Day 34

Day 34 - Saturday, July 25th, 2009

Indian Creek Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO to Denver, CO

We awoke to the pitter-pat of drizzle on our rain fly. We used the rain to our advantage, got out the small hand sweep broom, brushed the dust and grime from the tent, and used a dirty shirt to dry it off. Viola! Clean tent.

With a long list of activities planned for the day, we packed up quickly, and were on the road before 9 am. We travelled along RT-34, the highest highway in America, and were awed by the views and the animals all around.

We walked along the tundra at the highest point in the road, feeling the cold air and believing that it really could snow in July.

As we were descending back below the timber line, the "Service Engine Soon" light flared to life. Immediately we started searching for a GMC dealership on Nuvi and found two, one in Denver, one in Colorado Springs. We called both, but unfortunately we would not make it to either location before they closed for the day and neither was open on Sunday.

With fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed, we stopped for lunch in Estes Park, CO at Wapiti and had some Blue Bell Ice Cream for dessert. Hoping that the car just needed a little break, we were disappointed when the light blinked on right on ignition. We continued east along RT-34 to Greeley where there is a Hastings Book Store. Hastings accepts trade-ins of books, audio books, DVDs, and Music CDs, but we were returning a couple of audio books that we purchased at a Hastings in Montrose, CO due to the awfulness of the narrator's voice.

We then made a bee line to the Doubletree Hotel in Denver (priceline special), checked in, showered and despite the looming clouds, decided to brave a Colorado Rockies Game at Coors Field.

We sat 23 rows behind the visitor's dugout and enjoyed the game even with the occasional sprinkle and the large lady that was sitting next to Tara forcing her almost to my lap. It was 5 -2 Rockies in the bottom of the 8th, but the stadium was still full. The reason was clear; the fans wanted to see the Rockies score at least 7 runs. If they did it would trigger a Taco Bell promotion of 4 tacos for a quarter with the purchase of a drink. Sure enough, the Rockies scored the two runs without accruing any outs and the stadium started to empty. They scored three runs in total that inning and the SF Giants went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to end the game 8-2.

With the drizzle developing into a downpour we made our way out of the stadium to Cru, a Wine Bar where a childhood friend of Tara worked. As we walked the five blocks the downpour turned into a deluge of Biblical proportions. We rushed through the doorway soaked to find out that Matt Munneke, Tara's friend, was off on Saturdays. We found a table anyway and enjoyed a flight of wine each, and shared a flight of cheeses and the Grilled Portabella and Wild Mushroom Pizza. Still a little wet we hailed a cab driven by an English Lit Major that went to the University of Texas. He and Tara went back and forth about books that I really should read some day. We decided when we reached the hotel room to sleep in the next morning and have a lazy day.

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