Live In An Unbound World

‘Salida Means Service’ in my Unbound World

I have to tell you about Salida, Colorado. It was one of 4 locales I slept in, over the 2007 Holiday season. Pre-Christmas was in Orlando and Charleston with a Christmas day flight home to Dallas. Post Christmas and New Years was in Salida. The people of Salida live in an Unbound World.

Salida has got to be the most customer service oriented town I have been to. It over shadows any other experience in this industry. Not to mention, I needed some good customer service that week. My trip to Vacation Land in Orlando, did not go so well. The hotel was one problem after another. I will give a few details, but I will elaborate later. While my rental car company (L&M Car Rental) was great, due to a mix up at the hotel, a total of 9 people spent the weekend in a King room. The buffet breakfast was over priced and not real desirable. On the flip side from the hotel, US Airways was completely accommodating and understanding when my Christmas Eve flight to Charleston was cancelled. The attendant took note that I would only be in Charleston for 18 hours and made sure I was on the next (as in 45 minutes, next on Delta) flight. This actually gave me an extra hour in Charleston. The alternative was losing close to 6 hours between Orlando and Charlotte airports.

From the first night at Salida’s Riverside Lodge (operated by White Diamond Tours, a christian-based business) to Mt. Shavano Ski Rentals visiting on-site at Monarch Mountain Ski Resort to the bowling center in town. It was also the best customer service I have gotten at the Invention of Sam Walton store in ages. Now, I don’t remember ever getting bad service at Sonic in any town. I don’t know what it is, but it rocks.

Monarch Mountain has hosts and hostess everywhere, always ready to get you where you need to go or carry your skis that are dragging behind you. Their ski school/daycare is full service. They made sure my daughter got to her lesson and back; made a point to dress her warmer than I thought to bundle her. It was 8 degrees (I believe) at the most, and the weather was only getting worse that week. The instructors worked with her at her pace and had her wanting more. Even the vacationing people I rode the lift with, were awesome. Everyone was friendly and inviting.

White Mountain Tours did an awesome job at organizing our trip. When there was some spreadsheet error originating at the pre-trip level and someone accidentally did not get registered for a class, they were quick to square it away. The first morning could have been a crazy mess. Sixty people poured into Mt. Shavano’s A-frame store to pick up skis at the same time. They had the group’s skis and boots out and ready to go. We went in the front door, they called our name, we tried on our boots, grabbed our skis and poles and went out the back door to load them on the White Diamond hummer. Two days later, between White Diamond and Mt. Shavano Rental, my error of letting mine and my mom’s skis get returned early was taken care of and I was on the slopes in no time. Bad weather kept me from skiing the second day, but I left my daughter’s rental boots at the Monarch Daycare. Someone agreed to go pick them up and I did not have to worry about it.  

I took my daughter and mom bowling when the weather on the mountain was  too severe, to safely go skiing the second day. This was my 6 year old’s first bowling session. As a former, avid bowler with great confidence in her…I di not ask for bumpers at first. Then when I did ask, I found out there was a large group of winter camp kids coming and they needed the extra lanes. If you don’t know much about bowling, bumpers can not handle the force of a ball thrown buy anyone much over 7 years old. This meant she needed her own lane. It could not have been 5-10 minutes later, the young guy changed his mind and made things work out. There was no fuss. There is only one bowling Center in Salida, so the name escaping me will not hinder you.

Salida is an easy, beautiful drive from the southeast. We drove from Dallas.

I am saving the specific details of the Orlando hotel for another blog. This blog is to praise Salida and my dad taught me not to illuminate a problem without some kind of solution.

L&M Car Rental deserves credit because I thought I was taking a chance stepping away from the major labels. I got a great price and a car that I think I may want to consider when I shop for a new one.