July 8th, 2009 (Day 1):

Cindy and I flew from Newark to Denver and arrived around noon (84 degrees and sunny) We had to take a shuttle bus (Super Shuttle) to Lakewood to pick up our car from Budget. Renting from a site away from the airport saved us from paying the high Airport tax. The shuttle took about 45 minutes.

We had reserved a 4WD Jeep Cherokee (or equal). Naturally, there were none left, so we were offered a Ford Edge AWD. It seats 5 and has high clearance, so we think we are good for the trip.

We were getting pretty hungry about now, so we asked Mac at Budget if he knew a good place to get a sandwich. He recommended a new place down the street (8809 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood) that was called the Beehive, or something like that. They had sandwiches made with Honey bread. Sounded fine so we drove off to get lunch. It was on our way to Rt 70 anyway.

We had a great experience at this little sandwich spot. The owner, Rick Witzke, was very friendly and excited about his new place. The food was very good. Along with the sandwiches they served tasty little 'chips' made from the honey bread. The trip was starting well.

After lunch we drove west on Rt 70 to Rt 40 North towards Empire, Winter Park and Fraser. Rt 40 crosses through Berthoud Pass, elevation 11,307 feet, located on the Continental Divide.

We stopped at the Pass to stretch our legs. The Continental Divide Trail runs through the Pass. We took a short walk but did not want to over-exert ourselves the first day, so we didn't go far. We could feel the effects of the altitude already.

The view from the Pass looking north was beautiful..

The mountains you see here are known as the Indian Peaks. In the far distance you can see Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.


We spent a little time scouting out Twin Rivers Condos where we will be staying later in the week when the rest of the group arrives. It took us a while to find the management company and then actually find the condos. The management company, Alderwood Management, is now located in the 2nd floor of an office building above the Optical Center (in the Safeway shopping area). They re-arranged our accommodations so that we are both in the same building, Byers (units #4 & #6). Finally we headed up to Silver Creek Resort in Granby where we are staying tonight.

Dinner that night was in Granby at the Brickhouse 40, where we ate outside. It was a beautiful end to our first day in Colorado.