About 6:30 am Pam wakes me with the question...."Do you hear water running?" Not a great start to the day. Investigation found that the sink had overflowed. Faucets are off so it's coming in from the drain. A call to the office. Stammering desk clerks. Towels on the floor. And one of us very concerned about where she was going to be able to prep for the day. Hmmmm. I walked to the office for more towels and to get my princess a cup of coffee. While there I was informed that they had contacted the manager and would call with a course of action. I asked about another room to prep for the day in but was told that they were sold out. No sooner had I gotten back to the room than the phone rang. We have another room for you to use if you'd like to come back to the office for the keys. OK. Back I go. Upon arrival she tells me that the room is a meeting room which has a full bath. Only problem is it's in the other wing of the motel which would require us to walk from our wing, through the lobby to get to the new room. Now call me stupid girls, but isn't the idea to be ready before going out in public? Fortunately the maintenance man showed up and remedied the problem before we had to parade through the lobby. Trauma averted!
Finally spruced up and ready to go we hit the road. Shortly after departing Douglas we spotted this antelope beside the road. Several of his buddies were just out of the camera shot on the other side of the fence. We saw quite a few of these along the way but at 75 mph it's hard to get a picture.
We travelled south on I-25 through Cheyenne and into Colorado. As has become our custom, we stopped into the state welcome center to pick up a map and snoop through the free literature. While talking to one the employees it was suggested that we take a side trip to Estes Park before going into Denver. Since I was last there in the mid 70's and Pam had never been there we decided to give it a go.
The drive into and out of Estes Park was fantastic. Winding roads through the foothills of the Rockies. Unfortunately the drive was the best part of the side trip. What was once a quiet little town back in the 70's has become a trendy, modern day tourist trap. Too many people in a confined area for me! After finally finding a parking place we had lunch and then got out of there. Next stop, Denver to see my son Ryan and his two dogs.
On the way through Denver we went past Invesco Field. Home of the Denver Broncos pro football team. Fortunately we got into town before the traffic started backing up on the freeway.
Once there Pam always goes into cooking mode making what my family calls "chicken sh-t", and biscuits and gravy for Ryan. Of course we do go out and sample the local fare also. This time we sampled the LoHi Steakhouse along with Ryan's girlfriend Amanda. We all had great meals topped off with a killer cheesecake desert.
One of our favorites has become Pete's Kitchen behind the capitol on Colfax. The best way to describe Pete's is that it is a dive. If you go there try the chili cheese burrito. It's the size of a football! However, be prepared to wait for a seat. Pete's doesn't take reservations.
As you can imagine our car has accumulated quite a bit of road grime since we left home. In our travels around town I found the perfect car wash but Pam wouldn't let me take our car there. Shotgun Willie's (a local strip club) had an outdoor car wash going on in their parking lot. Don't you just love the American entrepreneurial spirit?
Denver is a great place to live if you like the outdoors. The Rockies to the west provide endless sporting opportunities all year long. The city has countless miles of bike trails and has even started a bike rental system throughout the city with 400 bikes around town that you can rent for an hour or all day and drop off at any location. At 5280 feet of elevation Pam and I didn't take advantage of this offering! Driving around you notice that everyone has a Thule or Yakima roof rack on their vehicle to hold skis, bikes, and kayaks in place. One other observation is that everyone has a dog and most have two. Watch where you step!
All too soon it was time to leave. Before we shoved off I took this picture of Ryan and his two dogs.
The kids looking out the window as we walk to the car.
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