Day 2 – Denver to Rawlins, WY

Yeah, got up feeling good and healthy! The breakfast was outstanding! Fresh juice, waffles, and the best bagels I have had for quite some time. After breaky we had to do some shopping to set us up for the three week road trip.

At about 12:30 we walked from the hotel to Coor's Field to watch some hardball. Since there is no baseball in Germany, I always jump on the opportunity to watch some when I am in the US. Ok, so this was my first time at Coor's Field and it does not quite reach the standard set by Turner Field. We had good seats in the upper deck just behind home plate. But hey – why isn't there a roof? It was scorching that afternoon with temperatures in the high 90s and no roof? You gotta be kiddin' me. At least they have great lemonade (freshly made before your eyes) to make up for that. The game itself was remarkably unspectacular and I spent most the time explaining the game to Melanie and my parents.

After the game we walked back to the hotel, got our cars and headed back to the airport. Mum's suitcase had turned up and we had to pick it up. Also took the chance to exchange our Pontiac Torrent for a Toyota Highlander. Melanie and I kept our Rav4 (although I could have swapped that for a Trailblazer LT) – but we wanted an SUV with a little offroad appeal.

By the time my Mum had collected her suitcase and cashed the check the airline offered, it was 6:30 (and still lots of miles before us)…

Well, we then got on the interstate to Rawlins, WY but by the time we got to the Fort Collins area, we were so hungry that we had to make a stop. And we are so glad we did. We found a small restaurant on the main street of Fort Collins. They served Spanish food and it was a revelation. The best European style food I have ever had in the US.

Back on the Interstate we quickly reached Cheyenne, WY. It was dark already and then we turned on I-80 and our GPS unit just said "Stay on I-80 for 140 miles". Nice. At least the speed limit is 75mph, so that you actually get to cover some ground… Still we did not arrive until after midnight.

BTW: Rawlins' elevation is about 2300m and we had to cross a pass at nearly 3000m to get there…