A Rocky Mountain High

The day began with a delicious complimentary breakfast that the Inn provided. There was a wide selection of foods made to order. They even offered strawberries, bananas and cream to the ladies. What a deal!
We drove through the Rockies along the Colorado River. The rocks are really rugged and the dirt still has that rich red color. We saw groups of people river rafting along the way--especially in Whitewater National Park. We were in awe of the beauty that surrounded us.
We stopped in Glenwood Springs to eat lunch. It looks like the town just got its new "Mall" consisting of a Target, PetSmart, and a few other familiar stores. We ate at Applebees instead of venturing out to the local diners.
Vail was interesting--there are tons of ski slopes and the town is filled with condos and lodges. Right now everything is so green compared to where we live but we could easily imagine the area covered with snow.
We reached 12,000 ft and were right at snow level. We saw spots of snow that still remains on the mountains.
Denver looks like any major city--the difference is that there are no real suburbs like in L.A. There is nothing outside the city but green pastures. (Just like L.A. used to be when we first moved to T.O.)
Leaving Denver we saw a huge raincloud ahead--and sure enough we had to go through it. The rain pounded so hard on the windshield it was blinding. Fortunately there was no one else on the road and it only was a short while.
We stopped for the night in a small town called Limon and the wind almost blew us away! (How close are we to Kansas???) The houses and buildings in Limon are very old and many of them are abandoned or boarded up. We ate at a bar/restaurant where the locals hang out. It was fun people-watching--the people were stereotypical of a small town and the bar seemed to be the "happening place"...but everyone was very friendly and pleasant. I'm sure they love seeing new faces around.
I finished reading "The Quickie" by James Patterson. I really liked the book for a good summer read. It is easy to read and a real page turner. If you like mysteries I highly recommend it. It's only in hard back but I purchased it at Costco.
Happy anniversary to Nick and Kiersten! We loved seeing the 3D pictures of Kayleen. We think she might look a little like Kiersten. We can't wait to see her!