Colorado Springs: Arrival and Settling In

Last week, August 8th-15th,  Frank and I met up with some college friends, John & Sue and Joe & Margaret, for a joint vacation week in Colorado Springs. John & Sue had flown to Colorado a few days earlier from Massachusetts to spend some time in the great outdoors in the Rocky Mountains. Joe & Margaret were flying into Denver from Virginia, arriving after us, and we would meet them at the airport. On our outbound flight, Frank and I lucked out with seats right by the exit door on our Southwest 737-300. Frank could stretch his legs full out and work on his crossword puzzles.

I had leg room to spare even after tucking our carry ons under the seat in front of us. There was somebody to the right of me on the aisle but I could easily walk in front of him without disturbing him during the flight. It is not often such space is available and we considered ourselves fortunate indeed for that 2⅔ hour flight.

We arrived at Denver airport on time in Southwest's Terminal C. We had 3½ hours to get a bite to eat and browse the Denver airport's three terminals before Joe & Margaret's United flight landed at Terminal B. The terminals are connected by a small train and, as long as we did not venture beyond Terminal A and into the uncleared area, we were free to roam. Southwest assured us our luggage would be removed from the baggage carousel in the uncleared area and held for us in a restricted area until we showed our claim checks and picked it up hours after our flight's arrival. That worked out very well.

Terminal C had some rustic murals. Obviously Frank could not keep his hands off the mare's rump. At least he showed more restraint with the other females near the mural.

Terminal C had a central viewing area that looked like cliff pueblos or hillside gardens.

Terminal C also had the Timberline Steaks & Grille, where the chili was excellent!

We went slowly from C to B to A. I liked browsing the book stores, and strolling through the shops admiring the native art and local jewelry, while avoiding the touristy trash. We, especially Frank, enjoyed the train ride between terminals.

Terminal A had a 3D railroad track sculpture in its central area. Colorado is renown for its railroads and mining.

We doubled back to Terminal C for lunch at the Timberline Steak & Grille, and eventually sat at Terminal B to wait for Joe & Margaret's flight. Joe & Margaret's departure from Dulles had been delayed because of a faulty light bulb socket in the cockpit. Frank teased Joe because it was a plane made by Boeing. Since Frank and I had never left the sterile area we were able to greet Joe & Margaret at their gate.

Frank & I and Joe & Margaret each went our separate ways to gather our luggage and then we set off together to get the rental car, an SUV that could be configured to hold six passengers, or five passengers with luggage.

We drove south about 1½ hours...

... to get to our 7844 square foot, 5 bedroom, 6 bath rental house situated on 3 acres and dubbed the "Paris Louvre". This is what we saw upon approach.

We relaxed briefly before driving off for a Mexican dinner at Guadelahara's. Frank drove and had us all in stitches as he tried to back up a long driveway keeping those orange guides  – and the SUV – on the road. "Hey, it is not as easy as it looks...",  he claimed defensively.

We arrived at the restaurant for dinner and I loved their highly decorative chairs. When I raved over them, the waiter said they did sell them but I never did check back after dinner. As unique and colorful as they were, where would I have put them?

Here we are ready to order. A phone call interrupted dinner so some folks had to take their food to go. It really is hard to get away completely sometimes.

But those three faces of Margaret, Joe, and John sure indicate that the food tasted good, no matter where it was consumed, as long as it was with good company.

Sunday morning, August 9th, Frank and I slept in a bit while Joe & Margaret and John & Sue went off to Catholic Mass at a local church. While they were gone I artfully set out the games I'd brought with me to display the week's options for at home entertainment. During the week we played Anomia, Swish, Ticket to Ride, and Set Cubed.

We spent most of Sunday exploring the house and having great conversations and general catchup. Men solved the world's problems in the grand entry room.

The women bonded on the plush furniture in the far corner of this room, a bedroom placed in a converted porch area surrounded by windows with a scenic view.

We drove out for a quick meal at a burger place called Frankie Too! and while out did venture to exciting Walmart since Frank had forgotten to pack socks. We also purchased some chicken breasts and asparagus. We planned to grill them with Sue & John's home grown zucchini for a casual dinner back at home base later in the week. We were all content to just relax, sip some wine, and put off our tourist excursion activities until Monday.