So, where the heck have Mary and Steve been?

We've been taking a SNOW break in Colorado and Minnesota for a few weeks from the end of January 30 to February 17, 2014
Our story...
Leaving Dream Chaser very early in the morning (30th) and flying out of Miami to Vail was a twenty hour experience!  The first problem was that all the Delta flights out of Miami to Denver were either full or canceled.  So, we found an American Airlines flight to Vail, BUT the plane could not land at Eagle/Vail Airport due to horrible weather and ended up landing in Colorado Springs.  To get us to the Eagle/Vail Airport, the  airlines chartered buses, BUT we got the new driver fresh from California who obviously had no experience driving on mountain roads during a snowstorm!  Terrifying!  Steve wanted to drive the bus, but ended up coaching the driver the entire way!  The snow started falling as we left Colorado Springs, and the highway traffic ground to a crawl as we neared Denver where the snow was already heavy.  The huge snow storm raged on as the bus struggled up the mountain to the Eisenhower Tunnel and then finally up Vail Pass.  The bus became stuck numerous times due to poor driving skills, and our driver had no tools along to fit the tires with the legally required chains.  After hours of driving and fighting the snow drifts, the bus came to a final stop on the round-a-bout at the Vail exit and never made it to the Eagle Airport.  Our last glance at the bus showed a snowplow burying it in a wall of snow.  Thankfully, our nephew, Max,  picked us up in Vail with his 4-wheel drive truck and delivered us to the Vail house.  Our checked luggage arrived at the Eagle/Vail Airport about a week later due to the canceled flights, etc!
The snowstorm turned the Vail area into a winter wonderland and created fabulous skiing!

 

The snow accumulated on the furniture on the front deck of the Vail house.

Snow layered on our elk (metal art work) in the yard.

 

We entered Vail Village through the famous covered bridge...

Then, headed down to the Gore Creek in Vail Village... 

Using ice as his canvas, Paul Wertin created "Arches" ice sculptures along the Gore Creek Promenade as part of Winterfest 2014.  Consisting of nearly 35, 000 lbs. of ice, the 19 sculptures formed serpentine ice walls 70 ft. long, up to seven ft. high, and lit up from within by strands of LED lights which change color and fade in and out.

                                                     This is just a section of the wall.

This beautifully painted globe depicts the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and is on display near Gore Creek.  It was part of a Mother Earth exhibit, and too pretty not to photograph.  Wish for Spring!

Back in Minnesota...

During Valentine's week, we traveled to Minnesota to join three other couples (Carol and Bryce Baker, Nita and Dan Murphy, and Cindy and Marty Siegel) for our annual Valentine's dinner.   We have been celebrating this occasion together for over 30 years, and this year we met at Figlio's.  A picture of the group was requested, but only Carol Baker and Mary ended up in the picture.  It is always a wonderful time to reconnect and celebrate friendships!  Great Fun! Great Friends!

Back in Minnesota, we had our To-Do-List and snowmobiling was at the top of Steve's list!  At the top of Mary's list was seeing friends and going out to breakfast with her Aunt Glenis (who we are trying to have join us for a few days during our adventure on the boat). "How about it, Glenis?"

Steve and Kenny Berres headed for northern Wisconsin and some serious snowmobiling.  During their trip, they were drawn to the ice caves near Bayfield, WI in Mawikwe Bay-part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. These caves are carved out of sandstone by lake wave action.  The ice is formed by lake spray and by water trickling over and between layers of red sandstone cliffs which rise 50-80 ft. above the lake.  Up to 9,000 sightseers a weekend have been trekking 1/2 mile to the ice caves when the lake is solid and conditions allow access.  The needle like icicles and magnificent ice formations sparkle and glisten.  

  

 

 

The guys also passed by the snowy city docks at Bayfield, WI where Dream Chaser had been docked on bright sunny days in May 2013.  The dock is in the middle of the picture below.

                                     Below, is Dream Chaser at the same dock in May 2013.

After visits with family and friends during another cold stretch in Minnesota, February 15th we were ready to return to sunshine and warm weather in the Keys.  However, with snow storms and redirected flight travel, there were no direct flights available to Atlanta or Florida, so we hopped a plane to Indianapolis.  Mary's former college roommate, Karen and her husband have a beautiful home in Carmel, IN and, graciously,  picked us up at the airport about midnight.  It was wonderful to spend time together and catch up on life events.  We received a warm welcome and a great night's sleep.  Below, are Karen and Dennis with their liver colored dalmation, Confetti.

After an inspiring message at the 8:30 am church service, we headed for breakfast at Bub's in Carmel.  What an experience!    Bub says, "Feed your senses with the freshest possible fare served in a dreamy oasis right in your neighborhood"

Opened in 2009, Bubs is a neighborhood cafe with a bright and sunny Key West like decor (with a lot of snow outside).  The fresh and quirky atmosphere and delicious breakfast and lunch menu choices are the reasons for the lines of people at the door waiting for seats.  Chef Bill Campbell is brilliant and has created a unique menu with tantalizing daily specials.  Bubs is also known for it's Bub Holes which are huge piping-hot doughnut holes dripping with goodness of chocolate, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, or glaze.  Worth every calorie!

Chef Bill Campbell with Karen and Mary at Bub's Cafe in Carmel, IN.  Great food!

                                       "If you can't laugh over breakfast...go back to bed"

Our next stop was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in Indianapolis which is located within the center of the Indy 500 racetrack.  Indianapolis was a center of the automobile industry and is known as the Racing Capital of the World!  The museum has more than 75 vehicles on display:  Indianapolis winners, European sport cars, vintage cars, and motorcycles.  What fun!

Oh, the history...
The Speedway began as a track to test cars and automotive partners joined to build a track.  The first race at this location was actually a balloon race!  The 2 1/2 mile track was laid out on farmland and began with a crushed rock and tar.  In 1909, the track was replaced by paving bricks and renamed the "brickyard".  In 1976 and 2004, the track was updated again with asphalt and became the Indianapolis 500 race.
There are two car races per year: the NASCAR Brickyard 400 and the Indy 500.  There was a third race-the Formula I US Grand Prix, but it was replaced by a motorcycle race, the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP in 2008.

 

This original 3-wheeled 
car built in France made
its first competitive 
appearance in the Paris Marseilles road race in 
Sept 1896.

After leaving the museum, Dennis chauffeured us down Meridian Street passed huge granite war memorials (Civil War, Spanish American War,  Indiana World War), the Pacer's basketball stadium, and the Colt's Lucas Oil Stadium.  We continued down Massachusetts Avenue through an artsy district with great architecture, pubs, comedy clubs, restaurants, and shops.  Back on Meridian Street, we past through an historic district with lovely grand homes and the Governor's Mansion.  The perfect tour!  The tour was soooo inspiring that we are reconnecting on Memorial Day with the Hays, the Watsons, and the Reishus for a group gathering to watch the Indy 500.  Another dream come true!
At the Indianapolis Airport, we shared hugs and hopped a plane to Atlanta for an overnight.  Monday, February 17, we arrived in Key West.  Below, the picture  sums up the feelings expressed by most of the people from the frozen north.  Enough winter already!
Spring can't come soon enough! Time to get back to the Keys of Florida!