The kids are with their grandparents in Durango, and Andrew and I are staying in Ridgway for his best friends wedding. The wedding party and some of the guests are camping at the wedding site all weekend. Andrew and I enjoy camping, but we worried there would be a lot of drinking and such going on all weekend. Andrews sober, so we decided to stay at a hotel instead. It will allow us to have some couple time, which is a rare thing these days, while also avoiding the party scene. Many wedding guests are staying at VRBOs in the area or staying at the Ouray KOA. When we talked to Drew last year about the wedding, he mentioned one hotel in the area. Its a solar spa called Chipeta, and I booked a room. Its a good thing I booked when I did, because they booked out months in advance.
The Chipeta Spa is amazing. I dont really know how to describe it, as its unlike any other place Ive stayed at. In a way, it reminds me a bit of old European hotels, in that its an old building that seems retrofitted for its use today. I dont
know the history of the building or how old it is, but the walls arent drywall (I think theyre plaster), so you can tell it has some age. Yet, and has a strong Southwest feel to it. Our room was more like an apartment, but I think it used to be two separate rooms. It has two bathrooms, a living room that has widows open to the hallway on 3/4 of the side, and there are four sinks. The place is incredibly beautiful, but it is a bit of a maze to get around.
Yesterday when we arrived, Andrew and I checked out the town. We went by the towns farmers market, which was more like a craft fair. There were a lot of homemade goods. Only one tent sold food, but there were only hot dogs and nothing vegetarian. It was a cute market, but nothing really jumped out at us. We went to a local grocer after the market, and I picked up a few packages of soup. Afterwards, I cozied up in the hotel while Andrew went to the wedding rehearsal. We dont have anything but antenna TV at home, so I
This morning, we got up early to join the wedding party on a hike. On the wedding itinerary, they listed an 8:30am hike to Cascade Falls in Ouray (a nearby mountain town). Drew let Andrew know last night that there was no way theyd be getting there by 8:30. He said theyd be lucky to be leaving at 8:30. So, Andrew and I knew we might have a bit of a wait ahead of us, but we didnt mind. We got to the little trail to the falls around 8:45 and hung out for about 45 minutes together until the wedding party arrived. It was a very short hike to the waterfalls, but it was also really steep with a lot of scree.
After our hike, Andrew and I walked through Ourays main street. I havent been in Ouray since I was a teenager. Its similar to what I cute, with a lot of souvenir shops. Its definitely more touristy that Ridgway, but its a fun way to kill a couple of hours. We got coffee and checked out some shops.
4pm, we made our way to the wedding site, on top of a mountain in Ridgway. Andrews job was to care for the dog, Louka, and walk him down the aisle. We took care of Louka as Drew got ready. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was fairly small and intimate, but it was the perfect size. The reception was under a big tent next to where they had their ceremony, so we got to hang out, dance, eat, and play with the dog.
Weve really enjoyed our time in Ridgway and Ouray. However, Im getting to the point where I really miss our kids! Were meeting Paul and Colleen in Montrose tomorrow, where theyll drop the kids back off with us. Im looking forward to being reunited!
