this outdoorsy thing i did!

Oh little blog, so much has happened & so little has been recorded of it.  Thus begins a series of blog posts chronicling events that happened between May and August, in no particular order, but which I want to remember enough to put them into words.

One of my “resolutions” this year was to go camping for the very first time – no, seriously, I have never gone. My family, despite that my mother and father took cross-country (even cross-Canada!) motorcycle camping trips before I was born (which is something I can picture my father doing but NEVER my mother???), the closest I’ve ever come to what you could consider camping is That One Time we stayed in a cabin when visiting family up in Canada (or was it Cheboygan? I was tiny!).

Luckily I have an extra outdoorsy boyfriend who promised to take me; and thus began a birthday road trip of epic proportions that changed about six thousand times between its inception and its actualization.  It’s been over a month since this trip occurred, and I have no idea how to be succinct when it comes to words, so the below archive of five days spent delighting in beer and mountains will probably be lengthy and scattered, but if you can bear with me, I promise there are a whole lot of pretty pictures.

Day 1 – Denver -> Durango -> Mesa Verde

I got up at the crack of dawn for a mostly uneventful flight (seriously people, Spirit is not the devil people make them out to be) to Denver, where Nate met me with hot coffee (this is how I know he truly likes & understands me) and then loaded me up in his car and we commenced the Longest Drive Ever.  The positive thing about driving in Colorado is: EVERYTHING IS LOVELY AND MOUNTAINS.  The other positive thing was bananas and almond butter.

A few hours in we happened upon the glorious act of serendipity that was the discovery that we were like six seconds away from Elevation Brewing Company – so of course we stopped for some libations to tide our weakening selves over until we hit Durango to hit up Ska Brewing Company, home of the Actual Worst Designed Logo, but what might be one of the coolest views I’ve ever had from a brewery patio.

From there we were back on the road to Mesa Verde National Park where we camped out & built an $18 fire, drank some incredible sour birthday beers and took a walk on which an outrageous amount of wildlife happened in ridiculously close proximity, and then curled up slept in the delightful outdoors (the verdict: I am pleased by camping).

Your intrepid road trippers.

No one with any history in graphic design made this.

My first lil' camp site :')

$18 fires & Russian River sours; this is how I want to always spend my birthday.

Day Two – Mesa Verde -> Ouray

We woke up early and I ate approximately 8 pounds of trail mix for breakfast while desperately creating camp coffee and trying to tame my greasy, unwashed camping hair (eventually a ponytail did the trick….sort of), and then drove ourselves further out into the park for a couple mile hike through some ruins to see some seriously cool petroglyphs. 10,000+ steps by 10:00 am, baby!  Also at some point during this hike I decided to try doing basket/bound headstands at a precarious cliff edge and succeeded for the first time ever without a wall to support myself, so you’re pretty badass, Colorado wilderness.

Midday we set out on some twisty turny windy rainy mountain roads (seriously the temperature drops between morning to afternoon to night in this state are outrageous) and made our way to this tiny little town nestled in the mountains called Ouray, where we found ourselves a camp site and then ventured down into the (rainy) civilization to go to a brewery that was literally called “Mr. Grumpy Pants” (aka the Ourayle House), as well as the actual Ouray Brewery, and then investigated the local hot springs (ALWAYS hot springs) before trekking back to camp where Nate made me some incredible burrito concoction and then we ate Bon Bon Bons, investigated a river, and drank a truly fantastic quad until I was too frozen to do anything but curl up and sleep until sunrise.

I also did a headstand here.

Petroglyphs!

Why are there all kinds of cars pulled over on this terrifying mountain road? Oh, because GIANT WATERFALL.

Day 3 – Ouray -> Glenwood Springs

Again, randomly, Colorado mornings continued to be absolutely sunny and beautiful, and after I repurposes leftover burrito insides into scrambled eggs we went on a morning hike around the area.  Ouray in the winter is home to a huge ice climbing park, so we were basically clambering all around a bunch of cliffs & rock formations lined with modified sprinkler systems & giant pipes to transport water that freezes everything over in the winter.  As the world’s most amateur ice climber ever I was transfixed with desire to come back and show everyone just how bad(ass) I am at scaling frozen over rock walls.  Someday, Ouray.  Someday.

After our morning excursion we popped into a super cute little coffee shop where I had a cappuccino with house-made brown sugar cinnamon sauce (MORE PLEASE) and a slice of almond-flour blueberry coffee cake (ALSO MORE) and then headed out to what was originally going to be Redstone, but ended up being Glenwood Springs because we couldn’t find a campsite.

The weather in Glenwood Springs took a crazy turn for the OUTRAGEOUS DOWNPOUR, but I was a thousand percent restless after being trapped in a car for so long and I whined about it for long enough that Nate indulged me in waiting it out so we could hike Hanging Lake Trail, which ended up being SO worth it.  The damp, slightly rainy weather actually made the hike really enjoyable – at some points it felt like we were actually traversing through a rainforest.  The whole hike out was uphill, but the view at the end was SO worth it.  Plus after a sweaty descent there were more (bigger than football field-sized) hot springs in our future, so life was delightful.  (We also stopped at the Glenwood Springs Brewery afterward, and a beer bar where I got tequila barrel aged IPA, which is probably the best possible way to follow up soaking in a giant oversized natural hot tub for an hour).

I’d promised to provide at least one gourmet camp dinner, so that night we ate fancy soba noodles by candlelight (and more bon bon bons and beers beers beers) and then passed the fuck out.

That sunrise, though...

Got that freezing cold camp cooking on lock.

Now picture climbing up this when it's covered in ice.

Hike a soggy mile and a half uphill for this? Yes.

....now come on, Colorado wilderness, just stop.

Hot springs for dayssssss...

The worse food photo I've ever taken.

Day 4 – Glenwood Springs -> Denver

Because he is the greatest human, Nate found – seriously – what was basically a Scottie Dog fucking convention and (after an incredible Cajun breakfast that included bison meatloaf) delivered me to basically an ARMY of adorable little black old men dogs for a late birthday present.  Possible greatest most ridiculous moment of my life (don’t ask me why but I’ve been obsessed with Scotties since I was tiny – I think it has to do with Walker’s Shortbread but don’t quote me on that).

Following the Actual Scottie Dog Celebration Picnic, we headed up into the city to go drink allllllllll the sour beers at Crooked Stave, followed by a mini city brewery tour that included the best Devils on Horseback I’ve ever eaten (made with peppadew peppers instead of dates!) and a Czech restaurant where I buried my face in svickova and Pilser Urquell.

LITTLE OLD MEN DOGS <3 <3 <3

This was someone literally ordering a flight of EVERYTHING.

I salivate just LOOKING at these. Can someone tell me where to find peppadew peppers in Michigan?

Be still, my little quasi-Czechoslovakian heart.

Day 5 – More Denver

Okay yeah, camping is over at this point, but a thousand other things are not so shut up and bear with me.

After fancy coffee and a walk through downtown, we went and had breakfast at Ophelia’s, which I had never heard of before, but which is this fantastic sprawling former-brothel decked out in fancy string lights, old vaguely sexually explicit posters and bathroom stalls made out of yardsticks, where I ate lingonberry duck meatballs over PARSNIP GRITS dear god I love parsnips.

Following this we urban hiked our way up to Epic, to Ratio (that strawberry berlinerweisse, though), Spangalang, and then a handful of bottle shops so I could load up my suitcase (this bitch came in at 49.1 lbs – the airline limit without extra fees is 50), and Sugar House Bakery because ARTISAN POP TARTS.

Oh my gosh the difference a shower makes.

The haul!

So, long story short: camping happened.  Glorious nature happened.  Beer happened.  Mountains happened.  I was distraught to return to extra flat Michigan, but my kitties were pleased to see me home.  Next adventure please!

colorado part two (mountains!!!!!)

To be fair, I wrote this post immediately following the one about Denver and there are only two reasons I split it into two posts which are:

1. I’m incredible wordy and without intending it to everything I write gets twelve times longer than I ever expected it to be, so for the sake of the three and a half people who read my blog (one of whom being me just reliving old memories) I assumed it was a better idea not to have a trip recap the size of a literal novella. 
2. I’m typing this at work while I cover the front desk receptionist’s lunch and keeping these posts shorter makes it more viable for unknowing bosses to assume I’m writing an actual email, and not a completely unrelated to work blog post about places I wish I continued to be INSTEAD of work.

Also I’m about to post sixteen thousand pictures of mountains because it’s been almost two weeks and I’m still NOT OVER THE MOUNTAINS, folks.  Literally you’re driving and you can see them in the distant background and they’re pretty and snow covered and you’re like well this is really lovely, and then you make one hairpin right turn and suddenly there are gigantic million feet tall jagged chunks of earth on either side of you. Happened more than once, I promise you.  Which brings us to highlights of Fort Collins:

• Rocky Mountain National Park – The 8,000 texts I sent my Fort Collins host Nate gleefully proclaiming my excitement for mountains must have tipped him off that my #1 concern after many pints of craft beer was to tramp through the mountains live and in person because Friday morning he drove me all the way out to the most gorgeous national park to play in the snow with me while I flailed around excitedly and consumed an entire Ziploc baggie of walnuts (told you I was not to be trusted around trail mix).  Other highlights include stepping out of the car to an insane gust of FREEZING wind that blew gusts of equally freezing cold snow at our woefully winter-unprepared selves so violently (thanks, giant snow blower across the parking lot) that I nearly bit it before we even stepped foot on the trails, and also climbing trees on scary tall rock outcrops about a billion feet up in the mountains (if it isn’t dangerous it isn’t fun, right????)

Turned a corner, found these.

My mountain tour guide :)

Ohhhh.

Climbed some trees just hanging around overlooking this.

• Epic brunches – I don’t even have true words for the meals I consumed while I was in Fort Collins, except that they were 75% breakfast and 1,000% amazing.  Look at this nonsense:

Snooze OMG French Toast stuffed with marscapone & strawberries and eggs benny over herbed polenta, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.

Trout Pontchartrain, poached eggs with bearnaise sauce, grits, some sort of cajun potatoes, and a gigantic biscuit with homemade strawberry rhubarb. 
Thanks, Lucile's.

• Patio beers – IT WAS SEVENTY DEGREES.  I drank a fabulous milk stout at Odell’s, on the patio, wearing short sleeves and sunglasses.  I drank a beer the name of which I will still not say because it makes me feel like I ordered a wine spritzer but suffice to say it was delightfully summer saison with cranberries, at Coopersmiths, ALSO on the patio, ALSO wearing a t-shirt.  Remember: it’s February and I’m from Michigan. Mind blown.  Also for the record indoor beer was consumed at Equinox & Black Bottle before the trip was over, bringing the total Colorado brewery experience number to an even 10.

• New Belgium Brewery Tour – Okay I know we here in the Midwest who like to think we’re oh so exclusive with our beer and oh Fat Tire, that’s nothing special and blah blah blah, but you guys. I could write you a ten page letter on why this tour was the coolest thing ever and you should immediately change your opinions.  Let’s just discuss a few points.

1. Pre-tour we had a few samples of some frigging wonderful sour beers and I can say, 100% accurate, I promise, there is probably nothing in the world like a fresh glass of La Folie on tap at actual New Belgium.  If you could see me right now I would be holding my arms literally as far out as possible to suggest the difference between what we get in Michigan, and what you get there live and in person. Holy hot damn.
2. During the tour, which was given to us by the literally most fabulous and possibly somewhat drunk tour guide ever, we had about a million more samples, which included some help yourselves glasses of Abbey Ale, a handful of other mini-glasses full, a full can of Fat Tire, and a bottle of Slow Ride snatched right off the bottling line itself. After this tour was over I took several selfies of myself & Nate with the sign out in front of the brewery that I don’t necessarily remember, so there’s that.
3.  Peter Bouckaert, yes ACTUAL Peter Bouckaert of Rodenbach, taught me how to use the water chemistry and calcium additions to replicate the lagering process without needing an actual lager chilling equipment set up. Swooning forever.
4. There’s a curly slide at the end of the tour. Game over, your arguments lose.  (Some girl who’d been on the tour before told me to lift my feet up to go faster – yes it works, yes it’s a harrowing death spiral, and no I did NOT spill my beer.)

Ted's Beer, Transatlantic Kriek, La Folie; what a pretty beer rainbow.

All the barrels!!!

Photo op on the Slow Ride couch ;)

• This view – Because we drove maybe 15 minutes and were smack dab in the middle of this.  What a perfect lovely morning.  That’s something awfully close to perfection, nature.  Gold star.

In retrospect, my excitement over mountains has faded exactly 0%, my desire to drink more Colorado beer and eat more brunch (with a possible side of burgers and cheese plates) has been only mildly satisfied, and I enjoyed the company and the shenanigans more than a little bit, so I guess I’m going to have to go back.

colorado part one

I went on a pretty awesome trip a couple weeks ago and it’s only about now that I’ve gotten caught up enough on life again to put it into words –

A few months ago I realized few important things: #1. I somehow had acquired a steadily growing list of friends who call the Denver, Colorado area home, #2. I have not been to an NHL game at the Pepsi Center, #3. There are some really good beers coming out of that area, and #4. I’ve never actually been in the mountains.  In 2005 I went on a trip to China that involved some very harrowing bus-driving on some very narrow, very steep, very precarious Chinese roads, but I was actually marginally concerned for my life through most of that jaunt, so I don’t think I really got to take in the actual enormity and beauty of being surrounded by gigantic rock formations sticking up out of the earth.  Anyway, all these realizations turned into a whirlwind planned trip centered around what else but an Avalanche/Red Wings game.

I spent the first few days of the trip in Denver, staying with an old college friend who had to work for much of the time I was there, which gave me a lot of time to explore (and to walk multiple miles & indulge in a lot of day drinking and donuts) downtown Denver.  The first day I was there it snowed literally all day – wet, sloppy snow that soaked immediately through my inappropriately cable knit boots.  Fortunately for me, it literally ALL melted by the middle of the next day, and there were a number of Denver highlights that rendered soggy feet a small price to pay:

• Voodoo Donuts – There’s something to be said for a fritter the size of my face covered in banana, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips consumed slowly over the course of 48 hours (shoutout to college friend Nancy’s roommate for helping me consume a big chunk of this thing and therefore lessening the hatred I felt for myself when I reached the end of the world’s largest donut).

Worth the walk!

That's ONE donut in a half dozen box...

•  The Denver Beer Scene – During my day of wandering I made (accidentally) to The Cheeky Monk, which, while not being a brewery, had a ridiculously enormous selection of Belgian beers to pick from.  Since I had a bit of time to kick back and wait for Nancy to get off of work, I made friends with the bartender, who forcefed (really, I swear) me samples of all kinds of fabulous Belgian quads.  Life was truly good.  That evening we also made it to Epic, River North, Great Divide, and Wynkoop where I ate a burger I could actually not pick up even with two hands and took a picture with a giant gorilla before returning home to finish consuming above mentioned face-sized donut.

Oh, there it is!

First beer of the trip was a Kasteel Rouge. Please, more always.

St. Bernadus ABT 12

Epic!

Do you think they'd let me hug those barrels?

My lady date <3

There's a burger under this somewhere.

After I ate that burger I was sober enough to call a Lyft ride, and to do this.

• Denver City Park – Feeling slightly gross but also really awake the next morning, I crawled out of bed (couch) to watch the sun rise, at which point Nancy and I each realized each other was awake and decided to set out on a brisk morning run to get over the last twinges of hangover (and to work off the damn donut).  What I did not know was that it was going to be GORGEOUS.  I love exercise but I hate running – but if it looked like this every time I did it, I could be more often convinced.

Denver City Park after dawn.

• Blue Sushi – Shout out to literally the best vegetarian sushi roll I have EVER had.  After a quick bus ride downtown (during which I FINALLY saw mountains!!!!), I met up with Nanc and another friend for a quick lunch.  I love sushi but I feel like I always get the same things (lots and lots and l o o o o t s of raw salmon), so I decided to mix it up and get their lunch sashimi/sushi combo, which meant I DID get raw salmon, but I also got to pick a roll & I ended up going with the “Eden Roll,” which was sweet potato tempura topped with edamame hummus, a sun dried tomato, and a drizzle of olive oil.  I’m not usually an all-veggie sushi style girl, but hot damn. Hot. Damn.  (The weirdest part was it was really that little bit of olive oil that just pulled it all together into actual bliss in my mouth – never would have expected that!)

Eden indeed...

• Jagged Mountain Tequila Barrel Aged Porter – That happened.  Never would have put those flavors together.  Someone is clearly smarter at beer than me.

That Whiskey Voodoo Goat was nothing to scoff at, either.

• The Pepsi Center – First off, let me tell you something: Colorado is apparently the home of lost, misplaced, relocated Michiganders.  You know how at the Joe when there’s a Canadian team in town (especially when it’s the poor, woe begotten Maple Leafs), the crowd is literally 50/50 Wings fans & opposing team fans?  That’s how the Pepsi Center was. That’s how the arena-adjacent bar before the game was.  That’s how the streets of Denver the entire afternoon prior to the game were. Detroit jerseys EVERYWHERE, Detroit fans cheering, Detroit fans drowning out the Colorado fans, Detroit fans laughing forever when for some reason Roy thought it was the most intelligent decision to pull his goalie with 3 minutes remaining in a 1-0 game and give the Wings the opportunity to score not one but TWO empty net goals.  Thanks for the memories, Pepsi Center; you’re a beauty.

Soooo much red and white!

Detroit vs. Everybody <3

 

And then it was time to say goodbye to Denver and hop on the road (literally out of the parking structure and on the freeway in like ten minutes – you got a lot to learn, Detroit) to Fort Collins while deconstructing poor pop radio and contemplating how much beer was going to be consumed in the next 48 hours…