!

Crown Rock

Boulder at dusk from Panorama Point

Colorado is a beautiful state.  I'm so glad I was able to go on this trip!  Even though it was only a four day trip, we packed so much into it.  Besides the tours and drive up the mountains-- we hit some malls, lots of shopping, tried out new restuarants and even had some of Jodi's home cooking!  It was so nice to see where Jason lives, works and goes to school plus meet his friends.  He was a wonderful host.  I'm so proud of him and all he has accomplished thus far!

I'm grateful for a sister that I'm close to.  It was so nice to just visit with her and talk about everything going on in our lives.  I don't even recall a lull in our conversations, even on the long drive.  We always have catching up to do.  I'm thankful for her friendship and the time we spend together.