Worth Mentioning
The evening of travel often isn’t interesting enough to write home about. Checking bags, going through security, boarding and unboarding- it’s all routine. This time, however, is worth mentioning.
June 16th, 2023- Rocky Mountain Day 1
It began with a delay. Our flight was originally scheduled to leave at 7:20 PM. Getting off work at 4:30 meant that Tyler and I were forced to meet up and jump in the highway with no delay. Just when we got off work, however, the dreadful news hit. Our flight had been delayed. Ugh!
With time to spare, we decided to get ourselves an early supper. We munched our fries in the Wendy’s parking lot, chatting and biding our time. We were starting to get worried. Every time we checked the Southwest app, our flight time was getting moved later… and later… and later… It ended up being 2.5 hours of delay. Not terrible until you factor in the 1.5 hour drive we had to our Airbnb afterwards! It was going to be a late night.
We finally boarded, suffering a few minutes of worry when the pilot announced another short wait before takeoff. Not again! The minutes were ticking away. Eventually, our plane took off and I was settling into my usual mid-flight snooze. I had to get my beauty sleep somehow, after all! When we landed in Denver, it was a waiting game again. Our luggage, caught in the alternate universe that is baggage claim, took an eternity to clatter out on the conveyor belt. We stood amongst the other passengers, sharing haggard, exhausted looks. We drooped against pillars and into the floor. Weary travelers were we.
Luckily, Tyler had booked our rental car ahead of time. Dripping with exhaustion, we checked the instructions on the app. Skip the lines and head right to the parking lot, it prompted. After choosing a car, we quickly headed for the gates. Time to hit the road! But wait, there was more. The gatekeeper stopped us as we rolled up. “I don’t have any of your information in our system. Only your name. You’re going to have to go back to the desk and pay.” We protested wearily. Tyler had done the process properly and we knew the car was booked. We promised we had paid for the car. Couldn't we just leave? The guard was stalwart. It was past midnight. But we turned around.
It was strangely difficult to find the customer service office. We tried several different doors leading to empty sections of the same building. The halls were dark. The desks were empty. It was clearly an office space for employees. It clearly not where we were supposed to be. The silence was unsettling.
After walking halfway around the dark building, we finally found signs of life: a lobby lit cheerily with bright LEDs. The man at the desk was friendly. He took in our exhausted state and quickly worked to find a solution. For some reason, Tyler’s hard work to book the car ahead of time just hadn’t gone through. The man determined that he’d have to call the credit card company to verify the charge on the account. Amusingly, the man dialed the wrong number at first, sending him to a phone line for “adult entertainment!”
Eventually, we made it onto the road. I tried to stay awake to help Tyler watch for deer; we were both worried about hitting one since it was so late. But my sleepy eyes grew heavier and heavier…
Suddenly, I was slammed awake. My hands slapped into the dash as I lurched forward. I looked around wildly. What just happened?? The culprits gazed calmly through our windshield; three elk were standing in the middle of the road! I’ve never been so close to one before. Somewhat alarmed, I realized that they were taller than our car! Thank God we didn’t hit them! Tyler honked at the road intruders. They just looked at us. Their message was clear. This was their town, and they weren’t moving for us!
We swerved around them, finally getting to our Estes Park Airbnb at 3:30 AM. Our lovely host stood in the window waiting for us, wrapped in her bathrobe. As we lugged our suitcase into the house, she asked if we’d left any food in the car. We nodded. Of course we did. I always pack a small suitcase full of hiking snacks! She frowned, then sent us back out to retrieve the snacks. Evidently, Estes Park is home to “furry burglars.” Two bears frequently roam her neighborhood, the host explained, and they were proficient at carjacking. They also knew how to break into houses! She showed us how to use the keypad lock on the front door, which was installed just for the bears. Despite being an Airbnb host, it seemed she was only interested in the sort of guests who pay.
It only took us minutes to fall asleep after our belongings had been secured. Our bed might have been the comfiest we’ve ever slept in. Of course, with everything that transpired, we probably could have slept on a boulder! Our journey to Colorado was certainly an eventful one!
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