More Foothills and Mucho Suds

Another day, another hike. This time in the South Foothills of the city. I was tickled to death that there were prairie dogs everywhere.







The one sentry would give a chirp and suddenly the ground was crawling with furry fat rodents as they darted back to the dens for safety. It kind of reminded me of the rat colonies in Thompson Square Park, but these were much cuter.







It was a nice morning for a quick hike- after our previous mountain adventures, hills were a cakewalk. It was overcast and a little cooler. Pretty soon, it started to rain and thunder, so we took off for town.

Colorado is a beery kind of place. There are lots of independent breweries and there seemed to be a high concentration of home brewers. We checked out the Avery brewery because they had free tours.





The guide was knowledgeable about the whole process and he seemed to really enjoy himself. It's a pretty complex operation.

I liked how they have a warning label that we shouldn't be diving head first into the beer tank:


Afterwards, it was fun to sample all the goods. My disclaimer being that I don't particularly care for beer still rings true, but I do still sample everything that is handed to me. I guess I'm trying to develop my palate, or hoping one day it will all click and I'll start appreciate what I'm tasting. It all, uh, tastes like beer to me. Some offend me more than others.



It's a convivial kind of place- it looks like a German beer hall. There were lots of people hanging out and playing board games.



Oddly enough, the brewery was in an industrial park, so you really had to be committed to your beer drinking as there was nothing else in that particular area.

Flatirons and Boulder Falls

High above the city, Boulder Creek twist and turns and cuts its way through some lofty canyons. There are some really pretty scenic areas along the creek, but none as much as Boulder Falls.







I was completely mesmerized. I love the sound of rushing water. It puts me in a very quiet trance and I can't pull myself away from it.



There were rock climbers scaling a cliff across from the falls. I enjoy having earth beneath my feet. It's just one of those things that I'll never have the urge to do, and I'm okay with it. Still, those spider-people are amazing.

Further up the Canyon, you start to get gorgeous views of the Rockies again.



We decided to go for a hike in the Flatirons, directly West of Boulder. It's an enormously popular recreation area. There are tons of people out walking their dogs, hiking, running and climbing.



It's a mountain with distinctive wedge-shaped sheer rock slabs on one side. The mountain is the city's iconic symbol and mascot.



We choose a rather strenuousness hike to the Royal Arch. It was only two miles to get there, but it gained 1,400 feet of elevation. Gah.







Did I mention that we did a pretty intense yoga class earlier in the day? My legs were letting me know.





It's a good place to be if you are the type of person that feels the need to justify a burger for dinner. You've earned it.

More Rockies

I'm not saying that we should be practicing graffiti in our National Parks, but this made me smile.



But a lot of things I saw made me smile that day.


Lake Haiyaha






Mills Lake






Bear Lake


I spotted a Pinion Jay, which are large, shy blue birds.


Two Sisters


Long's Peak, one of the 53(!) mountains over 14,000 feet in the state. From what I hear, it's not a technical climb in summer, but you have to allow yourself at least 13 hours round trip.


Lilly Lake

The most gratifying thing about hiking (aside from the view from the top) is peeling off your shoes and socks at the end of the day and wading around in an ice-cold creek. It's one of my favorite moments in life.

Higher than You Are

Boulder is only about an hour outside Rocky Mountain National Park.



I have mixed feelings about National Parks. All the parks are all incredibly beautiful- we are very fortunate to have so many breathtaking places in the US which deserve the public's appreciation. It's important to preserve them. However, they were made very accessible to the masses with paved roads. Without the roads, the Parks system probably wouldn't have made it into this day and age. However, the roads created a situation that meant the parks usually end up being so overcrowded and packed, it doesn't seem like you're escaping from anyone or anything. A lot of the trails can seem like your only scenic view is of the derriere of the person in front of you. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope it's a nice one.



Rocky Mountain is no exception. It was bumper to bumper to drive in, several parking lots were full, and the easiest walking trails close to the trailheads were reminding me a little too much of trying to get someplace in a hurry in Times Square. Some of the high-traffic trails were even paved, which helps cut down on the erosion, but it's basically a sidewalk.



Happily, it's not too hard to figure out where you can find a nice quiet trail. You just have to find a steep elevation change and go for it.



Hiking is probably the least glamorous activity I can think of. It's sweaty and dirty and muddy and you're either too hot, too cold, or too wet to be comfortable. I usually have a bit of a freak out the first half hour until I find my stride- I'll sweat like crazy and get super tired in a way that makes me doubt that I can keep going. Then, like magic, it all clicks. The pain goes away. My temperature adjusts. I can go for miles without too much more effort. It's the most peaceful zen feeling I could possibly imagine.



The altitude was a big adjustment for me. The trailhead started out from was well over 9,400 feet, and it only went up from there. The lack of oxygen at the height was really noticeable, and I found myself out of breath and needing a break frequently.



Which was fine, because it seems like every time I stopped for a breather, I ended up gazing out over the most incredible landscape.



It can snow any day of the year at this elevation. The melting snow creates scenic, near-freezing clear lakes that are a good spot to have a mid-morning picnic. Or just trail mix if you aren't a sophisticated hiker.

This is Emerald Lake.







I had an 18mm lens on my camera for these shots. That's the best wide-angle lens that I have. It still couldn't capture the enormity of the place.



I find myself over-using words like "stunning" here.

Boulder

I took some time to wander around and check out downtown Boulder. It's a small city, but there's a lot of good stuff going on. It's a very foodie town, which is right up my ally.



After a quality lunch at Salt, it was off to drift around and explore and fight off the post-prandial siesta.

They have a really interesting art-deco courthouse- there was a few stylish building like this that made it seem more like Miami Beach aesthetically. The courthouse was pretty much the highest point in the skyline, so there's lots of sun and open spaces on the streets.



A great find was the Dushanbe Teahouse. It's a gift from Tajikistan, and it sits peacefully right on Boulder Creek. Inside, it's all ornately carved and painted. Outside, there are lovely rose gardens. I had a wonderful cup of earthy Puerh by the creek. It was blissful.





There's a bike path and trail that runs alongside Boulder Creek. The water is cold and clean- there were tons of people wading, fishing, swimming, tubing, and rafting down the creek. Boulder has excellent mass transit, bike paths and walking space all over the city.



There was a road race going on. These were mile sprinters.







They had a great farmers market downtown on Saturdays.







The market was set up right in front of the teahouse and that seemed to be the heart of the city.



There were musicians and dancers on every corner. It was incredibly vibrant.