West to the Rockies

Index:

• Delta to Denver (ECP-ATL-DEN)
• Hiking to the top of Flattop Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park
• Morning in Denver and Home (Delta DEN-MEM-ECP)

I figured the best way to start off my new corner of the web, would be to start off with the short weekend trip that I took out to Colorado.  Earlier this year, when Congress failed to pass an FAA authorization bill, there was about a 12 hour window during which Delta had not increased their fares while the taxes expired.  I had already booked tickets for myself and my brother (which turned into a quasi-mileage run for me), but had the idea that I should go ahead and book a short domestic trip somewhere.  I settled on flying into Denver, not really knowing what exactly I would do.  I had been wanting to get back into hiking for some time now, and with most of the people I know either too busy or disinterested in the activity to go on even a relatively flat trail in Florida, I decided that I would head to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Leaving Panama City at 2:40PM on a Delta flight to Atlanta on a Friday afternoon, I made my way west.  Upgrades were confirmed on both my ECP-ATL and ATL-DEN flights, although the flight to Denver didn’t occur until at the gate.  My flight out to Denver also had departed from Concourse E (International) in ATL, so I stopped by the larger Sky Club and pretended as if I was boarding a long-haul flight to Europe or points farther in BusinessElite.  The Denver flight is a meal flight, and I wound up going with the Roast Beef sandwich over the other option was the cold chicken and pasta dish.  I’ve had both before a few times, and they are pretty much an even draw.  One item to note is that this flight had received the new trays, glasses, etc.  They have a wood panel feel and they actually put down a cloth tablecloth as opposed to a paper one as they had in the past.  I think it looks a lot nicer than before, even if some online have compared it to the wood paneling on the lavatory floors…

First Class Meal on Delta ATL-DEN

Arrival into Denver was around 8:30PM and after a bit of a wait at the luggage claim I was on the Hertz bus to the pick up my fairly cheap rental for the weekend.  No upgrade or anything there, just a standard Chevy Cruze.  I left the airport, and shot across Denver to reach my hotel for the night: the Aloft Broomfield (about halfway between Denver and Boulder).  It really was not any different than any other Aloft hotel out there and was quickly in my room and passed out as I was getting up at 4am the next morning.