Colorado

Courtesy of a wonderful work retreat of sorts, I was able to have my first official (i.e. non-airport, grown-up) visit to Colorado.  We started off the trip with a stop for lunch in Golden, grabbing lunch on the creek at Grappa Mediterranean Bistro.  I had a delicious Croque Madame (I can never say no to a Croque Madame).  You could see the Coor's plant in distance from near the restaurant.

After lunch, we headed to the Keystone/Dillon area, where our house was.  It was a gorgeous, modern cabin with eight bedrooms, a movie theater, gym, game room, huge kitchen, and beautiful views.  We made our own breakfasts and divided into teams to make dinners.  It was definitely a retreat-like atmosphere.  We even played games at night, like Heads Up, Apples to Apples, and Scattergories.  It felt like a trip with extended family!

We spent most of our time in the Keystone area, including grabbing burgers at Kickapoo Tavern and golfing a 9-hole scramble at Keystone River Course.  It was my first time actually golfing on a course, so I had a lot of slices, but I contributed a couple of good shots that helped me team.  I also attempted to run in Keystone, but between the altitude and my exercise-induced asthma, I only managed 1.5 miles vs. the 5 I was planning; it felt like someone was sitting on my chest!

Golf Course

The highlight of the trip was definitely our ATV adventure with Nova Guides.  I'd never been on an ATV before (as I mentioned earlier on the blog) so I was a bit terrified, but the vistas were just unreal as we climbed the mountain!  I was really impressed by the terrain the ATVs could handle, thought going down was scarier than going up.  We even got to go on some really rocky paths and through some mud, getting filthy in the process.  Our guide, Stan, was awesome, and very patient with me.  I can't say enough good things about him.  They even provided us with a good, warm lunch afterwards. It is an experience I will not forget!