Wrapping up Denver

Thursday, 12 July 2018
Cherry Creek State Park — Aurora, Colorado
Temps: 86F (30C) / 64F (18C)

Truth be told, we didn’t really spend much time in Denver proper … except to check out some condo options to see if the city would be a consideration for future settlement.  Though we have not written off Denver categorically, the properties we saw didn't really meet our “wish-list.”  So for now, at least, we’re scratching the city off the list.

What else did we do during the time we were based at Cherry Creek SP?  We did have some fun times … with Denver-based friends and family.

July 8: Breckenridge Getaway

Leaving the motorhome at Cherry Creek SP, we headed into the mountains with Sonia and Boris.  Our destination: Breckenridge.  We love mountainscapes and Breck — as the locals refer to it — didn’t disappoint.  Lying at the base of the Rockies’ Ten Mile Range, the views up to and at the resort town rewarded us with breathtaking moments.

Enjoying a great setting with great friends.

After settling into the house for our overnight stay — courtesy of Boris’s cousin —  we had a quick lunch with magnificent views to add to our dining pleasure.  Then off we went into Breck proper to take the Breckenridge Gondola up to the base of Peak 8.  The gondola was free ... parking was $10, with the receipt good for an equal amount of discounts at the activities/restaurants at the top.

Try as I might, I still get a blur from the scratched up window of the gondola.

We didn’t get to spend too much time at the top.  Noting that storm clouds were moving in, we took a quick stroll, got ourselves some ice cream sandwiches to use up the $10 voucher, and headed back to the gondola station for the trip down.

Plenty of activities to keep summer visitors entertained.

As easy as it was to go up, going back down turned out to be an adventure.  Apparently, the gondola is shut down for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes when there is thunder in the area … and the clock resets each time there is a boom and crack.  Luckily, when queried, the gondola operator told us about the bus service to the bottom station.  By the time we got to the bus stop, it was raining in earnest … by the time we got to the bottom station, it was pouring.

Postponing plans to go for a wander in town, we returned to the house.  Snacks for lunch and a couple of rounds of Rummikub helped to pass the time until the rain stopped.  Then back to Breck town we went for a wander before having dinner at Twist … good food … though the portions were large enough that we could have easily shared.

Colorful flowers against a rustic backdrop make for a charming photo op.

When we returned to the house, we went for a walk around the community.  Rustic mansions is the best way to describe the houses we saw along the way.  The higher we went the more the scenery had a wow factor.  Comfy temps — the high was 73F (23C) — made for a pleasant after-dinner stroll.

A delightful after-storm scene. 

July 9: More Fun with Sonia & Boris

Our day began in Breckenridge and ended in Denver.  We were all up early and took advantage of the sunshine and comfy temps to go for a neighborhood stroll before leaving for the city.  A narrow footpath that winded its way uphill took us past some of the beautiful homes and gave us a chance to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.  We could easily live in the mountains … but not without doing some serious damage to the wallet.  We have no interest in being “house poor” … so scratch that idea. 

The ponds that were milky after the storm have cleared up nicely for our morning stroll.

It was hot, hot hot in Denver when we arrived in the city — the high being 92F (33C).  But the heat didn’t bother us much as Mui and I spent the afternoon condo-shopping … to no avail as I noted at the beginning of this post.

Our evening plans called for us to join Sonia and Boris for dinner and a show.  We enjoyed our meal at Tarascos — a local, inexpensive Mexican place where the menu is more authentic than what one gets at most Mexican restaurants in the US.  The show was Giselle, performed by the Bolshoi Ballet.  Yes, you read that right, but it’s probably not what you’re thinking.

The virtual ballet performance includes previews of coming attractions before we
find ourselves in the Russian theater from where the performance was televised.

Turns out that there is a program called Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema.  During the “season,” live performances are televised from Russia and can be viewed in cinemas around the world.  Summer being the off-season, we enjoyed an encore screening of a previously televised ballet … in the comfort of a theater with recliner seats no less.  I understand the NY Met has a similar program … we’ll look further into both when we get home.

July 10: Family Reunion

Having played for a couple of days after arriving at Cherry Creek SP, it was time to take care of some chores and errands … me at home; Mui around town.  It was a hot day, with the high reaching 95F (35C) ... a perfect day to be indoors after enjoying the early morning on the patio.  The deer that inhabit the park came by our site for a visit while I was out enjoying the fresh air … a delightful wildlife encounter.

Dinner was a reunion get together with Mui’s first cousin once removed.  Nilüfer, whom we last saw in 2005 when we went to Rhode Island for her father’s 60th birthday, lives in Denver with her 9-year old daughter.  We met at Citron Bistro … not far from Cherry Creek SP.  The place serves Middle Eastern food … leaning heavily towards Greek.  Good food … good company … good evening out.

Today: Hosting Friends for Lunch

Since a single site was not available for the duration of our stay, we had to move to #10 yesterday.  We were ready to go early in the morning, but the occupant of our destination site took her sweet time leaving … her right, of course, since check-out was not until noon.

This site is also 50A FHU … a side entry pull-through in the Abilene Loop, which is close to the campground office.  We have plenty of space forward and aft between us and our neighbors, but less privacy because the trees are behind us instead of between the sites.  Those trees do help to buffer what little traffic noise there is from the park entrance road beyond them, so that’s a good thing.

Once settled into our new spot yesterday, we busied ourselves with prep work for today’s lunch with Sonia and Boris … this time it was our turn to host them.

Concerned about the forecasted high temp — and biting black flies — we set up for hors d’ouvres on the patio and for lunch indoors.  Our menu was a typical Turkish one that included — hummus; lamb köfte [meat patties] on skewers; beef köfte (for me … I don’t much care for lamb); ancient grains pilaf, and zeytinyağlı taze fasülye [green beans cooked in olive oil and served at room temperature].  In lieu of a salad, we had cacık [cold yogurt soup with cucumbers] and dessert was mixed berries with vanilla ice cream.  Simple, but tasty … if I do say so myself.

It was great to have another opportunity to spend time with Sonia and Boris before we move onto Colorado Springs tomorrow.  We’ll be at the USAFA famcamp for two weeks and hope that if schedules permit, we might be able to get together again before we begin the return trek back to Houston.