So about a month ago, my wife tells me she's stressing out over work, and needs a long weekend getaway to de-stress and re-charge. Me being a husband who likes to keep his wife happy, I started looking for a cheap fare to anywhere that would get us out of the Dallas/ Ft. worth area for a 4 day weekend. The best fare I found was for Denver, at $220 RT per person on United.
By coincidence, the dates we chose were for this past Thursday - Sunday, August 21 - August 24, the 4 days prior to the opening of the convention. So we flew in last Thursday, and right away I could see the airport was buzzing with activity for the upcoming convention. People were starting to trickle in, and souvenier shops were doing brisk business for everything related to Obama and the convention. We drove to our room at the Curtis hotel downtown, and I found out that the Ohio delegation was scheduled to stay there (Hey buckeyes!).
As we walked through downtown Denver, it seem to me that everyone was rolling out the welcome mat for Democrats. I picked up a new Obama / convention T-shirt, slapped it on, and received many positive comments from people on the street, and at the Rock Bottow brewpub where we were enjoying our free beer courtesy of the Curtis. It was both my wife and my first time in Denver, and I must say Denver is a great city. The Pepsi center, Invesco field, and the perfoming arts center are all beautiful venues, as is Coors field.
The next day, Friday, we took off for the cabin we booked near Idaho Springs, off scenic hwy 103. I have to say the area just outside Denver is just about the most beautiful area I've seen in this country. We drove up to Mt Evans, on the highest paved road in America, and I immediately starting feeling the promised altitude sickness they warned us about. It was a mild case, and we thouroghly enjoyed the view and the drive. After that, I took my wife to her promised spa appointment in Evergreen, Co, which also is breathtakingly beautiful.
The cabin was extremely nice and peaceful, with no internet, cell phone, or TV service available. On Saturday, we took a whitewater rafting trip in Clear Creek, which was a lot of fun. The rapids weren't as high as they were in May/June, but it was still plenty of fun for us beginers. The only thing I seem to have missed on Saturday was the announcement of Biden as the VP choice. I did not get a text message, so I'm wondering if that was because I had no service most of the day on Saturday. I actually found out about it on Sunday at the airport after picking up the Denver Post. As we were leaving Sunday midday, it seemed like waves and waves of Democrats were arriving for all the fun this week.
I wish I was there this week, as I'm sure I'd be having a lot more fun. But I guess last week wasn't bad to get a taste of the excitement in Denver.