Trail Running

Hello!

Well, I have good news. Josh and I both have jobs! I got a job at The Lazy Dog, a happening Pearl St. restaurant/sports bar. I have made some friends at work and I'm ready for the rain to stop so that I can make the big bucks! Josh got a job as a cashier at Safeway (its a combo of Fresh Market and Publix). It obviously isn't what he saw himself doing, but it's work for now. He's still actively applying to other companies.

The weather has been very up and down lately. Afternoon t-storms/showers have put a damper on alot of things. Number one thing being that people don't want to eat out when its raining. The folks I work with have assured me that it is unusually slow and the rain can be the blame. I sure hope so.

We have found a new sport that we quite enjoy: trail running. It's so hard and at times I feel like I can't breath running 6,700 above sea level (at the peak), but the feeling after is pretty gratifying. So far we have ran at Chautauqua Park, Hogback Ridge/Foothils, and Mount Sanitas. I feel like I did after Kennesaw 2-a-days and I like it! Hogback Ridge offers a beautiful 180 degree views to the east and overlooks Boulder. Josh and I both agreed that it would be perfect for a sunrise run/hike. We didn't pass a single person and on the west end of the ridge, you can't see the city and it feels like your in open back country with an occasional mansion in the valley.

I mentioned Chautauqua Park in my last blog. It goes straight into the flatirons with limited views at times. It is very populated and well maintained. So far it is my least favorite because of all the other people.

Mount Sanitas has been the most callenging so far. It's well maintained but has lots of jagged rock. The views at the top are unobstructed and beautiful. At dawn and dusk, Mt. Sanitas is frequented by mountain lions and bears. Luckily we didn't see any of those. The way down is quite fun. It has sharp turns, small crevaces and at times we felt as if we were in a maze. After we got successfully got out of the maze, we were about a mile and a half north of where we started. This area opens to Mt. Sanitas Valley. It is a wide open, gravelled path and an easy run down. Mount Sanitas was the best trail run to date.

We are constantly exploring new adventures. There is so much to do and we often find ourselves swimming in a sea of indesicion. I haven't yet bought one of those "Best Hikes: Boulder" books, but maybe I should. :) I get most of my trail information from the internet and stories from locals and those that have declared themselves as locals.

Last weekend we rode up to Estes Park with our buddies Joe and Dawn. It is a very cool town and only an hour or so away. We walked around the town, got some icecream, and took the cable car up to the top. We put quarters in the binoculars and fed peanuts to the chipmunks, typical tourists. If you hold your hand out, the chipmunks will take the peanut straight from your hand, shell it, and cram it in their mouths. I swear I fed one 25 peanuts before he even started chewing.

I don't have any pictures for this post. I will try and take some this week and post.



Keep on keepin' on. I love ya'll.

Best,
Annie

This town is nuts, my kinda place

Hello!! I'm a little behind on the postings. Sorry about that...


Well, Caroline came to visit and we had a blast! We picked her up from the Denver airport on Sunday, May 24th. The next day (Memorial Day) I woke u a 7:00am, unable to fall back asleep, knowing that the Bolder Boulder 10K race was going on just one block away. It is one of the biggest 10K's in the country, bringing in close to 55,000 participants. I rounded up the troops and headed over to 29th St. to watch some of the groups at the start. There were people dressed in costumes, boys dressed a girls, and girls we thought might be boys. We even saw a hard core woman smoking a cigarette pre-race. Around lunchtime, we headed downtown to enjoy the Boulder Creek Festival. We met up with our good friend Joe and some of his buddies, drank some locally brewed beer, and watched the rubber duck race, before heading out to paint the town. We hit up St. Julien for happy hour, the Rio for dinner, the Foundry for a few games of pool and ended the night at the Walrus. We rode bikes home in the rain and called it a night.

Caroline, Annie and Josh at Boulder Creek Festival

Big C Jager Bomb

We (and by we I mean Caroline) shopped, showed Caroline around Boulder, and went for a hike in Chautauqua Park. The views at Chautauqua are amazing and it's only about 3 miles from our house.

Me and Caroline on Pearl Street Mall

Caroline, Josh and me at Canyon Creek

Caroline and me on Boulder/Canyon Creek Trail

Caroline, Me and Josh at Chautauqua Park - Flatirons in the background. They are absolutely gorgeous. Google them. :)

3 of the 5 Flatirons


I think it's safe to say that the highlight of Caroline's trip to Colorado was white water rafting on Clear Creek. We had a blast! I signed us up for the beginner trip because I didn't know how she'd fair, but we totally could have done the intermediate. The water was a brutal 38 degrees. Luckily the rafting company supplied us with wetsuits at no additional cost.

View from Hwy 93, just outside of Boulder - On the way to Mile Hi White Water Rafting

Suited up and ready to go!

Caroline, me, Josh and the strangers in our boat

This was when we almost lost Caroline...

Everyone paddlin' hard while Caroline throws up a deuce

We stopped off at Red Rocks on the way back home, but couldn't get into the amphitheatre because "Punk Fest" was going on. Caroline really wanted to buy tickets but luckily we talked her out of it.

Me and C at Red Rocks Park

On Friday the 29th, we spent all day at the Rez basking in the hot sun, playing bocce, and drinking cold beer. That evening we went to a Rockies game with Joe, where we enjoyed 4 decent seats, 4 dogs, 4 drinks and parking for $59... not too shabby. The weather was beautiful and the Rockies won, I think :) After the game we headed across the street to Fado for a beer.

Me and Big C at the Rez

Joe, Caroline, Josh and me before the Rockies game

After a week of fun in Colorado, Caroline headed back to Savannah... We had a great time!!

"Oh, kiss the mountain air we breath. Goodbye, it's time to fly..."