Sunday, October 8, 2017

Escape to the Wild (Day 2 - Relaxation)

Not much to report today.  I got up four hours before everyone else, and I decided to spend the quiet time writing.  It’s amazing how the words will just flow out of me, when I don’t have distractions or obligations to address.  I find it relaxing and peaceful, like finding something you were always meant to do, and it just comes about naturally.

All in all, we had a pretty lazy morning.  My wife got up late, getting some much-needed and overdue rest, and then we all went to brunch at Benedict’s.  I got the Denver omelet, because what else would you get in Denver, CO, and my wife got eggs benedict, because what else would you get at a place called Benedict’s?!  We passed several hours just talking and catching up with Jamee, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.  Sure, we could have rushed off to do something touristy, but it just seemed right to spend some time relaxing instead.

Eventually, we made our way down to Colorado Springs, CO.  But we turned off for Devil’s Head Trail on the way.  The drive up the mountain to the trailhead was a narrow, extremely curvy, dirt and gravel road.  My wife was gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles the entire time, especially when a car would come flying down the other way, forcing us to the very edge of the road.  She decided to be overly cautious, driving around 5-10 mph the entire way, and we barely made it to the trailhead before sunset.  Since it was getting dark, and my wife had a sudden case of altitude sickness, we decided to just turn around and head on without hiking the trail.

The trip back down the mountain took about one-third of the time.  My wife was like a woman possessed.  I saw that familiar gleam in her eyes, when we started to pick up speed.  She was no longer afeared, and we careened down that mountain in record time.

We checked into the hotel, got settled, and headed over to Old Chicago for a deep-dish pizza and a football game.  The Texans were being creamed by the Chiefs, and I got to experience it in eight-TV-surround-picture in the sports bar upstairs.  The pizza was amazing.  We both highly recommend the Chicago-thick crust.

We’re supposed to get snow tomorrow, so that ought to be interesting.  I guess we’ll see what we wake up to.

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