September 13, 2019

We were up early to catch the 5 a.m. airport shuttle to Vancouver Airport for our flight to Denver. We sailed through check-in, security and US Customs and were walking toward our gate well before 6 a.m. With the $20 breakfast vouchers, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast called the Gameday Scrambler with coffee at the Vancouver Canucks Bar & Grill. We had lots of time to explore the various arms of the Vancouver terminal building. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:45 a.m. The morning was overcast and there were light showers. It was a full flight.

Denver is known as the mile-high city because of its altitude. The 13th step of the Colorado State Capitol building is exactly 1 mile above sea level. We had hoped to visit the Colorado State Capitol building, but the missed flight in Vancouver yesterday eliminated our day of exploring Denver today.

The temperature was 27°C when we landed in Denver. We followed the signs to Baggage Claim and were surprised when we had to wait for a train to take us to the baggage claim & check-in terminal. We found the carrousel with our luggage and wandered a bit to find the Super Shuttle kiosk for our prepaid ride to the Holiday Inn Cherry Creek hotel. We joined two other couples also taking the Cosmos bus tour in the van. Steps 11,873.

Arriving before 2:30 p.m., our rooms were not ready for more than an hour. While we drank coffee, we chatted with Gretchen & Herb, who were on the shuttle ride. The Cosmos tour check-in was between 4 pm and 7 pm. We met our tour director, Matthew, who will be our leader for the next 14 days. In the Cosmos information, we were reminded that the air is a bit thinner and drier at higher altitudes. We should drink lots of water to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. Tomorrow Denver expects a high temperature of 31°C.

Before dinner we strolled along the Cherry Creek walking path for about three kilometers. Then headed back to the hotel stopping at Whole Foods grocery store for a snack for the trip. Continuing along 1^stStreet, we saw some wall murals depicting the history of the Cherry Creek area, before deciding to have dinner on the patio at Olive and Finch Eatery & Bakery including a carafe of Sangria. We returned to the hotel in time to watch the Ottawa vs Lions CFL game.

The walk was over 9,000 steps or a little over seven kilometers. Step Total 21,132