On Sunday, I played indoor hockey with the champ, Jack, and then Cal and Mary took me on a tour of Rapid City, toured Art Alley, indulged in Chubby Chipmunk's Hand-Dipped Chocolates (YUM!), toured a prairie store, listened to an acapella group from the School of Mines, and had aerial scenes of the city.
The morning clock ticked away, and so I departed from Rapid City in early afternoon. Mount Rushmore called me, and the sculptures against the blue skies were breath-taking. My RMNP friend, Tom, wasn't working, so I left the memorial only to be entertained by a mountain goat, Crazy Horse Memorial and Black Hills National Forest. An uneventful Wyoming landscape and a few pronghorns accompanied me all the way to Colorado. The day was waning, and so I drove up the canyon and into Estes Park in the dark. Nancy welcomed me, and I unpacked the bare necessities before "hitting the hay."
On Monday morning, I went for a drive to down to get some groceries, and I met the locals, the ELK. Work in the Xanterra warehouse with Nancy, my boss, and Brad, the new warehouse manager, began later on Monday, and will continue there until our store opens at 12,000 feet. My job is accepting products in the warehouse, and checking the inventory, looking for correct numbers, pricing, and damage. We have so much inventory so it's stored in portable storage units. The weather started out sketchy, but improved as the week went along.
Then came the weekend, and Rock Cut Brewery had its release party of Foxy Librarian so I had to partake, and it was FABULOUS. Then in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we sampled some spicy margaritas and local dishes.
Estes Park hosts many festivals, and this weekend was the Duck Race Festival. I decided to adopt a duck (Rotary Club sponsored to support 40+ charitable organizations) and run a 5K. I didn't know how I'd handle the elevation difference (500 ft. vs. 7500 ft.), but I did better than I anticipated. After running, I acclimated myself back into the culture of Estes Park. It's great to be back! That evening I went to the YMCA of the Rockies to hear some local music performed.
I didn't get to see a Twins game before I left the Midwest, so the Rockies are the team that I get to follow more directly here. Nancy, her daughter and her boyfriend, Page and Nick, and I headed to Denver, and I ate a VOLCANO BURGER (with jalapeno coins on it) prior to the game. The Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks 5-2 in a thunderstorm interrupted game. How fun!
So week #1 has come and gone in Estes Park, but surprised await around every corner, every day. My housing situation allows me to witness a sunrise every morning, and an evening sunset. I miss my family and friends, and I'll keep posting photos and info as time allows.
Embrace LIFE!
Amy
