Boulder, CO

My new job took me to Boulder, Colorado last week. I liked it. Felt somehow like a small college town to me - though there are 260,000 residents in the Boulder Metro Area. Sadly, since this was a two day business trip, I could not bring one of my bikes or snowboard - the near-miss on snowboarding being the real tragedy for me. I've never spent any time near any mountains in my whole life. The only places I've boarded are hills right around my Wisconsin home. So for me to travel to Boulder and see the Rocky Mountains - the honest-to-God Rocky Mountains - seemed a little like being a "Seeing Eye Dog" in a steakhouse...you know you are there just to do your job, but damn, you sure wish you could get a little taste of that delicious Filet Mignon that everyone else is enjoying.

And it seemed like everyone in Boulder was ready to take advantage of the their surroundings. Yakima or Thule cartop carriers abounded - set up either for skis, boards or bikes.

Well, even though our schedule did not permit me get loose in the powder, I wasn't going to visit Boulder and just look at the Rockies. So I got up early on day 2, put on my running shoes and left the hotel heading west. I was a little worried about my fitness level (our unseasonably cold Spring in Wisconsin has conspired to keep me from getting into my running/biking workouts like I had intended) and also worried about the elevation difference, so I jogged at a comfortable pace. As I ran, any fatigue I felt melted away as the sun came over the horizon behind me and lit up my goal in front of me like it was an exquisitely painted backdrop of a 1960's Technicolor film (my only reference for comparison.) I made the 2.5 miles to the foothills of the Rockies in about 25 minutes, and from there I scrambled up the first tall mound in sight. From this dimunitive peak, only 100 or so feet above the city, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had a wonderful view of Boulder below, as it awoke to just another Tuesday morning for so many residents. As I took it all in, I was only mildly disappointed to realize I had left my camera in my hotel room. I'm no photographer anyway - so go google image search Boulder CO to see what I was seeing.

Mission accomplished. I touched the Rockies. And as I bonus: I got into double-digits on my run back, sprinting past one of the many Radar Speed Signs posted on Boulder's neighborhood streets. Next time I visit, I'll make sure it includes a weekend so I can see more of this wonderous place - and hopefully some high-altitude powder.