Eickhaus

an experiment in communication....for family and friends of our blog to "keep in touch" and provide pictures and information about the latest and greatest adventures of Eickhaus. Also see http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/person.aspx?tid=831833&pid=-2042210641&pg=0

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Train Ride!


First picture is Chimney Rock Fire lookout
The next is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway, pulled up the pass by a "double header"
We just got back from a week camping in our Coleman popup down along the Colorado/New Mexico Border. We even went for a train ride last week on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. We made an 11 minute video of our trip, too, but haven't been able to get it posted here. You can hear as the two steam engines work hard to pull us up the steep grade. ( One of these engines, #484, was repainted and used in the movie Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade!) Near the end of the video, you can watch as our train car became a "gospel train" as some new friends from Louisiana lead us in some old fashioned gospel songs. It was a lot of fun, and the first time we rode a train since we lost dad. (It was kind of our Father's day tradition to take him along with our kids and go ride a train each year.) He would have especially enjoyed this trip because of the scenery and the company. The people in the rail car we were riding in after lunch included a youth group and their leaders from a small Baptist church in northern Louisiana, who had come to Colorado on a missions trip, doing work on the Indian reservation. The rest of the people in that car, (except us) were from a somewhat charismatic church here in Colorado Springs. The last hour of the ride turned into a gospel sing along, with the pastor and some seniors from the Louisiana church (who were along as chaperones for their youth) leading us all in some good old fashioned gospel songs. It was quite memorable, and a lot of the music I recognized as stuff Dad loved. Photos of the trip are on my facebook page and I am posting the video here.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Breckenridge Getaway!

A family at my school gave me a 2 day getaway to their cabin in Breckenridge as an end of the year gift. How could I say no?




We just got back from 2 beautiful days on the Blue River just south of Breckenridge, fishing, hiking, ghost town exploring and relaxing in the cabin.

This is the wreckage of a dredge in French Gulch, near the ghost town of Lincoln, CO, west of Breckenridge.

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Anna's first catch!

Last weekend, the kids and I went fishing with friends up to Manitou Lake, north of Woodland Park. This was part of a prize I had donated to the Broadmoor Parners in Education Auction, where I agreed to take two people fishing with my family. One of my colleagues, Carolyn Shaw, bought the trip with her husband in mind, but then ended up coming along, too.



We had a great time, but Anna had the best of all. She caught her first fish.



In fact, by the end of our two hours there, we had caught over 8 fish! I even caught one on my first cast that morning!

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Rocky Mountain National Park





So, what do you do after you've closed a school? Packed 50+ boxes and cleaned out a room you feel like you've lived in for at least the past decade?


Well, we decided we'd take a short vacation. Since M-I-L Becky was here for Anna's graduation, and since it was Cousin Joe's birthday, and since we all needed a break and a distraction from the long simmering grief of the school closing...we headed to the mountains! We rented a cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park and visited RMNP!




Inside the cabin, of course, Lori was to be found in the kitchen....when not hiking, taking pictures of the elk or walking the dog.





Along Fall River Road, cousins Jen & Joe, Anna, David, Wes and G-Ma Becky, and again on top of Trail Ridge Road, May 24, 2009, which had just opened for the season.

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My son's last day as a Cañon Chief

Wes and his teacher, who retired this year as Cañon was closing and being "re-purposed".
Wes and his buddy, Carson on May 20, 2009, our last day with students at Cañon.

My Daughter's Promotion to Jr. High!

One Giant Step for the Eick household...

A couple weeks ago, the inevitable event arrived. Anna has been promoted from 6th grader to CM Jr. Higher.
May 19, 2009

So serious....

Anna and friends celebrating the special occasion