A Whirlwind Weekend- a little of everything- July 15-18th, 2011

Where did we go?
        Better question- where didn't we go?

       Our weekend began on the Boulder Res.  From there we hit up Erie (which we affectionately refer to as Wyoming it is so far north of the city), back to Denver, through Winter Park to Granby.  From Granby, we headed north through Kremling, to Rabbit Ears Pass and onto Steamboat Springs!  And that is just in 3 short days and just over one full tank of gas.

Double Rainbow in Granby

Ziggy and Waldo in the Columbine field

What did we do?
          Boulder Res- Wakeboarding with Justin Meyer, Peter Matranga, and Tim
           Erie- Dinner with good, good friends!
           Granby- Basic Kneads Wedding at the YMCA of the Rockies- Congrats to Elly and Chris!
           Rabbit Ears Pass-  Camped
           Steamboat Springs- Biked, Soaked, Picniced, Camped, Ate, Celebrated!

Strawberry Park Hotsprings

Playlist/Song of the trip: Good Life- One Republic
                                     Beautiful People- Chris Brown featuring Benny Bennassi

Pose of the trip- Savasana-  this trip provided a well earned and needed respite to a very busy week.  Mostly, we (I, Christen) tried to let go and surrender.

Mountain Biking Reviews:
Day 1: Spring Creek- begins just outside the town of Steamboat.  Mostly super wide, smooth singletrack.  About 5 miles to the top and same 5 miles back down.
This is Christen's favorite ride!  It can be a challenging climb for beginning bikers, but elements such as lots of rocks and roots, are not a factor.  There are a couple of unavoidable stream crossings, most are bridged over though.  Although quite "easy" for technical biker, Joel, this trail offers a few tough sections and jumpable rollers- so Joel is usually pretty well entertained.  Be sure to stop and enjoy this one.  It can be a scorcher in the summer heat, so take breaks, dip your toes in the water, and watch the clouds at the top of the climb- afternoon storms seem to be quite common.  The best feature of this ride are the bike tall flowers and ferns as you race through aspen groves.  5 STARS!!!
Day 2: What we will refer to Upper Spring Creek- right out of the Dry Lake Campground-  This is narrow, but smooth singletrack.  We rode for only about 2 miles, but in drier years, this trail probably goes on for quite a while.
This ride can be described in 3 sections-  first .75 miles- smooth, flat, beautiful, narrow ride. second .5 miles- mosquito breeding grounds- mud pit.  third .5 miles- incredible simple climb beside river.  At mile 2 the river was raging and was impassable.  Definitely a good trail for couples during drier seasons/years!  3.5 STARS- a bit of potential...

What did we eat?
             When we camp, we usually save money compared to our weekends at home.  We eat many meals at the campsite, on the tailgate of the Tacoma, and on the trail.  Our favorite repeat meals include- Egg in a Hole, Breakfast and Dinner Burritos, Grilled Cheese off the fire, Lots of Strawberries (even the dogs eat them), and old reliable, PB&J.
              On this trip we also journeyed into town for one outstanding meal at Winona's Restaurant.  They have cute (usually full) tables outside and an outstanding lunch menu for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.  The service was great and the food was event better.

Highs and Lows:
         Highs- celebrating two incredible years together doing some of our simple favorite things
         Lows- a small toss up- either arriving at Rabbit Ears pass at 2am or the "skeeters"- mosquitoes everywhere!