Colorado

I've always dreamed about visiting the Rocky Mountains. I love the outdoors, so Colorado seemed like it would be my playground.

I already visited several places this 09-10 school year. Albuquerque in October and Austin for spring break were my two major trips - I just didn't find it feasible to get there before bar exam classes started.

The decision to go came on a Monday. The initial plan was to drive the 10 hours to Denver Thursday morning and to fly back Monday morning in time to meet up with a friend driving through OKC. Seems reasonable right? Who wants to drive 10 hours back after 4 days of intense hiking? The drive to a vacation destination is always more entertaining than the return drive back to reality. Tuesday morning, one way ticket - Denver to OKC - Check.

Wednesday - a day before I was expected to leave I started calling car rental agencies. I quickly found out that renting a car in point A and leaving it in point B was not that easy. It was going to cost me $700 which was $550 more than it would cost for a plane flight there. Wednesday night, one way ticket - OKC to Denver - Check.

So I couldn't see the country side... At least I would be in Denver earlier than expected.

Thursday, late afternoon, I met one of my hosts. Chris. What a host. Unfortunately he's not as good of a chess player than he is a host... I kid, I kid.

Chris is a very successful 23yr old and was kind enough to open his apartment on such short notice. Did I mention he was called when the plane landed in Denver?

I took some time to visit with Chris. Bought some recommended local brew from Colorado and spent a little time getting to know my Host. We then took a trip to one of Chris's favorite watering holes, a nice pub with local brews on tap. I was quick to notice the people gathered around me. Every person standing around me was fit, attractive, stylish. It wasn't just the bar, it was everyone in the state of Colorado. Colorado hosts a plethora of outdoor activities which attracts some of the worlds finest athletes that it is a rarity to find a person over weight. We sat at a table outside and enjoyed our beverages. I introduced myself to a few local and asked for advice on where to go and what to see. They gave me so much that it made me want to start planning a return trip. After two beers we headed back to Chris's apartment. An early night was necessary for the long day of hiking planed for in the morning; so, we slept. Friday morning, Stevie and I set off for Rocky Mountain National Park. If there was one place I wanted to see, it was Dream lake at Estes Park. I planned on swimming in the lake but I learned that the lakes were still frozen over and covered with snow. I still had a good time though.

The park was about 1h 45m NW of Denver. That seems like a long time to drive somewhere but the trip wasn't long enough. As soon as you get past the tall buildings and highway bridges in the city, there is an unobstructed view of a rocky mountain horizon. The drive was more like an 1h 45m reminder as to why I travel so much.
Growing up, I traveled a lot. With a mother who worked for the airlines, it was easy to get around. I remember always having a fascination with Europe. Every opportunity I got, I went. It was only when I moved to Oklahoma that I started to develop an interest for domestic traveling. Getting to Europe is such a hassle - long flights, expensive hotels, currency exchange, and locals who cannot or pretend that they cannot speak English. It is so easy to get around in the U.S., and there are so many beautiful places to see. If you don't believe me, toy around with Google Earth for a bit. There is something for everyone.

With that in mind, we pulled up to the park and paid a $20 entrance fee. Now, normally I would be reluctant/upset to pay such a fee to get into a park but it all goes to the conservation of these natural wonders so I was more than happy to pay. We parked and grabbed our gear.

Now talk about unprepared - I had a pair of running shoes and cowboy boots, my actual hiking boots sitting comfortably in CT. It was recommended that I switch out of my boots to my shoes. No way I thought, my feet are going to be dry in my boots. Five minutes into the hike however, I was wishing I switched to my shoes. For those of you who don't wear cowboy boots, they are more or less like a dress shoe - completely flat on the bottom. This pretty much translates into two sleds under my feet. Talk about unprepared. The trail was flat approximately 1/8 of the time. The rest of the hike was uphill. Uphill and on paths that were at some times no wider than a foot... Covered in snow... Accompanied by a long, long drop down. This was the only shot I could produce. It doesn't do justice. I just couldn't justify pulling my camera out. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. Half way to Dream Lake there was a clearing where we put our stuff down to smell the roses. Talk about a breathtaking view. We were high enough to see the valley below which was blanketed with greens, firs, and spruces. The highlight of the view was the mountains that grew above the treeline which surrounded the valley below.

While we were up here I broke out the Wild Turkey to celebrate. Celebrate what you ask? Well, the view, making it up the mountain this far in cowboy boots, life? Hey, I'm Irish. Do I really need a reason to take a swig of WT? I didn't think so... While I was indulging I was greeted by a member of the Rocky Mountain wild life. A little bird flew within a few feet of me and landed on a tree branch. He (or she) gave me a once over before flying over to take a sample of my Turkey. Yes, my Turkey. This little guy must be Irish. It wasn't long before he (or she) was brave enough to land right on my hand to indulge himself. Hey, I'm not greedy - help yourself little guy.

I know, I know. I wish the lady behind my hand was not in the shot - but what can you do? The two ladies were actually very nice. We exchanged pleasantries and I even tried to get the bird to land on the woman in the photo - unfortunately to no avail.

After the bird and I had enough for the moment we continued our hike to Dream Lake. We finally arrived and let me tell you - what a place! I had one of those revelations which reminded me why I get out of bed every morning. I had reached Heaven. An overwhelming sensation of nirvana came over me. It wasn't a new sensation but quite some time since I've felt like that. The last time was back in 2007 when I went to visit my buddy Jeff in Hawaii.


This is the exact reason why I traveled to Colorado. A few weeks ago I was talking to my Father about traveling around in the mid-west and told me of the time he drove through the Rocky Mountains. He was my age (when he had an afro) and he recalled his initial impression when he turned the corner and saw the Rockies for the first time. He is a good story teller - good enough to convince me to take a trip myself. I started toying around with Google Earth (try it, it's addictive) and I came across a picture of Dream Lake. This picture was the final push I needed to pack my bags. Check it out here. We continued our hike to the end and turned around. The hike out was much nicer than the hike in. All down hill. And the boots actually proved worthy on the way out. We got back to the parking lot and drove away. What a memorable moment - maybe one I will recall to my kid someday.

We had plans to stay in Boulder that night with Matt. Matt was another friendly Coloradoan who was given a last minute call, yet was nice enough to show us his hospitality. Matt is, what seems like all Coloradans, a marathon runner. When we first arrived he was still out on a run. So we took refuge in a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a well deserved meal. When Matt returned, he sat down with me and started to answer my questions about running a marathon. I was training for the OK Memorial (4/25/2010) and had many questions and ailments I wanted to discuss. He recommended that we talk over a pint - so to the pub we went. He took us to a very popular local pub/restaurant where we enjoyed more Colorado brew. We sat and discussed the many different aspects of marathon training. What type of running shoes do I have? Do my feet prone? Why do my nipples & taint chafe? Why after 12 miles do I feel like I'm going to collapse?

After some good advice we moved to another restaurant. Matt took us to a very posh venue in downtown boulder. We racked up a very nice bill and got a slight buzz - or maybe it was just the altitude - then retreated to a comfortable bed with anticipation of what the morning would bring.

Saturday we hiked the Garden of the Gods. The park was littered with red rock formations - quite an amazing site indeed.

Hiking and climbing all over that park was quite exhausting, but we had so many things to accomplish in such a short amount of time that we just pushed on.

Word to the wise though - if you ever plan a trip to CO, bring something other than cowboy boots to hike in. In my haste and attempt to pack light, I opted not to bring tennis shoes.

Regardless, that didn't stop me and I was able to get some beautiful photos. There were so many beautiful shots that it was hard to pick my favorites.

The choice to opt not to bring shoes was actually quite entertaining. Every time my boot slipped from a footing I would hear Stevie in the background gasp in angst. Stevie, the wiser of the group, unwilling to follow me in some of my quests for a better picture.

There were so many places to see in the park before we had to leave. We visited one spot, took several shots, and then we were off to another location. The sun started to go down and I still had Pikes peak in my sights. We had to leave the park early enough to make it to the mountain before it closed, so we pressed on. As the day grew older and my feet grew sorer (rightly so), we decided that we saw everything worth seeing so it was time to get out of the park. The only problem was, we were really, really far away from our car. What to do? What to do?

Well, start hitching of course. I have to be honest - I've never hitched in my life. I always thought of it as an activity reserved for the constant drifters on a tight budget. However, before I attempted to get an actual ride - I saw a potential photo-op. While posing for the camera and to my surprise, people are still willing to pick up strangers, even if those strangers are carrying a half empty bottle of Wild Turkey.

We got back to the car and turned towards Pikes peak. The alcohol began to set in, or maybe it was the altitude. I decided to take a nap in the backseat and turned the navigation over to Stevie. When I woke, we were in a small town. We were actually on our way back to Denver. We didn't make it in time...

I got back in the driver seat and let Stevie take a nap. I punched Denver into the GPS and hit the highway. On the way back I saw an exit sign for Morrison, CO. Morrison, CO...? That just sounded so familiar. Wasn't that where the famous amphitheater was? Yes, Red Rocks amphitheater. Detour anyone? We pulled up to the park and Stevie woke up. "Are we in Denver?" She asks. "Nope, we are somewhere even better."

We were both incredibly tired and hungry, but how could we turn this up, right? That was, until we saw what seemed like a thousand steps just to the base of the theater. Time to suck it up.

It was an amazing site to see. This was a landmark. This was the location where so many amazing artists shared their talents with Coloradans and recorded amazing performances for the rest of the world to enjoy. The Beatles, Sonny & Cher, the Greatful Dead, U2, Fleetwood Mac, Incubus, Dave Matthew Band...

Stevie, the Oklahoma Bison and I just sat in awe, that is, after sharing my excitement w/ Bison.

The walk back down was much easier than the walk up. I got back in the car and punched Denver into the GPS. After a quick shower and a few beers the group rallied and we drove to a sushi restaurant which was one of the most amazing meals I've had in a long time. After dinner we drove back to Chris's apartment and enjoyed a good nights sleep with anticipation for the final days events.

The last day I decided that I wanted to make an attempt at hiking my first 14er. For those of you who don't know a 14er is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet. Most Colorado 14er's start around 10,000 feet, but don't start thinking that makes it easy. The trails up the mountain are steep, and combine that with the high altitude, make's these hikes very difficult.

I asked around. The locals, Chris, Matt. They all told me that my best bet at this time of year was Mt. Evans. It was the closest and most accessible - Mt. Evans it was.

I tried to start the day off early. However, breakfast, gas, and my inability to find shoe shoes prevented me from getting on the mountain before noon. I was having trouble finding a place that I could buy shoe shoes. I had been hiking all weekend in cowboy boots and I had the feeling that it would be in my best interest to invest. I finally called my buddy Kyle who had one of those wonderful Iphones. I asked him to look up a place where I could find some traction. He led me to a place in Idaho Springs. I rented some snow shoes and off we went to the Mt. Evans ranger station for some maps. When we got to the ranger station, the large elder lady sitting behind the counter kept giving us snide looks when we told her that we wanted to climb to the summit. It's too late she told me, you can't go... I can't go??? Can't??? Well, that's not the appropriate word you want to use when trying to deter me from doing something... I grabbed a map and off we went, into the wild frontier. The main road leading up the mountain was closed, so we had no choice but to hoof it. The ranger told us that the first part of our hike was straight down. Great... That means we were in for a treat on the way back. We hiked and hiked. Then hiked some more. I ran out of water very quickly, so I mustered up some of my ingenuity and packed snow into my water bottle. I knew that eating snow doesn't hydrate. I needed a way to melt the snow. I loosened my belt and placed the bottle in my jeans which actually worked out quite nice. It not only produced enough heat to gradually melt the snow, but it also cooled that area at the same time :)

There was a deadline on the snow shoe rental. We either had to be back at the store in Idaho Springs by 5pm, which was closing time, or by 12pm the next day. Getting off the mountain was a priority because the flight to OKC left Denver at 715. There was no way I could drop them off the next day. I got to the shop at 5:30 - Fail. I knocked on the door in hopes that there was a straggler left behind. I drove around to the back in hopes that a door had been mistakenly left unlocked. No luck. Ingenuity kicked in for a second time when I saw a grill covered by a green grill cover. I removed the grill cover and placed the snow shoes in the grill and then replaced the grill cover. The next morning, back in OKC, I called the shop and let them know the location of their shoes. The gentleman on the other end of the phone sounded quite pleased.

WOW! What a trip. Back to reality - at least for the time being...


Flickr has a monthly quota for uploading and I ran out of room. More pictures to come later.
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