Last week, our wonderful friends G & K visited us from our former home state, Illinois. It was a treat (and a whole lot of fun!) to spend so much time with dear friends who have been sorely missed since our move to Colorado last summer. Husband and I knew (and were delighted) that G & K had chosen to spend their vacation with us; what we were slower to realize was that it was also a vacation for us, and a sanity-saving one at that.
I don’t usually think of having guests as vacation. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE having friends and family visit us! Our door is always open, and we really enjoy having people come see us. :-) It is not always restful though. When more than the usual people are in the house, routines are disrupted, and sleep is often lost to late nights of catching up over glasses of wine (and the sleep deprivation is always worth it). I also find myself constantly wondering how my guests are doing; are they comfortable? Have they had enough to eat and drink? Are we wearing them out with too much sight-seeing? Are they feeling relaxed and enjoying their visit? This constant monologue in my head makes it hard for me to relax, particularly with guests I haven’t spent lots of time with before. I find myself worrying about all the little things: “Oh no! Our guest is in the shower. Did I remember to put out a bath towel for him?!” or “Ack! I forgot to ask if our guest had any strong likes/dislikes or food allergies before I cooked this meal. What if she’s allergic to tomatoes? This dish is riddled with tomatoes!” It’s no wonder that Husband often spends lots of time quietly reminding to me to relax when we have company; I can work myself up into a mess sometimes!
I do realize that much of my worry is completely ridiculous, and I’m trying to work on it because I really, really do love having company. I think some of my problem results from growing up with parents who keep a beautifully clean house (I obviously did not inherit the “clean house” gene), and who are always so perfectly hospitable to guests. They set a high bar. But it’s a bar I idolize. I always want guests to be comfortable in our home so that they will want to come back! Sometimes, though, they would no doubt be more comfortable if I would just chill out! ;-) So I’m working on it. Please come visit, and I’ll give it my best shot.
What was lovely and different about G & K’s visit last week was that I didn’t freak out. Perhaps it was because our house was still largely in boxes after our move, so the ideal of the spotless house was impossible. Perhaps it was because I was so tired from moving that I didn’t have the energy for my usual manic flurry of pre-guest-arriving cleaning. More likely, it was the innate understanding that G & K are dear friends, they were coming to see US (not inspect our bathroom tiles for soap scum), and they are reasonable, lovely people who knew that we had just moved into our house and did not mind the mess. Whatever combination of factors were the reason, it was a revelation to me not to be preoccupied, and it was wonderful. I did not worry; I just enjoyed our friends’ visit, every single minute of it. :-)
We spent a day exploring the edge-of-the-foothills town where we live: we picnicked on top of a foothill with a spectacular view, and hiked in the Flatirons. We had dinner on Pearl St. at our favorite Mexican place. Then we piled into the car, and drove to my family’s vacation home in the mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park was beckoning, and we wanted to wake up close enough to it the next morning to jump right in with both feet.
For the next three days, a beautiful routine developed: awesome hikes in the morning, a relaxed lunch at the house followed by naps/chilling time, cocktails and relaxing on the deck, dinner, and playing games/chatting until we had to prop our eyelids open. We hiked the Cub Lake trail and got caught in a summer rain storm on the way back, a quintessential Colorado experience in “monsoon season.” The second morning’s hike was the gorgeous Nymph Lake-Dream Lake-Emerald Lake trail, in which you start at about 9,500 feet and end up at over 10,000 feet. Each of the three lakes is beautiful, and it’s fascinating (thank you, Mr. Spock) to watch the ecosystem change in subtle ways as you gain altitude. On our last full day together, we tackled the Mills Lake trail, our longest hike of the trip. Husband and I had not been to Mills Lake since our honeymoon nearly 12 years ago. I remembered it being a magical place. I remembered correctly. What I had forgotten was how amazing the entire hike is, not just the end result. It is a walk among lush forests, rushing streams and waterfalls, rocky hillsides, and incredible vistas of the higher peaks presiding above. The lake itself is one of the most serene and spiritual places I have ever visited. Long’s Peak stands tall (it’s a fourteener) above it, and other craggy peaks help to frame it. The forests along its banks are incredibly lush and green. The water is still and crystal-clear, almost like glass, and fish meander behind its watery panes. There are plenty of flat, lake-side rocks for each tired, hungry group of hikers to stake out their own spot for rest and noshing. There is something about this lake that feels especially ancient, and peace seems to radiate from the rocks and trees surrounding it, and from the water itself. Visiting this lake feeds my soul. My batteries have been recharged. But I do NOT want to wait another 12 years before I go back to Mills Lake again.
On their last evening with us, G & K and Husband and I piled into G & K’s car and took the Old Fall River road up to the Alpine Visitor Center in the tundra. We traveled from 8,000-something feet to over 12,000 feet along a slow, windy dirt road. It was great to be forced to travel more slowly than we would have on a paved road; it ensured that we took time to notice the changes in the landscape and vegetation as we gained altitude. We stopped for several breath-taking vistas, and to watch a herd of elk enjoying food and play in an impossibly green sub-alpine meadow. The early evening light made everything look, if possible, even more magical. When we finally reached the top, we were giddy with our accomplishment, and possibly also with the lack of oxygen at over 12,000 feet. ;-) It really feels as if you are on top of the world. All of the mountains that tower over you at lower altitudes look like little hills surrounding you. What a perspective shift!
When we had had our fill of oxygen-deprivation and amazing, world-top views, we drove back down to earth via Trail Ridge Road, the paved route. Though travel was faster, we still stopped to digest several amazing views before the light faded into night. I had been up to the tundra and the Alpine Visitor Center many times before this trip, and it is always fun. But this trip was the only time I have ever been up in the evening, and it’s a whole different world. Evening light makes everything look so different, and so beautiful.
G and K’s last evening with us was capped off with dinner at our favorite mountain Italian restaurant, the Dunraven Inn. The food and wine were excellent; there’s nothing like spending time in the tundra to build an appetite. And we always enjoy the comical décor at the Dunraven; personalized dollar bills and goofy re-imaginings of the Mona Lisa cover its walls. Husband and I added our own dollar bill to the collage on our honeymoon. It may still be there somewhere, but we’ve lost it in the nearly 12 years of new additions.
G and K’s visit was a wonderful reunion with dear friends, and it was also a most welcome vacation after a hectic summer. In 5 weeks, we went from deciding to buy a house to having moved out of our apartment into our new house! It was intense. Our vacation last week restored my energy and helped to purge stress I didn’t even know I was still carrying. Had G & K not come, we probably would not have given ourselves the gift of a vacation, so thank you, friends! You helped to save my sanity. A very busy fall is just around the corner, and I had no idea how badly I needed some vacation to help me get ready for it. Thank goodness for good friends and the Rocky Mountains.
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