Cascade, CO – July 16, 2012
Tyler had a date today. He wanted to go to the penny arcade in Manitou Springs, Colorado. We dropped him, and his date off and then Leslie, Hillary, and I drove up Ute Pass to Cascade, Colorado to go to The Wines of Colorado. In all the years it has been there, this is the first time I have ever visited.
Three years ago, while I was in Washington, D.C. for training, I met a man in one of my classes, Darby. It did not take me long to find out he was from Colorado Springs; he loved ice hockey and bike riding. Then I discovered his father is Marv, the owner of The Wines of Colorado. Marv used to be quite involved in commercial real estate in the Colorado Springs market. When I worked in commercial real estate, I had shown his property once or twice; however, I do not think I did a deal with him. Regardless, I knew he owned The Wines of Colorado.
As it so happens, Darby was in Colorado Springs on home leave while we were there. Unfortunately, our schedules never meshed such that we could meet there for lunch or dinner. At least the three of us were able to make it for lunch.
We arrived around 10:30. I asked the man behind the bar if Marv was around. He was not. Then I told him I had worked with Darby in Spain. The man behind the bar brightened up and said he was Darby’s brother, Kelly. We talked with him for quite a while.
After talking with Kelly, we walked down by the stream and found a table. I was surprised they were serving the entire menu so early. But apparently, they begin doing so at 10:00. Shortly after we sat down, the other tables by the stream filled up. We started our lunch with some roasted garlic. Served with some fancy crackers and a spiced oil mixture, it was delicious. It was fresh out of the oven, so it had to be good. For lunch, Leslie and I both had a Reuben sandwich. It was good but huge. We made a pact to split our lunches in the future. Hillary had a chicken sandwich. All the food was piping hot, and it was delicious.
I am just not convinced…
While we were sitting there, we periodically heard thunder. Just as we were walking out to the truck, it began to sprinkle.
Before we went to the truck, we stopped in the shop. Kelly told us they were the largest distributor of Colorado wines in the country. Leslie and I bought a couple of bottles after a wine tasting. We bought Boulder Creek Merlot, 2008, for $19.95 and Two Rivers Chateau Deux Fleuves Vintner’s Blend, 2009, for $22.95. We also bought t-shirts.
For anyone traveling in the area, I would highly recommend stopping at The Wines of Colorado. The Wines of Colorado was such a beautiful place. I wish this had not been our first time going there. It will not be our last.