Our Second Adventure

Boyfriend and I went on our second hike last weekend. My goal is to go on one hike every weekend. We'll see how long it lasts, but so far we're 2 for 2.

Mesa Trail

Boyfriend and I took off on Monday (Labor Day) morning for Eldorado Springs for our second hike. We stopped by the trail head to find out which trail(s) to follow. This area has a ton of trails that meet up with each other, so you can choose how many miles you want to hike and then find a combination of trails that will make it work for you. The main trail we followed was called the Mesa Trail, but we actually followed Homestead Trail up the foothill (What I consider to be a mountain the locals here call foothills. Apparently the mountains are the really, really big ones behind the foothills), met up with Mesa Trail and followed Mesa Trail back down.

The trail head warned us that we were in rattlesnake country. Prairie rattlesnakes to be specific. They apparently habitat in abandoned prairie dog holes. If we get bit, don't panic and seek medical attention immediately and "do not attempt to suck out the venom via another person's mouth!" I want to know who thought that would be a good idea!

In addition to rattlesnakes, there are also black bears and mountain lions in the area. A list of what to do should you come across one of these animals followed. It had crossed my mind that this may not be the smartest or safest place to hike, but the large number of people that seemed to be hiking in the area convinced me that the black bear and mountain lion sightings must be somewhat rare. Otherwise, I don't think the trails would have been so popular. So, on we went.

A view from the beginning of the trail leading into the foothill

Officially in the foothills, the trail continues upward

A view of "Devil's Thumb"

One of the many views along the way

View of the city from the peak of our trail. Other trails continue much higher up the foothill, but we're new at this, so we decided not to get too carried away just yet.

The trails we followed totaled a distance of about 3 miles. I give Boyfriend a props for putting up with my constant stopping along the way to take pictures. He was very patient. Finally, we made it back to the car. We looked back at what we had just hiked only to be surprised by....

Smoke! A wildfire had started off in the distance!

We were completely shocked to see a big cloud of smoke (I suppose most people would be). Our first thought was, "It's not supposed to storm today! Then we realized what was going on. I think we were in awe for a few minutes because neither of us had never seen a wildfire before, at least not in person and we never really expected to see one. Also, we had a view of the edge of that foothill for a good portion of the hike and the sky was bright blue with not even one cloud in the sky the whole time we were hiking. In fact, here is a picture of the same view maybe 20 minutes earlier...

Notice the clear blue sky - minutes later it would be filled with a huge cloud of smoke

It was another great day for hiking and another great trail! More to come later on the wildfire.

I leave you with one question that Boyfriend and I have been debating on since starting the trail. Would you rather come across a black bear or a mountain lion while hiking and why?

I would much rather come across a black bear, because they are not naturally aggressive unless provoked, startled, or if you are between a cub and it's mother. Otherwise, it they hear you coming they usually leave the area to avoid humans. Boyfriend, however, is on the side of the mountain lion claiming they'd be easier to fight against since they weigh so much less than a bear.

Happy Trails

One of the adventures I have been looking forward to most since moving to Colorado is hiking on the numerous trails Colorado has to offer. Finally, 2 weekends ago, Boyfriend and I got off our butts and took off early in the morning for our first hike!

Horsethief Falls

Our first trip was to Divide, CO. Divide is a small town about half an hour west of Colorado Springs. It took about 2 hours to drive there (which was completely my bad, it did not look like a 2 hour drive when I was looking at the tiny map on my computer), but at least the scenery was nice to look at. From the time we left the house to the time we arrived, the temperature had dropped approximately 20 degrees. We had gone up in elevation during the drive, but neither of us had realized just how much higher we actually were. We finally found the trail head which is a sign indicating the beginning of the trail and it provided information including a trail map, animals/plants we might see along the way, precautions, and rules/regulations of the trail.

The worth-the-drive view directly across the street from the start of the trail.

Wow. There are no words for how ridiculously worn out I felt only a couple minutes into the trail! The thin air in higher altitudes is no joke! I was huffing and puffing and feeling ridiculous for being so tired so early in the hike. At the same time, though, it felt great! I was out there, in the fresh air, in nature, taking advantage of all Colorado has to offer me and it was so beautiful! I think I've discovered one of my new favorite hobbies!

A couple minutes into the hike, lovin' nature

So, the trail started off pretty tough. It was labeled as a "moderate" hike. Luckily for us out of shape, not used to the thin air, new to hiking "adventurists", it was only a steep incline for about half the hike and then leveled off making the remainder of the hike nice and relaxing stroll through the woods. There were a couple of spots throughout the trail that gave some nice open views.

The first opening in the woods with a random pond

The second opening in the woods - beautiful!

The majority of the trail was alongside a tiny stream and it ended at a cute little waterfall! When I say waterfall, I literally mean and small amount of water, dropping only a couple of yards. But it still worth it to see. We were told by a coulple we ran into that where we were standing for these pictures taken below was approximately 10,000 feet above sea-level. We (I) putzed around for a while taking pictures before turning around and heading back to the car.

The very small white-ish "drip" in the middle of this shop is the waterfall

Close up of the waterfall with the sun peaking through the trees

Weekend Update

The Milwaukee Brewers were in town, so we had to hit up a few of the games! We left as soon as I got home from clinic on Friday and headed for the lightrail. For $7.00 round trip, it sure beats dealing with traffic and paying for parking downtown. We made it to our seats (in the nose-bleed section) just in time for the game to start. It was a good game, but unfortunately, Brewer's lost. Coors Field is a nice ball park though. All the seats are angled towards home plate and the Rockie's fans are civil! Of course the random "Brewer's suck!" comments are expected, but that was the extent of the hassling we got from the home team fans.

Sweet hat some girl we met at Swanky's made.

On Saturday, we went back for more! Another night game, and another ride on the lightrail. This time the Brewer's walked away with a WIN! Ready to celebrate, we headed to Swanky's! Swanky's is a sweet Packer bar just down the road from Coors Field. There was Packer paraphernalia everywhere, and it was packed with Brewer fans after the game, AND some Brewer's themselves. None of them were familiar to me though (in other words, they were not the hot shots). We had a fantastic waitress who served me what might be the greatest drink ever... a dreamsicle. So delish, and they were on special... so I had several! Probably the most awesome part of Swanky's is their "No Brett Favre" rule. They took down all things Brett Favre related from their wall and no Brett Favre jerseys are allowed. HA! There was actually a guy there who was wearing a Favre jersey, and they made him turn it inside out in order to enter. What do you think? Best rule ever? I think so too!

We won! Go Brewers!

Finally, on Sunday, I did nothing (with the exception of driving to T-Bell for some greasy awesomeness), and it was wonderful! The Brew-Crew did have one more afternoon game, but we are too poor to do 3 in a row I guess.

The "don't walk" sign we saw on the way to/from the game

(I know... inappropriate... but also kinda funny)

Anyone else do something fun this weekend?

Exploring Colorado

The parents came a long way to help us get settled into our new place, so we couldn't have all work and no play! We took a break to enjoy a few day trips and check out the area while they were still here.

Trip #1: Coors Brewery

I guess we couldn't resist the urge to "tap the Rockies" so we headed for Golden, CO. We had a long wait outside in the blistering heat before making it onto the shuttle to get to the brewery tour (perhaps that's why I actually drank my free samples). It is one of those self-guided tours where you listen to a pre-recorded audio, allowing you to go through the brewery at your own pace. About half way through, they tease you with a small cup of Coors, or Coors Light. At the end of the tour, the give you up to three free samples. I had Blue Moon with an orange slice, Honey Moon Summer Ale, and straight up Coors Light. Not too bad if you ask me, but if you ask anyone else in our group, coors beer is only ok. It must be the fresh, natural mountain water they make the beer with that does it for me.