As you know our first escapade began in Steamboat Springs, CO. We were greeted by our first Couchsurfing host. We were immediately welcomed into their home and given the option of staying in our very own room or in the green bus.
As nice as the bed in the green bus looked, we opted for our own room in the house. Maybe next time we'll consider the bus. Fortunately our Couchsurfing house was within walking distance of downtown. They kindly walked us to the main street, which is when we first realized just how small Steamboat is. Everyone knew everybody, and it was really quite fun.
At the recommendation of our hosts we decided to try Azteca for dinner. What a great decision! They specialize in delicious burritos. We tried the chicken burritos topped with the most important element...mango habanero sauce. Don't be afraid of the heat! It is essential to the burrito. Both of us have been craving these ever since we left. If you find yourself in Steamboat, make sure you treat yourself to an Azteca burrito.
We followed up our burritos with Ciao Gelato. Laurie of course had to try the mango gelato. Maria went with hazelnut and chocolate chip. It was all delicious, but we would recommend going with the hazelnut. Another great place to stop by when you're in town.
Saturday brought more fun. We started the morning on a quest for our very first patch! Things were not looking too great, but alas we found them. It was meant to be. Steamboat Springs patch: check!
For lunch we went for a delightful meal out on the back deck of Sweet Pea. It sits right on the Yampa River, which was raging while we were there. It turns out that Sweet Pea had only been serving lunch for 5 days. For years it has just been a Farmers' Market full of wonderful, fresh produce. You wouldn't have known that they were so new to the restaurant business because we were so impressed by their food. It doesn't get much fresher than that! Our recommendation would be the Sweet Potato Salad - spring mix lettuce, sweet potato, almonds, ricotta cheese, and maple almond vinaigrette. Sounds like a strange combination, but be adventurous! It's well worth it.
For the afternoon we decided a relaxing trip to the hot springs would be great for pre-race. We drove out to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. For $10 you have all day access to natural hot springs. It's beautiful and peaceful and the pools are kept at about 104 degrees. They aren't kidding when they call them HOT springs. We also enjoyed the company of many chipmunks racing around our feet.
That night brought our first confirmation that we had indeed picked the perfect name for our adventures. We were enjoying the beautiful weather on the deck with our Couchsurfing hosts and their sister-in-law. Randomly Nina turns to us and says, "So when do your escapades begin in the morning?" Our faces probably would have been priceless when we heard the word escapade and our hosts probably thought we were crazy because they had no idea what it meant to us.
Sunday was finally race day!!! We had heard that the Steamboat Springs Half Marathon was one of the most scenic in the country. After running it, I think we would agree. The weather was nearly ideal and it was beautiful everywhere you looked. At about mile 12 we received our 2nd confirmation that the Mango Escapades were meant to be. On the side of the road sat an RV called Escapade.
How perfect and just enough inspiration to help us finish out the race strong.
Before leaving town we just had to stop by Sweet Pea one last time. What's better than a fresh fruit smoothie after a long run? Sweet Pea serves up refreshing fruit smoothies right out in front of their shop. A great end to a great weekend. And so concluded our first escapade!
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