Weekend Getaway

For Amanda's birthday I decided to surprise her with a weekend getaway. Well, she knew we were going up into the mountains, but not much more than that (she had to at least know how to pack!).

I found a really cute Bed & Breakfast in a tourist town on the edge of the Rocky Mountain National Forest. It's a beautiful setting, right on a lake - too bad the weather was so cloudy that we couldn't ever really get great views of the surroundings. Apparently, this time between winter and summer is their off season, aka "mud season". We quickly found out why, as all the snow was melting and creating a soupy mess.

Anyway, the main surprise was going to be taking her to the Hot Sulphur Springs Resort for a good soak... (Note to self for future reference: plan more than just the clothes needed for an event such as this). She was pleasantly surprised by the idea; however I hadn't planned anything beyond taking a couple swim suits for her. I hadn't taken flip-flops, or lotion, or any other necessities, and didn't even have quarters to be able to rent a locker. I rented a private pool first thinking that would be nice... wrong! The water was filthy, the walls were grimy, the air was stifling, and it was just a little overwhelming. Thankfully, things got better when we went to the outside pools - they were much cleaner, and it was quite pleasant - snow was lightly falling on occasion and yet it was quite warm sitting in the sun. We both even managed to get a little burnt on our shoulders after a couple hours.

Over-all this has been a very enjoyable mini-vacation. We did break our diet with the amazing dinner and dessert last night (cheesecake was a weakness for her, crème brulée for me!), but it was worth it! Today we're heading back to reality, but stopping in Winter Park at a market on the way to stock up on organics and other scrumptious primal foods :)