steppin' it up

with the hub scheduled to start his fishing day early, i decided to get up when he did so i could get that head start on banking those steps for the challenge.  i walked the loop around all of the cabins a couple of times and then i got bored.  i didn't want to put my airpods in because i was by myself and - well, basic safety guidelines, you know?  so i went back to the cabin and leashed the dogs to take them with me for a couple more loops.

but bringing teddy and cocoa also brought a whole other conundrum...they were super curious and stopped every few feet to sniff a bush or a tree or a pile of rocks, and they were totally holding me back.  heh.  and so while the hub was out enjoying beautiful views and perfect weather (if you look closely you'll spot him in the first photo):

i was inside the cabin pacing furiously back and forth in the living room, with the tv on for noise and the dogs chilling on the couch probably wondering what the hell i was doing.  this was my view for most of that day:

where was the bean, you ask?  well, she was just down the road a bit enjoying an hourlong horseback ride.  and then you may wonder why i didn't go with her.  the answer to that is simple:  i don't like riding horses.  i've tried it a few times and i'm just a ball of tension and anxiety the whole time, because even though those horses are well trained and know exactly where they're going and when to go there, i despise the lack of control over the course of the ride.  but the bean...she loves every minute.

a few hours later, the hub returned to the cabin exhilarated and de-stressed from his time in the river with his cigar and his pole.  he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep that left him energized and ready to grab some dinner.  we hopped into the truck and he took us on a lovely scenic drive to show us where he'd spent the majority of the day.

 our last breakfast basket was waiting for us when we got back.

i continued to pace around the cabin like a madwoman, and by then i'd taken the prize for steps in one day (previously held by the bean, who'd done 26,000 one day back home).  i'd actually reached 20,000 by 1:00 that afternoon, but because the old lady, her special friend, the bean and i have our activity trackers linked up they knew i was spending the final day of the challenge trying to rack up as many steps as i possibly could.

the hub had asked me what my goal was for the day, and earlier it had been 40,000. but i was watching the kids' progress back home and i could see that the special friend was working just as hard as i was.  and so i decided to go for 50,000 steps (which is insanity, truly, especially given the fact that i was just walking around the living room) and then stop.  i'd been up for over 12 hours by then, getting those steps in for most of that time, and i was freaking exhausted.  a couple of hours later, i hit my goal and fell onto the couch with throbbing feet.  i don't know if i've ever had this many steps in one day - and that takes into account the old days of running half marathons.

i think at that point he was only about 6,000 steps behind me and with the 4,000 lead he already had i knew there was no way i was going to win.  maybe if i'd kept going all the way till midnight as i'd done in the days prior, i might have had a shot.  but i was OVER. IT.  i couldn't do it anymore, and i knew i'd given him a pretty decent run for his money.

in the end, he bested me for that day by at least a thousand steps.

i'm still bitter.  hmph.

a little rest and relaxation

the next morning, the hub and i decided to take a quick walk to the little general store to pick up some provisions for the next couple of days. it was actually really well stocked, with groceries and fishing and camping gear plus a full liquor section and even some colorado souvenirs.  i thought i took more pictures inside, but this is the only one i found on my camera roll.  oops.

after we got back and unpacked the bags we'd brought back, the bean was up and ready for some lunch.  while the burritos we'd gotten from that breakfast basket were actually fairly decent for frozen grub, there was a little cafe just across the street from the general store.  and so we took another quick little walk to the bla bla blah cafe.

the food was nothing special, but it was decent and fairly priced.  we were the only ones there, so we were done pretty quickly and then we were on our way back to the cabin.  it was a perfect day, just warm enough and really pretty out.

the hub decided to head out to do a little fly fishing while the bean and i hung out in the cabin with the dogs, who didn't seem to want to let him go.

while he was gone, we walked a few loops around the property with the dogs - it was the tail end of the step challenge we were in with the old lady and her special friend, and we needed to get as many steps in as we could.  having crossed into mountain time, we'd lost an hour of the day, giving them a great advantage.  i was already pacing back and forth inside the cabin at night clear till midnight, getting my number as high as i could but the special friend always managed to beat me with that extra hour he had.  ugh.  anyway, we eyed the cute outdoor barbecue area that we pretty much had to ourselves since we were the only guests at the time.

and so we decided to head back out to woodland park to hit up the supermarket for supplies to make dinner that night on the grill.  on our way back we swung into the drive thru at sonic for some treats, where the bean went big and ordered up a big ass chocolate shake.

while at the store, i was pretty stoked to find some yeast and bread flour.  figures that i'd have to go all the way to colorado to find this stuff.  it's like gold, man.

dinner was delicious - grilled steaks with asparagus on the side, which is kind of our default meal when we can't think of anything else and need something simple.  and when we got back to the cabin after cleaning up, the lady from the front office delivered our evening cookie plate.  this time they were chocolate chip, still warm from the oven which made the cabin smell really good.

it was a nice way to end the day.  we only had one full day left before it was time to pack up and head home, and the hub was pretty excited for the next day during which he'd booked a fly fishing guide to take him to a great spot along the 11-mile canyon.  i mean, it's definitely not my thing, but he really enjoys it and i'm glad he was able to carve out some time for himself.

besides, i had one more day of the step challenge left and i wanted to get an early start and get as many steps as i could.  i was running about 4,000 steps behind the special friend and i knew the chances of me winning were pretty low...but i wasn't going down without a fight.  if he was gonna win the grand prize, i was gonna make him work for it.

heheheheheheh.

welcome to woodland park

the next morning, the hub and i got up and started packing while the bean and teddy snuggled on her bed and slept in.

by the time we were done, she was finally up and ready to check out of there and head to our next destination.  bye, cheyenne mountain resort!

the moment we all got in the truck teddy made a beeline for his favorite spot...in the hub's lap.

meanwhile, cocoa relaxed in the backseat with the bean and enjoyed the feel of the wind in her face again.

every time we passed this place across the street from the resort, i could hear joey from "friends" saying "do you take vasa, or moostercard?" "friends" references really are everywhere.

it wasn't a very long drive to the cabin we'd booked for the rest of our colorado trip.  about 45 minutes later, we were pulling into mountain river lodge.

the hub had gone big and booked a family cabin for us, which was pretty awesome because we got this whole place to ourselves:

and we were pleasantly surprised when we stepped inside and took a tour of our new digs.  there was lots of room - way more spacious than what we'd had in colorado springs - with two bedrooms, a full sized bathroom plus a living room and kitchenette.  and there were all sorts of thoughtful amenities everywhere.

 the dogs were chomping at the bit to be set free so they could explore.

 meanwhile, the bean made herself nice and cozy on the top bunk in her room.

cocoa loved running in there too, because the window was low enough for her to be able to stretch up and look outside.

we decided to set up their pen outside the front door so that we could unload all of our gear from the truck and leave the door open without worrying about them darting out and running away.

and then just as i was reading this:

one of the ladies from the front office came to the door bearing this basket filled with goodies for us to have for breakfast the next morning.

we headed out for a quick drive around to see what there was around us, ending up on a dirt road with pretty views and coming across a deer or two.

teddy was, of course, in his favorite spot for the ride.

a little later, we headed back into nearby woodland park to see if we could find something for dinner. i took a mental note of the marquee i saw outside one establishment that read "welcome to woodland park, where all lives matter."  we pulled into the parking lot for a restaurant we'd seen recommended on yelp, right next to "antler alley."

and while the hub went to park the car i got out and went in to see if we could be seated in the patio.  the moment i walked in i felt all eyes on me - and not in a friendly way.  it felt hostile and uncomfortable as hell, but i couldn't decide whether it was because i was the only non-white person there or due to the fact that i was literally the only person within my line of vision who was wearing a mask.  probably both.

in any case, we didn't stay.  instead, we ended up in the small plaza near the grocery store and had italian food for dinner.  and then when we got back to the cabin, we heard a knock at the door again and found another lady from the front office bearing gifts...freshly baked sugar cookies.  yay!

it was quite the interesting day, to say the least.