Last week I kidnapped my husband and surprised him with a trip to Estes Park, Colorado. It was a trip for HIM, his surprise. Roy kept insisting the trip was for us, but it really wasn’t. I mean we did what he wanted to do, we didn’t have any kind of schedule, it never mattered what time it was… and yet the wonder that is Estes Park, worked its own magic on me. (Perhaps it was all of the cute chipmunks we encountered, which are so commonplace there – they’re like squirrels, prairie dogs or pigeons, depending on where you live.)
We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast (Barbara’s Bed and Breakfast) which was a recommendation from friends. We had our own cabin, which was crazy and nice. It was incredibly cozy and we could stretch out in the sitting room after a long day (and a full kitchen to store leftovers, water, etc. not bad either). It even had an old fashioned writing desk (squee)! And the breakfasts there… WOW. There were six of us at the table every morning at 8:30 and we would talk over the best breakfast meal that I have ever had. I mean it seemed fricking gourmet, and while I expected it to be good, I never expected that. I told Barbara (the owner and cook) that her breakfasts were out of this world and the perfect way to start the day. (And there were hummingbirds right outside the window while we ate – bonus!)
The town was charming, and while I expected to enjoy the shops and locations, I was surprised I found it so charming because it is so popular with tourists and I tend to prefer undiscovered, hidden gems. We didn’t leave without getting some unbelievable chocolate truffles, taffy and souvenirs for ourselves and my three co-conspirators. We ate the best barbecue (Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ and Taphouse) that I have ever experienced, enjoyed an Indian food buffet (Nepal’s), and ate some of the best pizza (Poppy’s Pizza and Grill) either of us have ever had in this country (we spent ten days in Italy in 2011 and it’s kind of hard to top that). Sometime throughout the day we would make our way to a local coffee place (Coffee On The Rocks really does rock!) and oh my God! Why do they have to be ninety minutes away? Before we left I had ended up trying their Pumpkin Pie Latte, Pecan Caramel Latte, Frozen Hot Chocolate, and their signature drink Howling In The Wind (cinnamon and macadamia nut) Latte. For the eats alone, I am already counting the days until we go back.
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