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Published: December 22nd 2011
Oh airports!
December 16th: What a love-hate relationship I have with airports. I love to watch people, and generally speaking there is no other one place where you can find five million different types of people meandering about putting on a show purely for your own entertainment. Airports also mean that I am getting to escape from my everyday life to go somewhere new and do something different. While I love airports for this very quality, I despise them for the ensuing prolonged stomach ache that they are destined to cause me.
I love traveling, but getting to places usually ends up with me feeling nauseous and needing to find the closest restroom both pre and post flight. It starts with the excitement of going somewhere new and ends with the anticipation and fear of the inevitable motion sickness. My body has adapted to this quite well over the years in that the excitment from the anticipated jouney noramally keeps me up all night so that the most sleep I get is a couple minutes of dozing here and there. My exhaustion the next day enables me to be able to pass out on the plane almost
Natalie
Our stop in the little coffee shopimmediately after takeoff and stay asleep for most of the ride thus skipping over the whole motion sickness bit that gets quite old.
Annoying Children or Rather, Parents I noticed it as soon as the plane landed. My legs ached. More specifically my knees ached, pretty bad. The alititude was taking a toll of my poor joints and we had only just landed. I first thought that it was due to the way my legs were awkwardly cramped inbetween plane seats during the four hour flight from Philadelphia to Denver. I slept most of the time, only waking when the obnoxious child behind me was kicking my seat and screaming about not having the right color crayon.
I feel bad for parents traveling with young kids, I really do. However, I do get very annoyed and have little patience for the type of parents who neglect to tell their children they are doing something wrong. A four year old child is receptive enough to be told something and understand it, weigh the option of following what they are told or receive whatever punishment goes along with disobeying their parents reccomendation. Saying this, I did not feel bad
for the parents of this child whatsoever because they did not find it important to teach their child proper travel etiquette. As the plane landed I was estatic to not have to listen to a screaming overtired four year old anymore.
Denver airport is a bit confusing. I had no idea where I was going so I stalked the man who sat next to me on the plane to find which way to go. I had to take a tram to where the baggage claim was located. After walking for what seemed like a mile I arrived at the baggage claim and was able to spot my bag right away due to the tacky green headband I cut up and attached to my bag via white hospital tape. There's nothing like an ugly marker to quickly be able to spot your bag. I was over excited at the thought of being minutes away from seeing Natalie! After standing at the wrong platform on the wrong level for ten minutes I finally realized that I had to go down a stairway to the platform underneath of where I was. I spotted Natalie right away and we were off.
Wheat Ridge
The first thing I noticed while driving away from the airport was how flat the land is! You can see for miles and miles and only then your view stops because the mountains emerge out from the distance blocking whatever lies beyond. It was odd to me how abrupt the mountains appeared. In Pennsylvania the scenery usually includes miles of hills before any mountains begin to materialize. It was amazing to look in all directions and off in the distance in any which way was the beatiful backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The other thing that was striking was the lack of trees. You can look for miles and not see any wooded areas until the mountains. Natalie lives in a little western suburb of Denver called Wheat Ridge. We drove to her home and after a short tour decided to go to a little coffee shop downtown.
Golden After finishing our chai, we drove to the little city of Golden. The City of Golden is located just 15 miles west of Denver nestled at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Golden was founded during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush in 1859
Fence
Golden, CO in which the mining camp was originally called Golden after Thomas L Golden. It has the charm of a small mainstreet town with the mountains as a pretty backdrop.
We headed home and snuggled up on the couch and ate homemade pizza for dinner. I was exhausted from having been up since 3AM and so we went to bed around 10PM. I was very excited that Natalie's boyfriend Jon was not home because I got to sleep in bed with Natalie just like old times... Or rather, just like three months ago.
A funny sidenote-- the night of Lee and I's wedding I tucked intoxicated Lee in on the couch and went up to sleep in bed with Natalie 😊. Naturally she had flown home to be in the wedding and seeing how the wedding was on her family's property it just seemed right that we would sleep together just like we have done since we were 12. That's what best friends are for.
New Favorite Hobby
December 17th: While it was so nice not waking up to the sound of an annoying alarm clock, my body, because of the time
difference, decided to wake me up at 5AM as I am normally awake by 7AM at home. That was not much of a problem because I was able to quickly fall back sleep until 8AM with no hasstle at all. After getting up and eating some breakfast, Natalie and I packed our packs to go snowshoeing at Berthoud Pass.
Snowshoeing at Berthoud Pass Berthoud Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. It sits at an elevation of 11,307ft above sea level. The pass is a popular destination for local backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers due to mounds of snow and the challenging terrain. There are 1,200 acres of skiabe terrain and over 65 trails. Berthoud Pass ski area opened in 1937 and held a a reputation for premiere backcountry skiing and snowboarding until it closed down.
I was a bit hessitant as I had no idea how my body would react having never been at such high altitudes before. The drive to Berthoud Pass is along Interstate 70 which takes you right through the Rockies. It is quite the scenic drive.
We arrived at the trailhead parking lot and put
Me :)
Berthoud Pass on our snow gear. There were a couple car loads of other skiers and snowshoers passingby headed towards the trail. It was a really nice day and the sun was quite hot despite the overall cold temperature. Natalie, her dog Shadow, and I started up the first of many inclines into the mountain. I felt out of breath almost immediately. It took us about an hour and half to get to the top. The scene was indescribable. Words nor the pictures themselves do it justice.
It was awe inspiring seeing the amount of people who were scaling the mountain all in their own ways to reach the top in order to ski or snowboard their ways back down. For too long I have taken advantage of the leisurely ski lift at big resorts where you pay to use the mountain. Here, people park their cars, make their way up to the top of the mountain usually taking about an hour to do so. After skiing or snowboarding the five minutes it takes to get back down the mountain, they take a small rest and make the hour long trip walking back up to the top again. It was both
fascinating and enchanting about the idea of walking up a mountain in order to ski down it. I'm not sure how else to describe it but it was such a wondering experience.
The other thing that I really enjoyed about the whole experience was that everyone seemed to have brought their dog with them. Instead of leaving your pup back home to sit alone while you go out and play, these people bring them out with them to follow along on the hike. All of the dogs seemed so charismatic and happy as can be. I sure wish I had the energy that Shadow expressed running far ahead of us and scurrying back towards us in a taunting and playful manner.
Altitude Sickness, Avalanches, and a Rewarding View There really aren't many other experiences that are quite as rewarding as climbing for an extended period of time to reach the place at witch you stop and look around at the sweeping view that seems so perfect that it's hard to believe is real. If only the altitude had no effect on me... While I am very thankful to have yet to experience full on effects from altitude
sickness, I certainly can feel the difference. Some of the lesser signs that I have experienced have been, lack of appetite, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, and a bit of edema in my feet. However, all of these symptoms were not severe in the least. We were ascending very slowly and thankfully I only experienced these conditions for small spurts throughout the trip.
One thing that I hadn't really ever thought about before was avalanches. Natalie had explained to me that the lines running down the mountains where it looks like everything has been swept away were avalanch tracks. I guess looking at mountians I never really thought about why there were stripes on mountains where there appeared to be no trees or much of anything at all really. Avalanches are the biggest underestimated danger in the mountains with most people thinking that they would be able to recognize the danger and escape unharmed. This was a terrifying thought as we climbed higher and higher up the mountain. Somehow though I stopped thinking about being burried alive in a huge pile of snow and just enjoyed being active in the great outdoors.
While it was chilly outside,
it was also sunny and bright. I actually managed to get a bit of color on my face! With there being no clouds and being at a higher elevation I guess it only makes sense that the sun would be strong.
After our hike up to the top and taking the time to take some pictures and really take in the view, we naturally started our way back down. The thing about snowshoeing up a mountain is that it takes so much longer to go up than it does to come back down. I personally think that the surge of energy and excitement you get from reaching the top aids in the extra little pep in your step heading back down. After reaching the bottom my legs were begging me to sit down.
Heading Home to Bake We made our way back to the car and drove the 45 minutes back towards Natalie's house. As always, I quickly fell fast asleep in the car and awoke just as we were pulling into Natalie's driveway. Once inside we collapsed on the couch had a drink and decided to make some dinner. After dinner we could no longer contain
ourselves and went on a baking spree!
Natalie and I have baked together since we were little; it was sort of our "thing." It was a bit different this time thought because Natalie has since became a vegan and her boyfriend is allergic to gluten, so everything they eat is vegan gluten free. Now, I know that I thought anything sweet like cookies would taste like crap if they were vegan and gluten free because how could you possibly bake cookies without eggs or flour!?! Long story short, it is possible and they were delicious! After the cookies we were still in a baking mood so we made some chocolate chip coffee cake, one of our favorites.
...and that was the perfect conclusion to our day.
Ouch my Groin!
December 18 Natalie and I slept in until 9AM! Oh how nice it is to be able to sleep in with the thought there is nothing that HAS to be done at any point during the day. While we did not HAVE to do anything, we decided that it would be a nice day to spend snowshoeing
Butler Gulch. I was very excited at the idea of a second round of going out on an adventure into the crisp, cold, mountain air and surround myself with the great outdoors 😊
Butler Gulch Butler Gulch is south of Berthoud Pass, where we were yesterday, in Clear Creek County. Butler Gulch offers a delightful hike that follows and old mining road. It beings at the Henderson Mine and winds 5.2 miles up to an old abandonded mine at the top. The trail is closed to all motor vehicles. The snowmobilers have to veer off to the right and take a different pass called Jones Pass.
One thing that I noticed at Butler Gulch is that everyone except snowmobilers hate snowmobilers. Everytime a person on a snowmobile would fly by, the skiiers and snowshoers would glare at them. At first I found this odd, but then Natalie explained it to me. She explained that everyone else there, the skiiers and snowshoers, bring their families and pets along on the hike. This was very true, almost every person we passed had a dog with them. She elaborated by saying that the snowmobilers fly by with no reguard to
Natalie
Butler Gulch where your children or dogs are standing. They don't look out for others the way that those not on mobiles do. They also are notorious for setting off avalanches, which obviously is a huge problem for those hiking the trail further down. Not to mention, they smell. The fumes are often overwhelming as they go flying by.
Once again what I loved about this hike is that people shared it with their dogs and also their families. We saw a bunch of families out skiing together and individuals with their pups. Colorado draws a crowd that is much more active than the people on the East Coast tend to be. We have mountains in Pennsylvania, but the people out in Colorado will tell you that they are not really mountains. I think I really like the mentality out here, it certainly is a nice change.
The hike itself was a pretty gradual incline until you reach treeline and then it becomes pretty steep. You zig zag back and forth up the steep pass fairly intensely. This is wear I slowed down immensely. It did not help that only a quarter of the way in I pulled my left
groin so that every time I stepped with my left leg I flinched a little because of the pain. I was hoping it was just a cramp that would phase out, but it wasn't. I just tried to ignore it because there was no way that I was quitting because of a little pain in the groin!
The day started out my cooler than yesterday and only progressed towards freezing the further up we went. By the time we had reached the top I was frozen to the core. I had to put on a second pair of gloves and even then my fingers hesitated to allow feeling to come back into my finger tips. With being so cold, I was not in the mood to even attempt to eat the snacks we had packed to munch on once reaching the top. We sat for a few minutes taking in the view. I love the feeling of slowly doing a 360 while absorbing the view of nothing but the surrounding mountains. Pushing through the pain in my groin was so worth it. As was the case as yesterday, going back down took much less time.
I'll be Back... Me
Freezing at the top of Butler Gulch I cannot wait to come back out to Colorado in the summer. While I think the Rockies are breathtaking in the winter, I cannot even imagine how beautiful it must be in the summer with wildflowers overtaking the landscape. It is said that over 100 different species of wildflower can be found on this hike. Plus there is a pretty stream and waterfall that are more visible in the summer as they are not iced and snowed over. It is not hard to see why outdoor enthusiast love Colorado.
After reaching the bottom and making our way back to the car we slowly headed back home. Natalie decided to drive a different route home than yesterday and I was so happy that she did. We took Rt 6 back towards Wheat Ridge. Clear Creek provides the route for Highway 6 which is lined with high steep mountain walls and many tunnels through Clear Creek Canyon. This creek is famous for being the location of the most intense early mining activity. Unlike yesterday's drive back home, I had no trouble fighting off my tiredness in order to take in all of the sights. The drive is quite scenic and
mountains are nothing short of amazing.
Once we reached Natalie's house we changed and started to make dinner. We had homemade Mac and Cheese vegan gluten free style and it was surprisingly good. When Jon came home from work the three of us vegged out on the couch and watched a movie. It was a much needed relaxation session for my exhausted legs. Needless to say, I had no trouble sleeping that night.
BRRRRRRRRRRRR
December 19 Today we had a little bit of trouble getting started. We slept in and hungout for a while trying to get ourselves fully awake. After a nice long breakfast and some internet surfing we decided that today we would go into Downtown Denver to see the 16th Street Mall and eat some authentic Mexican food! Natalie is not much of a city person and so was not very thrilled at the thought of going into Denver but was however, very excited about Mexican food!
The 16th street mall is similar to any other outdoor city mall in the United States. It is a cute little strip of stores with a
Starbucks on every other corner. Downtown Denver is not large by any means, which was kind of nice because it did not take much time to walk around the city. I forgot to mention that it was snowing on and off and was freezing!!
One thing that was very exciting was that we passed a restaurant,Yard House, that claims to have the world's largest selectinon of draft beer! I just had to go in and see if this was true. It was a very nice restaurant and more importantly it was warm. However, we were not in the mood to eat and also were not in the mood for a cold beer as we were already cold to the core. So, I decided that we should just go in and take a look and of course snap a picture of the bar.
I could hardly believe my eyes! There were taps all around the bar! (Taken right from the Yard House website)-- "Yard House is the creation of founder and entrepreneur Steele Platt, who came up with the concept shortly after relocating from Denver to Southern California in the early 1990s. Platt, along with partners Harald Herrmann and
World's Largest Selection of Draft Beer
The taps actually go all the way around the other side as well! Carlito Jocson, wanted to create a restaurant that would offer one of the largest selections of draft beers, a diverse menu of American fare, and play a heady selection of classic rock music on a state-of-the-art sound system. On December 7, 1996, the flagship Yard House opened along the Long Beach waterfront in Southern California."
Looking back I am disappointed that I was not in the mood for a beer. Although, I think it would have taken me a very long time to decide which one to order. The food also looked great. I guess next time I am in Denver or out in California I will have to make it a point to go to the Yard House.
Mexican Food After wondering around in the cold for a bit we realized how hungry we were. We decided to eat at a Mexican place in the city called Tacos y Salsas. I think we chose this place based purely on the fact that it was entertaining and fun to say the name. It was was a great choice. Natalie and I are Mexican food lovers. We especially love burritos!! Natalie ordered a burrito and I ordered a
massive assortment including a burrito, taco, enchilada, gordito and who knows what else. It was delicious! Everything was covered in a green sauce that had just the right amount of hotness.
Coors Brewery After walking around Denver for a bit we decided to go back into Golden to go to the Coors Brewery. Personally, if I am drinking beer it generally will not be a Coors. However, the brewery was gigantic and I could not resist going on a tour especially because it was free. Coors owns a lot of land in Golden Colorado and therefore has the rights to the wonderful water found there. The tour takes place in the world's largest single-site brewery.
Coors brewery company is a regional devision of the world's fifth largest brewing company. On the tour you are permitted to have three free beers! Yes, I said three!! Now, I am not a huge drinker by any means. Okay, honestly I am very tipsy after one beer. I am going to have to blame this one on the altitude... I had half of a beer and was tipsy. Had I drank the three free ones I would have been plastered.
A little history directy from their website: --"Frederick J. Miller was a determined young brewer who settled in Milwaukee and purchased the Plank Road Brewery where he founded Miller Brewing Company in 1855. He brewed his delicious beer using yeast that he carried in his pocket from Europe.
Adolph Coors apprenticed at a brewery in Prussia during his teens and stowed away on a ship to America to realize his dreams of becoming a brewer. Adolph opened the Golden Brewery (later Coors Brewing Company) in Colorado and tapped his first barrel in 1873. Both companies had the good fortune to be founded by visionary businessmen whose families were committed to carrying on their legacies. Both businesses survived Prohibition, the Great Depression and two world wars, even as hundreds of other brewers failed. Our founding companies built their success barrel by barrel. At MillerCoors, we have three hundred years of combined brewing history, and we are committed to building on our founders' legacies."
One Last Sight Before the Flight Home
December 20 Seeing how it was my last day visiting Natalie, there was no way that she would allow
me to escape without one more vigorous activity. We decided to get up in the morning and hike up to the top of North Table Mountain in Golden. I'm not going to lie, I was not looking forward to it. My groin still hurt from the day before and my legs were quite unstable as they were feeling a bit overused.
The hike wasn't too strenuous but was rather kind of nice. It took us only about fourty minutes to climb to the top. Like the past two days, the view was worth the climb. I could really get used to these kinds of views. The top of North Table Mountain is really neat because it is more of a plateau. The top is completely flat and vast. The hike was wonderful and one that I could definitely see myself doing every other day if I lived there.
Overall my trip was wonderful. It was so great to see Natalie! Colorado is a beautiful state and I cannot wait to go back. Next time maybe I will bring Lee 😊 MONEY MATTERS Total cost of this trip was.... $350!!
The cost of the flight from Philadelphia to Denver was $290. I did not pay for any transportation because Natalie picked me up and dropped me back off at the airport and shuttled us around during my stay. All of our activities were free!! The snow shoes we did not have to pay to rent because Natalie's boyfriend works in a ski shop in Golden. The only thing other than the ticket that I spent money on was snacks to take hiking, eating out at the Mexican place, and food at the airport (which is so expensive!). I was very spoiled to have Natalie cook all other meals. 😊 I must also mention that Lee paid for my flight as a birthday and graduation present... so I, myself, really only spent around $60 and this was only so much because I dropped $20 in airport food.
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