Before we get any farther on this trip or catch up on all the entries we want to write about the family and friends we've had the pleasure of seeing over the last thirty-some days, I have to write about the Racheffs in Durango.

After Cheyenne, most of our trip has been filled with sunny days in the 50s and 60s. Dry air, little rain, days where we only wore our shorts and jerseys. Until Durango. We spent 3.5 days in Durango with our cousins after deciding it was probably not a good idea to ride through freezing rain and snow. This led to one of the most entertaining and love-filled weekends spent with Patty and Joel and their two boys, Ringo and Cody.

Because I like lists and I'm trying to keep these entries short both for the reader and myself, I'm going to give you our ten favorite memories with the Racheffs.

1. Watching the Hobbit after a day spent with the boys showing us their Hobbit Lego figurines and finally learning what cave trolls were. The boys were obsessed with cave trolls.

2. Hearing this phrase repeated by Ringo and Cody throughout the weekend in their southern accents. Ringo (age 8) would say, "Everything tastes like chicken," followed by Cody (age 5), "Except the chicken."

3. Meeting Bob, the cat. Of course, I'm biased because I love cats. They also had a basset hound, Gibson. Bob and Gibson were both outdoor pets, but around meal time, there would be a little jingle at the garage door that opened up into the house. And it was Bob! Bob was one of the most beautiful cats I've seen, probably because he looks like my cat, George. Both are long-haired and a mix of Persian and Siamese. The kids got so used to my enthusiasm about Bob that whenever the bell was heard jingling at the door, they would scream, "It's Bob!" and look at me expectantly. We would then all run to the door to see Bob, and I would hold Bob in my arms praising him until he bit me. Then, I would put sweet Bob back in the garage and he would eat.

Bob Racheff

Gibson Racheff

4. Going to Free Birds (the movie) with Ringo and Cody at the big screen. While the movie was pretty bad and offensive to Native Americans and not at all historically accurate, we had a blast with the boys. On the way there and back, we all talked in different accents.

5. Patty's pigs in a blanket. Hands down, best pigs in a blanket I've had.

6. Meeting my cousin Joel on our last night in Durango. He took us all out to this fabulous Mexican restaurant downtown where I had chili relleno for the first time. It was out of this world. He has to be one of the funniest Dads ever.

7. Exploring the Strater Hotel in downtown Durango. Ringo showed us all the secret drawers built into the hotel that you would never know were there. He showed us the haunted hallways, and we met some of Joel's colleagues who were singing in the lounge and bar.

Here is just one of the mysterious drawers found on the staircase leading up from the hotel lobby.

What we saw in the basement was too frightening to retell. This photo was taken before we went down.

8. Slumber parties with the boys. For two of the nights, the boys were so excited that we were sleeping in our sleeping bags that they thought it would be fun to "camp out" with us in the living room, too.

9. Probably one of our favorite memories was Cody announcing to us all that he had broken his leg. He bandaged it up and used a cane to get around. We were headed into town to meet Joel for dinner, and yet Cody persisted onwards with his broken leg and cane. We were concerned he might not be able to wear a shoe with the broken leg, but somehow he managed to put on his crocs. When we entered Francisco's, he hobbled in with his cane while the rest of us pretended to cry in pity. Jon and I had tried to get him to say, "God bless us, every one," when he entered the restaurant in reference to Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol, but he wasn't having it. We were very amused to find out that at their dinner table several days after we had left Durango, Cody announced out of the blue, "God bless us, every one!"

(The leg was still broken when we said goodbye)

This was just plain scary. A miniature werewolf.

10. Finally, we are so excited to share Ringo's blog entry about our bicycling trip. On our first evening, Ringo interviewed us about the bike trip as a writing exercise for a homework project. The interview was very silly at times and included the question, "What is the color of your skin?" The day after we left, Patty sent me his revised entry. Look for it in our next post!

Thank you Patty and Joel for such a wonderful weekend with your family! P.S. We love the Halloween costume closet.