A winter vacation III (Denver, CO)

After Christmas, we took a road trip to Denver (Arvada to be exact) and spent a week exploring the local area. Finally, we had a successful winter road trip (unlike the previous trip to New Mexico and Colorado). Like they say, third time's the charm.

The open road.

Fueled by Rockstar energy drinks and Albanese gummy bears.

Our sexy black minivan got thrashed by the harsh weather.

Everyone with their New Mexico scratch-off tickets. Elliot won $2.

Ah, we finally made it to our home away from home.

An epic game of Machi Koro.

New Years Eve cupcakes.

Lots of playing outside in subfreezing temperatures.

The boys went tubing.

I got to snowboard (and take a selfie).

The view.

Hanging out at Copper Mountain.

Exploring Olde Town Arvada by foot.

Bundled up and sippin' on hot chocolate.

Elliot discovered pink "festive marshmallow pops" to perfectly match her jacket.

Such a cool store, appropriately called SOCK.

Cereal heaven at The Cereal Box.

Reading at our favorite bookstore, Tattered Covered.

My big girl loves ice cream.

And more food, of course.

List of restaurants/foods (for my sake):
Yellowbelly - awesome fried chicken
Westy's Cafe - ordinary food but super friendly staff; seems like a place only locals frequent
Faifo Pho - pretty legit pho in a modern setting
Mici Handcrafted Italian - good stuff and kids eat free on Monday (a plus with all these mouths to feed)
Hunter's Bay Coffee Roasters - good option if you're in Arvada
Global Goods & Coffee Shop - tiny coffee shop but went for hot chocolate
Manneken Frites - eh, decent frites and hot dogs
Rheinlander Bakery - so many different types of streusels
School House Kitchen and Libations - eh, nothing special; cool decor though
High Point Creamery - you can taste the real mint in the mint ice cream
Novo Coffee - another good option if it's in the area


Our trip by the numbers:
Miles traveled: 2500+
Hours on the road: 34
Scoops of ice cream eaten: 10
Bowls of pho eaten: 10
Bowls of pho spilled: 1


Random notes on this trip:

1. There's a Beard Papa's in Wichita (of all places) so if you're in the middle of nowhere (like Kansas), you can get the "world's best cream puff".
2. Oklahoma City is the pho pun capital of the world. We chose to eat at Pho Bulous and missed out on Pho'Ever and Pho'Nomenal. Haha.
3. Dallas has one thing good going for them... the food hall at The Dallas Farmer's Market. The Rocket e Prosciutto at BellaTrino. The cream filled cornetto at Palmieri Cafe. The ice cream at Coolhaus.  I ♥ this place.
4. The minivan is great. Adaptive cruise control. Navigation with traffic update and arrival time. SiriusXM radio. Bluetooth audio. Rear entertainment with wireless headphones. Ample storage. Remote engine start. Heated seats. The features are endless, which made the long drive fairly painless. Why did I wait so long to get one??