B-irthday Yea!

So in addition to learning to walk and really starting to gain momentum in the communication department, our big guy has finally turned two as well! I know; I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by. We’ve also been a bit more sparse than usual regarding blog updates, so I thought I’d try to buck the trend and get some birthday news out on the earlier side.

I’m not sure if it counts as part of the birthday celebration, but we kicked off Benjamin’s weekend by traveling after work for a last camping trip of the year. We picked the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in part because we thought we’d get in easily without a reservation (they don’t take them past Labor Day) and we hadn’t taken either of the kiddos there yet. We also had plans to meet up with the family of one of Jess’s former colleagues from Lynne Rienner.

Thursday night was spent frantically trying to get everything packed for an early departure and lamenting the dissolution of our concert band. We managed to pull most everything together, and I mounted the roof box to Luna under the cover of darkness with the plan of loading it up early Friday morning before leaving for work. Jess took the kids to work then picked them up afterward and finished off the last minute grocery shopping and packing Friday afternoon. Nevertheless, by the time we got dinner and left from my work in Wheat Ridge it was almost bedtime, so we knew it would be late when we got to the dunes.

As it turns out, you cannot count on a spot at the dunes after Labor Day. When we arrived at about 11:00 we discovered a sign at the unmanned entrance station informing us of the full campground and the nearest alternatives. We decided to take a quick loop through just to make sure, but it was just wasted time. Doubling back we decided to check the closest option first, a commercial “resort” behind the nearest store. Under cover of darkness (it was nearly new moon) it was nearly impossible to reconnoiter, so we opted for the nearest state park about 10 miles away. Luckily they had ample room and cool metal wind deflectors over the picnic tables. Those would prove very handy.

It didn’t take us too long to get set up and get the kids to bed, but by that time we were pretty spent. I had been contemplating bringing the telescope as the area is pretty dark, but opted to leave it at home. Although there was less than ideal seeing, the nearly moonless night (we were treated to the thinnest of crescents) and the low level of light pollution still allowed for a nice view of the Milky Way. We sat out looking at the stars and enjoying a beer for a few minutes before joining the kids in slumber. I did manage to see a few nice shooting stars.

The next morning we awoke to extreme winds and otherwise lovely weather. I fired up the camp stove and attempted to brew coffee, make pancakes, and cook sausage, but only really succeeded in heating up the air about two feet downwind of the stove. The coffee never really brewed properly, the pancakes were sorta raw in the middle, and the sausages were probably slightly scary, but nobody complained: much.

A bit after lunchtime our friends arrived and we decided to head straight over to the dunes. The weather was just about perfect. The temperatures were in the 70s, which still felt quite warm, and there was patchy cloud cover to occasionally offer shade. We set out for the first sled-able slopes with Benjamin on my back in the backpack and Phoebe trudging along with mom. She complained that the sand was hot (true), and Jess ran back to the car to get more sunscreen (it was determined that a re-application was a good idea). By the time she re-joined us we were perched atop a moderately tall and steep dune taking turns descending on a saucer sled and our own posteriors. The latter was actually the more effective and fun means of travel. All of the kids had a blast playing on the sand (including Benjamin, who took a little time to warm to the experience), and dad even tried a daring head-first slide on the saucer that ended up leaving emotional scars (and me seeing stars).

After a couple of hours at Colorado’s coolest beach, we were ushered back to the cars by the encroaching thunderheads. We made it back to the parking lot in time to wash off some of the sand in the outdoor showers and duck into our cars before the rain started. When we got back to the campground, the rain had stopped, but our measly tent stakes had failed to fully anchor the tent. I sprang into action to re-secure the tent with stouter stakes against the gale-force wind and set about adding a tarp to the metal wind structure for additional cover.

Diner was bratwurst over the fire and instant garlic potatoes, so I was spared the horror of trying to use the campstove for at least a while longer. We had a bit of time to hang out and ride the bike around the campground before having to get ready for bed. After the kiddos were all asleep there was some relaxing adult time around the fire with beer, and we had a chance to catch up on all of the gossip at Jess’s old office.

The next morning we got up, made breakfast (finishing the eggs just as the fuel sputtered out) and packed up. There were some more sprinkles, so we had to pack up some wet gear, and the continued wind made sure that anything you set down was well out of reach instantly. Despite the challenges, we got everything into the car and were on our way back to town well before lunch. We had planned to get back in time to have Benjamin’s birthday celebration Sunday night, but that’s not quite what transpired.

To make a long story short, between stopping for a lunch/snack (and eventually dinner) and the traffic, a normally 4-1/2 hour drive balloned by roughly 2X. Needless to say it was after bedtime when we finally got home, so the birthday would have to wait.

One thing we’ve noticed with both of our kids is that presents can be overwhelming. I guess this is an embarrassment of riches, but we blame the grandparents! In general the kids can really only handle a couple of presents a day, and this celebration with Benjamin was no different. We ended up stretching the opening process out over most of the following week. Grammy and Aunt Erika were even able to join us for some of the fun over Skype.

September 29

In addition to the usual books which we like to give, Benjamin got a Little Tikes truck which he adores and a cool little truck and track set that he and his sister have been playing with extensively. More books, clothes, and contributions to the college fund rounded out the bounty. We’re really running out of room in the various libraries!