Month: August 2005

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Disney Trip Finalized with Purchase of Hotel Room

Karen and I finalized the hotel reservation at the Caribbean Beach. We had been holding out for the annual pass holder discounts which just came out. Our room will only cost $108/night that is saving us about 20%. We wanted to stay near Epcot. So, this should put us right near the action of the International Food and Wine Festival.

We have never stayed at the Caribbean Beach. We are looking forward to trying out the food at Shutter's at Old Port Royale

No trip would be complete without a guide book, I would suggust one like “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2005“. You would want to pickup the book prior to booking so that you get the most out of your trip. This book covers the International Food and Wine Festival, too.

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Southern Brewers Festival Update 1

Only 10 days to go!

We want to take our bikes this year to the beer festival. Well, Karen's trailer hitch has arrived for her new car. It will be installed this weekend. Chattanooga is a beautiful area and riding our bikes will allow us to take in more of the city.

One place that I love to stop by is the Pickle Barrel. It is a cool shaped building and has great sandwiches and pickles, too. At night, they have bands. You can dine on the roof, but mid-day roof dining can be hot and muggy.

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Our Annual Trip to Disney World

Karen and I booked our annual trip to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival from October 29th through November 6th.

Karen and I truly in enjoy the International Food and Wine Festival. This year we are saving money by purchasing Premium Annual Pass that saddles two years. Purchasing our ticket this way will allow us to use one annual pass to go to two festivals and then we can skip a year. We will be able to purchase tickets every other year, but we will be able to go every year.

We will catch a night at the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party which we think is great young and old alike. You get to trick-or-treat through the Magic Kingdom in your favorite costume if you like. It starts at 7:00 PM and goes to midnight. We will be doing this on October 30th.

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My Birthday Party

Well, my birthday has been a blast. Karen and I put together a great dinner include filet mignon, baked potatoes, and green beans season with bacon. The filet just melted in your mouth.

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My Birthday

Well, I have turned 39 years old. The celebration will be simple with just my parents and my wife, but simple is great, too.

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Late Dinner at Il Vicino

Karen and I stopped Il Vicino for beer and dinner tonight.  The staff was great.  Karen had the amber and was given a free oatmeal stout for us helping clear the outside table because the raining coming down on their condiments.

Karen enjoyed both beers.  She thinks the stout was a well-balanced beer with coffee over tones that didn’t overwhelm the style of the beer.  I had the IPA, which was not as hopped as most IPAs in the Colorado Springs area, but hopped well for IPA.  (Colorado Springs breweries over hop most beers.)

By the way, the pizza was great, too.

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Palmer Park Hiking

Looking back down trailKaren and I started hiking the Edna Mae Bennet Nature Trail from the North Canyon trailhead. This trail is considered advanced, because it has a steep grade. We took this trail, because it put you on top of the Yucca Flats which have a great view as you can for these pictures.

We switched to the Templeton Trail after getting to the top of the hills. This trail runs around most of the park’s west side.Karen at Palmer Park After hiking on top of the hills, we returned to our car by hooking up with the Edna Mae Bennet Nature Trail, again.

You will need sun screen on this hike. Karen was pink and you can almost tell in this picture.

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The WareHouse

Karen and I started our evening out at the The WareHouse. It is one of the best restaurants in Colorado Springs. It is a converted warehouse. The owner actually lives on the third floor, the restaurant and art gallery are on the first floor, and the brewery is in the basement.

Karen and I both had the General Palmer’s Amber Lager. It should be first noted that this is not an ale. They describe the beer as “a Bavarian-style bock beer, deep amber in color and slightly higher in alcohol. Lagered for quite some time.” It is truly a dark amber with a heavy malt taste. The staff can fool you by calling it an amber, which would lead you think it is an amber ale. The key word is “bock”. If we had known that it was a bock, I think that we would have enjoyed the beer for what it was.

Karen followed the General Palmer’s Amber Lager with the SP Belgian Ale. She truely enjoyed this beer. The server behind the bar had to have new. Normally, the SP Belgian Ale is served in smaller brandy style glass, but he provided a full pint. Karen didn’t mind.

For my second beer, I had the Trolley Car, which is Northern English Brown Ale in style. We both enjoyed this beer as we walked through the gallery. The flavor was well rounded and very satisfying.

By the way, we had the Battered English Pub Chips without the topping. They were very good. I would suggest that you ask for the chipotle mayonnaise as dipping sause. You will thank me.