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Indian Peaks Golf Course
With a view of the Rockies in the distance I picked up golf a number of years ago because it was a business necessity. There is so much business conducted on golf courses - what I normally refer to as
green meeting - that golf has become a prerequisite. How hard could golf be? I could hit a moving tennis ball and I couldn’t understand the difficulties of hitting a stationary ball. Was I wrong! After hitting so many trees (or houses) and losing so many balls into the ocean or lakes, I could appreciate the time and effort that professionals like Tiger Woods had put in the game.
My game is alright. At least I don’t think I will embarrass myself. So I set up a golf outing with Bob, a friend and business associate. I took my normal Southwest flight to Denver and drove on the toll road E470 (full of cops giving out speeding tickets) to Louisville, Colorado. Bob and I had dinner at Outback Steakhouse that night and tried to catch up on our business and personal lives.
April 28, 2009 Bob picked me up at the hotel the next morning and we drove about 20 minutes away to Indian Peaks Golf
Pearl Street Mall
4-block pedestrian area in downtown Boulder Course in Lafayette, CO. This is a public course, designed by Hale Irwin, that was opened in 1993. As we were checking in at the Pro Shop, I realized that my credit card was not in my wallet. I probably left it at Outback Steakhouse! It was too early to call the restaurant to verify. Fortunately, I have another credit card … a good reminder why I always carry 2 credit cards in my wallet.
I borrowed Bob’s older set of golf clubs and found out that there was no putter in the bag. No problem - we could share. My golf game was not good enough for me to bring my own set of clubs. We found out that we would not be paired up with another couple. Great! But the best part of all was the weather. It was a nice cool sunny day. We were both worried since the area still got 4 inches of fresh snow the day before.
We had a great time. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised with some of my chipping while I was disappointed with my putting. My short game was always the weakest link. After the game, Bob took
Downtown Boulder
View from Boulder County Courthouse me back to Outback Steakhouse to look for my credit card. Not there - even though the girl told me that there was a stack of lost credit cards in the back. So I had to make a quick call to my credit card company to cancel it. It was just a minor inconvenience.
With the credit card issue out of the way, we decided to have lunch at Panera Bread in Superior, CO. By the way, these cities are all adjacent to each other. Broomfield, Louisville, Lafayette, Boulder, Superior are within an easy 10-20 minutes drive from each other. Bob and I used our lunch time to discuss about product schedules, expectations and other business related open issues. It was a great casual setting and we had a frank and productive discussion.
Later in the afternoon, I decided to drive to Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder. Pearl Street Mall is a 4 block pedestrian shopping area that was constructed between June 1976 and August 1977. Sprinkled with sculptures, it is a popular destination for tourists and students at University of Colorado (main campus is in Boulder). Boulder County Courthouse, the historic Boulderado Hotel, The Boulder Theater
Boulder
Tulips at Pearl Street Mall, downtown Boulder can be found within the Pearl Street Mall area.
I was surprised to find the Pearl Street Mall area completely empty. There were a few people walking around but they appeared to work in the area. Shopkeepers were just standing around; street vendors were reading books; cafes and bars were all empty. Was this finals’ week for college kids? I had read that the financial crisis had damaged the tourism industry. But to this extent? It was awkward to see a major tourist destination being affected so hard.
I walked from one end of Pearl Street Mall to the opposite end. It was spring time and the tulips were in full bloom - very nice and colorful. Some children were playing in the sand box. The cloud had moved in and the temperature was getting cooler. Bob warned me about Colorado’s ever changing weather. Yes, snow yesterday, bright sunshine in the morning and clouds filling the afternoon sky. Colorado can go from winter to spring in one day.
With nothing else to see at Pearl Street Mall, I stopped by Twenty Ninth Street Mall, at the corner of 28th Street and Canyon, to look at some of
Lake Estes
at Estes Park, CO the stores. Boulder is a popular destination for outdoor activities and it is much easier for me to find hiking boots or fleece jackets here. So I went browsing at The North Face and The Territory Ahead stores. Good selection but I didn’t see anything that I liked. So I walked out empty handed which was my normal result of any trips to a mall.
April 29, 2009 Since my flight was in the afternoon, I decided to drive north on State Highway 7 to Estes Park in the morning. Estes Park, a popular summer resort, is a quaint little town with a population of around 6,000 people located about an hour drive from Boulder. At an elevation of 7,522 ft., Estes Park is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a nice and relaxing drive through the mountains with an occasional view of the snow capped Rockies.
As soon as I entered the city, I turned right and circled Lake Estes. I walked along the shoreline as people, young and old, jogged past me. It was much cooler at Estes Park and I was so glad that I brought my jacket. Small boats
Estes Park
Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park were available for rental … better in the summer though since the late morning spring was still too cool.
I moved on, parked my car at the Visitor Center parking and then continued walking toward the downtown commercial area. Going into a tunnel underneath the main street, I found myself walking along the riverwalk which was the back side of the commercial district of Estes Park. The area was full of cafes (including Starbuck Coffee), galleries and gift shops. The water was so clear that I could see all the way to the bottom. But again, similar to Pearl Street Mall, there was nobody around. Maybe I was too early.
I walked around for an hour or so and then headed back to the Visitor Center. One last stop before heading back to Denver …. I turned right from the Visitor Center and started climbing uphill. Perched on top of the hill was The Stanley Hotel, an old Edwardian building that was Stephen King’s inspiration for the novel
The Shining. Walking into the lobby with its dark hardwood floor, I finally saw quite a lot of people mingling. So perhaps I was indeed too early to be walking
around downtown Estes Park. The view of the Rockies from The Stanley Hotel was spectacular and others agreed too - judging from the number of people taking pictures from the veranda. The Stanley Hotel is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the
Historic Hotels of America.
Checking my watch, I needed to start heading back to Denver airport. It was a short business trip. But I enjoyed the occasional detours - golf and a visit to a small town with lots of histories behind it.
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