August Visitors Part 2

Introducing my great friend from the north, Megan, who managed to escape the claws of corporate life to goof around with me in Colorado for a big, fat four days!  Thanks to her amazing camera and observant eyes, we had many photos to remember time together (I'm not always the best at remembering)!   

Megan documenting her first taste of what Colorado does best: beer. 
Megan tried the "Wixa Weiss" and for me the "Mile HiPA."
Wyncoop Brewery, Denver. 

Megan arrived at the Denver International airport around 8:30 AM on a sunny, hot Thursday morning. Since we had the whole day ahead of us, we relaxed and chit chatted over some homemade blueberry coffee cake and a round of coffee before driving to downtown to explore the iconic 16th Street Mall. The sun was brutal that day, so we stopped in various shady tourist stops, such as the Union Station, bookstores, The Wyncoop Brewery, and eventually settled for a modern-Mexican lunch at "Tamayo" located within Larimer Square. Tamayo's fine-dining atmosphere (air conditioning, modern art, comfortable chairs, and quiet chatter between small groups of people wearing suites) was just the escape we needed from the sizzling hot, busy sidewalks we came from. 

The top of our 16th Street Mall tour. 

Tamayo, Larmier Square.
Picture from: http://www.westword.com/bestof/2003/award/best-high-end-mexican-38468/

Later that day, Joe met up with us after work and we all traveled to Uptown for happy hour and dinner at Steuben's Restaurant!  You may recognize this place from the pictures that I posted from my family's visit to Denver. Yep, it has become a must-see! Vintage cocktails and comfort food, served with a side of humor. What more could you ask for? 

Introducing Meg to my favorite vintage drink to sip: Moscow mules!
Dreaming that someday these copper mugs will be in my cabinets... 

And did I mention we know how to celebrate?
We ordered a flaming volcano brimming with fruit and liquor
known as, "The Scorpion Bowl" for the table to share.
Lesson of the night: Do not drink the flammable liquid on top!

A gal that Megan studied abroad with in Spain ended up making
dinner that night as well, so there were just enough straws to go around!

If Day One wasn't already busy enough, we made the most of our time during Day Two as well! That morning we packed water and a change of clothes and headed to Boulder for some morning hiking and Old Pearl Street shopping, only to be followed by driving to Fort Collins for the evening. By the time we reached the trailhead for our hike, it was nearly 11:00 AM and the sun (once again) was quite strong. With lunch hour fast approaching we decided to hike out until we were ready to turn around and hunt for food. We managed to stumble upon a trail called, "The Flatironette."It wound up and around rocks and trees until we ended up with a spectacular view of the 1st Flatiron face, the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, and a bird's-eye view of Boulder below. 

There wasn't a cloud to be found that morning.
Flatirons from Baseline Road, Boulder, CO.

Beginning our hike at the Chautauqua Trailhead. 

Perhaps the best group shot at the scenic turnaround point of our hike.
Searching for a safe rock to balance the camera was a bit tricky!

Bouldering in Boulder.

Upon finishing our hike and parking near Old Pearl Street, we were feeling so famished that we walked right up to the first restaurant we encountered and ordered lunch! It was an Italian place and we both thought the lunch special sounded appetizing. We enjoyed Eggplant Parmesan sandwiches, garden salads, and glass of wine for only $10 each. The service was a bit slow, but what can you expect in one of the most relaxed cities around? Later that day we realized we were so focused on the food that we forgot to note the name of the restaurant! For the record it was, "Trattoria On Pearl." 

Enjoying the shade with the last few sips of our wine at the Trattoria.

Walnut Brewery for some afternoon quenchers? Why not?

They provided a sampler deal that we couldn't refuse.
You can tell by the levels of beer in the glasses which tastes we liked the best.
At one point Megan began to mix some of her less-than favorite brews in hopes
of diluting some of the bitter hops. Fail. We also failed at making black
and tans from the porter and lager samples!

For one last hurrah in Boulder, we stopped at the Red Stone Meadery for
complementary tastes and lessons about fermented honey.
Mead tasted like wine of the Gods! It is slightly sweet and effervescent,
with some varieties having a specific fruit flavor (like blackberries)!   

Megan with her tasty souvenirs to take home, including
mead-filled chocolates and some neat glassware.

We arrived in Fort Collins around 6:00 PM, after getting a bit turned around trying to find Jennifer and Brandon's new cottage in the outskirts of the town.  This included walking into someone else's home and chasing two dogs back into the premises as we realized we were at the wrong residence! (YIKES)!  The cottage was beautiful and Jennifer was nice enough to let Megan and I freshen up and spend time admiring the rustic scenes of the foothills from their back porch. We were so comfortable, in fact, that we lost track of time and in a hurry we were out the door and off to the streets of downtown Fort Collins to see a music festival and meet up with some other gals. 

Envious views from Jennifer's back porch. 

Arriving at the Bohemian Nights free music fest, featuring "G. Love and Special Sauce."
We were terribly disappointed when the vendors had closed down for the day.
We could have really gone for some fried cheese! 

The lovely group of music fest attenders! Right to left:
Jennifer, Megan, Julie (a good friend of Jennifer's, also from Madison, WI),
 and Julie's sister.  Soon after this picture was taken the gathering
crowds became hungry to get close to the stage and the group was separated.
Megan and I left before too late to make the dark drive home,
only to have a late dinner before surrendering to sleep.

Day Three was spent driving west to visit a couple of the state's most cherished mountain towns: Crested Butte and Breckenridge. Joe volunteered to be the driver for entire trip! I was thankful that he could come along for the adventure, and also because driving a manual through unpredictable mountainous highways tends to displace my heart into my throat. We left Denver around 6:30 AM, stopped in Buena Vista for a restroom, coffee, and sugar fix, and then continued to Crested Butte's visitors center to pick up a few hiking trail maps.  We hiked, ate and then had to move on towards Breckenridge...

Buying some local cherries at a nearby fruit stand that was located
in the visitor's center parking lot in Crested Butte. 

Ready, yet again, for a memorable hike.
This time, instead of red rocks, we got to admire sprawling, lush
meadows blooming with wildflowers as we traveled
 along the Copper Creek Trail near Gothic Mountain.
This was when Joe and I realized we needed to return the
following weekend for an extended camping/hiking trip
(see "Playing with Fire" blog entry).

About 30 minutes into our hike we encountered this gushing waterfall,
known as "Judd Falls."  This was our cue to return to the car.
It was hard to leave despite grumbling tummies.  

Roaming downtown Crested Butte in search of the perfect lunch spot
and admiring their many unique benches!  This moment was
dedicated to our friend, Kelly, who loves photographing benches.
We wished she could have joined us!

The Sunflower Deli.
Serving up seriously-delicious, gourmet sandwiches.

A sunny back patio allowed us to continue enjoying
 the beautiful weather as we waited for our lunches.
I loved the yellow umbrellas. They almost resemble sunflowers! 

Upon reaching our final destination of the day, Breckenrigde, it was 5:45 PM. Since we had a late lunch, we weren't in a hurry to find food just yet, so we wandered main street and looked for Colorado memorabilia. Along the way we stopped for a few craft liquor tastings made by the "Breckenridge Distillery".     

Looking the part.

I can't say either of us really enjoyed sipping straight liquor
from tiny plastic cups without something sweet/salty to follow up with,
but then we got to try their chocolate variety! It is so special we had to share. 

One taste of this and we were both seduced.
We were both flirting with the idea of purchasing their last bottle,
but Megan realized she could't check it onto her returning flight
and I couldn't justify such a luxurious expense.
So we will just have to return this winter during ski season!

Cheers to our last moments in Breckenridge!
We stopped here, at the "Kenosha Steakhouse," for some
appetizers and Breckenridge brews before enduring the long drive home.
I think all three of us felt like kids that perhaps played a bit too much...
but in the best, most fulfilling way!   

The next morning we slept in a bit after trying to pack as much excitement into four days as humanly possible. We slowly meandered to a nearby breakfast place, "Snooze," for some pancakes and eggs benedict. Despite the great brunch, the last meal is always hard to stomach since good-byes are just around the corner. However, great friends never stay apart for long and I'll be visiting Megan in Minneapolis this October. Lets hope September passes in a jiffy! I miss you already! 

Even though we change and we're all finding our won place in the world,
we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face,
we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us,
nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not still friends.
~Quote forwarded from Megan. <3