Fun in Fort Collins

Thursday 4/28-Sunday 5/1: Geese, Crickets, Sports

Mr. E and I headed out on a late afternoon flight to Denver for a weekend visit to see A, R, F, and C. We opted to stay in Fort Collins rather than Denver this time around since F's soccer game on Saturday afternoon was in that area. Since we can now work from pretty much any hotel room, we figured why not try something different? And Mr. E has fond memories of Fort Collins from when he used to travel there regularly for HP.

We were able to pick up our rental car in a relatively efficient manner so arrived in Fort Collins near our hotel around 8:45pm, just in time to make a stop at the nearby Premier Liquors to pick up some adult beverages and also at the next door Safeway for some snacks and food supplies. Our first shopping trip was highlighted by the super-friendly staff at both stores, a theme which continued throughout our entire visit -- incredibly friendly service from everyone we encountered at the hotel and various restaurants. 

We settled into our suite at the Residence Inn and had our first encounter with local wildlife the next morning as we woke to the sounds of Canadian geese squawking in the pond outside our first-floor room. Noisy neighbors! I did my usual Zumba and yoga in-room workout and then set up my DIY standing workstation for the day, using my new laptop riser on top of two couch cushions on the desk to achieve the optimal height.

The buffet breakfast provided some good options for me, including oatmeal with fruit toppings and hard boiled eggs. After logging in to check morning email, I took a short break to walk to Safeway to procure some Starbucks (coffee for me, breakfast and coffee for Mr. E). We both worked throughout the day but were able to take a lunch break together and walked the very short (but very windy!) distance to First Watch. Mr. E ordered the avocado toast, and I enjoyed the Pineapple Express freshly squeezed juice and a smoked salmon Benedict without sauce or onions and with a side of fruit. Yum!

I had time for a short but lovely and peaceful swim workout in the sun-lit indoor pool as Mr. E finished up his work day. Then we headed to Old Town Fort Collins to explore and find a spot for dinner. We ended up at The Welsh Rabbit, where we sat at the bar and had an up-close view of some of the cooking and meal prep. We ordered a smoked beet salad to share along with a selection of meats and cheeses. The bread was very artfully arranged and included a side of oil and balsamic vinegar in the shape of a rabbit!

Mr. E ordered a beer, and I opted for a flight of white wines to accompany our meal. We also decided that we just had to order the aptly named "Cricket Curious" appetizer, which offered a selection of fried crickets and meal worms prepared two ways next to a side of nutella and dried cherries. I think once was enough for me on that particular protein option!!!

On Saturday morning, I took advantage of the later breakfast time to add a swim to my workout. The buffet included yummy egg white and bell pepper omelets and bagel sandwiches for the weekend. We both took some extras to stash in the fridge for lunch. Then we pulled out our laptops and spent a couple of hours sitting in the comfy lobby area doing travel research for our Labor Day weekend plans (Iceland! fingers crossed). By the time we shut down, we realized that our laptop clocks were still on CA time so it was actually an hour later than we thought. Oops! Luckily, we had enough time for lunch of leftovers in our room before we headed out to meet A, R, F, and C at the Fort Collins Soccer Complex for F's afternoon game.

Afterwards, we all regrouped at Coopersmith's Pub in Old Town for snacks and early dinner. The boys  got a chance to play pool while A, Mr. E, and I visited and chatted. Yummy soft pretzel for me and part of a margherita pizza for Mr. E. Once we said good night to the family, we made a stop at Trader Joe's on the way back to the hotel for some more snacks and a stock of Scandinavian Swimmers candy. The sign at the store helped to give more context to our fowl friends at the hotel!

We took our time on Sunday morning with breakfast and packing up. I shared some leftover bread and popcorn with our geese buddies and saw some of their babies for the first time.

As we left Fort Collins, we stopped to pick up coffee at Starbucks on our way to downtown Denver to meet up with the family at Coors Field for the Rockies vs. Reds game. 

Breezy and cloudy conditions made me very glad that I'd brought an extra jacket and my gloves! Mr. E even bought a fleece Rockies blanket about halfway through to spread across our laps for some extra warmth.

We left after the end of the 8th inning to make sure we had enough time at the airport to return the rental car before our flight. All went smoothly, so we decided to use our one-time passes to spend our 90 minute wait time in the United Club. So nice to have a return to more full-service and no more masks!!! 

Our departure was delayed for about 35 minutes due to wind as we sat on the runway. So we got home to Sac a bit late and then had to spend some extra time to deal with Economy Parking since the other lots had been closed (why??!!) when we departed on Thursday afternoon. A little tough to have a late night before jumping right back into the work week...