I started a new job with a few weeks ago, and got to travel to Denver for training. I think I have been in the South too long, because it was cold!
Since I knew the weather was getting colder, I took one evening to walk over to the REI from work. One of the guys at work pointed out the office window and said, it is right over that bridge. Little did I understand that to mean two bridges and way to far to walk in heels carrying a briefcase and laptop!
The second bridge: (it was so warm out at this point I wasn't even wearing a jacket)
The biggest rock wall I have ever seen, and it is in an REI in Denver. Go figure:
This REI was in a three story warehouse and the rockwall took up all three stories. The woman's section was at the top. By the time I had walked over there, I was already done shopping- I needed dinner and some wine. It was really awesome to check it out, but I would have to seek warm clothes another day.
Weekend with Brian and Emily
I got up Saturday morning, met Grant for breakfast at this awesome place downtown called the
Delectible egg, then picked up a rental car and drove up to Silverthorne!
The light at the end of the tunnel:
Great views of the mountains:
It was hard to get a picture of this, but I saw about three gates on the road meant to be closed in snowy conditions. Very interesting.
When I turned past the Wendy's and followed the road to where it turns to dirt, and found the house with the bathtup outside (it was hidden under a kayak), I got to Brian and Emily's red A-frame house. I couldn't even pull all the way into the parking area because of the onslaught of excited doggies!
It was really perfect timing, Emily made me a bacon, spinach, bluecheese sandwhich, some hazelnut decaf cappacino(all super yummy!!!), and we went on a hike to calm down the dogs!
Don't they look all prepared and ready for the mountains? Do I look like a city slicker? With my coffee and no backpack on a hike?
We decided to hit the outlet malls for a brief moment (probably more brief than if Emily and I were left to our own devices, but better to have fun company than shop more- thanks Brian for putting up with us girls!) I needed two things- warm clothes and a rolling briefcase. We hit the luggage store and the Columbia outlet, then decided to pick up some wine/beer/sake for dinner.
Our choices (hard to choose!!!)
This was probably the most amazing bottle of sake I have had- not just because I was at 10,000 feet. REALLY! It was smooth and had great flavor! BevMo around here doesn't carry it :-(.
But onto the more important part of the evening- Emily made a FANTASTIC dinner! she had snacks and appetizers, which were fab! Then ccame hte spinach salad with nuts and beets and yummy things, then this awesome couscous and morrocan chicken that was about to fall off the bones! Oh, and I got to take some with me! I was eating fantastic leftovers for days! I licked the container clean.
We watched Brotherhood of the Wolf (which Blockbuster amazingly had to purchase but not to rent!) and hung out drinking our sake.
Bed time...
Although I could not convince any of the dogs to snuggle with me, Keela tried to snuggle into a bed that was for a 15lb dog... it was really funny looking.
The next morning the moon was sinking above the mountains. It was a great scene with the snow on the ground. I am not sure my iPhone does it justice:
I woke up to the sight of hte moon over the mountains and a breakfast cooking in the crock pot! I was a totally spoiled girl! I had so much fun.
EWven though I was in Denver for two weeks, I was spending most of my time training and had little time to visit. So after a great hike and evening with the cousins, I ran over to Boulder to meet my friends Eileen and Jack in Boulder (a halfway point between Denver and Fort Collins, possibly.)
Here I am outside the restaurant looking cold (okay, well, I was cold!)
We went to a fantastic tapas restaurant (my kind of food- a little bit of food of every type!) So we had artichokes, and caprese, and pizzas, and calamari, and all kinds of really great foods! It was a short lunch and I was sad to take off, but I had more training to get ready for!
Here I am bundling up for work:
Are they getting ready for the first snow of the season?
Denver's first snow!
Running in the snow:
De-icing the plane at Denver International Airport:
