Gate 21 is located three miles from Estes Park, Colorado, surrounded by acres of unobstructed views of the Rocky Mountains, Long’s Peak, Twin Sisters Peak, Lumpy Ridge and the Estes Park Valley. Built in 1978, this 2800 square foot house sat empty for years. In the summer of 2020, we came upon it and found the perfect mountain getaway. With the help of family and friends it was updated into a five bedroom, four bathroom house with modern conveniences, but remains a true Colorado mountain home. Gate 21 is a perfect destination for just the two of us, our family of four, or our large extended family, and comfortably sleeps up to 16 in queen or king beds. It is an ideal place to gather and rest after enjoying a full day of outdoor adventures year-round.
Dad grew up in a small farming town in northeast Nebraska. That community put a lot of value in family, hard work, honesty, integrity, and of course Husker football. Beginning in 1988, he started as a ticket taker at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln for home games. The gate he worked - his gate, the one he still works on Saturday mornings in the fall - is Gate 21. Mom is an Iowa girl who grew up a Hawkeyes fan. She took to the Huskers, and now cheers for both teams. When we were young, Mom stayed home with us on those same Saturday mornings, the game always on, and us cheering along.
As we grew into teens and young adults, we faithfully passed through Gate 21, hugged Dad, and felt the rush of excitement and adrenaline upon entering the Sea of Red. Mom was always there to greet us at home with a hug, win or lose. Now as adults, we hug Mom as she stays back to still spend her fall Saturdays at home, teaching her grandkids how to cheer and yell along at the television. We still pass through Gate 21, hug Dad, and head into the game. I grew up a Nebraska Cornhusker football fan; that came from Mom and Dad. But also from them came the greater lesson: the value of spending time together.
This is why we have Gate 21.
