We are off again! On September 4, 2015, Rocky Mountain National Park began its year-long centennial celebration. Although we had been to the Estes Park side about four years ago, we really wanted to help them celebrate this big milestone. We bypassed Rocky Mountain National Park on our big trip out West because we wanted to wait for the centennial celebration to begin. So, we started watching airline prices and found our deal. The planning began and finally it was time to go.
Day 1 - September 29
At 4:30 am, the car was packed and we were headed to Tampa. We drove to Intercontinental Hotel where we had reservations to leave our car in their long-term parking garage. It rained hard the entire way over. Upon arrival, a valet took our car and we waited for the airport shuttle. We had just missed the 5:00 am pickup so had to wait for the 5:30 am run. It was chilly and damp as we sat outside on the benches, waiting for our ride. Finally, the shuttle arrived and took us to Tampa International Airport. We checked our luggage at the Frontier Airlines counter and headed to our airside. Once through security, our first stop was Starbucks. We got breakfast sandwiches from Quiznos and sat down to eat. When finished, we went to our gate and waited for our 7:29 am flight to Denver.
We had never flown Frontier Airlines before so we didn't know what to expect. First of all, when we went to get seat assignments the night before, we found that different seats cost different prices, all which were payable online as we made our choices. We found out at the airport when Dean asked at the Frontier counter, that we could have not selected a seat and not paid anything. Of course, that meant people were randomly assigned to seats so it could end up with seats in different rows. We now know for next time.
The boarding call came and we boarded the plane. We found our seats and stowed our carry-ons. Frontier charges for all carry-ons except either a backpack, purse, briefcase, or computer bag that fits under the seat. Everything else is charged to carry on, such as small luggage or other bags. We were good with a rolling computer bag and a tote bag, carry small backpack, sweater, and my refrigerated medicines. The first thing we noticed was the tiny pull down trays. They were hardly big enough for Dean's coffee cup. Look at the comparison of his hand on the tray. There was not much room.
Our plane took off and the nausea began. No, it wasn't from air sickness, but from the couple sitting in front of us that couldn't keep their hands and lips off each other...add noisy sound effects and that describes the nausea. After about 1.5 hours of the nonstop show, the third person in their row finally asked if they wanted to play Yahtzee. They agreed and so for the next hour, all that could be heard was the rolling of dice and yelling of "Yahtzee!" Keep in mind that it was early in the morning! However, Yahtzee was better than the noisy kissy face. We welcomed the descent of the plane and the arrival in Denver, CO.
As we prepared to get off the plane, they thanked us for flying Mickey Moose today. We looked out the window and the wing tips had pictures of a moose on them. How appropriate since we were really hoping to see moose on this trip!After getting our luggage, we rode the shuttle to pick up our rental car at "F-O-X", Fox Rent-a-Car. It is the first time we have used them. Robin stayed with the luggage while Dean did all of the paperwork. Instead of the Camry we had reserved, we ended up with a 4-wheel drive Ford Explorer. The man at the counter REALLY wanted to rent this car and used every possible discount to make the deal sweet. Once we went to do the walk around, we saw why. Every part of this car was scratched, dinged, and dented. After it was was all recorded, we took off and headed to Denver.
Dean had a whole list of places he wanted to go to in Denver from attractions to restaurants. The first on his list was VooDoo Donuts. Since it was only about 10:30 am (MDT), we went there first to get a donut. However, when we arrived, parking became the issue. All parking was on the street in a residential area behind the main road, Colfax Avenue. We drove around the streets for ten or more minutes without luck, so Dean was ready to move on. We decided to just get an early lunch. Robin texted her friend Chrys and asked for suggestions since she lives in Colorado Springs. Chrys suggested 16th Street Mall where there were all kinds of places to eat. We weren't far, so drove there. Again, parking was a problem. There wasn't any street parking and the lots closeby the Mall had signs stating it was $5 for 12 minutes, $10 for 30 minutes, and $20 for all day. Needless to say, we didn't stay.
We decided to drive to the Fortney Museum of Transportation which was on Dean's list and, hopefully, find a place to eat along the way. So we drove to another area of Denver, which seemed to be more industrial. We did not see anywhere to eat before we found the museum. As soon as we arrived, Dean said he wasn't sure we should go. He didn't feel good, thinking he was reacting to the altitude change. All he wanted to do was go lay down at the hotel, which was still in another area of Denver to the south. Robin knew he didn't feel good when he was passing up this museum.
As we drove, we did see a few signs of fall colors along the way.
After getting a quick bite to eat, we found our way to our Holiday Inn Express. It was still early for check-in, but Dean explained he didn't feel good and they made accommodations for us. We both laid down and slept for over 3 hours. Dean felt better when he got up. We listened to the news while we were getting dressed and found out there were severe thunderstorm warnings for our area. Within minutes, the rain was really coming down. We stayed in our room until the storms moved on. Then, we headed out for dinner.
We had read about a restaurant called Kitchen Table Cafe. They only make so much food each day and when it is gone, it is gone. It reminded us of a restaurant in New Orleans that was known for its good, homestyle cooking. It was across town, but we decided to try it. We found it in an old neighborhood. The strip shopping center where it was located looked a little shady. All of the other establishments in the center had wire mesh over all of their windows. There was someone pulling out of a street parking place and Dean was able to find a spot. We walked up to the cafe and found a sign on the door saying they were sold out of food for the day. No wonder we finally were able to find a parking spot.
The next restaurant on our list was a place called Steuben's. It wasn't far away, but it took us 2 times around the block with navigation system to find it. It actually faced a different street than its address. Once we found it, the next item of business was to find a parking place. It had its own dirt parking lot as well as street parking. No luck again. After several times circling the area, it was time to move on again.
Dean decided to head back to VooDoo Donuts which was nearby and pick up donuts for later. He figured parking wouldn't be a big problem at the hour we would be there. Boy, he was wrong again. After driving around the area several times again, we decided we knew where the Texas Roadhouse was by our hotel so we headed there.
As we left downtown Denver, we marveled at the beautiful buildings we were seeing, especially churches. The designs were unique and featured many intricate details. We captured a few of them in photos, but it was getting dark so we didn't get many of them.
We ate our dinner and went back to our room. We were trying to adjust to time changes as well as altitude changes. It was time to relax, watch some tv, and get some sleep. It didn't take us long before we were counting sheep.
