Kim's journey

Wed 6/6 – very few steps
We were back on the train at 7:30 am on Wed morning. No words can describe the absolute awesomeness of the train ride through the Rockies and pictures do little to capture the scenery.

The train follows the Colorado river most of the way …..,

but there are vast and varied landscapes….

We also went past ski resorts…

… and a golf course…

At one of the stops we were allowed to get off the train and go to Daves depot, an uninspiring little spot, except for one crystal for $2500. It is apparently natural crystal with goldstrands. I must say I am dubious and need to find out if such a thing actually exists. I was more skeptical because coming from where we do, one would expect that such a valuable item would  at least be locked away. Chris Callaghan, if you are reading this perhaps you can tell us more.

 

 

Chuckle: David and I trying to be comfortable in our very, very small en-suite room on the train.

 

What I learnt: There are well-maintained fences in the middle of nowhere, something we could learn to do at home.

Tues 5/6 – 12538 steps
We left Boulder early to get Dave’s bike back to Denver to be packed and sent to San Francisco. Word of advice, you cannot send an e-bike battery with your bike, so we had to take that on the train and will have to send it separately when we fly home. Thanks again to Nadine for all your organization in this regard.
Our hotel was kind enough to store luggage, so we dropped it off and David drove out to the airport to return the car. I waited for him at Union Station, catching up on my writing, drinking good coffee and watching the people. Such an interesting, wonderful place.
On Nadine’s recommendation we went for lunch at Sams number 3.  It is a huge diner, goes from one end of the block to another and it is very busy with what seem to be locals which is always a good sign. I had “moms meatloaf with roast veg” and David had fish and calamari combo. Huge portions, I only managed half of mine! David is eating like a horse – finished his and the rest of mine. Bit like Mike and Donne long ago. If you ever in Denver, it is worth a visit.
In the afternoon, for our cultural fix, we headed off to the Colorado History Museum, which I loved. No yellow buses!
There was an awesome Lego display.  I don’t know why, but I love Lego.

David enjoyed the baseball display, but I only knew 2 names – Babe Ruth and Jo DiMaggio. It was well put together if you like that stuff. I found the 100 real life artifacts that define Colorado’s history a lot more interesting.

In the evening, we were both tired, but I insisted if you go to Denver, you have to see Larimer Square. So we set off to have dinner there. It is a very pretty area, all lit up with fairy lights, filled with upmarket restaurants and shops. And well-groomed people, we called them Yuppies in the old days, not sure what they are called now, maybe young money. We left.We headed back to the Thirsty Lion gastropub. This is really not a blog about food, but I have to mention that for $12, I had a starter that consisted of 5 prawns grilled in bacon on a bed of coleslaw and for $30, David had a 12 ounce rib eye steak which he reckons was the best meal we have had so far.
What I learnt: It is not surprising that USA has an obesity problem, despite the supermarket shelves being jam-packed with low fat everything.
Lego make flowers

 

Mon 4/6 – 7344 steps

David set off for his cycle, bright and early and I think he picked up speed when he noticed a sign saying “You are now in mountain lion territory.” He came back exhausted, a combination of lack of cycling, lack of air and a very technical track.
When he had recovered, we set off for Rocky Mountain National Park. David was getting the hang of the driving, even successfully navigating a circle. My head was filled with John Denver’s “… the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky…”

We drove for miles, not an animal in sight, unless you count the people, loads of them around Bear Lake. There were also small squirrels and birds at the look-out point where we stopped. However, the scenery was magnificent and varied. And cold! Icy winds were blowing, we were hoping for coffee at the visitor’s station, but it had already closed when we got there. So we turned around and headed home and all of a sudden, we started seeing elk. It was like their happy hour. Not herds, mind you, but enough to now believe there are more out there which we may have missed.

We went into Boulder and walked around, It is a happy place, with lots of interesting shops, a lot of local crafts and jewelry. We had supper at the Magnificent Sun – burgers, but they were excellent, – gourmet burgers.
What I learnt: I can’t eat a gourmet burger in my fingers.

 

 

Sun 3/6 – 5016 steps
David started the day as usual with a cycle. He loves his new bike. We then picked up our hired car at the airport. You register and then you can go and choose which one you want out of your section. Amidst all the Nissans, stood one Buick. Naturally I chose that one. Loyalty to GM does not go away overnight.

I navigated whilst David drove back to our apartment. Brave man. I am a nervous passenger at best, but put me on the wrong side of the road and I am a wreck.
We took a slow drive north to Boulder, voted America’s happiest town. We stopped for lunch. I had pulled pork sandwich as my anything other than a burger option and David had a, wait for it, burger! As we arrived, we saw money (cash tips) just left on the tables. They are so trusting.

 

Mind you, the tipping here is extreme. Forget 10%, you start at 15%. When you get your bill, you have the option to add 15%, 20%, or even 25%. They calculate it for you and print it on your till slip to circle. And you also have to add tax onto your total. So if you think you are paying $12 for a hamburger, you end up paying a lot more. Still not sure what is taxable and what is not. I have been told that tax also varies from county to county. The average cost of a cappuccino has been around R50. Luckily if you have late lunch, you don’t need supper. Portions are huge, even after we have left the bread on the plate

We booked into a lodge just outside the city, along a creek and near the mountains so David could put his new bike to the test on a proper mountain track.
When we arrived just after happy hour, the place was quiet, but when we returned to the bar, there were swarms of people. They were hosting a Democratic party rally, which David really seemed to enjoy. He stood outside listening to all the speeches. I drank cider at the gas log fire.

What I learnt: They have great music stations here. We listened to 70s on 7. We heard some songs for the first time in years. Good music, but I think they should make a 65-75 station, because towards end of 70’s disco came in, not so great.
Driving on the right is too complicated for me. It ain’t going to happen.
Denver has many microbreweries thanks to the good supply of mountain water. Their ciders are my new drink of choice. Very healthy!

 

Sat 2/6 –7564 steps
Rest day, David went for a cycle and I did the washing and repacked bags for next leg of our journey. Then we went downtown and had brunch. I ate “Chicken fried steak” which is steak cooked like Kentucky (yum) and David had yet another burger. 16^thStreet in Denver has a free bus that takes you from one end of town to the other. We hopped on and went to Denver civic centre and walked home via a market.  So interesting, not just normal stands selling food and other crafts, but there were at least 3 alleys of political and cause driven stands. We drank fresh lemonade and sat on the grass listening to a band playing good country music.

We met Nadine for supper at an upmarket chain called Fogo de Chao where for $39 you can eat as much as you like. I had to rearrange the table as the side plate was on the right and did not feel comfortable. There was a soup, salad and veg, charcuterie and bread section and then waiters walk around with delicious skewered meats including rare roast lamb, grilled pichana, pork, ribs – no hamburger. They carve off pieces at your request and each is cooked to perfection. What a treat! We took a bicycle taxi ( like a rickshaw) home and I am sure the poor guy had to pedal extra hard to do to get us there.
Chuckles: people, people, people and dogs in hats.

What I learnt: Americans are crazy about their dogs. It seems like they take them with them wherever they go.
Oh,  and to date, I still have not met one that voted for Trump. (Maybe the guy on the bench)

Fri 1 /6  – 15241 steps, 21 flights of stairs
Happy birthday Simon
Today was about bikes and Red Rocks.
We ate breakfast on the train and arrived at Denver Union station at 8am. It has a stunning hall, with free wifi and good coffee. Good place to people watch and plan your next move.
We went out of the city to meet Nadine, a friend from Swaziland who now works at Elevation Cycles in Denver. David had ordered a bike from her and we spent most of the day there so David could test ride and get it adjusted. I also got a new bike – an ebike, now there is no excuse.

Many thanks to Nades, who not only gave us such good prices, but also arranged for bikes to be packed and delivered to our hotel in San Francisco on Friday. What a star! Swaziland’s loss is definitely Denver’s gain.
We finally got to our apartment a block away from the station at 3:30. We had just enough time to unpack, shower and get ready for Red Rocks.
We met the shuttle at the Thirsty Lion gastropub, where we got delicious calamari and chicken tenders with our drinks. Then it took about 30 minutes to drive to Red Rocks. The bus parked at the lowest point available and we had to climb the mountain. Not much oxygen up there, with Denver already being one mile high. At the base of the rocks was a ramp going up and up and up. Luckily it was packed and the queue moved so slowly I could get my breath back. It took an hour and a half to get to the base of the amphitheatre. Then we had to climb the stairs to our seats right near the top. No wonder I climbed the equivalent of 21 flights of stairs.
Once there, however, Red Rocks is incredible. We watched Xavier Rudd, followed by Michael Franti. What wonderful music in a wonderful setting.

Chuckle of the day: I thought we were last on the bus so I  asked the bus driver if I should close the (hydraulic) bus door!
What I learnt:
Personal use of cannabis is legal in Colorado and I think there was more Swazi Gold at Red Rocks than there is at Bushfire. Also having grey hair does not limit your dance moves. (unfortunately can’t show video on this blog)
Clever idea: We arrived in Denver at 8am with all our luggage, and could not check in or store luggage until 3pm. However, there is a clever guy, who has a permanent parking place outside Union Station and he parks a small van there and stores luggage. He also delivers it to your hotel. If you are ever in Denver, remember the name,”Lugden”. What a pleasure. I would nominate him for entrepreneur of the year.

 

Thurs 31/5 – 9613 steps
Happy birthday Justin
We headed off to Chicago Museum of Science and Technology, Fewer yellow buses!

I lost David for a while in the History of Bicycles display.

 

Then off to Union station to catch the Amtrak Zephyr train to Denver.
Our “family” room was comfortable enough, but not much of a view, being on lower floor. We headed off to the lounge car for a better view, not just of the scenery, but also the fellow travelers – all shapes and sizes, colours and dress code.
We travelled through miles and miles of corn fields, apparently all for animal feed

 

Maize as far as you could see on either side of train for at least 250km.   Then there was just less than a km of cattle feed lots, as well as a bison feed lot, Right next to the track for easy loading I guess.
We snacked on chicken “tenders” with Paul Newman ranch dressing. Chicken tenders are crumbed bits of chicken fillet. They appear on every menu we have seen so far.
We headed off to the dining car for the last sitting at 7pm. We were seated with an interesting and entertaining couple from Scotland. The dinner was delicious, I had medium rare sirloin and baked Idaho potato, accompanied by good Californian red wine and David ate grilled salmon.
Sunset was 8:30pm, and I am sure I was asleep by 9
Best chuckle of the day: 1 Aussie sitting behind us to his Sheila: ”Of course we in the northern hemisphere, so East and West are swapped around.
What I learnt:
Choose the latest seating option at dinner, so you can linger over your meal.
You can’t trust an Aussie with directions
When you lock your bike, be sure to lock it around the frame, not the wheel