I heart Colorado!

Wedding two in our back-to-back wedding weekends is done. And, it was another one where we just barely made it in time for the ceremony! This time the delay was due to the closure of DIA due to thunderstorms with severe lightning as we were flying into Denver on Friday afternoon. All flights were put into a holding pattern so we spent about 45 minutes circling the area. Despite the delay, we still thought we could make it...until we were diverted from the main road to Estes Park due to standing water on the roads from the previously mentioned thunderstorms. Once that happened, I gave up hope that we'd make it in time for the ceremony...but, thankfully, the wedding started a few minutes late which gave us just enough time to slip in for the ceremony which was held overlooking the lawn of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (yes, the hotel that inspired Stephen King's "The Shining").
What an amazing venue with the mountains in the backdrop!
It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple, Jane and Gareth. The reception was held at the Stanley Concert Hall. I've never seen a bride have more fun at her wedding than Jane! It was a fun time for all.
We started today with a brief stroll through downtown Estes Park for the requisite souvenir shopping. We then headed over to meet our bus that was taking us up to the Cache La Poudre River, north of Ft. Collins, for our white-water rafting adventure. Now, when I told K that I wanted to go rafting (and left him in charge of looking into it and making reservations), I had something more relaxed and scenic in mind. I didn't really have a good idea of what I was getting into until RP shared some stories of rafting from her childhood in CO at the wedding last night - I got the impression that it was highly likely that I was going to be thrown from the boat, and she even indicated that the current may have to "spit" you back out. After seeing how quickly the water was moving and getting an overview of what to do if the worst happens during our safety demonstration, I was definitely ready to back out if I could. We were going to be going through Class III rapids, with the water at its highest point thus far all year. And, that water was COLD! Thankfully, when we loaded onto our boat, I was in the middle which turned out to be the best place to be because the front took the brunt of the incoming water while the back seemed to have a bumpier ride. We rode two sections of the river, and after my initial anxiety wore off, I had fun of course.
To top off the day, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Estes Park called...
The name was enough for me to want to go.

Up next is Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow for a trail run.

The weather is just beautiful here (temps in the 50's-60's with no humidity)! I'm not looking forward to returning to the 100+ degree temps in Austin. I still haven't sold K on the possibility of moving here though (I lived here for a couple of years when I was a kid and for a year during my last year in grad school). I'm already planning a trip back...