Denver

The journey to stop #52 started earlier than we expected. The boys fell asleep unusually early, which always means one thing – they get up early. However, this time early meant 4a! We took advantage and were on the road by 8a.

About an hour into the drive, both boys had fallen back asleep when we hit a big rain storm. We hoped to drive through it but our windshield wipers got stuck, which made it difficult to drive. Thank goodness for two things – 1. this happened just as we were coming back into cell phone service! 2. There was a covered service station where Damon could pull in and try to fix the wipers. Added bonus, we needed gas anyways, so we filled up while fixing the wipers.

Back on the road, the boys being asleep gave Damon the chance to travel further than we usually do and I got the chance to play with my birthday present – Donkey Kong Frozen Jungle :D.

We arrived at our campsite around 3p and were excited to explore, so we piled into our van. Unfortunately, it was deader than dead. How could this be… we just put in a new battery and got a new alternator. What’s wrong with it this time!?! Lots of discussions between Damon and I didn’t really lead anywhere, so we called for roadside assistance. While we were waiting, Damon remembered our old battery was still in the car, so he used it to jump the car. It worked! Turns out, Damon left the dome light on in the van while we were towing it and it ran the battery down. At least we didn’t have to take it to a mechanic, again.

Still wanting to explore, we got into the van and headed into Aurora, CO (and driving helped to recharge the battery too!). We hit a couple of thrift stores, which were kind of a bust, but mini-man did walk away with a Stitch pillowpet, which he adores. We then hit our closest Walmart and hit the jackpot – it’s big, has sish, and I got a Lego Dimensions Harry Potter for $6!

The next day we had planned for just enjoying the nice weather at our campground when an unexpected thing happened – our living room TV fell down. I was reaching behind it when it popped off its mount. I freaked out – I barely touched it and it came down. After Damon looked at it, we discovered that the TV was only held on my four very small screws. Super glad this happened now and not while we were driving.

Since we needed a new mount anyways, we decided to treat ourselves to a new TV as well. After a bit of driving, and a very frustrating trip to Walmart (it was being reorganized and the place was a mess!), we found an awesome deal on a TLC 55″ TV at Costco. Along the way, we stumbled across a closing Toys-R-Us and scored some toys for the kids – some cute trains (including a sish train) and another Lego Dimension for me (and, yes, there’s still a few sets I don’t have).

After a long day of driving around, we made it back to the RV. I was not in a good mood – Damon and I had a miscommunication on where to meet at our last stop, which left me wondering around the store looking for him. But I wanted the TV up, so I watched the boys while he installed the new system.

It was worth the long day, though. The TV is up and looks great. We even put some fish on for mini-man and he loved it.

The next day we ventured into Denver to visit the Downtown Aquarium. The drive became intense when we got caught in a hail storm! The noise was very scary. We later learned that several tornados touched down in the Denver area. Super glad that we suffered no damage.

Mini-man was very excited to get to the aquarium. However, we instantly got off on the wrong foot. When I visited their website, it only promoted their restaurant. You had to hunt for the aquarium part and had no place to buy tickets. When we arrived, it to half an hour to buy tickets. Not acceptable for a place like this. We’ve been to smaller aquariums that we’re set up better.

Which is sad to have such a bad first impression because when we finally got inside, it was pretty cool.

Each room had theme park level theming and rock work. Tons of fish and lots of things to see. However, it felt rushed and there weren’t a lot of places to just sit and enjoy the fish. I also didn’t enjoy the exit area, which was filled with IAAPA cheap carnival games, making it hard to walk through.

It was a lot of fun, and the boys enjoyed themselves, but it’s not a place I feel the need to visit again.

Our original plan for the following day was to take the boys to the Children’s Museum. Unfortunately, mini-man woke up and starting throwing up. We hoped it was one and done, but he continued to get sick through the morning, so we chose to keep him home. One thing I love about RV living is how flexible our plans are.

I also love our playroom area. It’s been the perfect place for mini-man to relax and try to get better.

While I watched the boys, Damon ran some errands and came back, not only with lunch, but a treasure trove of toys for all of us. He found the boys numerous train sets and got me some coin sheets to organize my Lego Dimensions coins.

The next day mini-man woke up with a fever and felt sluggish, so we made it another home day – we were driving the next day and wanted to make sure that he got the rest he needed.

Fortunately, there was plenty to do in the RV, so I cleaned and prepped for our drive the next day while Damon ran some more errands. Since it’s our last stop with a Costco for a while, he went and stocked up on some items for us.

So while we didn’t get to do everything we wanted in Denver, it was still a wonderful stop. I’m so glad that we’ve gotten the RV to the point that we can enjoy and relax when we need to. Especially now that we have the dedicated play space for the boys. Now back to Wyoming – our first stop on our way to Mt. Rushmore.