Monday Memories

After a leisurely morning, we ate a fantastic breakfast/brunch which included blueberry and cream crepes, steak omelette, and butterscotch crunch pancakes. The weather could not have been more perfect – bright and sunny, crisp fresh mountain air. We headed up into those very mountains. First, however, we had to check out the Harley-Davidson store, of course!! The views as we got closer to Estes Park were more and more breathtaking. The trees began changing from green to brilliant yellow with some occasional fiery red bushes scattered in for good measure. The small stream winding around the base of the mountains and bluffs called out in playfulness. Soon, we were pulling into Estes Park, our final destination. Looming ahead of us was our dream hotel – the Stanley Hotel!! We were giddy with excitement at the thought of finally getting to stay in the place we’ve dreamed of visiting together since HC shared the luxurious hotel with me so long ago! We parked, and made our way through the gate, stopping to enjoy the waterfall and beautiful patio and gardens area before entering in the magnificent lobby. We anxiously checked into our room on the third floor, and got our suitcases to carry to the room. The room was gorgeous! The bed was big, and high, and oh-so-fancy. We got a fantastic corner room with two windows. We did a little more exploring of the grounds, signed up for a history and ghost tour, and checked out the other floors of rooms. After getting acquainted with the Stanley, we headed to downtown Estes Park to check out the shops. Soon, it was time to head back to the hotel – after all, tonight was our fancy dinner night we’ve been looking forward to so much!! Before you knew it, we had transformed from weary but excited tourists to glamorous, giddy honeymooners!! Imagine our surprise when we were led into a small nook with a wall full of wine and full of vineyard related décor. We couldn’t have dreamt of a more perfect, intimate setting for our fancy dinner. We felt like we were in our own world. The food was phenomenal: house bread with olives and an olive oil spice dipping sauce, a fresh mozzarella and plum tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette and pesto sauces, a bottle of Pinot Grigio wine, Pork Tenderloin with Green Olive and Sage rub and Lamb Chop with Mustard and sides of garlic mashed potato. It was all out of this world mouth watering deliciousness. Although we were stuffed, the thought of French Vanilla Crème Brule to top off the meal was too much to pass up – and we were spot on with our choice. What a fantastic ending to a dream come true meal. We walked around the nearly deserted hotel a bit and explored some of the rooms that had been closed off before – the music room, the dining hall, and the billiards room. Soon, our exploration was done, and it was time to watch one of the showings of The Shining, which is playing 24/7 on one of the channels. What a fun ending to our evening!!