Summer Vacation 2017
Most families don't take their summer vacation in May - but we aren't like most families.
When we lived up north, we often took short family vacations. Now that we live in Florida, it's hard to get away because it takes nearly a day to reach the border. After spending 2016 staying in Florida (mainly Kissimee), we wanted to do something big for 2017.
For months we've been discussing a road-trip to Colorado. We'd tentatively planned to make a 3-week loop to Colorado and back. On the way there, we'd visit family and friends in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri. On the way back, we'd have stops in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. Then, on the weekend that we announced to the world that we were expecting number 8, we started to rethink the wisdom of a 3-week road trip.
We were amazed to discover that we could buy round-trip plane tickets for direct flights from Fort Lauderdale to Denver for as low as $114! We jumped at the chance. Our three oldest kids have flown before (though Lauren doesn't remember) and Nathaniel has flown (but he was an infant). So while we (er, "I") was disappointed at the stops we'd miss, we were excited to be able to fly cross-country together.
We bought the tickets for May. We'd leave the day after my responsibilities at Hobe Sound ended and we'd return the day before the Florida Homeschool Convention. When we told people that we were flying Spirit Airlines, however, they started to tell us stories they'd heard - stories that were confirmed as we did our own online research. We'd already bought the tickets - and they were both overnight direct flights - so we figured we'd just have low expectations and make it work. We were trading 60 hours of driving for 8 hours of flying after all.
We'd done enough research to know the unique billing practices at Spirit - but we played along great. Since each ticketed passenger (including 1-year old Catherine who flew for free) can take along a personal item, each kid took along a backpack. We had one suitcase that was the maximum measurements and we borrowed a second. We paid $160 total for suitcases ($40 each bag each way). We took along our own case of bottled water (TSA allows families traveling with children to bring water) and we ate a big meal - with Grandpa Jim - at the Golden Corral in Fort Lauderdale before leaving.
Our flight was scheduled to leave on Tuesday night at 8:10 pm. The four and a half hour flight straight through to Denver would arrive at 10:27 pm local time (12:27 am our time). We got a great deal on a 12-passenger Ford Transit using our SaveAround coupon book purchased from Hobe Sound Christian Academy and we'd booked a hotel close to the airport on Hotels.com - one with a late check-out, a free breakfast, and connecting rooms.
Due to weather, our flight was delayed nearly an hour - after we'd already boarded the aircraft. Because we didn't pay extra to choose our seats (and didn't feel the need since, by law, the kids had to be sitting with a parent), we were seated in the back of the plane. We found the crew to be friendly and the person seated next to Lisa was moved to another area of the plane, giving us an empty seat for Catherine (who was flying as an infant-in-lap). Then we were notified that because of storms in Oklahoma, we were being rerouted. So, instead of arriving at 10:27 pm local time, we landed after midnight - which was after 2:00 am to us! The kids really enjoyed the take-off - and then fell asleep. Our flight was really a great experience.
On Wednesday morning, we picked up our rental van from Budget and headed to the Microtel Inn. We discovered that we didn't have connecting rooms after all - but we were too tired to care. We slept a few hours but enough of the kids had slept well on the plane that we were up in time for the hotel breakfast. We checked out earlier than we'd expected and headed north towards Estes Park.Estes Park is the town adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park. When we decided to visit Colorado, it was one of the "must see" destinations. We were expecting to visit the national park for a full day before working our way back South. We'd been told before we left home that they were expecting 2 inches of snow so we brought along hoodies, a few pairs of gloves, and some boots for kids who had them.
We pulled into town in time to have a picnic lunch on Lake Estes. We went to rent paddle boats but we were told that it was so windy that we'd never be able to paddle our way back to the dock. Disappointed, we tried to figure out what we'd do between lunch and our hotel check-in. Near the park we'd seen a ranch that offered horse-back riding. We figured that it was worth walking in.
We walked into Sombrero Ranch. We'd researched horse-back riding but we hadn't settled on a place. Most of the ranches had age or weight restrictions that would keep several of us from being able to participate. But Sombrero Ranch said that they had a horse that could carry me and they were willing to let both Nathaniel (4) and Emily (6) ride solo as long as they were willing to hold on and follow instructions. A group of 7 (Lisa and Catherine weren't allowed to ride due to pregnancy and being too young) was large enough that we were able to leave between scheduled tours with our own wrangler. We took a 90 minute walk on a trail. It was a beautiful day - the kids loved the experience!
By the time we ended our tour, it was time for us to check in. We'd rented a large lodge-style room Hotel Estes. All 9 of us were in one room with 2 queen beds, a set of bunk-beds, two single cots, and a pack-n-play. We had a beautiful view - and we were just up the road from the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. After the kids played at the hotel's park, we went for dinner at Bighorn Restaurant, a local family diner that served Elk.
In what seemed like the longest day ever (yes - we'd flown in that same morning!), we got ready for bed - and noticed the snow start to fall.We woke up Thursday morning to a fresh blanket of snow! The kids were thrilled. Our oldest five kids had played in snow when we'd lived in Kentucky, South Carolina, and Virginia - but it had been several years. They spent much of the morning playing together at the same park they'd enjoyed the afternoon before.
At noon, the snow was still falling. The hotel had cleared the parking lot and we decided to venture out. We ate at the Estes Park McDonalds and picked up some supplies at a local grocery store. We drove over to the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park but the rangers there told us that the park was closed because of the snow. We left and returned to the hotel. They provided us with a DVD player and some family movies. We spent the afternoon and evening playing games. Every few minutes, someone would look out the window and confirm to us that it was still snowing - hard.During the night, the hotel lost power. With 9 people in one hotel room, we managed to keep it quite warm. We were supposed to check out of the hotel on Friday morning and drive 150 miles south to the house we'd rented outside Colorado Springs - but we weren't sure if that was possible, or safe. Estes Park had received more than 30 inches of snow - their largest May snowfall in more than 40 years! After venturing through the snow to the hotel's breakfast bar, we met with a front desk clerk who had driven in to Estes Park using the same roads we'd be leaving on. He assured us that we would be safe. We checked out and headed East out of town.
We had originally planned to drive one of the more scenic roads in the country - but decided that it wasn't a good idea. Rather than heading through Allenspark, Blackhawk, and Breckenridge, we drove through Boulder, Golden, and Pine. Before leaving the area, we went back to Rocky Mountain National Park again. It was still closed but we were able to tour the welcome center and take some pictures of the beautiful, snow-covered scenery.
It can be expensive traveling as a large family. We discovered a few years ago that if we plan to be in one location for more than 3 days, it's better to rent a home on VRBO than to rent two hotel rooms. When we started looking for housing a few weeks ago, it seemed that nearly everything in the Colorado Springs area was taken! After some research, we realized that our trip included the date of the Air Force graduation! After expanding our search, we found a beautiful home in Florissant, about 35 miles West of Colorado Springs. It was a new listing with no reviews - but seemed just right for our family so we took the chance and booked it.
For less than the cost of two hotel rooms per night, we were able to rent a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 3,000 square foot wood cabin. It had a beautiful view of Pikes Peak. We were frequented each day by a family of deer. We moved-in on Friday afternoon and had dinner there that evening.
On Saturday morning, we visited Cripple Creek, a town in the heart of the gold mining district. We toured the Heritage Center there and then took a tour of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine - 1,000 feet below the surface. After a picnic lunch and visit to the park, we headed back to Florissant. On the way, we stopped and visited the Florissant Fossil Beds. We had dinner at the cabin and enjoyed a family game of Pictionary.
It's important for our family to respect the Lord's Day, even when we're on vacation. We'd looked up some possibilities to attend church on Sunday morning but decided to gather in the living room to watch the service at our home church, Hobe Sound Bible Church. In the afternoon, we took a walk around the cabin property, venturing to climb the rocks in the backyard. We Skyped with family and friends and finished our game of Pictionary. Before going to bed we noticed it was snowing outside again!
On Monday morning, we headed to Colorado Springs for the first time. We drove to the headquarters of Focus on the Family and enjoyed touring the facilities and spending some time in Whit's End (we're all Adventures in Odyssey fans). After lunch at the "soda fountain" there, we visited the Garden of the Gods. We'd discovered earlier in our trip that Glenn Gault and his girls were also visiting Colorado. We knew that Glenn was from Colorado but had no idea that his parents lived just a few miles from our rental house - and that he and his girls would be visiting from South Africa! We met up with them on Monday evening and had a great time with food and fellowship. We left when it started to snow.
One of the things that was on our to-do list ever since we decided on visiting Colorado was riding the Cog Railway up to Pikes Peak. We didn't realize, however, that reservations need to be made weeks in advance. We called earlier in the trip and had been told that there were no openings before June. But on Monday we'd called to ask about stand-by possibilities and had been told that there openings for Tuesday!
We were on the first train up. When we got to the will-call window to pick up our tickets, we were informed that - due to snow - the train wouldn't be able to make the trip all the way up. Rather than reschedule, we agreed to ride up as far as we could go and the railway company would refund us a percentage of the ride depending on how far we made it. Because of the altitude, there was five feet of snow partway up the track. Crews were clearing the track and we ended up making it further than originally expected (though not all the way to the top of Pikes Peak). The views were amazing and we all had a great time.
The train ride took up our Tuesday morning. We had lunch at a city park in Manitou Springs. We then drove to the Broadmoor Hotel and hiked up the Seven Falls. The boys and I walked up the 185 steps to the top (the girls took the elevator). Since it was our last full day in Colorado, we went back to the cabin early to relax and pack up our things.Just as we had an overnight flight on the way from Fort Lauderdale to Denver, we had an overnight flight scheduled on the return trip. In fact, we learned that the same plane and crew that flies from Fort Lauderdale to Denver makes the return trip home. Even though we knew that we didn't have to be back to the Denver airport until late in the evening, we cleaned up the rented cabin and headed towards Denver late morning.
One of the places on our to-do list that we hadn't visited was the Cave of the Winds. there and took a fascinating tour of the caves. The kids really enjoyed an activity where they climbed up a ladder column and then slid down a slide to the bottom. We drove the rest of the way to Denver and visited the large City Park there. After supper at Cracker Barrel, we returned our rented van and took the shuttle to the airport. We laughed because when we'd picked up the van we noted how dirty vehicles in Colorado were - but after more than a week on dirt roads in some locations, our van was dirt from top to bottom.
On the way to the airport on the rental car shuttle, my sister called to say that there had been storms again in Fort Lauderdale. It was early evening. We walked up to the Spirit counter just in time to see the update to our flight home: canceled. Not delayed - canceled. With a pregnant wife and 7 kids in tow, I asked the attendant what the plans were for ticketed passengers flying home to Florida. She explained that the flight had been canceled due to weather but that she could rebook us on the same flight two days later. Two days? Rather than taking up her offer, I walked to the counter of each of the other airlines. I'd explained that we were packed and ready for home. I told them that we had a kid with a dentist appointment schedule. I told them that Lisa and a friend were planning to go to the Florida Homeschool conference. I told them that I had clients scheduled. The attendants from each of the other airlines were nice - but the best that any of them could do was to sell us tickets to other Florida locations for about $500 each, one-way.
After two hours of trying to negotiate a better plan, we decided to take the tickets for Friday evening. I contacted Delta and they were willing to allow me to use Delta SkyMiles that I'd accrued to pay for Lisa and Catherine to fly home early on Thursday morning. The oldest six kids and I would stay and fly home later. After standing in line for 45 minutes to rebook, we were told that the tickets that were offered a few hours earlier were now all gone. The next direct flight to Fort Lauderdale would be through the night on Saturday night (Sunday morning). Whew. There were enough seats left for us to fly overnight on Friday night - but to Detroit, Michigan. We could then fly to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday morning. Absent any other option, we took that deal.
We went back onto Hotels.com and searched for hotels that had connecting rooms with queen beds, free breakfast, and a free shuttle to the airport. The best option seemed to be the Quality Inn and Suites. We took the shuttle and checked in a few minutes before 11:00 pm. Lisa and Catherine were booked on a Delta flight to Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 am so we booked the shuttle to leave again at 5:30 the next morning.
The kids went to sleep right away but Lisa and I had to repack our luggage because now one bag was staying with us while Lisa took the other. I slept for about 90 minutes before we got up to take Lisa to the airport. We got there in plenty of time but Delta had a busy morning as there were delays in and out of several airports in the Northeast. After standing in line to check Lisa's bag (for more than an hour) she was turned away because TSA requires screenings to be complete at least 45 minutes before take-off (and it was about 40 minutes). They rebooked Lisa on an afternoon flight - and, due to a delay with her connection in Atlanta, she arrived at home after midnight (and still left early in the morning for Orlando!).
We took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel. I took a nap while the kids played games and took turns watching the Food Network and Animal Planet. After saying goodbye to Lisa and Catherine, the kids and I walked to a truck stop at the same exit as our hotel. The truck stop included a Denny's so we ate a late lunch there. There wasn't much of a crowd and I'm guessing they don't get a lot of families walking-in. When we went to leave, several of the service staff stopped to praise the kids for being so respectful and well-behaved.
After lunch we went back to the hotel. We didn't bring along swim clothes but there weren't a lot of things to do marooned in the hotel. I told the kids to choose dirty clothes or sleep clothes and to plan to swim in the hotel's indoor pool. Several were reluctant but we had a great time! That evening we ordered Dominos pizza delivery and then walked back to the truck stop for ice cream.
We slept well in our connecting rooms. We woke up Saturday morning and had a big breakfast. We packed up our clothes, took another swim, and then did some laundry. The suitcase and our backpacks were repacked for our trip ... to Michigan. The hotel had allowed us to check out at 12:00 noon on Friday so we waited until the last minute. The hotel then stored our bags while we walked to a nearby McDonald's for lunch. We came back, picked up our things, and took a shuttle to the airport.
They tell you to come early - but they don't tell you that you can't come too early. We arrived at the Denver airport before 1:00 pm. We were scheduled on an 8:50 pm flight. We went to the Spirit desk to check the suitcase and they told us that we weren't permitted to do so more than 3 hours before the flight. They suggested that we come back around 6:00 pm. I politely asked to speak with someone who had the authority to override this policy. I met with a supervisor (not sure if he was with Spirit or with the airport). I explained out situation and that we were fully prepared to wait for 7 hours in the terminal - but that we were not prepared to wait for 7 hours on "this side" of security. He agreed and waived the policy for us.
We arrived at our gate more than 7 hours early. We found a nice row of ten seats that had working outlets and a nice view of planes landing and taking off. I met the Spirit attendants at the gate and explained our situation. I gave them my cell phone number in case there was a problem while I took turns taking kids to the bathroom through the day. They were wonderful (the attendants and the kids). We posted on Facebook that we were available to chat with friends and several kids were able to Skype with Lisa, grandmothers, and friends. We watched episodes of "I Love Lucy" and we took turns buying souvenir t-shirts in the airport. We had a mismatched supper for several food vendors and, right on schedule, we boarded for Detroit. Because of a ticket snag (my seat was accidentally separate from the kids), we were rebooked up near the front of the plane.
The flight to Detroit was unremarkable. We read and we slept and we landed shortly after midnight.After leaving the plane, we went to the bathrooms and then returned to the gate we'd just exited because it was the gate we'd leave from in just a few hours. Since we landed close to 1:00 am on Saturday morning and our flight preboard was at 5:50 am, it didn't make sense to try to navigate a new city's transportation system in find a hotel for just a few hours. Since I'd slept on the plane, I purchased a Mountain Dew and opened my laptop while six kids laid down on benches and the floor. Everyone slept well (!) until 5:00 am when McDonald's opened and we had breakfast. Again, our flight (this time to Fort Lauderdale!) was uneventful. We landed, located our bag, and drove home shortly after noon on Saturday.
People assumed (in part because of some things I'd posted on Facebook) that we'd had a bad trip - but we had a great time! Aside from the day we'd planned to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park (they were closed due to snow, you'll remember), we did everything on our list - and more! We took hundreds of pictures and made even more memories.
I contacted Spirit about the expenses of our two extra days. While they maintain that they are not under obligation to make amends because it was "weather related" (which makes sense for a delay but not for rebooking 48 hours later), we were able to a reasonable resolution. In short, they refunded Lisa's ticket and luggage and gave us 8 vouchers to cover the cost of future flights.
Well, if you've read this far, I hope you enjoyed the chronicle of our snowy summer vacation. While there were a few moments that were unpleasant, we all had a great time!
