Day 3: The Broadmoor

The Broadmoor

Yesterday was pretty uneventful, which when traveling, is sometimes very good.  My flight was on time, I had a row to myself, I was able to write my 15 minute presentation for today during the flight, and there was a nice little steak spot right there in the Denver arrival terminal so I could have a bit of bison before driving to Colorado Springs.  All was very, very good.

I arrived at the world famous Broadmoor Resort at around 2PM.  I am here to appear on a panel presented by the Heritage Foundation and the El Pomar Foundation--their "Annual Journalist Conference". It is a very cozy affair, with all participants able to fit comfortably in one parlor for a cocktail party--maybe a total of 50.  The journalists are pretty well-known, at least to people who keep up with the news. The Broadmoor is wonderful--I really would like to come back someday and enjoy all that it has to offer, including the surrounding, stunning countryside.  But alas, I am here to sing for my supper, not to have a good time, and so my enjoyment of the place is limited to walking around, doing a little shopping, and hitting the gym.  My room is luxe, with a huge walk in shower AND spa tub, TV in the bathroom. Big, king size she-she bed.  All the trimmings.

I arrived, putzed around, got in a workout, and prepared for the visit of the great Chris Chelales, known to many as "Chili".  Chili and I went to the Joint Forces Staff College together, and we both retired around the same time.  He's out here in tech sales, doing great and loving life. An Air Force Academy grad, he has returned to Colorado Springs like a salmon swimming upriver.  Chili lives about 30 minutes from the Broadmoor, so we met for some coffee before the first event of my conference, an evening ice-breaker.

Chili is a great guy--easy to talk to, interesting.  It would have been wonderful to just keep talking, but I had to make the bus to head a few minutes away for the ice-breaker.  It turned out to be a pleasant affair, an interesting mix of center right scholars/think tankers, journalists, and academics in a lovely old mansion owned by the El Pomar Foundation.  There were heavy appetizers (I can't spell the French word without looking it up, and so shan't)  which is never good for me, as I do much better when set amounts of food are presented to me.  I was marginally responsible however, and only had five "buffalo sliders".  After two hours of pleasantries, I hopped on the bus to get back to my room to go over my remarks and watch the Broncos game.

I told you, it was an uneventful day.  More later.