I have an announcement to make……..I’m in love!

Now before you get all excited, let me clarify: it’s not with a man. And no, it’s not a woman either. And although I’m passionate about animals, a 4-legged creature is not what has captured my heart. Actually, it’s a state; Colorado, to be precise.

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying I don’t love California anymore. That will never happen. I’m a Californian through and through. But after a recent first visit to Boulder, Breckenridge and Vail, call me…

Lucky for me, I have friends who have friends in high places. Literally. (Boulder sits 5,430 feet above sea level.) My friend Sharon wanted to visit her daughter Caitlin in law school there and asked me to join her, along with our friends Pam and Corinne. Then their friend Elaine invited us to stay at her home.

Well, I was on that plane faster than you can say altitude sickness.

Elaine and her hubby have a home in Boulder and a ski home in Breckenridge. (Yippee!) So nice to know people who know people who live in awesome places. And when those people let me tag along, well, that’s just gravy. Not to be confused with groovy. Although that would not be an inaccurate description in this case.

Elaine was the consummate hostess as Pam, Corinne and I took over their home while Sharon stayed with Caitlin. Elaine was our tour guide, showing us Boulder hot spots. And let me tell ya, there are many.

One of the reasons I loved this place is that it reminds me of home in many ways. It’s an outdoorsman’s paradise. EVERYONE is outside road and mountain biking, hiking, walking, jogging. If I owned an exercise clothing company, I’d plant myself there, sit back and rake in the bucks in between my own hiking and biking.

The air in Colorado is incredibly clean, even though there’s less of it to breathe. But that didn’t stop Pam. If you’ve read my blog you know she’s super woman. Therefore, she continued with her 10 mile runs, putting the rest of us to shame in the morning while we munched on Elaine’s pancakes, only rising from our chairs for more coffee and extra syrup.

I did, however, walk with Pam each morning to the local cafe for our daily latte and an orange. An orange was the extent of my healthy eating for the day, as we partook of a seemingly endless variety of restaurants. When one is on vacation, one seems to do the following: eat, explore, eat some more, explore some more, then end the day with more eating.

We walked along tree-lined, serpentine paths winding alongside flowing streams.

We shopped at the unique Pearl Street Mall

and took a hike around a beautiful reservoir situated at the base of gorgeous hills with hiking and biking paths sculpted into its terrain. The scenery here appears to be photoshopped, it’s so perfect.

Then it was on to Vail, where we attended an Oktoberfest in the middle of September. Huh?

There was dancing, singing and general merriment. And why not? What’s not to love in Vail with its adorable old-world European flair in the village?

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally, Elaine’s 5-bedroom home in Breckenridge sat at an altitude of 9600 feet. But did that stop super woman from her daily run? I think not. Later we trotted around town, shopped and enjoyed a cocktail in the oldest bar west of the Mississippi.

Our last day back in Boulder, we hiked the well-known Royal Arch Trail, taking photos of the stunning view from above. Yep, if you love the outdoors and moving your body, Colorado is the place to be.

However, now that my friend Sheila has a daughter living in Tennessee, her sister Pam and I need to visit. Wouldn’t you agree? Nashville is only 385 feet above sea level. So while Pam takes her 10 mile run, Sheila, her daughter and I can dine on hushpuppies washed down with sweet tea.

Ahh, yes….it pays to know people in low places as well.