H-H-H-Honeymoon! {part 3}

So where did I leave off? Oh yes... a mouse trap. 

It worked. Will saved me the day. We'll leave it at that.

The next morning, Will made us poached eggs with English muffins. Poached eggs are my favorite egg prep style, and evidently Will had been practicing poaching them at home so he could surprise me with this on our honeymoon. 

What a guy, huh?

After the well-prepared-for meal, we headed out to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. It was wonderful! We had pretty mild weather (I think high temps were in the 80s), so it was kind of an odd time to go to the hot springs. Basically, there are little pools carved out (some made naturally, some made for the tourist action), with the hotter pools at the top and the cooler pools at the bottom. With temps in the 70s-80s, the cool pools were way too chilly for us. The hot pools were pretty steamy, too, so we jumped from pool to pool as our body temperatures adjusted to each varying degree.

Hooray for hot springs!

I can totally see how popular this spot would be with crisp Colorado snow on the ground. Very romantic and relaxing.

You can see some of the little tents and sitting areas set up in the midst of the different pools

Also, apparently the hot springs are "clothing-optional" after a certain time at night. Oo la la.

Again, the top pool was significantly more warm than the lowest pool. People would try to walk across this pool on the rocks because it was just too chilly!

Um, what's with the chipmunk?

Let me explain the chipmunk. This area is clearly crawling with tourists, so the wildlife here is fearless. They don't become spastic when humans come near... they get hungry! As Will and I discovered...

"What's that you're snacking on, ginger human?"

I got a little excited about this development. Will and I were snacking on almonds when they initially approached us. Will fed them half of an almond (at my behest, I think), and not surprisingly, the little guy wouldn't leave us alone after that. 

He's got a skinny little face in the earlier picture, but here, when he's conferring with his friend, you can see his almond-filled cheeks

Scarfing down another almond. Not chewing... just stashing it for later

There's a clear outline of that almond in the lower chipmunk's cheek. 

Chippy, as I've named him, decided to take my seat as I documented his intrusion on our honeymoon

Sniffing out our almond reserve

Aaaand finding a way into my bag with said almonds

Chillin' on Will's lap ... Colorado, your wildlife is pretty rude

After typing all of this, I realize that wasn't the most riveting play-by-play. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and even reliving it through telling the story in words and pictures made me giddy all over again. 

You're really livin' large, Jenn.

We came home and Will grilled up some steaks while I had kitchen duty.

Menu: Grilled Ribeye, Cheese Grits, Grilled Peppers & Onions, Beer

I think those are the last pictures we have from the honeymoon. The rest of the time spent in Steamboat Springs was trying out different restaurants, going back to Off the Beaten Path bookstore to read and relax, and shopping for souvenirs.

Another short story: we wanted a variety of things to keep as souvenirs. We got a Steamboat Springs cook book (fitting for the Killmers), a sweatshirt, and a home decoration... but I wanted something more. As we were walking through a small mall filled with tourist-y shops, we saw a Christmas store filled with ornaments, decorations, and snow globes, with scents of cinnamon and Christmas tunes spilling out. As Will turns to me to say, "What kind of people actually shop in those stores?", I had already taken off at full-nurse-walk-speed towards the store. 

What kind of people?

The kind of people you married, apparently.

Anyway, we ended up with a Christmas ornament to document our honeymoon travels. 

The next day we left to spend the weekend in Denver, which included going to the Denver Aquarium, dining at John Elway's Steakhouse, and hanging around a huge independent bookstore (shocker!)

Then on Sunday, we headed to the airport and flew home to Virginia. It was a wonderful way to start off our married life together... doing things we love together, lots of time to talk about the ceremony and digest the whole experience, and enjoying all of this in the midst of some serious beauty. We are so thankful for the time we got and the way we got to spend that time.

Then we returned home & had 48 hours to move me out of my Charlottesville apartment. Back to reality, Jenn & Will...