Saturday, July 31, 2010

Summer Adventures 2010 - Boulder, CO

Wow. Where to begin? Where to end? Boulder greeted me in the dark of night and didn't let me go for ten days. I feel as though my heart and soul has not quite left, even though I have been home for 6 days. I cannot let the dream go. Cannot get the view of the mountains out of my head. My mind refuses to give in to the sensation of 'being home'.

So many adventures. So much laughter. Sunshine. Fresh air. Freezing creek water. Beer. Friends. Cookouts. Late night bike rides. Afternoon hikes. Wine. Fancy dinners. Tours. Wind turbines. Yoga. Dancing. Softball games. Surprises. Empty bank accounts. Group breakfasts. In-house chef. Underground bars. Pool. Jukeboxes. Tubing.

I feel as though making a list of activities would somehow lessen the impact of my memories. There are, however, a few notes that I would like to make.
1. Hot Yoga is by far my favorite physical workout.

2. Old friends mixed with new friends = epic fun.
3. Riding a skateboard while holding on to a bike might sound dangerous but is in fact quite easy - especially at 11pm in the cyclist lane.

4. Zucchini themed cookouts with are a fantastic mix of creative people and dishes. Especially when an old school boom box is rockin' some Led Zeppelin.

5. 50 degree water from the mountains is not so bad when it is 95 degrees outside.
6. Don't wear expensive sunglasses when tubing. You will lose them promptly. Luckily mine were only $2.

7. Invest in a camel pack for even a day hike. Red rocks and dry heat are not a nice combination. But the view is spectacular.

8. There are a lot of free things to do in CO, including Coors tour, wine tastings, the farmers market, hanging by the creek, and late night drum circles.

9. There is snow on the mountains in July.
10. There are more small farmers market grocery stores than regular ones - and they are significantly cheaper than Whole Foods or Earth Fare.

I loved Boulder so much that I extended my trip from Thursday to Sunday. I just had to scrape together the moolah to pay the ticket change fee. Other than that I was free to simply make my own decisions. Thanks to my generous friends I was able to eat and have a roof over my head. Thanks, Michelle =)

Refreshing. Uplifting. Soul-cleansing. All words that help describe how I felt while in the presence of the mountains. Being around people that share my mindset on health, food, life style, humor, and attitude. Bikes everywhere. Canvas grocery bags. Recycle bins. Easygoing laughter. Excellent beer. It was so comfortable - like I was already home. New friends and faces greeted me at a cookout and remained in my circle of companions for the rest of the week. It was like being in Boone but with more variety and a better view.
Michelle and I ventured out dancing a few times. Some venues were hits, some were misses. It was good to dance in a new scene, although it was hard to find a fun dance through all the people being cliques. Oh well...

As the last stop on my summer travels Boulder proved to be the most invigorating. I felt as though I was truly on vacation. My hosts were very generous, I spend a lot of time outside, did a few tourist attractions, and got to know some locals.
Labor day weekend is but four weeks away. My plane ticket is all but purchased. A two night, two day canoe trip is planned. Camping, marshmallows, stars, hiking, swimming, and adventure. Hello, Colorado, you are my new destination for life and laughter.


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