Day Six of the Honeymoon
9/9/2016
I stayed up late drinking bubbly with the vain hope that I’d actually sleep later than 6:30.
No luck. Oh well.
We kicked the day off by repacking in preparation for our departure and ordered breakfast in the room.
Outside of a small mishap (scalloped potatoes instead of oatmeal for a side item) breakfast was delivered quickly and was rather scrumptious. If not a pinch on the expensive side, but whatever. I expected it to be expensive since we were eating in our room.
Following breakfast,
we descended into Beaver Creek village for the final time to try to visit an art gallery with a book Nicole had become interested in acquiring. We didn’t have any luck with the particular gallery being open when we initially arrived and took to wandering the village conquering it for the Resistance in Ingress and catching Pokemon while reminiscing over the time we’d spent there.
An hour later and we’d circled the outer ridge of the village and come back to the gallery. It wasn’t open, so we plopped down on a half-circle couch before an inactive gas fire pit and killed a little more time by throwing virtual balls at virtual critters.
By 10:30 we figured we’d waited long enough and left the couch (the firey ball in the sky was also encroaching on us) and returned to the room. We double checked everything and then triple checked everything before calling to have the car brought forward and departing for the front desk.
We checked out and loaded the Subaru up. We had a delightful chat with the valet before mounting our mechanical beast (with Nicole at the helm!) and setting out.
Our next destination: Vail.
We pulled off and meandered along a side street and into the village center a few times before we eventually stumbled onto a parking garage. We parked, packed up the backpack, and set out to explore another resort village (this one being Lionshead).
Our first stop was at the information desk. We inquired about the gondola (travel time? Ten minutes. Open air or enclosed? Enclosed. Cost one way or round trip? All day pass for both Vail gondolas.) and about some activities to do.
We were informed that there’s plenty of hiking up on top of the mountain, a restaurant (but not to eat there), and some other paid activities, but our best bet would be to come back down and eat something from Oktoberfest (which was starting in nigh fifteen minutes).
We thanked her, went and purchased our gondola passes, and hopped onto the gondola.
I dislike heights. More accurately, I dislike being out of control and off the ground. While the ride up was slightly nerve wracking (go ahead and laugh, it really bothered me), I valiantly did so with only a minimal amount of griping to Nicole.
We reached the summit, had a quick look around and posed in front of an elevation sign and had a quick chat with the couple who graciously took our photo. We learned they had family in Nebraska. I’m secretly beginning to wonder if the whole populace of Colorado lived in Nebraska, or has relatives here.
We set off on a short loop hike that had some entertaining interactive exhibits (such as walking along narrowing balance beams to “walk like a billy goat” and “is your stride that of a moose?”) and rounded back to the gondola.
We passed the station with the intent of embarking on another short hike. On the way to this hike we passed a suspended nope-rope (zip line) and a wishing well. We tossed a couple pennies into the well and cast our wishes to whatever mountain deity happened to reside nearby with the hope it’ll grant them.
A short walk later and we’d gotten ourselves onto another trail and after near a mile or so of hiking along it, I pussed out feeling the pangs of hunger/thirst as we’d not brought along our water bottles. Silly us not expecting to do some extensive hiking whilst in the mountain.
Live and learn.
We returned to the gondola and mounted it to return to the base of the mountain. Now I’ll guide your gaze to return northward on the page a few paragraphs to my status of enjoyment of heights.
Coming back down on the gondola was far less enjoyable than the trip up. The descent felt quicker, and, while it might have simply been my nerves, the wind had picked up significantly and frequently set the car to rocking. It didn’t help with the wind whistling through the car either.
I tend to enjoy the whistling moan of a banshee’s cry that is a good wind through the trees but this frightful wail bothered me.
The whistle and moan of the wind while sitting in a gondola car 30+ feet off the ground and halfway up a mountain? Not good. It set my nerves on fire and a cold sweat right down my spine. Halfway (by counting the pillars holding the cable up) down, I bravely declared to Nicole that I was done. No more gondola rides for me today.
She didn’t press for going up the other one. I’m glad she didn’t.
We reached the ground safely and I eagerly leapt from the gondola car. I’d be happy(ish) to ride to the top on a calm day and hike back down.
We spent the next half hour or so wandering through Lionshead Village and enjoying some wonderful polka music. On our way out, we stopped into Swedish Clog Cabin on a whim and browsed his wares.
The shop, despite the name, had a good deal more than just clogs. I picked up an illustrated book of Nordic myths and we had a pleasant conversation with the proprietor. And learned he hails from Omaha as well.
See what I mean about everyone in Colorado secretly being from Nebraska?
We bid him farewell and returned to our car and set off to finish our trip back to Denver. The road was gorgeous and mountainous and a delight to witness. Doubly so from the passenger seat.
We got back into Lakewood and checked into our hotel room. An hour of unpacking everything and repacking it into one piece of luggage less than before and we were ready for dinner.
We supped, and I treated Nicole to Gelato for dessert. Now, at the end of the day, and nearing the end of our trip, we enjoy the last of the bottle of sangria we picked up in Beaver Creek.
The week’s passed too quickly, and I don’t quite feel ready to return home tomorrow.
But, alas, all good things must come to an end.
Tomorrow: homeward bound.
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