Although this is not a current trip, I am trying to clean out my backlog of photos and unposted trip reports. If you are not interested, then just delete. Otherwise come along on another Excellent Adventure. Believe me, this was a most excellent adventure, with lots of the interesting people, beautiful scenery, delectable food and a few great fish pictures thrown in to boot!
We are out west for a week before the wedding of our dear friend’s daughter in Beaver Creek, Colorado. As you all know, Steve enjoys fishing and always looks for a way to catch some fish on our way to anywhere. Steve had heard about a ranch in De Beque, Colorado called High Lonseome Ranch. Although High Lonesome’s main summer season was over, they would be able to accommodate Steve and I for a few days. Steve would fish every day, and hopefully I would ride on a few of the days.
My second cousin who lives in the Denver area had been wanting to get together with me on one of our trips out west. I hadn’t seen him in forty six years and was eager to see him again. Our plan for the trip was to fly to Denver, stay overnight in Golden, Colorado, have dinner with my cousin and his wife and then drive to High Lonesome in DeBeque. Then we would drive to Beaver Creek and attend the wedding.
We had a very fun flight to Denver. We took Southwest and on Southwest, seating is unassigned. You can pay to get a better place in the boarding line, which we did. Even then we still were not the first to board. When we boarded the plane I was looking for seats near the front, with one seat on the aisle for Steve and one in the middle for me. A lady spied us and frantically waved us over to sit in the second row with her. We decided to follow her directions and sit with her. She later told me she was looking for someone who was skinny, so she wouldn’t have someone spilling over into her seat!
I had a great conversation with her the whole flight out. Steve tried to read, but with so much jibber jabbering going on it was difficult. As usual, with anyone I am having a conversation with, I asked her lots of questions. This caused my new friend to think some deep thoughts, about her life and life in general. We were from completely different backgrounds. I am a heterosexual Republican. Let’s just say that she is not, nor ever was!
My new friend has a serious illness and we talked a long time about end stage of life decisions. She told me that she wanted to take the “cocktail” when the time comes. The “cocktail’ is a life ending combination of smashed up pills in coke, the outcome is that you don’t wake up the next morning. We had a lot of fun talking about what she hoped her final days would be like. So of course, I helped her plan out her final candle lit dinner party, where she would be drinking the cocktail. Some might think it morbid, but it was comforting for her. She told me later that I was an angel sent to her from the cosmos. You can imagine what kind of preening I did at hearing this! We have stayed in touch, but have yet to fly out to San Diego where she now lives. I think that Steve is secretly afraid that I would leave him for my new friend!
Let’s get back to the trip to Denver, we found the Hampton Inn in Golden, Colorado without any problem. It was then off to the restaurant where Steve and I would meet my cousin and his wife.
We met at a restaurant called “The Fort”.
It was not a fort, but was built to look like a frontier fort.
Now all the cars are parked outside instead of horses being outside of the building!
Green salad on pewter looking plates.
Rolls and yummy teeny tiny blueberry muffins.
Ruby trout with rice pilaf for me. I also had a Moscow Mule.
Liz, my cousin Larry’s wife had a special steak with a fried egg on top and some spicy sauce. This was not something this east coast girl had ever seen before. Liz said that it was fantastic.
Steve had the elk chops. Not as good as veal chops, but what ever is? Steve did say that these elk chops were very tasty.
My cousin Larry had the elk, quail and buffalo. Another entree that would be too adventuresome for me, but Larry enjoyed it very much.
Here we are!
Larry’s father and my father were first cousins. That makes us second cousins.
We are blocking the Denver skyline. But who wants to see Denver, when you can see the four of us!
We had a great time catching up with each other. I hope that it won’t take another forty six years to see my cousin again as then we will likely be both dead.
One of the perks of charging a lot on my Hilton credit card was that I became a Diamond Member. That entitled me to a better parking spot and an extra bottle of water. I have since moved my spending elsewhere!
What is your life expectancy?
Have you made your end of life departure plan?
Do you think that I ask too many questions?
