food fixes everything

leaving the broadmoor was kind of a bummer.  we'd been so intent on getting out and doing stuff and packing as much as we could into the little time we had that we never got around to just hanging out at the resort and relaxing.  given the option, i would have gladly taken one more day so that we could have done just that.  we didn't get to take advantage of the fabulous pools, the super high tech fitness center or the paddleboat rental, or even just hanging out here:

we got ourselves ready and packed, leaving just enough time to take one last stroll around the grounds and say goodbye to the ducks.

i managed to make a final purchase in the gift shop - a super cute pair of lilly pulitzer shorts that they had to order and ship to me because they didn't have my size in stock - and when we checked out we found that we'd done a splendid job of using our resort credit.  between room service, purchases in the shops, coffee breaks, and the hub's late-night drinks with his cigars, we managed to use up every bit of it...with $1.75 left over.  ha!  we were convinced that we'd have to cover some part of the expenses we'd incurred over the weekend, so it was pretty awesome to find that all we had to do was leave.

getting through security at colorado springs airport was much, much easier than it had been at LAX.  not to mention, the TSA agents were so friendly and helpful - no surly, grouchy folks here.  maybe it's the altitude.  heh.  and here, there are cute little chairs for little kids to use while their parents juggle their carry-ons and putting their shoes back on and such.

alas, that's where the cheerfulness ended.  our flight was scheduled to take off just after 11, which would have gotten us to LAX in the early afternoon.  i was looking forward to getting home and unpacking, starting up some of the chores i'd neglected during our travels, blah blah blah.  but we'd already been alerted on the way to the airport that the flight had been delayed by half an hour.  okay, that was tolerable.

except that as time went by, the blue skies disappeared and were replaced by some rather ominous-looking clouds.

not much later, the gate attendant hopped onto the mic and announced that because lightning strikes had occurred within the 7-mile radius around the airport, the entire ground crew was being put on hold and taking cover.  the fueling truck that had been working our plane drove off, and all activity outside ceased completely.

everyone stared outside, watching the electrical show that came on every few minutes, and then the pounding started.

it got really loud for awhile, and that's when we all noticed that the rain had turned into hail.

every half hour or so, you'd hear everyone's phones chime in unison as the airline's text message updates came through.

finally, the hail and the rain and the lightning came to a halt.  the ground dried up almost completely, and then the fueling truck made a reappearance along with the ground crew.  it was about 3:20 when we were finally allowed to board the plane.

but then, guess what?  yup, you got it - we were delayed yet again.  something about some sort of tape on the nose of the plane that the mechanics had to inspect for stickiness or some shit.  i don't even know.  all i know is that we sat in our seats for a good half hour-45 minutes more before we were finally cleared to take off.  about five hours after we were supposed to have left the airport, we were flying over the grand canyon.

i don't think i've ever been so happy to see LAX before.

of course, it took a long time to retrieve our baggage.  and then catch the shuttle back to the parking garage.  but hey, we finally made it back to the car!

as we made our way out of the structure, we realized that we were hungry.  it'd been hours since we'd eaten anything substantial, and when it hit us that we were in no rush to get home, we decided to try somewhere new.  after all, the old lady was at work till late and the bean wasn't even in the same damn state as us.  so this is where we ended up:

we didn't have a reservation and didn't really want to sit at the communal table, but found that the bar was relatively empty and offered the full menu.

the hub selected the albacore tuna toast for his appetizer, which he devoured happily.

i opted for the gnocchi, served with prosciutto, mushrooms, arugula and parmesan:

and then we shared the meatball pie.

for dessert, we shared "not another budino" - hazelnuts, milk chocolate and sea salt.

everything was absolutely delicious, and what better way to end a day full of highs and lows than with a great meal?

mountain high

the hub and i had spent some time watching the tv channel dedicated to the resort - its history, current events, shopping and dining, activities in the surrounding areas.  and when we saw that there was a railway that would take us to the top of pike's peak, we decided that would make a fun outing after our post-segway catnap.  the concierge told us that reservations were completely booked, but that standby was available.  and even if we didn't end up getting on the train, she said that manitou springs, the town the station was located in, was pretty fun to poke around in.  sold.

without a shuttle or a rental car to rely on for transportation, we turned to good old uber to help us out.  about 15 minutes later, we got dropped off at the station.

as luck would have it, we were second on the standby list for the train departing in the next 15 minutes.  we waited around for just a little while before they called our number and sold us tickets for two seats that would have us facing each other rather than sitting together.  no biggie.

we joined the line and found our seats easily.

doesn't he look happy?

we'd picked up some snacks to munch on during the hour-plus long ride, and because of the crazy high altitude at the top, i'd snagged some canned oxygen too.  the hub was convinced it was just an $8 placebo that wouldn't do any good, but i didn't want to take any chances.

it was a pretty long ride, most of which we spent smirking at each other in between snacks, but at least the views were pretty.

and look, there were patches of ice and snow:

it was getting pretty chilly as we ascended the mountain, and the sign down at the station said that the temperature could drop down as low as 37 degrees.  yikes.  we were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, and while i eyed the sweatshirts in the little gift shop that sold me that can of oxygen, i decided that i could brave the potential cold for the little while we'd be up there.

when we got out of the train at the top, we found that while it was rather cool up there, it was manageable.  we followed the crowd into the shop, where there were tons of little knickknacks and souvenirs on sale along with a random mini donut stand.

we stayed in there only as long as it took to hit the restrooms and then went back outside to check out the sights.  i was pleasantly surprised to find that the thin air didn't give me too much difficulty, and so the can of oxygen stayed in my pocket.

the song "america the beautiful" was inspired by a trip up to this very spot.

as we walked around, we noticed something a little freaky.  can you imagine if the brakes went out on that thing?

we were pretty much over it by then, and with about five minutes left before we were due to return to the station, we decided to just sit in the empty train and wait.

i started getting a bit of a headache at that point, so out came the can.  a few hits and i felt better right away.

i think we both fell asleep at some point on the ride back down, and the temperature (and humidity) climbed back up to normal as we descended.  the station was about a ten-minute walk from the town, but it was all downhill.  along the way we came across miramont castle, which is on the national register of historic places.  it was originally built for a french catholic priest back in the late 1800s and showcases several architectural styles, mostly victorian.  oh, and also - it's supposedly haunted.

i took a picture of this map, but didn't really look very closely at it.  it's kinda cool, yeah?

natural springs abound.  these fountains provide fresh water that people gathered around to refill their bottles.

there was a big arcade full of all sorts of OG games - video, pinball, skeeball, you name it.

and this old pepsi machine where you could buy...coke.  haha!  okay, there was pepsi too.  but still...

snacktime.

as we enjoyed our cold, creamy treats we realized that it was a bit later than we'd anticipated.  dinner that night required cocktail attire and a shuttle ride to the venue.  by the time the uber driver pulled up to whisk us back to the resort, we had about 15 minutes before the first shuttle arrived to start taking guests to the lodge.  we both needed to take showers, which meant i still had to do full hair and makeup.  oops.

but i can get ready pretty quickly when i need to.  and 45 minutes later, we were all cleaned up, dressed up, and enjoying our first cocktail of the evening.

check out our menu - for the second night in a row, i left the table super stuffed and ready to go right to bed.

despite our grand plans to either hit the bowling alley or the golden bee, the resort's popular dueling piano bar, all of the day's activity and fresh air knocked us both on our asses and found us fast asleep way before midnight.  like old people.  which i suppose we are.  heh.