Raleigh / Durham - June 2013

Keith and John

We had not seen the NC gang in a while so we decided to take advantage of being on the East coast for work by making a weekend trip down to Raleigh/Durham.  Keith had to be in Boston to visit some properties and Shawna was supposed to be in Hartford, although last minute plans to present to a client in Denver had her flying into NC from CO.  This time the Snarrs were also able to join us from Charlotte so it was quite the reunion!

Accommodations:
Chez Douglas / Gontarz - We stayed at John and JoAnna's place.  Always comfortable, always hospitable and always cheap!

JoAnna and Shawna

Activities:
Shawna arrive very late on Thursday night and was quite impressed that John and JoAnna still came to pick her up.  We stayed up for a few minutes to catch up but then went to bed to rest up for the weekend.  Keith flew into DC for 12 hours to see Steve who was in town from Australia for a week on business.  So the two of them met for dinner at the Old Ebbitt with some of Steve's work colleagues, had a few drinks at the hotel bar, and then Keith crashed in Steve's room at 2am.  Keith then woke up at 5:45am, had a quick shower to wake up, and drove to BWI to fly into Raleigh on Friday around noon.

On Friday, Shawna worked from John's house and Keith went to lunch at Pei Wei with Stephanie for a brief catch up.  That afternoon, we all went to Trali for a few drinks so that Shawna could meet up with Beth and catch up on all of the BCBSNC gossip.  That evening, we drove what was the first of many trips to Durham. We met up with the Artins and Snarrs (sans kids as Kayley offered up to babysit all of the kids) at Pizzeria Toro for dinner.  It took us a while to get a table so we had a few drinks at the bar and then finally sat down to a yummy meal.  After a few phone calls from the kids, the Artins and Snarrs decided it was probably time to go rescue them so we then went home and crashed.

Tom and Keith

On Saturday, we slept in which was much needed and then met everyone at Wa Duke for a walk.  The walk was not strenuous with hangovers and kids slowing us down!  We went over to Cosmic Cantina for burritos and tacos and then went back to John's house for a nap.  That evening, we drove back to Durham as the Artins were hosting supper club.  We got to see Steve, Amy, Phil, Joyce, Kim and Jonathan as well.  The food was bar-b-cue with burgers, sausages, chicken, salads and pies for dessert.  We stayed up drinking and catching up and had a great time.

Shawna and Kate

On Sunday, we slept in again - apparently, we were pooped!  We drove back to Durham to have brunch at the Artins' house.  At first, we were going to meet at a restaurant but with all the kids and it being Father's Day, we quickly came to our senses and determined that would not be a good idea.  The Artins made yummy pancakes and eggs and we were able to relax and chat some more.  After our farewells to the Artins and Snarrs, we returned to John's house to see all of his old childhood and high school photos in preparation for the Douglas Childhood Appreciation tour to Michigan this Fall.  We all agreed that John is likely the most improved as he has come a long way from his childhood photos!!  John and JoAnna dropped us off at the airport -- Shawna flew back to Denver while Keith flew to Nashville for a work meeting.

Restaurants / Bars:
Trali - A great Irish pub in Brier Creek.  We had a few beers here.

Pizzeria Toro - A new pizza place in downtown Durham.  We had several salads and pizzas - they were all very good.

Chez Artin - The Artins hosted us for dinner and brunch and as usual it was all very tasty!

Colorado Springs - June 2013

Broadmoor Hotel

This year for our birthday, we decided to celebrate with a weekend in Colorado Springs.

Accommodation:
Broadmoor Hotel - We stayed here for two nights. The hotel is beautiful but decor is too formal for us. Our room had a parlor which we never used. The service is great. When we checked in, they wished us a happy birthday and gave us a gift which was a canister with nuts and toffee.

Activities:
We carpooled to work together so that we could quickly get on the road to head down to the Springs. We had planned to try to leave early but there was too much work to do so it was about 4:30 by the time we got on the road. We took the convertible and enjoyed the drive with views of the mountains the whole way.

We checked in and got settled - we were both so tired from a long week of burning the candle on both ends. We had been out every night during the week either having dinner or drinks with friends or going to concerts. We went for a drink and then to dinner at the hotel and then quickly crashed when we returned to our room. 

Keith looking scared as we begin the Incline

After grabbing a quick breakfast at the hotel cafe (coffee and yogurt), we left to hike the Incline in Manitou Springs. The Incline is where the old cog railway went partially up Pike's Peak and thus the cross tracks are still there. Up until this year, it was illegal to hike it but many people still did it as it is considered quite the challenge and many athletes do it for training purposes. It's only a mile but with a 40 degree slope and 2000 feet elevation gain, it is definitely hard. Parking was a nightmare so we had to park in town and walk up to the hike which took about 15 minutes. The record to the top is slightly under 20 minutes which was done by an extreme athlete. People who are in good shape typically can get to the top in 30-45 minutes. It took us an hour and 40 minutes!! It was hot and we were definitely out of shape but we made it. Keith certainly could have made it up in under an hour but Shawna slowed him down. It was very steep at parts that Shawna had to crawl up. At the top, there are great views of the surrounding mountains and the town below. After taking it in and catching our breath, we hiked down the Barr Trail which took us an hour. The Barr trail starts out with a steep descent for the first few minutes but then it's switch backs the rest of the way to make it easier on the knees. 

Still not close to the top!

Happy to finally be at the top!

We grabbed a quick slice of pizza in town and then went back to the hotel for a nap. We also each got a 90 minute massage at the hotel spa which was much needed after that hike. The spa is very nice and the waiting room has a great view of the mountains. Before dinner, we met up with Jodi and Tim for a few drinks at the hotel bar. We sat outside with the view of the lake and caught up with them. They were supposed to do the Death Ride (a crazy long bike ride aroundTelluride) this weekend but their plans were changed when one of Tim's sons broke his pelvis in a bike accident. Following drinks, we had dinner at the Penrose Room which was very good. 

View of the lake at the hotel while we had drinks

On Sunday, we were lazy in bed until 10am and then checked out of the hotel and drove home.

Restaurants:
Golden Bee - This is an English style pub on the grounds of the hotel. We stopped for a drink before dinner. Shawna had a Moscow mule and Keith had a watermelon mojito which was yummy. The pub is casual and very cute.

The Summit - We had dinner here on Friday night. The restaurant is located on the grounds across from the main building. We really liked the decor and ambiance but we were not impressed with the food. We started with the mussels which were tasty and the pork belly which was too fatty and salty. We then shared the duck with scalloped potatoes - the sauce was too overpowering and the potatoes were not cooked enough.

Hell's Kitchen Pizza - Located in Manitou Springs. We grabbed a slice here after the hike - pretty good.

Penrose Room - This is the Broadmoor's most formal dining. It is located on the top floor of one of the buildings. The room reminded us of a private dining club with chandeliers, floral carpeting, white tablecloths and a dance floor with a four piece band playing the oldies. While the decor was not our style, the food and the service was fantastic. The wait staff quickly figured out that we liked to joke around and they were not stuffy at all. The woman who served the bread (who was in training but certainly didn't appear that she needed training) requested that the band play a more modern song for us after we joked with her that we would love to hear some Sir Mix-a-Lot. So unbeknown to us, the band said "this one is for the Dodds'" and they played something slightly more modern which we danced to. We ordered the seven course tasting menu with wine pairing - the food was very good but the quantity was too much. We had crab bisque, beet salad, gnocchi, fish, beef two ways, cheese plate and a mousse for dessert. We would definitely recommend this place for a special occasion.

View from Barr Trail