Estes Park

Becca has been wishfully asking for a weekend getaway at a bed and breakfast, although we thought that it would be hard to pull off with the kids, schedules, etc. I think I surprised her by pulling it off. The morning of her birthday, I made crepes (egg in one and nutella in the other) and presented the trip like a Price is Right Showcase Showdown (using powerpoint, because I'm a nerd like that), although Becca pointed out that Vanna White is from Wheel of Fortune, not Price is Right. Becca's sister graciously offered to watch the kids (link) and they had a great time with their cousins and (allegedly) were pretty good.

I found a bed and breakfast in Estes Park, which has a sort of Moab/Park City/Jackson Hole feel to it. It's the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We stayed 2 nights at Black Dog Inn, which has won awards and was ranked one of the top 10 romantic B & B's in the US. It was nice and relaxing and the breakfasts were great. The owners were really friendly and accommodating.

We ended up being there during Elk Fest, which is to say that bull Elk were wandering around the city looking for some sweet fly honeys. The irony of the weekend and our getaway has been duly noted. Here's a picture of three male losers hanging out on a golf course and then my beautiful wife in front of the winner with his harem. We also saw two males fighting, butting antlers and bugling, but I didn't have my camera that morning.

On the Saturday that we were there, we got an hour long couples massage, which was divine. Being my first massage, I wondered to myself, "why have a been so afraid of getting a massage in the past?" We wandered around downtown Estes Park and grabbed lunch and then went on a 3 hour horseback ride. The guide would not shut up, which slowed us down some, but we were at the back of the group, so it was a nice ride.

The whole weekend was relaxing and energizing (which lasted about 2 days after picking the kids back up). It was nice to have an extended period of one on one time (more than just a couple hours during a date) without worrying about kids or schedules.