So, a week after we got married, Lisa and I were off to Estes Park, Colorado for a week-long stay with Steve and Laura, their 9 month old twins, Will and Alex, and their friends, Matt & Shauna. It was originally going to be a mostly relaxing week, with Steve, Matt, and I getting in some bike riding and training for Ironman Wisconsin on September 9. However, Matt has decided to pull out of the race. He hasn’t been able to commit the time to training, and after his muscle problems at Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 a few weeks ago, he just didn’t think he could do it the right way. So . . . that leaves just the Perkins Twins’ showdown!
Anyway, Lisa and I (and the dogs!) left Leander yesterday, (Saturday, July 21) at about noon for the 17 or so hour trip to Estes Park. We made it as far as Dumas, Texas yesterday before we just had to stop for the night. Reese and AJ were so good in the car. They had a small area, but it was big enough to hold them both and give them some room to stand up, turn around, and be relatively comfortable. We made pit stops ever 2-3 hours so the boys could stretch their legs, we could top off the gas tank, and answer any calls of nature. Lisa has a few pictures from the trip up to Estes Park, but I don’t seem to have them available on the computer, so I’m sorry we don’t have them at the moment.
Anyhoo . . . let me just say ONE thing about Dumas: They RAKE you over the coals with the hotel rooms. We stopped at the Days Inn & Suites. The front desk clerk asked if I had any applicable discounts and I mentioned that I was a State of Texas employee, but that I didn’t have my ID. She said "no problem" and gave me the discounted room . . . which came to $150.00!!!! I’d hate to see the price of the NON-discounted room! I wasn’t too happy, but I took the room anyway. It was 9:00 PM, we had a long drive the next day, and I just wanted to walk the dogs, eat some dinner, and go to sleep. Well, for our $150.00, we got a smelly room with a sheared-off safety lock, a loud wall unit air conditioner, and crappy TV service. Note to self: don’t stay there again! Despite the outrageously expensive accommodations, it was an uneventful night. I took the dogs on a long walk to stretch out, and then it was off to bed to rest for the next morning’s long drive.
Today, I got up early to walk and feed the dogs. When we got back to the room, Lisa was up and getting ready for the day. She is such a fabulous travel companion! We complement each other very well. As she was getting ready, I was loading up the dogs and bags. I got in a quick shower (at least the shower was pretty nice!) and we got on the road by 8:30 AM.
Our first stop was in Raton, New Mexico, about 2 ½ to 3 hours after we left Dumas. We needed a bit of gas, and the dogs had to go relieve themselves. BTW . . . the gas prices in New Mexico are simply outrageous! It was almost $3.50 per gallon in Raton! Holy Schnikey’s! While we were there, Lisa was walking the dogs while I pumped gas and ran into answer the call of nature. When I came out to relieve Lisa so SHE could go inside, there were a couple of redheaded kids, a boy and a girl . . . no older than 9 or 10 . . . talking with Lisa and petting the dogs. When I took over, they were just non-stop questioning me about the dogs. The boy wanted me to "sell" one of my dogs to him. It was funny. I said "no way!" and he said, "well, what if somebody paid you a billion dollars for him. Then would you sell him?" Reminded me so much of when I was a little boy and said silly stuff like that all the time!! Anyway, we got back on the road pretty quickly and turned off of Highway 87 onto Interstate 27 for the long drive to Denver.
We made a few more stops before getting to Estes Park, but none of them were all that exciting. The traffic in Denver wasn’t bad at all, but getting through Boulder on Highway 36 was a hassle. I understand that it always is. I know Dad likes to stay on IH 25 up to Longmont and then cut over on 66 to avoid Boulder. Steve doesn’t think that’s any faster, but it’s GOT to be less frustrating than sitting in Boulder traffic. I might give that a try next time.
So, we rolled into Estes Park in the late afternoon today. There wasn’t time to do anything that day, so after we got settled in and said our pleasantries to everyone, Lisa and I took the boys on a short walk to explore the area and then we came back to the cabin for dinner and some catching up with Steve, Laura, Matt, and Shauna. We also got a little bit of nephew-time with the New Perkins Twins!
Laura cooked a fabulous lasagna for dinner! Yum! After the twins were down for the night, we all hung out, drank some wine, and just had a wonderful time enjoying good company.
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I'm really surprised at your Dumas experience. It's not going to be cheap because of being on the main route from Texas to Colorado, and this is Prime Time for travel . . . but we haven't had to pay that much. We usually stay at the pet-friendly Holiday Inn Express in Dumas for about $100. They fill up fast, so advance reservations would be good. No help for this trip, but a reference for the future. You & Lisa seem to have enjoyed Estes Park, so I hope you'll be joining us often -- or going on your own.
Also found a great deal for eating in Dumas on our trip through after the wedding. We stopped at the Western Sizzler for lunch, and it was $5.39 for all you could eat. Best buffet of that kind I've ever had. Really fresh food, great selection. We were very pleasantly surprised.
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