i'm high...(vacation entry #10)
yes, i'm up high. did you know that denver is 5,280 feet above sea level? but the mile-high city itself is flat, because it's not actually in the mountains. the city lies on high-prairie and the rockies are about 30 miles west of the city, and are quite breathtaking...purple mountain majesty. i'd imagine that in winter the snowcaps are beautiful.
speaking of altitude, my ointments, lotions, mouthwash and contact lens solutions pressurized during the drive out here and opening them was quite messy. especially the tube of sunblock, which shot out all over the place, narrowly missing my eyes. oh yes, it was really a bit obscene!
colorado has been a delight. the region has a strong southwestern flavor--not surprising considering that NM and AZ are to the south. the mexican food here is to die for. the margaritas are most excellent.
other highlights:
1) boulder. need i say more? CU is there. a refreshing, liberal, college town. fun, and not the least bit stuffy or suffocating.
2) being a tea-lover, i did the celestial seasonings factory tour. fun & interesting. you get to sample various teas and see how it's blended and made from fresh herbs.
3) i also toured coors brewery and saw the brewing process. fascinating. and you get samples here, too (3 beers max). i've concluded that belgian-style ales are my thing.
4) had lunch and tea at dushanbe teahouse. the city of boulder received the teahouse as a gift from its sister city, dushanbe, in tajikistan, in 1987. but rather than me explaining it, you MUST go to their website and look inside their beautiful, ornate teahouse. it's just fantastic.
5) daytrip to vail. vail has a european flavor: skiing in winter, hiking and biking in summer. alas, no sightings of the bachelorette's trista rehn & ryan sutter, although we drove by the vail fire dept, where ryan works.
6) although mosquitos normally LOVE to devour me, and it's all over the news how bad this summer has been in colorado, you can be assured that i don't have west nile virus.
and that's all for now....
