If I remember correctly, it was June the 16th, that we went to Vail Colorado for a vacation. I know we left on a Wednesday and I am almost sure that is the day we left. We left early that morning because we had lunch at an A&W Root beer place around noon. We had stopped thee because we saw the sign and Connie loved root beer and we did not have any A&W Root beer places in Texas. We had rented our car from Avis, as I was able to get a company discount even thought I was renting it for personal reasons not for business reasons.
Since my right arm was still in a sling Connie was doing all the driving and it was wonderful as I was able to take in all the scenery. It was only a couple of hours drive, but we took our time and stop to look at the scenery a couple of times. I remember how steep the hills were when we were going down them.
We feel in love with the mountains on that trip, the scenery was beautiful, and we could just not get enough of it, we were taking in the beauty of the place. I do have a video from that trip but there is little of Connie and I on it as it is mostly the scenery and the beauty of the mountains.
We arrived at our hotel in Vail before two that afternoon. We were staying at a Radisson which was a genuinely nice hotel at the foot of a mountain. There were ski lifts just outside the hotel to take you to the top of the mountain to ski. There was no skiing in June but that was ok with us as I would not have been able to ski with two hip replacements and a shoulder replacement with the shoulder still in a sling. I could not talk Connie into taking the ski lifts to the top of the mountain, but I was able to have her take the gondola up a couple if times.
I must admit Connie was doing a great job driving and getting us to where we needed to go. She was always a better driver than I was. After looking around for a little bit we decided we would go to dinner early and come back and enjoy the spa. Connie found a Mexican restaurant called Jackelope, and it was quite different than the ones in Texas in that they did not provide you free chips and salsa. You had to order that extra. Maybe other ones around there did but this one did not. I remember Connie and I enjoying the dinner but commenting that it was not as good as the Mexican restaurants in Texas. We drove around a little bit after dinner and then around 8 PM I decided to go to the spa, but Connie was tired and decided not to go.
On Thursday morning, we decided to look for a breakfast place. We found this little town just down the road from Vail, called Avon and there was this little breakfast place thee that had the best parties and coffee. I think we went there every morning for breakfast. We took the ski lifts to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the view They told us about another mountain that we could see, and it appeared to have a cross shape in it. I do not remember much about it, but I went and looked it up because it made an impression on us at the time.
The Cross is visible from the top of Vail Mountain but was first spotted in 1869 from the top of Grays Peak (another fourteener). The Cross is 1400′ high and 750′ wide – it melts each year to fill the Bowl of Tears Lake directly under the east face of the peak.
Connie was scared up height and I was not sure what would go on the lift to the top of the mountain but she did, and it was nerve-wracking for her, but we enjoyed the view from there very much. Guess what? We did not take the lift down. Connie decided that we would walk down, and she was right it was a very enjoyable time just of the two of us walking down from the ski lift.
The rest of the day we just explorer the area around Vail, I especially remember going to Beave Creek and how beautiful it was around here.
Friday the 18th, was a day for another adventure. We started in Avon after a late breakfast. I know it was late because we did not get to Glenwood Springs till after 11:30. We drove around a little bit to explore the area. Connie had read about a hot springs pool there, so we went looking for it. It was huge as I had never seen a pool that large and if I remember correctly, they had to cool the water down so people could get in it. Now we used our hot tub at least four to five times a week and it helped me tremendously with my RA. This was great and so much better we loved it. The ride there and back was amazing as the beauty of the mountains just kept impressing us.
We rested for a little bit that afternoon and then decided to go into Vail Village. It was so alive with people, entertainment, and activities. We were amazed all the people seem to be so healthy and in shape. We spent a lot of time just walking around enjoying the music and everything that was going on. We decided to have dinner there and then head back to the hotel as we had decided to drive up to Aspen on Saturday.
What an adventure, we had on Saturday the 19th. I am not sure what time we started but it was probably around nine am. Connie was still doing all the driving but to this day, I do not think I have been as scared of being in a car as I was on that trip. First of all, the route, we took were some back roads to Leadville and then on to Aspen. These roads were only open during part of the moths of June, all of July and August, and part of September due to the snow. The roads were all narrow two lanes with major drop-offs, and it seems they were always on the passenger side. To me, it seemed Connie was always on the edge of the road and when I looked down, I could not see the bottom the drop-offs were straight down. If we went off the road we would fall forever. Connie always said that was the quietest she ever saw me.
Finally, we made it to Leadville, and I was a nervous wreck. We slow down and stopped for a few minutes just so I could calm down. I thought the rest of the way would be much easier, but boy was I wrong. It probably was not as bad as the part from Vail to Leadville but there were still some major drop-offs and there was more traffic, the road seemed narrower and I was always scared when we saw a car coming in the other direction. It took us longer than what they said to make the trip, but Connie did drive slowly. I think we made it to Independence pass around 11:30 and we stopped there to view the wonderful sights.
From Independence pass to Aspen was nowhere near as a frighten drive as the earlier part of the trip. It was only about 20 miles and we arrived there a little afternoon. We spend the next two and a half hours in Aspen driving around seeing some of the beautiful homes and wondering around the towns. The restaurants were crowded so we decided we would stop somewhere else, later, to get a bite to eat.
It was time to head back to Vail but neither Connie nor I wanted to go back the same way we had come. I do not think either one of us could handle it. We decided to take a major highway from Aspen to Glenwood Springs and then I70 from Glenwood Springs to Vail. It was a less stressful drive and we both needed that. I cannot remember where, but we stopped just outside Glenwood Springs at a fast-food restaurant and got something to eat. I could tell Connie was very tired as the anxiety of driving especially the first part of the trip had taken its toll on her. While we were on I70 about halfway between Glenwood Springs and Vail, I convinced her to let me drive. I said since we are on the interstate it should be no problem for me to drive using my left hand. Finally, after several miles, I convinced her.
The next thing is something I will never forget as I came awfully close to having a major accident and maybe even killing the both of us. Since we had pulled off the interstate, I took over and came to a stop sign, and for some reason, I do not know why I started to pull out. Did, I think it was a four-way stop, I am not sure but this 18 wheeler came rushing through, thank goodness Connie was still alert and she yelled “STOP” as loud as she could at me and I did. She said our life. I did continue to drive us the rest of the way back to Vail, but I do not think Connie got any rest because she was keeping an eye out on how I was doing. I think that is one of the most dangerous situations, that I ever put us in. We were so tired after that adventure, that we rest well on Saturday night.
Sunday morning, we took the ski lifts to the top for the non-denominational worship service they had. It was an amazing feeling to be there in the beauty of the surroundings, worshiping. Afterward as usual we went to the little bakery in Avon for breakfast. I do not remember anything else about that day.
Monday is another day that I do not remember much about except for one incident that will forever be etched in my brain and was one of the scariest moments of Connie’s life. She would talk about it often and it always bothers her and something she never forgot.
There was nothing unusual about the day. Since Connie and I love to just get out and drive and go places where we did not know where we were going, and Monday afternoon was one of those days. We pulled off I70 and found this little dirt road going up the side of a mountain or large hill. Connie is driving and the dirt road is getting narrower and narrower. We are about two miles up this road and there is not a place to turn around. We panic. What if someone is coming down, we cannot turn around, what if someone is coming will the road just run out. We stopped as we did not know what to do. I did not think we could turn around and there was no way Connie could drive backwards down the curvy road for two miles. While the drop-off was not as steep as on Saturday it was still steep. We decided I would get out of the car and guide Connie in turning it around. It must have taken us almost 30 minutes to accomplish that. The back tire would get right to the edge with the back of the rental car hanging over the drop-off. Finally, Connie was able to accomplish that with my guidance but now I was in front of the car and there was truly little room for me to get to the side without falling. I had to be extra careful as if I misstepped I would have gone tumbling down. Eventually, I was able to do that and get in the car. But since my right arm was in a sling, I was unable to reach the door and close it as it had swung wide open. I put my seat belt on, and the wind eventually pushed the door closer to me so I could close it. After we had made it back down to get on the interstate, we stopped and just said a prayer of Thanksgiving that we had made it back down safely. It was something Connie would always remember as one of the scariest times she ever had.
Tuesday the 22nd, was time for us to return home. We checked out of the hotel mid-morning as we had a late flight out of Denver to Dallas. We took one last trip to Avon for breakfast and took a leisurely ride back to Denver. We must have stopped five or six-time just to get out and enjoy the scenery.
It was one of the best vacations. ON this trip Connie fell in love with Colorado and I did not have RA, we would have probably moved there but she knew I could not take the winters. I love you, Connie, thanks for the wonderful memories you have given me that sustain me now.