It looks like the rain is over. A beautiful day but quite cold since our elevation is still up there. Our first adventure today was the gondolas at Winter Park.
We were there at 8:00 when they opened and it was pretty much deserted. Our tickets allowed riding the gondolas to the top as often as we wanted, which Paul and I did a couple of times. I was overcome by the scenery and Paul spent his time trying to figure out the mechanics of the gondolas. Both of us enjoyed ourselves so whatever works.
At the summit we found a beautiful timber frame restaurant with decks and priceless views. Planters and hanging pots filled with brilliant, beautiful flowers were everywhere. We feasted our eyes and exclaimed over and over. It seemed a good time to take our group photo since we were actually all at the same place at the same time. Well except for Verna and Barb who had gone back down but a quick phone call fixed that. We arranged ourselves as best we could. I told everyone to hold their position and I ran inside the restaurant and enlisted the bartender to take our picture. He was happy to comply and that’s done for this trip.
We all ate lunch up there with the meal vouchers Tour Guide Martha gave us. $25.00 seems plenty for lunch but high on the mountain it bought me two chicken fingers, some fries, and a coke. I had 16 cents left over and, feeling magnanimous, I told the cashier to keep it. The food was delicious and, like I said, the views were just WOW.
Bike trails run from the top down and we watched as groups of cyclists pulled their bikes off the gondolas and took off down the side. Not for the faint of heart or unskilled, for sure. We talked to one official-looking guy on a bike and he said he’s part of the emergency services crew. He rides around and up and down looking for anyone in distress. Paul was chatting with the girl sitting on a stool at the gondola boarding dock and she told him she just sits there, listening to her music, and watching for trouble. All day. That sounds awful to me but she said she likes it.
After soaking in all the beautiful vistas we could handle we left for Rocky Mountain National Park. Most of the afternoon was spent gawking out the bus windows at more mountains, valleys, sheer cliffs, golden aspens, lakes, streams, and, much to our delight, an elk or two.
We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center and there was yet another trail with lots and lots of steps and a summit to be reached. And a few restrooms with a very long line waiting out in the cold. I thought surely the gift shop and restaurant would have more toilets. No such luck. Everything was in full swing except the public restrooms which were closed for the season. So I stood in line with all the other poor tourists who were desperate to go and I waited. A sign over the toilet, which was a hole in the floor with a seat on top, read, “Do not go on floor” with a picture of a man squatting. I was in such a hurry to get in and out I never saw it but Merv told us about it. These crazy bathroom signs fascinate me. In another bathroom there was one saying “Dryer is for hands and face only.” What???? As a person in retail I can assure you the sign came about because of what someone did. And we probably are better off not know what that was.
The gift shop and outhouse were over 11,000 feet elevation, the air was cold, and the breeze stiff. The summit was much higher, with a path and steps for the motivated climbers. My first thought was, “no way,” but then a couple of others did the trek and I couldn’t resist. It was the hardest thing I’ve done on this trip. The elevation really doesn’t affect me until I hike uphill or go up steps. I knew we were only there for one hour so I was trying to hurry but I had to stop occasionally to give my aching lungs and pounding heart a rest. I decided I would make sure I saved fifteen minutes to get back down and I would keep climbing until out of time or until I passed out. I made it to the top but with only seventeen minutes left until departure time I did a quick turnaround and down I went. My lungs were much happier and my pulse slowed considerably but my knees let me know they were displeased. I made it with five minutes to spare and in spite of the cold I was sweating hot.
Back on the bus we drove roads with hairpin turns, switchbacks, steep elevations, and no guard rails. Laverne is a smooth driver and keeps our anxiety at low levels, except for those who don’t appreciate heights. We eventually neared our hotel and stopped for supper. We scattered in different directions and I ended up alone at a noodle restaurant. It was the ultimate comfort food! I ate outside, which I love to do, and enjoyed every bit of the yummy Wisconsin mac and cheese with BBQ chicken.
Back at the hotel Tour Guide Martha went to get our room keys while we waited on the bus, as we do every evening. When she got back she had a big wad of tissue sticking out of one nostril. It looked amusing but I felt bad for her recurring nosebleeds. Some of the others have had the same issues with the dry air out here.
We scattered to our rooms, everyone tired. We have not congregated to play cards even once so far on this trip. I don’t know if we’ve been running more or if we’re all getting old and tired. Or maybe this elevation is messing with all of us. We did decide that it has to happen tomorrow night. We really have to play cards at least once.
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