3____2____1 HAPPY NEW.....

Year...

Um...New Month.

Yup folks, it's August. 7 months since the last new year and 5 months till the the next one. Wish I was in Europe where it's typically vacation month. I generally don't make New Year's Resolutions, but the fresh start of the year is usually enough to motivate me to get "back on track" with everything from eating to working out to finances.

These past few months since the wedding have been a whirlwind that mostly resulted in a downward spiral at increasing speeds towards becoming as lazy as Zoe. No new recipes to try cooking. Fewer and fewer runs. I'm sure the gym wouldn't recognize me. Nothing scheduled..... So today- the first day of August, I'm getting my act together and I'll be on my best behavior for the next 31 days =)

Today officially kicks off my training for the Houston Marathon today, and I will be doing some fun runs this fall. H has even agreed to do a half marathon with me. (If I blog about it, I'm hoping he won't back out on me!) I'm also committing to exercise everyday. Hopefully at least a short run, but I'd like to re-introduce pilates and swimming back into the mix.

I also enrolled in an online photo class for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. I downloaded the free trial version last night, so hopefully it will speed up my workflow and get me some decent post-processing skills. I've done tons of research on looking at what else I need to really get jamming on my photos and I'm hoping this is the key.

Finally- we've started scheduling our fall. I need to figure out when my long runs will be and when we can go camping! It's been over a year since we've camped and I really miss it. Zoe also thinks it's pretty freaking awesome.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Each day is a chance to start new and recommit.

TRAIL RIDGE ROAD

Perhaps the most specatcular drive in the country! Only open a few months out of the year, Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved road in the country and the only way to get from the west side of RMNP to the east side. The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass and continues to climb to over 12,000 ft.

We stopped breifly at the visitor's center but wanted to keep on moving from all the munchkins and screaming banchies. The park has a nice "snow area" set aside with a walkway, and sensing my husband was close to another panic attack from the elvation, we pulled over. It was only then he confessed to having never seen real snow before. I picked up my jaw off the pavement just quick enough to dodge the snowballs he immediately began throwing at me. ~boys~

The rest of the drive down East face was spectacular, but we were on a mission.

Keep going.

Must hike.
Must see waterfalls.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: My husband doesn't know how to throw snowballs.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

At last!!! We finally make it to the crown jewel of our vacation. We'd had fun in Breck and WP was alright, but this was IT! I was so excited to show H the park. I made him wake up early and we skipped breakfast to head straight for the park. We compromised by getting a breakfast/lunch make-your-own combo from a cute country grocery store.

The visit to RMNP started out with a bang! or at least quite a few Elk! Animal spottings are easy there- just look for all the tourists pulled over on the road and people chasing the poor animals with cameras. Since I wasn't trusting my beloved new camera to H yet, I had to pull off the road and snap a few quick pics.

Eager to see something- anything, we stopped off at one of the first trailheads we drove by on the West side of the park. The Colorado River trailhead appeared interesting enough, and why not catch a glimpse of the might headwaters. Luckily the stream is pretty tame here and only a short hike it. We came, we saw, we conquered. We headed for greener pastures, taller mountains and better vistas on the famous Trail Ridge Road.

As we climbed higher and higher in the mountains, my dear husband's voice grew higher, his breathing more rapid and the color was slowly draining from his face. He wouldn't let me drive any faster than 20 mph (I could sneak up to 30 if he wasn't paying attention). We'd pull over at ever scenic overlook to regroup and refocus before continuing our way up the mountain.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: We are so lucky to have such a great national/state/local park system preserves great places like these.

UM- WHERE'S THE A/C????

After quickly playing in Winter Park before it closed, we headed to downtown WP. Normally, I'd say it's not as exciting or kitchy as Breck. But today- there was a Jazz Festival going on dispite/through the rain. We arrived in time to grab a glass of wine and a tator twister, only to hear the last few songs of the set. I was a little puzzled that the party eneded at 6 or so, but I was so happy with my booze and fair food that I just continued polluting my body.

We walked around downtown in vain for a bit after the concert- trying to find something to do. Instead we headed to safeway to grab some wine/cheese/crackers/cookies and headed back to our room for dinner. Unfortunately, on our 2nd night in the mountains, we were in our second hotel without air conditioning.

Being from Texas, where the A/C runs almost year-round, I was shocked. During the days it was pretty warm, even if it would cool down at night. The rooms were *hot* when you would come in from a day of hiking or biking, and never cooled off as much as the outside, mountain temperature.

In Breckenridge, we stayed at a Marriott where the suggested to simply open the sliding porch door and use the fan in the closet. Again, being from the big city I wasn't too keen on the idea of sleeping with a door unlocked- much less wide open (even if the screen did keep out the bugs). The hotel was literally on the mountain, with ski lifts in sight. The view was amazing and we listened to the birds and a running stream as we fell asleep.

The hotel in Winter Park was another story. The Winter Park Mountain Lodge looks pretty nice when you pull up and the lobby hides the "old part" of the hotel. Of course that's where we got stuck- everything about the room screamed cheap, budget motel. Old, dated furniture & linens, shoddy workmanship & repairs around the room and many unusual noises from the bathroom. Again- no A/C and only a window for ventilation. Our window even had a nice view- if you can zoom in your mind past the parking lot. See our car??

We handled the window A/C until we drifted off into wine & chocolate cookie dreams, but around 3 and 4 and 5, there were an unusual number of drunk and loud people in the parking lot below. Slamming car doors, trying to start cars and generally being totally obnoxious until we could take it no more and "turned off" our window A/C. All we could do was hope and pray that our last and final hotel in Estes Park would have a real, genuine, blessing-of-God air conditioning.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: My next car WILL HAVE those fancy-schmancy seat air-conditioners to keep my booty cool.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

DESTINATION DAY 2: WINTER PARK

After a beautiful drive from Breckenridge to Winter Park, we were greeted in Winter Park with more afternoon showers. It was actually a very impressive lightening and thunder show in the mountains. In between showers, we grabbed a lift ticket and rode to the top of the mountain.

I particularly like to torture my poor husband who is deathly afraid of heights by dragging him to the top of everything in sight. To add to his anxiety and to my amusement, I like to photograph his panic. I think he cut his hand from his death grip on the chair lift ;)

A quick ride to the top, a few pictures and a ride back down to the bottom. Our main goal today was to ride the slides. Dozens of people whizzed down the mountain beneath our feet on the slide dual slides. Young faces filled with estatic glee, teenage faces filled with usual boredom and a slight curl of the lips and adult faces filled mostly with fear.

After getting our very over-priced tickets, we wait in line behind a line of giddy kids and a few fuddy-duddy parents. I decided to take the "fast track" on my first ride- hey, why not? The sled had a brake right? H opted for the slow line. I enjoyed the wind in my face, the slight threat of danger and the adrenaline rush provided by a brisk ride down the mountain.

I quickly hopped off my sled at the bottom and got ready to snap a photo of my husband coming down. I had an "oldie" behind me on the ride, who came stumbling off the slide and then I noticed he'd snagged his shirt on the slide somewhere. Well, he snagged his shirt and some skin, from which there was now blood adding to the dirt stain on his sleeve. I waited and waited for my husband, but nobody was coming down the slow track on the slides. Finally, down came my husband- tail gating some grandma with about 4 kids piled up behind him. Apparently, the lady decided to take a sunday stroll down the entire slide at about 5 mph- effectively forcing H to go for a leisure ride and causing quite the traffic jam on the slide. Before I could snap a photo, drunk man wanders on front of the slide.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: A slow ride is better than crashing and burning and bleeding.

OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS

We departed Breckenridge and headed to Winter Park for Day 2 in the Rockies. I introduced H to the wonders of outlet shopping ( *GASP* yes, we spent about 2 hours of our vacation shopping!) We found great bargains & he satisfied his deep-seated desire for some authentic hiking boots (that would come in handy very shortly!) Instead of taking the quick, easy fast route to WP, we detoured around Eisenhower tunnel and went over the Continental Divide on Loveland Pass.

What a spectacular drive! I was amazed at breathtaking views and the many possessed cyclists who were (successfully) attempting to self-propell themself up to 11,990 ft. On our first of many Continental divide crossings, we hiked a few hundred feet, nearly passed out, then sat down and enjoyed the view. Check out the awesome self-portrait from the back of our car:

At the bottom of the Pass, we pulled off to a scenic overlook to check out the view and the Clear Creek River below. We heard a train whistle and looked up to see the Georgetown Loop train coming down the mountain.

Up Highway 40 towards Winter Park, we stopped at a picturesque waterfall and then crossed the Divide again at Berthound Pass. Other self portrait- did I mention I'm really digging my new camera and the timer? Any wild guesses of what's about to happen in Winter Park?

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: You can rent a convertible on vacation and have an excuse for never fixing your hair.

IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE

No, we didn't try to ride our mountain bikes through the trees. :) Instead, just as we arrived at the top of Peak 8, it started drizzling. As we rode further it started raining harder. We had a blast riding the 4 miles down the mountian though. I laughed so hard I almost cried a few times. I almost *almost* wrecked a few times, but had some spectacular saves. H would make me ride in front of him. He said he was nervous with me behind him, but I think he just wanted to watch me if I fell. We got rained on, we got muddy and we got some spectacular views.

After getting ripped off by the incompetent clerk at the bike store, we cleaned up and headed into town for some grub. Breckenridge has a quaint, if not touristy, downtown area. Filled with shops of food, knick-knacks and outdoor gear. There is an awesome stream that runs through town and they had a symphony orchestra practicing in the community building. We found a restaurant and got out of the (more) rain. I found a great window where I could watch the rain and the mountains as we killed a bottle of wine.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: If a door closes, look around for open windows.

INTO THE MOUNTAINS

Another reason I love visiting Denver is enjoying breakfast with my Aunt & Uncle. They have a huge window in their breakfast area that overlooks their eden-like backyard. My uncle diligently plants a great garden every year, tends to all his flowers and feeds his own platoon of squirrels. On our dinner salad, we’d had green peppers and tomatoes from his Garden. He also has beets, squash and cucumbers all getting bigger everyday outside.

After a great breakfast and a tour of the backyard, H and I headed off to the mountains! Although I “few up” going to Denver to visit family and snow-skiing every winter, H had never been. This was an unspeakable horror to me and a proper introduction to the Rockies was a top priority for me since we’d met. We took I-70 west out of Denver to Dillon/Frisco where a kind soul offered to take this photo of us at a scenic overlook on Lake Dillon.

Upon arriving in Breckenridge & checking into our hotel, we decided to hit the slopes! No skiing right now, but we rented mountain bikes and were off like.....slugs. See- it was a mile uphill from the hotel to the bottom of the Peak 8 lift.

Though I've ridden chair lifts dozens of times, this was H's first trip. His minor freak out was only a small sample of the panic attacks he would have on the rest of the trip as I hauled him higher and higher in the Rockies. Only at the end of the ride did I bother to mention the safety bar you could put down if you wanted ;)

We enjoyed some great scenery on the ride up and I had a few good laughs.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: We don't melt in the rain. (see tomorrow's blog ;)

TIME TO KILL

Of course I swung by my favorite aunt & uncle’s house to grab dinner with them before heading to the airport to pick up the hubster. However, his flight was running late so I had some time to kill. I grabbed my camera and headed to my favorite local park.

This is my Denver running park. It’s just a few blocks from my Aunt & Uncle’s house, and I love the incredible views running along the stream and into a prairie with the mountains as a backdrop. I’ve ran this park a number of times- sometimes with the flowers and sometimes with the snow. I always look forward to the fresh air and breathtaking views.

This day I was lucky enough to get some great shots of the stream and a little bunny that snuck up on me. The flight delay afforded me another 30 minutes to swing into downtown Denver and catch a few great twilight shots. I’d love to go back during the day and click some more shots.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Isn’t life so much more fun with Neon?

MORE BEER IN GOLDEN

After visiting Red Rocks, I headed just up the road to Golden, Colorado to see the quaint little town. I was too late for the Coors tour, but it looked packed and fairly “touristy” anyway. I headed downtown, which had a neat cowboy-esque western-theme going on down mainstreet, with the requisite stream running through town.

I grabbed a seat on the outdoor deck of the Golden Hotel’s restaurant, ordered a drink and watched happy people tube past me down the stream. Everywhere I turn, I’m more and more jealous everybody in Colorado.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Even if you live in a some place less perfect than Colorado, it’s better than 200 years ago before electricity, A/C and heaters.

OH THE RED ROCKS

Between airport runs to drop off my boss and pick up the hubster, I had a few hours to kill and was dying to play with my new camera.

I hopped in the rented convertible mustang and drove straight to the Red Rocks. I’d always heard about them and thought how cool it must be to live in Denver and get to watch great concerts with an amazing view. After having visited, I’m really jealous now. I was too tired from working to do any hiking in the area, so I just grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots around the place.



GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Music you grew up with will put a smile on your face and bring back memories.

GREAT JOB PERKS

In addition to the fact that people are under the (wrong) impression that my job is very cool, CSI-like, I also have the benefit of getting to travel. On average, I’m a road warrior twice a month. Sometimes awesome places and sometimes not-so-awesome places. Last week I had to work in Denver and finagled my way into staying the whole weekend and flying up the hubster.

Denver is one of my favorite places to travel (at least for work). The weather is generally great, because I prefer the frigid winter snow to the hot humid inferno of Florida summers. Working in Colorado during the summer is as good as it gets. My other absolute favorite reason to visit Denver are my favorite family members- my aunt and uncle, Sue & Don. Everytime I get to Denver, I make it a point to stay an extra night and visit with them. Yes, they are THAT cool and swell. Stay tuned- they will get their own post in a few week

Another great job perk is that I work with super cool people. After my boss and I finished working, we headed to the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. I’m not a beer fan, never really cared for it at all. *gasp* the horror…. but I’m always down for checking out new things. Besides, free booze and lots of college, um, scenery to enjoy.

The tasting room was filled with happy, athletic looking college students eagerly sipping on glass after glass of sampling brew. I think everybody in Colorado spends a great deal of time outdoors soaking up the fresh air, getting in great shape and getting awesome wind-blown locks of hair. The room is fun and funky- supposedly like the company. They give you a menu and you select 4 samples to taste-test. My boss helped me pick out the least beery-beer and we drank!

Though, I’m not exactly a beer fan now, I can honestly say that’s probably the most beer I’ve ever drank in my life. We had a great time and it was an awesome way to kick off the Colorado vacation. I loved that the makers of Fat Tire Ale gave the employee of the month his own bike.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Love your job- it can't be worse than these dirty jobs.