Day 9 in Colorado :(

~ If we were feeling a lil' funky yesterday, just anticipating our last day in Colorado, imagine how we felt this morning! We had to drop our rental car off at 2 p.m., so we had precious little time to cram in as many as-yet-unseen spots we as we could.
~ In an effort to be make our way east toward the airport, we headed into Denver, drove around downtown, and looked at/photographed things we'd only seen in the dark or had missed entirely.
~ The more east we went, the fewer places there were to eat. So, we stopped at Quizno's for lunch. (Did you know it was founded in Denver? I didn't.)





~ Here are a few things I noticed during my time in Colorado:

~ Everything is more beautiful and overwhelming than you planned for
~ Mountains help drivers keep their sense of direction (as the beach does here in Florida)
~ Many businesses have really cool, funky signs out front
~ Fat people are not permitted to live here
~ Half the grocery stores have funny names
~ Panda Express and 7-11 are everywhere
~ Outside is lightyears better than inside
~ People are friendly and patient, even while driving
~ Things are casual AND laid back (which is quite different from SoFla, which is casual but not so laid back)
~ Generally speaking, people here are attractive (in a natural, silicone- and Botox-free way, also unlike my neck of the woods. Wait, there are no woods here; there are in Colorado, and that's something else I liked.)
~ Cars are dirty
~ It's not near as cold as you'd think, but it's windy!
~ "Wind- and solar-powered", "mom-and-pop owned" and "sustainability focused" are often used to describe businesses
~ Public art is everywhere: sculptures, murals, even groovy multicolored bike-shaped bicycle racks
~ The men are men. (Yum.) Not metrosexuals - ya know, the dudes that shave their arms. (Blech.) Side note: Someone really ought to form a Manscapers Anonymous here in SoFla; those guys need help.

Day 8 in Colorado

~ Our last full day in Colorado. :( The thought of this made us a little funky, but we tried not to think about it and to just enjoy ourselves. Today's plan was the same as yesterday: daytime in the mountains, nighttime in the city. But today's city was Denver; there's so much to see that two or three nights there is sadly inadequate. I hope next time to have a local to hang with for a day or two. Any takers? I'll buy dinner. ;)
~ On to the specifics... First, we headed back south to Golden. I'd really enjoyed myself there on my first day, and the kid hadn't seen it yet. So, we drove around quite a bit, looked at houses and the foothills, then walked around the main strip a bit. We had a pretty good lunch at Woody's Woodfired Pizza and Mini-Me bought some gifts for her parents and friends back home.




~ We went to the Boulder Reservoir, which seems to be a hotspot for hibernating boats and RVs.



~ Then we met our friend at Starbucks (yes, the Sbux again) in Boulder before taking a drive up to Chautauqua Park and around the surrounding residential neighborhoods. She wanted us to see some of the hidden gems and where "the money" lives. Sadly, this is also where some of the wildfires would be a few weeks later.


~ Following a goodbye to our local friend, we headed to Denver for the night. We had dinner at Mezcal, which features a lucha libre in its logo and serves pretty good food, with the exception of the (canned?) red sauce. The atmosphere was cool, and my impression is that this part of town is my kinda neighborhood.


~ We walked around Larimer Square, Writer Square and the surrounding area a bit. I think we enjoyed this trip all the more because everything was still decorated for the holidays.

Day 7 in Colorado

~ We'd stayed up late last night chatting and looking through our photos; and the lil' cousin just couldn't wait and had me purchase tickets to her next Big Head Todd show.
~ We grabbed a quick snack for the road and made our way northwest to Nederland, a small place high up above Boulder full of old wooden buildings that have been revived by colorful hippies. It's pretty cool there, and the fact that it's only about half an hour outside Boulder makes it even nicer.



~ On the way up, we took the Peak-to-Peak Byway. Its tight, winding curves would likely make this dangerous in bad weather, but it was a dry, sunny morning and the views are outta this world. The kiddo even spotted some alpacas, which I love. I wish we'd had more time for some hiking and such; I'll just have to go back more often, won't I? :)



~ We didn't spend too much time in Nederland, and headed back down to town via Boulder Canyon. Wow. There was no real way for me to take great photos of the canyon, because you simply can't back up far enough to get the entire canyon wall into the frame! But I tried...



~ We spent time on Pearl Street Mall. Our stops included Starbucks (I was surprised that there aren't more indy coffeeshops in these parts), Boulder Bookstore, Gold Mine vintage shop, a toy store and an old-fashioned candy store (Mini-Me got herself a vanilla gelato here, despite the cold wind outside). As I always do when traveling, I made a point of looking for the local newspaper office, and grabbed copies of the local rags, too. Worth mentioning is that this town is full of public art as are its neighboring cities (sculptures, murals, etc.), buskers (most of whom were actually good), street lamps plastered with posters pushing local bands, and a youthful, funky vibe (it IS a college town, afterall). And Boulder, like Denver, has a large number of live music venues for its size; that's great for me!




~ We picked up our friend and had supper at West End Tavern, which apparently is owned by the same folks who own Zolo, where we ate last night. Both places are run on 100% wind power and locally source as much of their food as possible - pretty cool.
~ Again, we walked around downtown a bit, then took the long way back to the hotel. I never tired of the lovely nighttime view coming up over a hilltop in the suburbs; the lights just keep going and going and going.

Day 6 in Colorado

~ Slept in after a late, great night.
~ Walked out for a quick brunch, some of us to Poppycock's and other to McDonald's (I know, I know).


~ Left Aspen with heavy hearts. Not only is it hard to leave this magical place, but the BHTM part of our trip is now over. (One more month and most of us will be seeing them again; that's not so bad!)
~ On the way back to Boulder, we longingly eyed the natural spring-fed pool in Glenwood Springs, and made stops for coffee and to take photos of the crazy-beautiful views.


~ Made a beeline for Zolo, where we enjoyed a relaxing dinner.


~ After driving by a few sights, we took our friend home and wandered around the Pearl Street Mall. As usual, we took the long, winding way back to the hotel. I'm struck by the number of Mexican restaurants and 7-11s, and the funny name of one of their main grocers, King Soopers (of course, Publix here in the south isn't necessarily a less-amusing moniker).

Day 5 in Colorado

~ I woke up first and opened the curtains to see a white wonderland. The weather gods were cooperating, giving us gorgeous weather on the driving days and a beautiful six inches or so of fresh white stuff on our full no-driving day in town.
~ Relaxed, stopped into Starbucks for a "reliable" java, and had breakfast at the very busy Poppycock's (French toast, nomnomnom). It seems every place here is busy; I won't attribute that entirely to it being high season, because everyplace we went was a nice mix of delish and friendly.
~ Walked around, shopped, took photos, threw snowballs (OK, that was just me, the tropi-chick), and relaxed until our final (sniff) Big Head Todd show.




~ We decided tonight to have a "nicer" dinner, so we followed the recommendations of several friends and visited two places for supsup. Social was cool, but it felt more like a NYC lounge than what we were looking for and the menu wasn't entirely up our alley. (That said, the scallop/brie/honey appetizer was scandalous.) Next stop was J-Bar at the Hotel Jerome. I particularly wanted to stop here as it was a haunt of Hunter S. Thompson (seems he had several faves; the man liked the drink), and we did find a "Hunter S. Thompson for Sheriff" sign behind the bar. It's lovely there, cozy and warm (figuratively speaking only, unfortunately, as there was a mean draft by the window seats), and the menu was comforting. Our salads, burgers and chicken pot pie hit the spot, and my pretty-dern-local Blue Moon was ace. (Oh, and yeah, what they say about being able to drink much less at altitude is true!)
~ Again, we got to the club just after the doors opened, but tonight we had a two-hour wait until the show started. Last night, a DJ took over the club after the BHTM show, so they only played two hours and we all had to clear out right after. Tonight there was no after party and we'd heard from a crew member that the guys might play a longer set, so we were hopeful and didn't mind waiting two hours for the show to start. Football, beer and war stories commence...
~ Here's what I posted to the BHTM boards:

Wow. This weekend has left me at a loss for words (and for those of you who know me, you know that's a rarity). Our second night here in Aspen was outta sight. The guys seemed to really be having a great time, and a little musical birdie told me they were stoked to see people showing up at all the CO shows night after night.

How could we not? This place is a gem of a venue; I can't stress that enough. The guys never cease to amaze me with their friendliness and down-to-earth attitudes; they always make you feel like you're an old friend. Aspen is crazy beautiful, especially while decorated for the holidays and covered with a dusting of the nice white stuff, and the people here have all been really nice. And the energy and set lists... man oh man... let's just say that both nights we all left a lil' bit worked over.

What a weekend! I'm sad to see it end, but I must head out into the 3 degree weather and back to Boulder now. In the meantime, chew on this setlist:

Monument in Green (just Todd and Jeremy)
Friend of the Devil (that's the Dead, baby!)
Cruel Fate
Neckbreaker
Blue Sky
It's Alright
Moose
Riviera
Sister Sweetly
Mona Lisa
Strategem
Tangerine
VOJ/Leaving
Heart of Wilderness
Love Transmission
Magdelina (with a horn)
Ever Since Ya Pulled Me Under (with horns)
James Brown Medley (with horns)
Beautiful World (with horns)
Runaway Train
Come On
Encore: Circle, Rocky Mountain Way (!!!)

~ I should add to the above post that I danced more than I think I may ever have at a show; perhaps it was the set list, maybe it was the fun produced by being surrounded by more friends than I usually am at a show, likely it was simply the perfect circumstances of the weekend. It truly was a perfect weekend.




~ Oh, let me not forget to mention that after the show we hung out BS-ing with the merch guy, who is a friend of the band, while my lil' cousin bought some goodies. Jeremy came out to chat with us and we got some photos of him with the kid and some of the girls. He was his usual sweet, funny self. When we finally left, we bumped into Brian, who was helping load some equipment into the trailer; he, too, was his usual friendly, twinkly-eyed self, and the kid got another photo.

P.S. PER YOUR REQUESTS, I'LL POST LOTS OF PHOTOS AND VIDS ON FLICKR AND MYSPACE IN A BIT. GO TAKE A PEEK!

Day 4 in Colorado

~ We checked out of our hotel in Westminster, drove to Boulder to pick up my friend, and got on the road.
~ We stopped in Breckenridge so the friend could get her hair cut; her hair dresser moved from Boulder to Breckenridge not too long ago, and this all-important primping session was scheduled weeks ago. While that was happening, the youngin and I walked around, had lunch at a teensy tiny pizzeria, and stopped into a shop so she could buy a T-shirt she'd spotted from the car window on the way into town. It reads "Dude, I think this whole town is high! Breckenridge, altitude 9,600." Funny.


~ We slipped and slided our way back to the car, and tried to find a Starbucks on the way so the driver could get her caffeine fix, but we didn't have much luck. When we found that the S'bux in Glenwood Springs' Safeway sported a broken espresso machine, we gave up hope; surely there would be a place to sate our cravings in Aspen.
~ There was, but not until tomorrow morning...
~ Meanwhile, the drive to Aspen was gorgeous. Not only are the views phenomenal (I know, I'm full of mammoth adjectives and convenient superlatives, but if the shoe fits...), but the weather was perfect for travel: dry, sunny and still.


~ After trying to find a place to park the car outside our hotel (the roads were narrow, parking is on-street, and the snow plow had left pretty large berms), we were assisted inside by a friendly, chatty hotel staffer who was very interested in going to one of the shows we effused about. (A convert? Perhaps; I never did see him at the Belly Up, but then, I was certainly distracted.)
~ The hotel is really beautiful, two-and-a-half blocks from the Belly Up, all restaurants, Starbucks (!!) and the base of Ajax Mountain. So convenient; the weekend felt like a cruise, in that you could party all night and schlep back to your room with no worry of car keys and DUI check points. Well, this wasn't exactly that kind of weekend, but I thought it worth mentioning for those of you planning a ski trip. Enjoy. ;)


~ Wash, dress, primp, loudly sing along to BHTM, excitedly dance around the room, take a final five (or ten) looks in the mirror, stop for an "ooh I forgot my scarf", and out the door we went to dinner at Little Annie's, which we'd heard and read many good things about. Our cheeseburger, BBQ chicken and grilled turkey sandwich were all great, especially since they were all accompanied by lumpy, peppery mashed potatoes of a divine nature. The woman who runs the front of the house (owner?) moved like a NYC diner hostess but had the personality of a Midwesterner: perfect. The place is cramped, bustling and affordable, and our booth in the front window was chilly but cozy. Note to self: Go back, if only for the mashed potatoes and the Tootsie Roll Midgies (or are they Minis? I'm never sure which are which.) that come with the check.
~ The Belly Up was only a couple blocks from the restaurant, it wasn't bitter cold, and the town is a storybook fantasy, so the walk to the show was enjoyable.
~ The venue is tiny but beautiful, the sound and lighting were great, the coat check not only exists but is free (wow), and the audience is permitted to stand right up against the stage. I'm unsure how the band feels about it (they didn't seem to mind us being right up in their faces), but I know we all were crazy for the set up. It's the best place I've seen a concert yet, and I've seen many.
~ The doors opened an hour before the show started, and we got there just a few minutes after doors for fear of a cramped space and no spots near the boys. But it worked out great. Everyone was watching college football and nursing their adult beverages while waiting for the show to start; there's a large, roll-up movie screen rigged in front of the stage, and it wasn't lifted until just a moment or two before the guys came on stage. But our group of six or so waited by the corner of the stage, chatting and taking turns refilling our water cups and emptying our bladders, until the screen was rolled up. Then we quickly scooted into position (with me dead center at Todd's toes, naturally), while everyone else jostled in behind us.




~ The show was perfect. Here's what I posted on the BHTM boards.

Last night's show was incredible, just incredible. The energy was crazy - both the guys' and the audience's. The set list featured a nice mix of old and new, including some great surprises, like a horn section and Clapton's "Forever Man". This was a BHTM show as I know and love them - outstanding!

Cherries on top: the venue is great (with a capacity of only 400 or so), the stage itself is pretty tiny so all the guys were within view, we were so close that my water bottle was on the stage at Todd's feet, and this was my teenage cousin's first show and she's officially hooked (Yay!). She's crossing her fingers that she gets to meet the boys tonight.

What was actually played varied a tad from the set list taped at Todd's feet; for instance, "Stategem" was on the list but wasn't played, and "Boom Boom" wasn't planned but made it into the encore. Here's the set list I jotted down over the course of the night:

Broken Hearted Savior
All the Love You Need
City on Fire
Resignation Superman
Again and Again
I'll Play the Blues For You
Fortune Teller
Dirty Juice
Bittersweet
Under a Silvery Moon
In the Morning
Forever Man
These Days Without You
Juliana
Dinner With Ivan
Please Don't Tell Her
Wishing Well
Cashbox
Spanish Highway
Kensington Line
Beautiful Rain
Encore: Conquistador, Boom Boom, Her Own Kinda Woman

~ After the show, we walked around town, trying to figure where to go; that chatty hotel staffer had suggested a locals' bar called Zane's but it was too close to last call to make the trek over. We ended up making it nowhere, wandering in circles and giggling our heads off. It's that giddiness that comes only from a stellar BHTM show. We eventually walked off some of our natural high and stumbled back to bed, where we lay talking for hours.

Days 2 and 3 in Colorado

My efforts at creating maximum mountain/music/metro time have minimized my wifi time. So this update will be abbreviated. (And please excuse any typos; it is about 4 a.m. eastern time, after all.)

Day 2
~ Drove deep into suburbs at the foot of the mountains, just poking around.
~ Picked up a quick lunch and another bottle of water. I can't seem to get enough water these days - cotton mouth and dry eyes!
~ Made my way over to downtown Denver to see where the Ogden Theatre and The Irish Snug are located. Noticed the city, especially along Colfax, is teeming with interesting signs; I'll post some pix later.
~ Went into REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.) in the city. It's an outdoor-equipment store in what looks like a huge, old brick warehouse (could be a new building for all I know), with a rock climbing wall about three stories tall and enough snowboards, fleece hoodies and mountain bikes to outfit the entire city, methinks. Pretty cool. Sadly, I bought nothing; no immediate need and no room in the suitcase.


~ Rode with a friend to our hotel in Denver, checked in, and ogled the dozens of Widespread Panic fans drinking cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and noshing Skittles in the lobby, elevators and halls (the band played the Pepsi Center on 12/30 and 12/31, so the city was oozing hippies).
~ After some primping, we met more friends in the hotel lobby and drove over to the Irish Snug for dinner and a beer. It has the feel of a true Irish pub in a northern city (Manhattan or Boston), with wooden walls, all Guinness products on tap, and stuffed full of Christmas flocking, New Year's Eve decorations and local revelers. Unfortunately, we didn't find the folks we were hoping to meet up with until after we'd paid our tab; so we stayed for another beer, then walked the two blocks over to the Ogden.
~ Doors were slated for 8:30, show at 9:30, so we didn't expect much of a line at 8. We were mistaken. There were easily 50 people there ahead of us and security got a bit pushy with everyone at one point (wanting us to reform our queue across the street, but none of us budged for fear of losing our place), but we still staked our claim on a nice piece of real estate at the railing in front of Todd's mic. Perfect!
~ The band had announced that they'd play two 90-minute sets, but it turned out to be one hour-long set, followed by a 30-minute intermission and another two-hour set. My favorite Led Zeppelin song, Tangerine, was interrupted by the stroke of midnight, but we didn't care. Todd seemed awfully eager to end 2008 and start a fresh new year; we all agreed and toasted 2009 along with him, thanks to the champagne the band gave to the lucky front-rowers. Cheers! (More/better pix to come...)




~ All in all, BHTM played more old stuff than new, along with a few favorite covers (James Brown, Johnny Cash, Zeppelin), and were accompanied by a two-man horn section in parts. I got two full beers (cheap, stinky, sticky beers) down the back of my silk blouse, but I (almost) didn't notice, because the music was great and the boys were as adorable as ever. Sadly, my request was, for the first time in 16+ years, not played, but I think this weekend's shows in Aspen will be even better than yesterday's. Can't wait!!
~ Here's what I posted on the BHTM boards.

NYE was really fun! It was great to meet some of you folks I've been chatting with here for the last year or so; thanks for being nice! The set list was very cool, with lots of older stuff, which is just fine by me. And I agree, 422phos, that Todd's hair looks great short; and he seemed eager to shake off 2008 and start a fresh year. My view was great (though I wasn't able to get very many good photos), I had wonderful people all around me (including some new friends!), and it was a great way to ring in the new year.

Here's the set list I jotted down throughout the evening:
Turn the Light Out
Love Transmission
Come On
Please Don’t Tell Her
How Easy
Runaway Train
Bittersweet
Helpless
Heart of Wilderness (Todd rocked it so hard he broke a string)
Angela Dangerlove
Blue Sky

Intermission

Caroline
Midnight Radio
I’ll Play the Blues For You (with horns)
Freedom Fighter
Fortune Teller
Spanish Highway
Circle
Mona Lisa
Cruel Fate
Tangerine (interrupted by the stroke of midnight)
Auld Lang Sine
James Brown Medley
All the Love You Need
Ever Since You Pulled Me Under
Her Own Kinda Woman (with horns)
Conquistador (with horns)
Boom Boom (with horns)

Encore: Beautiful Rain, Broken Hearted Savior, Folsom Prison Blues
(By the way, who threw their panties on stage during the show? Come on, fess up!)

~ For now, we walked several blocks back to our hotel, and after a hot shower and second look at the city view, I sunk deeply into my cozy bed.



Day 3
~ After some shuffling of cars and a trek to the airport, I dropped off some friends at the terminal and then headed inside to collect my lil' cousin. Yay! (Note: Picking up an "unaccompanied minor" at the airport isn't convenient; plan into your schedule at least 30 minutes more than you think you should.)
~ The kid and I made a beeline for Morrison; I couldn't show her Red Rocks quickly enough. But, I suppose hunger gave us enough pause, because we stopped for a Mexican lunch at Morrison Inn; we chose not to partake of their (in?)famous margaritas, being as it was too early in the day for me and she's, ya know, only 14 years old. Small details. :)
~ After rolling ourselves out of the restaurant, we walked around town a bit, took photos, went into a new-agey-type store (you know the kind: reeking of incense and selling many hand-knit anoraks, but cute nonetheless). A few other places looked quaint but were closed, and we weren't really in the mood to shop. Give us fresh air and sunshine!


~ On the way to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, I regaled her with my "huffed and puffed all the way up the stairs" story from my Tuesday visit to the park, and she laughed at her old, sad cousin. Yeah, well, she laughed even harder when, after ambitiously heading down to see the view from the stage, we had to make the trek back up in increments, conquering 20 or so steps at a time. Her panting and grunting made me feel a tad better about my own physical fitness; it seems working out four times a week at 13 feet above sea level does not adequately prepare one for a few flights of stairs at 6,200 feet. ;)


~ We spent a few hours driving around Denver, and I showed her Invesco Field, the Ogden and Fillmore, the funny signs on Colfax. We stopped into Twist & Shout record shop for some used CDs and to take a gander at the posters and other artifacts on the walls, including items from both Big Head Todd and Kiss (For a prize, can you correctly match each cousin with her favorite band?). The adjacent Tattered Cover closed pretty early and we missed out, which was disappointing for us book buffs. On our way to dinner, we stopped for photos at the state capitol and the city/county building, which is beautifully decked out for the holidays.




~ Later, we walked down the 16th Street Mall, had dinner at the Rialto Cafe (nice but casual), and checked into our hotel for the night. Tomorrow will be a big day: a drive up to Boulder to meet a friend, then back on the road to Aspen, with a pit stop in Breckenridge for lunch. Oh, and don't forget the Big Head Todd show at the Belly Up tomorrow night - the kid's first!

Day 1 in Colorado

After two peaceful flights from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta and Atlanta to Denver, I picked up my silver Dodge Caliber (cute, large trunk, and pretty good clearance for a compact) and set off.

I made my way through the eastern and southern suburbs, oohing and ahhing over the view of the Rockies at every turn. Once I made my way to Morrison, I spent a couple hours at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. It's probably the most magnificent thing I've ever seen; photos (even those better than mine) could not do it justice. It's overwhelmingly mammoth and gorgeous. The air is pretty thin at 6,200 feet, so the other tourists and I were so winded that we had to stop every few steps while walking up the amphitheatre; the local joggers, most of whom were accompanied by their large dogs, didn't seemed fazed at all. But by the time I left, I was completely exhausted. After trekking around the park, you can rest your lungs and quads by walking through the visitor's center, where they have on display concert posters, signed guitars and other memorabilia from bands that have played there through the years (Big Head Todd included, of course).







Not too exhausted to head north to historic Golden, which has a western flair (possibly manufactured, but cute nonetheless). This town is also seated right at the foot of the Rockies, so the land is hilly and the views are great. (It's worth mentioning that the sun seems much bigger here in Colorado than at home, not to mention stronger and brighter; I suppose that's because I'm a mile closer to it! :P Anyway, this seems to have created a hazy effect in most of the photos I took today.) The town is adorable, it's full of bronze sculptures, and the creek is populated by what look like Canadian geese; oh, and it has an indy bookstore. Yeah! The Coors Brewery was closed for tours today for some reason, so no free sample for me; ho hum.







I checked into my hotel, took a power nap, and went for dinner at a local brewery called Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. It's a pretty cool place, full of TVs showing college ball games, a very nice cobb salad; their homemade Red Rocks Red was creamy (if you like Smithwick's, you'd dig this for sure). Nice touch: You can see the big beer kettles (is that what they're called?) from the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I capped the night off with a decaf by the (faux) fire at Caribou Coffee. Now I'm going to bed, if I can - seems some of the folks in my building are fond of screaming, running up and down the halls and slamming doors. I need my rest, right? Tomorrow will be a long day, what with the Big Head Todd and the Monsters New Year's Eve show and all. :D

The mountains' call

The mountains are calling, and so here I am, packing for a nine-day trip to Colorado. I'm not all that experienced with dead-of-winter vacations in the Rocky Mountains, so filling the suitcase has been interesting. But I haven't had too much trouble creating a Wish List of places and things I don't want to miss during my stay.

I'll be spending most of my time in the Denver/Boulder area, winding my way through the surrounding towns of Morrison, Golden, etc. There will also be a two-night side trip to Aspen, with stops in Breckenridge and Vail on the way in and out. I was hoping to visit the Garden of the Gods and ride the cog railway up Pike's Peak, and maybe take a drive up over the Wyoming line to Laramie; but if the weather is as snowy as it's been lately, my lack of winter driving skills will preclude me from taking those side trips this time around. I'll just have to come back during the summer sometime soon - perhaps in early June when Big Head Todd and the Monsters open the concert season at Red Rocks Amphitheatre!

All in all, I won't be taking as many "chances" as I normally would, because I will have my 14-year-old cousin with me and have to play "grown up" - that means a skiing lesson is likely out, too. But that's all OK with me, because, as most of you know, I'm not terribly adventurous when it comes to activities that could, ya know, compromise the integrity of my spinal cord, and I'm really stoked about spending tons of one-on-one time with my favorite mini-me. :)

I'm bound to miss some of these things and discover places I didn't plan on, but here's what I've got so far...

I'll keep you posted with photos, videos, and updates here throughout my trip.

WISH LIST

Denver
Tattered Cover bookstore
Colorado History Museum
Mt. Evans Scenic Byway
16th Street Mall
Larimer Square
State Capitol
Blue Bear at the Convention Center
Molly Brown House Museum
Twist and Shout record store
REI Outlet (namely, the mammoth rock climbing wall)
Denver Museum of Nature and Science (only for the view from the 3rd floor)
Coors Field (perhaps best left for the summer trip)
Invesco Field at Mile High (unfortunately, I'll be there just days after the Bronco's final home game)
El Chapultepec restaurant and jazz venue
Herman's Hideaway (this likely won't happen - no shows are scheduled during my trip)
Mezcal restaurant
Cry Baby Ranch store
Common Grounds coffeeshop
Spicy Pickle Sub Shop (OK, some things on this list are based on friends' recommendations)

Boulder
Hotel Boulderado
Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse
Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art
Pearl Street Mall

Aspen
J-Bar
Woody Creek Tavern
Funky Mountain Threads store
Silver Queen Gondola (if non-skiers are allowed in the winter)
The Popcorn Wagon
ride in the Ultimate Taxi

In general
try buffalo meat
take a horse-drawn sleigh ride
go snow tubing
ride the Pike's Peak Cog Railway
climb around the sandstone at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
get a photo at the Continental Divide
dinner at The Fort in Morrison
tour the Coors Brewery in Golden
shop at Weber's Books and Drawings in Breckenridge
make a snow angel :P

Holiday lights!
Union Station
Brown Palace Hotel (the huge tree in the lobby)
D&F Tower
the city and county building
pine trees in the mountains!

Say it loudly and proudly

And he doesn't succumb to the soup

Crazy. Remember Point Break? "It's not tragic to die doing what you love. If you want the ultimate, you've got to be willing to pay the ultimate price."

I believe

I came across this quote today, and it struck me as so true that I thought I should share.

Who so loves, believes the impossible.

-- Elizabeth Barret Browning

Yet another reason to love those Coloradans

...especially the ones in Boulder!

Seems the students at University of Colorado at Boulder worked together to make the Buffaloes' homecoming game 90% waste free. I find it incredible that this goal was important to enough people to make it happen. But I shouldn't be surprised; health, fitness, environmental concern and a love for the outdoors seem almost to be requirements for living in that part of the world. A lazy litterbug? Stay in Virginia, or Alabama, or whatever state happens to be the least "green" (I'll research that and get back to you in a later post).

Anyway, here's what Ideal Bite (a super-cool Web site that sends a very do-able "go green" tip to your e-mail box each day) has to say about it:

Can't get all excited over draft picks and dream teams? Bet (C)U can: Even if you go just for the tailgate party, you'll have a good time knowing tomorrow's homecoming Buffs game'll be 90% zero waste. All the nachos, burgers, and pizzas sold at FF now come in eco-friendly containers with biodegradable utensils - and huddled around 50 stadium spots are recycling and composting bins, with signs and student volunteers showing you what to drop-kick where. The new program will keep more than 54 tons o' garbage outta landfills this season - and put the black gold, er, compost, back on CU's campus. Stat.

Wanna Try? CU Buffaloes homecoming game; Oct. 4, 5 p.m. Folsom Field, Colorado Ave. & Folsom St., Boulder; Tickets, $50-$95.

An afterthought: Seems you can tell a good college football team by the cost of their tickets. The Buffs charge at least $50 a ticket. It costs as little as $5 to see my Owls in action. (That's Florida Atlantic University for your folks living north of the Florida/Georgia border, and no they're not having a good season so far, but there's time for redemption!)

How to choose a favorite hockey team

Well, perhaps it's not the best way, especially when it comes to fantasy play (trust me!), but it is an option for you serious boozers out there. :)

Puck Daddy's (sometimes amusing) blog reported today on the average cost of an evening of hockey fun. As P.D. states, most of us don't fit under that "typical family night" umbrella of four hot dogs, two ball caps, two small beers and so on for $288.23.

Most folks just want the beer, and lots of it. And if they can't afford what's sold at the arena, they'll pre-drink in the parking lot - or avoid the crowd entirely, enjoying the game at home with a remote in one hand and a 12-pack in the other. (This makes me wonder if the arena owners wouldn't make more cash by making beer affordable for the heavy-drinking masses, rather than only to a small few. But, anyway...)

So, what's the going rate for Panthers fans? It seems those money-hungry bastards at the BankAtlantic Center charge $7 for a 20-ounce beer - that's 35 cents an ounce. No wonder I don't booze it up when I'm at the games! (The 40-minute drive home has something to do with that, too.)

Based on this list, I'm thinking I oughtta start traveling to games in Pittsburgh ($0.25/ounce) or Washington ($0.28/ounce).

Can you afford to take a date to your next home game?

She kicked my butt tonight!

This was much too advanced for me, as evidenced by the ruby red color of my face and the heels of my palms, not to mention the nausea caused by my quivering abdominals. But I was able to tailor it by modifying the asanas, the amount of time I held them, or both.

For instance, I just can't hold the plank for more than a few seconds, especially after I've attempted it a few times, so I replaced it with downward dog once in a while as a "break". I'm not yet able to even get into the tree pose let alone hold it, so I twisted from plank and from warrior. And don't even get me started on jumping through!

The 15- to 50-minute window was the toughest, and I absolutely had to take a 3-minute water-and-breath break around the 25-minute mark. But please don't misunderstand. This post isn't meant as a complaint; on the contrary, I was thrilled with this session, and it was far from a complete failure.



I can't remember all the asanas, but I felt a happy mix of challenge and accomplishment with the warrior (1 and 2, I think), chair and triangle. I have trouble getting into navasana (the boat pose) because it hurts when I press my lower back into the ground; but I really like how I immediately feel my core muscles. And I certainly perfected the savasana (corpse pose) at the end! :)

I'm just happy to have found a great core-strengthening, heart-rate-hiking yoga workout - just what I need. She kicked my butt, and I loved it!

Check out YogaToday.com, where you'll find a new, hour-long (or so) yoga workout each day. Not only are they shot outside in soul-stirringly (so what if it's not a word) gorgeous Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but it's free! Try it; you'll really like it.

Question of the Day: Characteristics (a work in progress)

This post will be a work in progress for a day or two, as today's a fairly thought-provoking question born of a "What IS it you like about him?" conversation.

What uncommon characteristic or often-unnoticed habit would pique your interest in a stranger, romantic or otherwise?

My answer:
I noticed that I liked that a certain guy said "Right on" all the time; don't know why, since that repetition would otherwise be annoying to me. I'll update as I think of other (hopefully less ridiculous) instances...

(C'mon, you aren't intimidated by a somewhat uncomfortable question, are ya? Post your answer as a comment...)

Recent findings: moose, blues and silent films

I'm about to share with you some sweet, funny, amazing things that some fine folks recently shared with me. Enjoy.

Mama moose and her twin babies
Anchorage, Alaska
June 2008



Matt Anderson
Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
September 2008



"Bangville Police"
Keystone Cops silent film series
Keystone Film Company
1912 through 1917