This past month was our 9 year anniversary. It is hard to believe we've been together for 12 years (3 before we got married). In some ways it feels like there is no way it could possibly be that long and in others it seems like we've just always been together. Kind of cool. So to celebrate, we decided we would escape the heat and head to Colorado. We left The Wee One to the trusted care of Darma and Cozmos' and headed to cooler weather.
Day 1: Drove to Buena Vista, CO to stay at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort. Talk about relaxing. Nothing will soothe your body like a dip in a hot spring. Warning...when there are 3 springs in descending order, go ahead and avoid the first unless you feel the need for an instant skin peel. Spa #3 seemed to be plenty hot for me.
We did a nice dinner at the lodge, which we split partially because it was pricey and partially because neither of us were that hungry. Let me just say DELICIOUS! Brochette topped with shrimp. Thick steak - topped with jumbo shrimp. Baby veggies. Garlic mashed potatoes. YUM!
The plan had been to go whitewater rafting the next day, but The Husband wasn't feeling well and was coughing a ton so we decided to put it off a couple of days to see if he rebounded.
Day 2: Drove to Aspen, CO. Absolutely beautiful drive up Independence Pass, but I feel I somehow cheated death. What the heck is with the state not putting guard rails up on high mountain passes? And really...dropping to a single lane? Those things wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the crazy-ass cyclists who seemed to think that hairpin turns every 20 feet on a descending, in-some-parts-one-lane road was a good choice for a bike ride. Gheesh! I should also state that The Husband has had a previous history of playing with gadgets like a GPS while driving on mountain roads. The soothing aspect of the hot springs were gone mid-way up the pass. Really what was freaking me out was the thought of coming back down at the crack of dawn in 2 days to go rafting. Regardless, it was beautiful and the top was magnificent. Worth the terrifying moments for sure.
We'd never been to Aspen and after finding a good hotel deal online (the Molly Gibson was great although there is no relation to Debbie Gibson as far as we could tell), we though it might be a nice visit. We were impressed. It really wasn't what we expected. There is without question serious money up there, but most of the locals we experienced were super sweet and down-to-earth. The town is very pedestrian and old. I had no idea it had such an old history. There are so many buildings from the late 1800's/early 1900's still around. Very cool. We spent the afternoon just walking around and enjoying some really yummy food. Annette's Mountain Bake Shop is awesome! The turkey sandwich was so good we went back the next day for another.
Day 3: A nice leisurely morning. Honestly, the best part of the trip was the lack of a certain person. Although I love that little darling more than just about anything, getting away from the constant interruptions and typical almost-4-yr-old behavior gives me a chance to miss her and love her that much more. We decided to go to Maroon Bells to hike the area and take pictures. WOW! Breath-taking views and crisp mountain air. Even with the ridiculous wind that was blowing that day it was wonderful. I might have looked a little odd to some as I hiked with my foam ear plugs, but I wasn't about to let the cold wind prevent me from that hike.
We took the Crater Lake hike which we found out later is about 3.9 miles round trip. For some of you that might be a breeze, but I live at a significantly lower altitude and I'm not in top shape. However, I am a firm believer in the "slow and stead" style of hiking and though it may take me longer than others, I still get to get see the same views once I reach the top. I actually feel like I get to see more of them because instead of pushing myself relentlessly to reach the top, I stop occasionally to appreciate what I'm seeing around me as I go. (It's a great excuse to catch your breath as well). So, after about a 45 min -1 hr hike up, we reached the lake. It was in a sweet little meadow and it was a great place to just chill for a bit. If we had planned better it would have been perfect to lunch up there.
Day 4: Drove back through the pass...not as bad as I had imagined...and get ready for our rafting trip. Since we changed days, we had shortened it to a 1/2 day down The Numbers. When the water is up, this is a pretty exhilarating ride. We did it about 7 years ago and loved it. This year however, the water is down. It was still fun, but much, much more technical. The guide had warned us that we would have to "work" a little more to avoid rocks and hit the spots right. I will say without shame that I was SORE the next day - actually that evening.
Let me tell you about this little adventure. This was my 7th time rafting and I figure that if you go enough, something is bound to happen, right? So, coming out of Number 5, we had been doing great. Then somehow, within a matter of seconds, that changed. Our raft came up to a large boulder in the wrong position. We hit it directly in the middle of the raft and heard the guide yell "HIGHSIDE". We all moved quickly, but it was too late. The raft was taking on water and it filled completely in a matter of literally seconds. There were 5 in our raft, including the guide, and soon we were all balancing awkwardly on the boulder while the water rushed around us and the now completely filled raft.
There was supposed to be another couple but they had gone to the wrong location so we had been joined by 2 trainees. Thank goodness. After several minutes of trying to dislodge the raft and assessing the situation, a man who had been fishing near by came along side the shore. Our guide decided to send us customers to shore so he threw a rope to the fisherman, hooked a caribeaner to it and told me to "zipline" through the rushing water downstream to shore. I gotta admit, my first reaction (internally) was "WHAT? You seriously want me to hold that tiny little piece of metal and glide through this pounding water?" My external reaction was, "Okay". Once I sat down on the rock and dropped into the water it was kind of fun and over in a few seconds. The Husband came next and the trainees stayed on the rock to do what they could while the guide came ashore to maneuver the rope in an attempt to get leverage.
This took somewhere between 30-45 minutes. Lots of different attempts and eventually lots of different advice coming form other guides who started showing up with their crews waiting to get past us. I felt so bad for the trainees (did I mention they were both girls and totally rocked girl power that day). The water was COLD and they were stuck in it for half an hour. One girl's hands were bright red from having to reach into the water so much to attach the rope in different places.
At last they attempted a technique of paritally deflating a side of the raft. This action and the trainees were able to "bounce" it up enough for the rope-pulley set-up to work. Once free we all got back in the raft and continued on our trip. Pretty uneventful after that. The Husband was stoked about it..."This is so cool." It really was - especially after I determined that we were all gonna make it without injury or death (picture post rafting - all safe and sound). We drove to Amarillo to relieve my parents and slept so soundly it was unreal.
All-in-all, it was a WONDERFUL anniversary and a much needed trip. After the current (and hopefully last-for-at-least-5-years) move, we need another big trip but maybe we can skip the near-death experiences.
