Day 22: Denver to Omaha

Day 22: Denver to Omaha

I know about having days off. They can be helpful sometimes, especially late in the year. It's just key to go out there and establish early, especially in this park where they can put up some crooked numbers early.
Dontrelle Willis

Pics: Monaco fitness center, No double turns (say what?) allowed in Denver, airport baggage, Kaneko’s everywhere around the hotel.

Pop question (only one!): Name the one item of clothes that THB had not worn in 20 days?

Okay, two: How many days did we fail to see at least 80 degree weather over the first three weeks?

Answers below.

GO GIANTS (even an A’s fan can appreciate another home town success story, there haven’t been that many for major sports fans over the last 7-8 years (unless you count it as a success story that Mr. Al Davis caps out at 5 wins every year, as some of us do).

Up early and in the fitness center. Some woman of a certain age comes in and does the most aggressive riding of an elliptical every seen, for 30 minutes, followed by a weight program and then a yoga stretching effort. THB wants to go to the other fitness center next time, the one where everybody moves in slow motion together.

Breakfast at the Monaco’s restaurant featuring fresh baked on the premises pastry. Not today, the person who does the baking somehow forgot to come in today. Pancetta and cheese omelet (nice switch from grape nuts) with excellent thick toast and homemade jam for THB and granola, fruit and yogurt with coffee for DB: total $26.

We do a bit of lounging around, finishing up the Sunday and Monday NYT (THB has figured out why he has time to blog when traveling, he usually isn’t reading a newspaper, and plus now that most of the baseball season is over, no scanning the box scores endlessly hoping for a different outcome).

Some recreationally shopping that includes a demo of the Nespresso espresso maker (nifty, and expensive), then we head to the airport. And we keep heading to the airport, and wayyyyyyyyyyyy out of town we come to the flying tents of the terminal. This sucker is out of town! And not much between downtown and the airport except rolling dry pastures (empty lots?). The airport was one of the last new ones completed before 9/11 and sure enough all that empty space is now filled with security and in a level below where you get your boarding passes and check your bags (how clever). And, the airport seems jammed, until you get to the gates (on a tram system no less) and see the vast majority of the gates sit empty most of the time. Overbuilt and obsolete at the same time, what a great combo.


The guy sitting next to me on the plane has an i-pad and has loaded tons of magazines, even opens up the Kindle app, and then starts chatting his other seatmate up and so I don’t get a live demo. Color looked good, very vibrant. Still the thing is 3 times the weight of a Kindle.

Hey, our hotel is right across the parking lot from the future home of the College World Series. THB makes DB a promise: this is one ballpark she doesn’t have to visit and check off THB’s list, because it is not on THB’s list.


Group’s first dinner, round of introductions. THB offers an alternative to the art tours for anyone needing a break: starting at around 10:30am on any day that the temp promises to pass 80, THB will lead a 3-5 hour hike through local scrub, featuring homemade PB&J sandwiches, lukewarm water (to share, you don’t get or even have to carry your own), some bits of old trail mix, an apple saved up from Springdale or Capitol Reef and, for every ten hikes (not hikers, hikes), the chance at a really good chocolate chip cookie, to be shared (you don’t get your own). Scintillating trail conversation (gee, it seems hotter than I expected, and dustier, and lots of red sand on the trail, too), and a free dip in the pool when you get back (see Day 23 notes). And, since we are no longer hiking above at least 6,000 feet, you have to wear a nose clip to seal your nostrils off and wear ankle weights. Should be quite a few takers, THB isn’t going to charge for this offering (see Day 23 notes), even the lunch (since you get to make it yourself) is free. DB thinks she will be sticking with the art tour this week.

Dinner: Unbelievable, and not just because everything up until now had red dust sprinkled on it. The Kanekos get the Boilerroom to open on Monday for us and prep a 4 course meal with wine pairing for us (plus Kir as a greeter cocktail), as follows:
• Seared maine scallop with beef cheek ravioli, cured egg yoik, daikon
• Smoked plum creek chicken breast with oyster mushrooms, tomato broth, black olive puree, arugula
• Salt crusted majinola farm wagyu sirloin with stewed cherries, cipollini onions, heirloom winter squash (THB eats two portions, helping out the ladies on either side)
• Fall pavlova with poached local pears, cinnamon ice cream, caramel pecan (THB eats two full pavlovas as well)

PQ1: Jeans free for 3 weeks; shorts, more shorts, shorts, and shorts

PQ2: One, count ‘em, one lousy day below 80, the day we stayed at 8200-8800 feet in RM NP (day 20)