Days 64 and 65: Colorado Springs

Friday was the beginning of the real wedding stuff and sort of the end of all of the preparations. Alecia and Matt (and their parents) have been working for so long to put together an unforgettable weekend, and it was fun to finally be enjoying the moments.

All of the bridesmaids went to lunch at the Broadmoor hotel/resort. If you've never heard of this resort, please do an internet search and check it out. It is beautiful and full of old history. Old letters hang on the wall, and in one area old bottles with preserved dust line the wall behind glass cases. (Note from Jeff: For the sake of preservation, I never dust my apartment.) More than that though, the resort feels worlds away from the city and sits at the base of mountains that provide a stunning backdrop. Head on out for a vacation!

After our lunch, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I had fun shopping on Wednesday for a new dress as I have lost a bit of weight during this trip. No spandex or camp clothes for me this night!

We rehearsed well and met our dates at the Fine Arts Center for dinner. Again, the work that Alecia and Matt put into the weekend showed. Our room looked directly across a manicured lawn complete with shade trees and up to the mountains. Dinner was one of the best we've had in a while and was topped by the flowing chocolate fountain complete with several options for dipping. Yummy! (Note from Jeff: I was happy to rehearse drinking Fat Tire Ale in preperation for the big night.)

Following the dinner, we went back to the Antlers Hilton for yet another reception, this one open to all out of town guests. Unfortunately, I could only stay a few hours as my body was calling for a long rest before the big wedding day.

Saturday's wake up came early as we had to return the second rental car and then get me to the salon by 9:30. The wedding party (bride side, of course) all had appointments for hair and makeup and we hung out there until it was time to go to the church at 2:00. That is when it all really started feeling real. Alecia was handling it all in style while several of the bridesmaids and I were getting giddy and excited. We dressed and then helped get Alecia into her dress and veil. She was, of course, beautiful. It seemed like only minutes until we were marching down the aisle and listening to them exchange their vows. Then, after pictures and one random rear-ending because a car was slowing to check out the wedding party, we were off to the reception!

We enjoyed lots of food and dancing and caught up with friends we haven't seen in a while. Too bad we can't eat like this on the road! Seriously though, the night was wonderful and everyone had a great time. All their hard work and planning paid off.

Today was full of good-byes and lots of driving. We left C-Springs around 2:00 and Jonathan and Margaret Day schlepped us up to Denver to pick up the dud car. According to the mechanic there was nothing wrong with it. I wish he'd been in the car dipping below 40 mph on the interstate with an 18-wheeler bearing down on him. We did make it back to Lander around 9:30 or so and decided to motel it one last time rather than set the tent up in the dark with the earwigs lurking about.

I added up the mileage left and divided it by 21 days and we only have to average 65 miles a day to finish on time. Funny that I look at it as "only" 65 miles a day. I've come a long way since those brutal days in Virginia! We'll spend the majority of the day climbing tomorrow so it is time to get back in the mindset of pedaling all day long. I'm already sad about the end of the trip. This has been such an amazing journey. I'll save the reflections until we actually finish, but I just can't believe I've come so far on two wheels!

AKB