I've Arrived at Active at Altitude, Estes Park, Colo.

Road trips are funny things. I left Boise, Idaho, yesterday morning with the intention of spending the night with a friend in Salt Lake City. But I got to Salt Lake in the early afternoon, and figured, hey, since this is pretty much the longest day of the year in terms of daylight hours, why not press forward?

So I arrived here, Active at Altitude, a day early for the Trail Running and Writing Weekend retreat to which I've decided to treat myself. This is the perfect transition from my former life as an elementary school teacher, which ended about 48 hours ago, and my new life as a PR pro, which I've been chipping away at for a couple of years, but am now chasing full-throttle.

This place is so relaxing! I'm blissfully tapping away in the Active at Altitude great room, looking south at some gorgeous granite peaks that owner Terry Chiplin tells me are called Twin Sisters. The only thing blocking the view are humming birds jockeying for position at the feeders. This lodge-like facility, which I'd compare to a marvelous bed and breakfast, is in Estes Park, Colo., at the door to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Our days are pretty full here, starting today and ending Sunday afternoon. I'll likely have to bail out early, though, or I will miss the start of Primal Quest, the expedition adventure race I'll be covering for the adventure racing news website Checkpoint Zero.

Terry's taking me to town, so I'll have the Estes Park introduction shortly. So far, this place impresses me as the perfect place to get away from it all in a super-supportive, super-healthy environment.