Day 1: Travel Buddies

Good morning everybody!  We are off on our next grand adventure, but it's not one of our normal road trips. 

We started off the morning with one of the cubs dropping us off at Intercontinental Airport Houston for our flight on Southwest Airlines direct to Denver.  Thankfully, the craziness due to the ongoing airport construction had subsided and we were able to get into the terminal quickly and painlessly. Check in and bag drop was no issue, although I was holding my breath on the larger bag that just barely squeaked by.

The plane was full, but everyone was in a good moon (thank you no mask mandate). The flight was smooth and roughly 1.5 hours. I was hoping that we'd leave the Houston heat behind, but the hundred degree weather was waiting when we deplaned. Papa Bear and I made the shuttle trip over to the rental car company and was treated to a complimentary upgrade to a larger SUV, because our Jeep Wrangler was not on the lot when we arrived.

Our travel partners were still in route from Florida, so Papa Bear and I took a trip out to a nearby Bass Pro Shop. Always a good option when you need to kill a bit of time. We didn't do too much damage, and only came out with one new shirt, one pair of shorts and a few assorted snacks.  We had just completed our little shopping spree when Tinkerbell and "Paul" texted letting us know they had landed. The timing was just about perfect and we only had to circle once.

We loaded up and headed out westward on I-70, taking the "long" and "scenic" route. I maybe didn't exactly calculate the travel time correctly, but heck we are on vacation and the scenery was beautiful. The conversation and camaraderie was soul refreshing as well.

Our scenic detour ended up being nearly 5 hours - about 2 hours longer than anticipated. I had somehow missed the route that should have taken us through Winter Park, opting instead to travel much further west on I-70 than necessary.

We drove in and out of a patchwork of rainclouds, sunshine and mist that carried us out of Denver and into the Rock Mountains, across rivers and through Routt National Forest. The terrain was as varied as the weather, and we had the opportunity to spot native animals in their natural habitat.  "Paul" was our eagle eye, spotting Pronghorn Antelope, Bison, Mule Deer and even a Moose bedded down. We passed through prime Bighorn Sheep territory, but they remained as illusive as ever.

After the five hours of driving, we finally made it into the Mountain Bow Lodge, just as twilight was kissing the horizon. Our hosts had been so gracious and kept dinner (a delicious green salad, pot roast, mashed potatoes and green beans almandine) warm for us. After filling us with the very satisfying dinner, and warm peach cobbler with ice cream, we were shown to our cabins and started settling in for the night.

I will say that the lodge and accommodations were a bit more rustic than was perhaps shown on the website. This is not a luxury lodge, but we weren't necessarily looking for the Ritz either. The cabins are simply furnished, but adequate for the time you spend in them. Our room joined Tinkerbell and "Paul's" by a connecting door, but had our own bedrooms and bathrooms. There was no air conditioning, but with the temps dropping into the low 50s, there was absolutely no need. 

We unpacked, settling our clothing, shoes and toiletries before icing down some adult beverages and heading back over to the main lodge. The rest of the guests and our hosts called it a night around 10 pm.  The four of us settled into the living area of the main lodge (open 24/7) for a spirited game of Chicken Foot. Two hours later, with only 3 rounds left to go, we called it a night knowing that we needed some rest.

We returned to the cabin, showered and wound down for sleep.  Just before retiring to bed, we opened the screen windows to allow in the lovely, naturally cooled air.   Papa Bear and I snuggled, me giggling a little at the springy sound of the bed, and then drifted off with great expectations for the next day.