Andre had to go to the Fine Arts Center on Tuesday for a project in his art class. We got in for free because we are students which was nice. This museum is very small but definitely has some interesting stuff. My favorite is the Orange Hornet Chandelier by Dale Chihuly, Andre really liked some of the paintings by Biss. Definitely worth a trip if you are in the area :)
Saturday Andre and I went scuba diving at the Denver Aquarium. Originally I was looking to go snorkeling at the aquarium, but I saw that if you were a certified diver you could go diving. Neither of us had ever gone diving, but I decided to call anyways to see if they would let us do that instead of snorkeling. I called A1 Scuba and they were very friendly, they were able to hook us up, and for some reason made a special exception for us so we could go diving.
We got to the aquarium right at 10:30 and we met our instructor at the "dive lounge", he was an older guy but was very nice. He took us up to where we would be diving and walked us through some basic diving info. After a short quiz we hopped into some wetsuits and got in the water.
There was a ledge at the top where we were supposed to sit and go through a couple of basic diving routines. There was a giant sea turtle opening and closing his mouth on the ledge and they had to move him, but he was really cool. I went first and I sat on the ledge underwater, I had to remove my regulator from my mouth then find it and put it back in, then I had to breath through the back up regulator, and he had me fill my mask with water and blow the water out with my nose. I did this all pretty quickly and didn't have any problems.
So I started floating around the tank and taking videos while he helped Andre. Andre had a few problems with his mask, but he got a new one and was good to go. We started diving, we had to pinch our noses and blow to regulate the pressure in our ears on the way down. It was kind of scary at first, breathing underwater isn't exactly natural, but we both got used to it within a few minutes.
We spent about 50 minutes underwater and we saw all sorts of amazing creatures, moray eels, stingrays, sharks, nurse sharks, a 300 pound Queensland grouper, sea turtles, etc. It was awesome, I got some great videos and pictures and we both had a really good time. We were both nervous about going and at some points even thought about canceling the trip, but we were so glad to have gone. It was really fun. Our instructor was really great, he was patient and helpful, he even helped us by taking some pictures and videos, I really recommend A1 scuba they were very friendly.
The pictures didn't all come out too good because of the light reflecting off of the particles but the video is amazing. It is probably my favorite video I've made so far and you can watch it below!
Rafting is something I’ve always enjoyed and I’ve probably been almost fifteen times. So I decided to get a group together and plan a trip. Andre had been once before with my dad and I, Cassie had been before, but Pierre and Andre’s cousin Marcus had never been. The water levels are always fairly low in July because the snow has been melted for quite some time, but there were still plenty of class IV rapids to get through.
We all rode up together in Pierres Jeep to Canon City, CO. and we barely made it in time for our 9AM Royal Gorge trip… We got our life vests and helmets on, and then hopped in the back of a bus that took us up the river. Here we met our guide, and got some brief instructions on how to raft. We were immediately complemented on our power and timing. Our guide was nice but I personally felt he was a bit annoying, he never once stopped talking which made me feel like he wasn’t always paying attention…but that’s just me.
Anyways, after the first rapid a whole bunch of people fell out of a raft behind us. Our crew had no problems whatsoever, and we got through everything easily. At about the third or fourth rapid the same people fell out of their raft again, we were right behind them at this point and our guide had us pull over to the shore while he and the safety kayaker went to help them. Andre was holding our raft so we didn’t float away and after about the first twenty minutes of sitting there we realized something was probably wrong.
One of the guys who had fallen out had his foot so tightly wedged into the raft that when he fell his foot stayed in, and he ended up tearing a ligament in his knee… So they helped him out, but they had to put him back in a raft in order to take him to a point where he could safely be picked up. They talked about taking one of us from our raft and having us paddle for the guy that was injured, but thankfully the safety kayaker just put his kayak in the raft and took the injured guys place.
So after about forty minutes of waiting for them to get everything figured out we were finally off again. At this point we all had been sunburned, and there were only a couple of rapids left. Our crew annihilated all of the remaining rapids and before you knew it we were done. The trip did seem a lot longer than a usual half-day trip, most likely because we spent so long waiting for the injured guy.
It was still a lot of fun and we were encouraged by our guide to come back during May when the water levels are higher and things are more difficult. I think everyone had a good time and that we might take a similar crew back next year when it’s more challenging. It is pretty expensive, we went through ARK and it was $65 a person which is kind of lame, then at the end they wanted $55 for a CD of photos (which I wanted but could not afford) and we tipped our guide $20.
I did bring my waterproof camera, and we got some good pictures but none of them are as a group, and none of the videos or pictures are of the actual rapids because I was too busy paddling to film…
The Sunrise For the fourth of July T-mobile was closed, but Andre still had to work. So I decided to go fishing with my dad and two younger brothers JJ and David. I really wanted to bring my canoe, which I found for free, and just finished patching up. I even tried borrowing Yancy and Cathy’s truck but we couldn’t get it to work :( … (Next time).
My dad wanted to leave extremely early; 4:00 AM, he was convinced that leaving this early would ensure that we caught something. I usually don’t get to bed until around 3:00 AM because of my work schedule. So I ended up just not going to bed. This was a bad idea, and JJ did the exact same thing.
We left my house right at four, headed up into the mountains towards Victor, CO and went to Skagaway reservoir. I had never been there but was excited; it was kind of busy but not too bad considering that it was the fourth of July. It is a smaller lake but very pretty, it is surrounded by hills/mountains, and it feels kind of like something from a postcard.
On the way there we saw a herd of elk hanging out with some horses, which was really neat. We also came to a roadblock of cows that had managed to get off of their property, but they eventually moved. We got to Skagaway at about 5:30 AM and immediately started fishing. I know that there were fish there, because they were literally jumping out of the water-eating bugs. We even had live bait, but they just weren’t interested.
JJ and I eventually lost interest and started hiking around the lake, we saw two adult ducks with a baby duck, some prairie dogs, and several chipmunks. Toward the end of the lake we noticed a whole bunch of cows hanging out and drinking, this made us want to pet them. So we tried to get closer, but getting to the other side of the lake proved too difficult and we turned back (although it would have been a breeze with a canoe).
By the time we got back to where my dad and David were fishing it was almost nine and we had already been there over for three hours. Neither David nor my dad had caught anything either, so we just decided to go. At this point I was a bit grumpy and had been up for more than 24 hours, so I desperately wanted a shower and my soft bed.
We stopped for breakfast burritos and I finally got to bed at around eleven. It was a long day, but the lake was nice and I really want to get my canoe out there. The best part about this lake is that it is free unlike some other reservoirs out in CO. I definitely recommend it and will probably go back with my canoe sometime this summer.
So this past Friday Andre’s cousin Kayeloni came down to the Springs and we had ourselves some adventure. We went to a place called Itz down by the movie theatre on Powers and North Carefree. I wasn’t really sure what to expect and was a little worried it would be for young kids. It turned out to be a good mix, it is very similar to Dave and Busters but with a pizza buffet.
We each paid 20$ which included unlimited soda, pizza, pasta, salad, desert, and one hour of unlimited playtime for the games. I was incredibly lucky and won the jackpot on like five different machines, which left me with like a bazillion tickets. At first I was excited about what I could get with the tickets, but I ended up walking out of the prize store with a penguin on a stick.
It was fun, I would do it again.
Saturday we woke up and went miniature golfing. It was blazing hot, we all felt like we were melting, but it was still fun. We went to Hitt’s Mini Golf, which is a great deal it’s only two bucks per game, all day every day (just remember to bring cash). Andre beat everyone badly. (We are pretty sure he practices mini golf while everyone is sleeping). Because of the heat we only played one game, and then decided to go swimming at Villa. However, as soon as I had changed into my swim suit the weather dropped a good 40 degrees and it was raining.
We then decided to go rock climbing at Sport Climbing Center. I was once an avid climber but in recent years gravity has gotten the best of me. Anyways, Kayeloni had never been and I am trying to get someone to climbing at Garden of the Gods with me so I wanted her to try it out. She did good, but definitely has a fear of heights just like the rest of the Johnson’s (excluding myself). Pierre and Andre would make great climbers if they could get over the whole vertigo thing.
Anyhoot we all had an awesome time, and I’m hoping to get a climbing pass to sport climbing center some time this summer ;)
I have two videos. One of mini golfing, and one of rock climbing.
Thursday we went up to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. We usually end up going to the zoo about once a year. I personally think that this zoo has much better exhibits than the Denver and Pueblo zoos. The giraffe exhibit is probably the best, you can easily feed and pet as many giraffes as you want. The zoo is on a steep mountain so if you are severely out of shape you might want to visit the flat and square Denver zoo.
Andre and I were able to see all of the animals and exhibits in less than three hours, it was a really hot day, but we got a refillable drink and we were good to go. We had a lot of fun and most of the animals were actually doing something not just sleeping or lying around. I got a lot of great pictures and made a video that has footage of all the cool animals that were on exhibit.
Friday I woke up early ( 6 AM ☹ ) to go horseback riding. I had not been in a while because Angela (the person with the horses) had hurt her back a few months ago. I met Angela on Craigslist a few years ago and had originally started taking riding lessons from her, when I stopped she started inviting me on trail rides which has been awesome.
Angela has three horses and a pony along with a trailer to haul them around in, so we have been riding all over Colorado. Friday we went to a local trail in Black Forest that is about 5 miles in length. I rode Comet, which is her white Arabian, she rode Seirra who is a mix of Draft horse, her 9 year old daughter rode the Pony/Horse Emit, and Jackie rode the Quarter Horse/Appaloosa mix Seattle.
It was a lot of fun; I had really missed riding and was glad to be back on the trail again. After the first time around Angela and her daughter Alexia stopped at the trailer to take care of some of the horses, but Jackie and I took Comet and Sierra out on the trail again. We made great time, trotting and cantering most of the way so the loop did not take us long.
I tried getting some pictures and video of riding but it was pretty difficult. I got some footage of trotting and walking but I couldn’t get any of cantering because I probably would have died trying. I did manage to make a video, but some parts are a bit shaky and you might get seasick watching.
Thursday 6/10/10 Andre, Pierre, Monique and myself headed up to Denver to use the free Water World tickets Andre won from Atmel. We somehow timed everything perfectly, brought our cooler full of lunch and drinks and paid for a locker so everything went smoothly. The nice thing about Water World is that the parking is always free and you are welcome to bring in outside food so you don’t have to overpay for lunch like at Elitches.
We got into the park right as it opened claimed a table with our cooler, put our stuff in a locker and headed out for the rides! We made incredible time and had finished most of the rides/slides in the park before lunch. After some sandwiches, drinks, and oatmeal cream pies we headed back out to finish up what was left in the park.
The weather was great for a water park, although it could have been a little less cloudy at times. We all had a lot of fun, and I walked away with only minimal injuries :). Afterwards we had a delicious dinner with everyone back in the Springs at Rock Bottom Brewery.
I went hiking today with my younger sister Cynthia; we drove down towards Helen Hunt Falls to hike the Mt. Cutler Trail. This trail is fairly short only about 2.5 miles for the entire thing but there is a high gain in elevation. There were some decent views of Seven Falls and the Shrine. The trail is clearly marked, but somehow we managed to get lost trying to get back. We eventually found the actual trail and made it back to the car.
It was a nice day, a little overcast so it wasn’t too hot. If you are ever in the area and want to see seven falls without having to pay $10 a person simply hike up the Mt. Cutler Trailhead and you won’t be disappointed.
Today we went fishing. It was an adventure to say the least. We left early in the morning and headed up to Eleven Mile Reservoir. When we got there we were disturbed to see the large amount of bugs flying around. It was unrealistic, none of us had ever seen anything like it… it was almost like a horror movie. We decided to park and make a run for the lake; Andre and I couldn’t make it, after about 20 bugs in the mouth we ran back to the car and sat in our enclosure while watching the swarms through the windows.
The rest of his family somehow made it out to the lake, they called us via cell phone to tell us there weren’t as many bugs near the water. Reluctantly we made it to the shore and even though there were still a ridiculous amount of bugs we did a little bit of fishing. There were HUGE fish here they were at least two feet long, but they weren’t interested in our bait. (Probably because of the smorgasbord of bugs that was available)
Shortly after we began fishing I cast my line out and the wind blew the hook into Justins (Moniques boyfriend) arm. It was slightly severe, the hook went all the way in and we could not pull it back out which resulted in us creating another hole in his arm and pushing it through. I felt really terrible as I had never hooked someone before, but Justin took it like a man and didn’t make it a big deal.
At this point the wind had died down a bit which meant the swarms were all over, and there was no escaping. We literally had to drag Pierre away from the giant fish that he so desperately wanted to catch and we drove down a canyon to a picnic table. After a bug free lunch, we decided to try Eleven Mile Canyon where there was a nice river. At first we were disappointed because we didn’t see any fish… then we hit the jackpot.
Pierre, Andre and I came across a still pool filled with about twenty or so trout, ranging from a foot to two feet. We were extremely excited… until hours had passed and we had literally tried every single type of bait in our tackle box. None of us ended up catching anything, but I have been learning more about fishing online, hopefully we will have better luck next time!
Also there is a clip in my video where you can kind of see all the bugs we had to deal with.
