Ugh. Okay give me your top sit and veg town with an 11 year old for 4 days. Easy to get to. Fly right in or public transit. Simple.
Where are you cutting back?
- Thread starter ce36ei
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I have a Masterbuilt electric smoker. It’s the size of a tall dorm fridge. It’s super easy and reasonably priced. You just have to add your own wood chips. Super easy.
I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain about 3 years ago and it's been great so far (I mean, it's a metal tube with grates, what could go wrong).
As long as you stay somewhat close to it you're fine. I ponied up for the wireless thermometer which helps but it's not really "set it and forget it".
I've been snooping the pellet grills for a while now.
A balcony room at the BroadMoore. My daughter and SIL took our granddaughter there for 11th or 12th birthday and she loved it. But that was off-season.
Otherwise Beaver Creek or Telluride comes closest to your specs with the edge going to BC.
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anon_6hv78pr714xta
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Man you are doing it authentic. I started with a bullet smoker to learn how to BBQ. Then I got lazy and went with the idiot proof electric. So much easier to the big overnight pork shoulders. No babysitting required.
That's the thing......beyond 6-8 hours and the chain from my foot to the smoker gets a bit tight.
Make friends with Outside Shitter. He drives old cars, but he'd love it if you'd chip in $5 for gas.
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anon_6hv78pr714xta
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Didn't feel like it at the time since I discovered my car had a cracked engine block and had to buy another one. But yeah, given gas prices, that would have set me back quite a bit more this year.
I'd consider just driving and getting AirBnBs along the way when you do this. We did that instead and it gave us more mobility when we got to where we were going and some of the places we stayed in were really cool. I think it was probably cheaper, too, although I had this dream of driving the RV.
Also, if you want to do a mini-version, you could fly into Rapid City, SD and rent a car and in 4 days hit Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park (not to be missed), Deadwood, the Badlands, and Devil's Tower. That's a really cool area.
The RV is my dream. A good buddy of mine's kid played her first season of D1 last year. My buddy rented an RV and takes the fam to her away games. He loves it. I've been hooked on the idea since. I want to do a long trip out west with the entire fam in an RV but this year would be way too expensive. We are doing Fla in August as a whole fam and once every year or so I do a short trip with my 11 yr old daughter. This is that short trip. So i want it to be super easy and self contained in one spot
If you stay at the Broadmoor, they reopened the Cog Railway last year and that takes you up to Pikes Peak (vid below). You may need a car if you're wanting to visit Garden of the Gods or downtown COS.
Otherwise, I agree with Telluride or Glenwood Springs, which the latter would be a drive from DIA but it's a nice drive once you get through Denver. You may be able to fly into Grand Junction that's not too far from GS.
Points of clarification:
3-2-1 for St Louis spare ribs (meatier/fattier...or just better.)
2-2-1 for Baby Backs
The first part at 225. In part two, apply squeeze parkay and brown sugar inside the foil...liberally. No BBQ sauce on the ribs for the last part. Just another hour at 225 to tighten them up. The out of the smoker and onto the Weber grill for a couple of minutes per side at high heat. Not long, just to give a touch of char.
BBQ sauce on the table for those that want it.
I had to chuckle at that because that is exactly what I told them... maybe not even that nicely.
Yep..... Krogers, Lillys .... and don't forget warsh instead of wash.
Florida in August is about as sadomasochistic as it gets. H-o-t Hot.
You better go take some Advil, because I am sure you hurt your brain thinking of that one .
The ideal is Florida October-May and (Maine, New Hampshire, or Michigan UP) April-September.
Though Mays are getting hotter. Too many 90 degree days already.
Though Mays are getting hotter. Too many 90 degree days already.
Did that with friends last summer, as we weren’t ready to leave US. Great trip. Hopefully going overseas in July.
Hm what a surprise Boulder is my favorite. Will be there again in August for a Red Rocks concert. Bucket List!
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anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa
Guest
20 years ago whe my kids were little and were all dinosaur crazy, we had a great vacation in early summer at Dinosaur National Monument and surrounding areas on the Colorado-Utah border.
We have been to Beaver Creek both in winter and summer and it is a nice place, though I wouldn't put Avon as being as scenic, foody, and fun as nearby Vail and other CO mountain towns like Aspen and Steamboat Springs. It's nicely located, though, for a variety of easy day trips.
We have been to Beaver Creek both in winter and summer and it is a nice place, though I wouldn't put Avon as being as scenic, foody, and fun as nearby Vail and other CO mountain towns like Aspen and Steamboat Springs. It's nicely located, though, for a variety of easy day trips.
You need to go to the Grand Canyon; they claim because of the wind shears you can walk out 5 feet over the side and basically stand on air
Ironic how this thread turned into a discussion about mountain resort vacations.
The smokies were always fun, with the exception of the one time back when we were living in Cincinnati and we got off work on a Friday night, loaded up the car with a baby in tow, and drove toward the Smokies. We figured we'd stay that night near Knoxville. We got in the area and every hotel/motel/hole in the wall was 100% full. "Don't you know it's UT homecoming weekend?" they kept saying at the desks. This was early 90s so pre-online booking.
After stopping a dozen times we got the last room at a super cheap-o scuzzy America's Best Value Inn, at double the normal price. It was filled with rowdy UT fans smashing beer bottles all night long and tearing up the place. We left in the morning, stepping over the piles of broken glass. Broken light fixtures, even. I became a diehard lifelong UT hater that night.
We got to Gatlinburg and had fun, but that near-sleepless night put a damper on things.
After stopping a dozen times we got the last room at a super cheap-o scuzzy America's Best Value Inn, at double the normal price. It was filled with rowdy UT fans smashing beer bottles all night long and tearing up the place. We left in the morning, stepping over the piles of broken glass. Broken light fixtures, even. I became a diehard lifelong UT hater that night.
We got to Gatlinburg and had fun, but that near-sleepless night put a damper on things.
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Bitch we're not talking the Swiss alps. We can't even get an RV!
Was thinking the same. I enjoy travel and BBQ like the next guy, but the "where are you cutting back" was actually interesting.
What I'm trying to say is more Aldi and less Telluride. 😁
Quick story. I worked home construction in high school and college. The owner of the company lived in a 550k house, and this was in 90s.
Anyway, our shop was next to the Hostess delivery guy. A favorite activity of my boss was dumpster diving each night for the expired donuts and honeybuns when the driver returned.
So if any of you live near a Hostess driver, that is one way to save a buck.
Summer vacas are important to the kids. I think. It's something they remember. I'd rather cut back on eating out to make sure summer vacation occurs. my parents were hoosiers (not the indiana variety). when i was a little kid my dad got fired from whatever job it was that he had at the time. we were all over at my aunt's house that night and my mom and dad, aunt and uncle, and one other uncle said F it let's go on vacation. my uncle had a getaway van at the time. one uncle made a bed by the back windows. my mom and dad sat in chairs. and i sat in a tire in the middle of the back. when it got hot about half way there my uncle pulled over and they took the door off the side of the van. we drove straight down the double nickle to new orleans with the entire side of the van wide open. dad and uncle got into a bar fight and arrested on bourbon street. released the following morning. then we continued on to Fla. Redneck riviera. I bought an alligator on the trip. later when we got home my dad flushed it.
summer vacas matter to kids. they make memories. the rest of being a kid is mostly a blur
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I'm nearly 50, making more money than I've ever made in my life (wife is too), though we're still just middle class Btowners and I'm barely cutting back anywhere. We're far from extravagant, but I'm not going to lose sleep over a little extra money spent to eat out or go on a moderate vacation when that money isn't going to make or break me later in life.It's "Aldi's". Cheaper than Kroger's and not far from the White Castle's
