July 20-24,2007

Chief Hosa Campground

(Near Denver, CO)

Pikes Peak RV Park

Manitou Springs, CO [Regular blog service has been interrupted by the lack of satellite access at the Chief Hosa Campground. Too many trees. At Pikes Peak, there is shaky wi-fi access.]

The final day at Estes Park found me blazing around the Estes Park Golf Course playing most respectably, a golf ‘glow’ that didn’t last long. Afterwards, we did the main street shopping walk, finishing with a well-earned ice cream cone.

Next, it was on to the Denver area, where we camped at the Chief Hosa Campground, about 10 miles west, conveniently located about 7 miles from the home of Janice’s high school friend Kim Rowley (and hubby Steve Ruskin). The campground dated back to 1918, and was one of the first ‘auto parks’ in the state of Colorado. We didn’t hang out there very much during our Denver stay, using it mainly as a crash-pad, so the convenience factor was a real plus.

Our first day in the area, Janice and Carly had their nails done…at different locations of course. During the evening we traveled to Kim’s for a great BBQ steak dinner. Carly was entertained by RJ, a four-year-old golden retriever who had more energy than Tina Turner. Carly made it clear that she was not into any young dog shenanigans, delivering a couple of well-placed ‘snaps’ in RJ’s direction when he got too rambunctious. Overall, they enjoyed each other.

The next day found me on the golf course again, guests of Kim and Steve at their club, the Hiwan Golf Course. Janice joined as a spectator, hoofing it around the course with us. The weather was great, the scenery beautiful. My game was a bit shaky. This was the most difficult course I had played in awhile (slope 134), and the greens were slippery and slopey. Lotsa dreaded three–putts ballooned my score beyond respectability. There was a silver lining as, late in the game, the demons were finally exorcised from my driver. Hopefully I can remember the 13 different swing thoughts that finally clicked together.

After golf, Janice and I took a short drive through Evergreen and on to the Red Rocks Amphitheater. This natural (red) rock formation was worked over by the CCC in the late 30s, and is now a (if not ‘the’) world class outdoor ‘concert’ arena. All the ‘biggies’ have played here, including the Beatles in 1964. Would love to be there when music is in the air. (Actually, on this day, only Janice went into the facility. I was staying with Carly outside. The next day, Janice and I, sans Carly, saw it together.)

We rejoined Kim and Steve in the evening for a scrumptious BBQ salmon feast, set up perfectly by skillfully blended margaritas. They are the consummate hosts and made our Denver stay a very memorable one. Carly will take a few days to recover from RJ, though.

A day of touring Denver was next. First, the obligatory visit to the state Capitol. First class. Unfortunately, the new Art Museum was closed, so we opted for the Colorado History Museum. Very well done. Even included a photo of the hospital (Fitzsimmons) where I was born many years ago. Hit the library (nice!) for an intenet fix, then walked about the downtown area until our 2 quarters ran out in the parking meter. Finished the day with a visit to Ben and Jen Grafton (Jen is the daughter of another of Janice's h.s. friends) for dinner. We provided pizza; they supplied wine from their cellar in between dealing with a 6-month-old and a 2-year-old. How well we still remember those days!

Our final morning we breakfasted with John and Corky Lopez, veterans of our Great Mexican adventure. Great to see them again before moving down Highway 25 to the Colorado Springs area. (Thanks for breakfast, John!) Carly insisted on visiting Buffalo Bill's Grave before we departed.

En route we stopped at the U.S. Air Force Academy, visiting the spectacular chapel before moving down the road to our destination, Pikes Peak RV Park in Manitou Springs.

Upon arrival, Carly was appropriately fed and walked, then readied for a nap in the rig. We headed out to explore, going south to the Broadmoor Hotel, the most consistent 5-star hotel in America. It was gorgeous, and we tried to fake it like we belonged there, but the 'Cowboy Cafe' logo on the back of my shirt branded me 'el turista'. Bought a magnet and a couple of postcards for $10.50 and headed back to camp.

Enjoyed a nice dinner at the Old Stagecoach Inn, our first dinner out since the cottonood storm in Waterton, Canada almost a month ago. Great ambiance on the deck along the creek and good wine, but the food (Buffalo and prime rib) was just so-so. Enjoyed a nice walk around town. We like this place---not overrun with tourists. Beautiful old homes. A good place to retire if you can handle a bit of snow in the winter.