June 22-23: Boulder, CO

For many year I wanted to live in Boulder, but had never been there.  I just new I would love it.  So, it was with some trepidation that I approached the city on my first visit.  I have been grappeling with the decision of what to do next career-wise.  The hiccup seems to be that I have become specialized in salmon and I love being in the mountains, yet the two don't co-exist much in the lower 48.  With this in mind, I was worried that Boulder would steel my heart... and rightly so.  Situated just below the Flatirons or Rockies front range only 45 minutes from Denver and being a vibrant progressive pocket, as I feared, I could find little not to love.

The scenery is dramatic.  I love the way the Flatirons rise upward in a great wave like swoop from the flat grasslands.  I love the proximity to the mountains.  I love the vibrancy, the sense of community, the restaurants, and much, much more.

View of Boulder and the front range from Chataqua Park

The first Flatirons

I met my dear friend Lorraine for lunch at "The Med".  Lorraine moved out of Alaska a few months before I did and it was so great to reconnect!  I was planning on camping for the evening to enjoy some much needed space, but Lorraine offered me a room at her place (actually her partner Tim's place) which was too good to pass up.  I didn't realize how much I missed having quality "girlfriend" time.

One of the pleasures of my trip across the US has been spending time rekindling relationships with family and friends.  I feel blessed to have so many great people in my life and so many who bent over backwards to take me in.

After lunch, Lorraine showed me downtown Boulder.  We strolled along Pearl St and there I saw all my favorite retailers.  I went to a used bookstore and exchanged my audiobooks for new ones to keep me company on the drive to Oregon.

At Lorraine's, Recommendation, I hiked in Chataqua park.  It is a free public park in Boulder that encompasses the first Flatirons.  I only had 50 minutes to hike, but I was enraptured.  It is by far the coolest park of any city I have ever been in.

I met my friend Brett, whom I met in Torres del paine, Chile, and his girlfriend Jennifer at the farmer's market. Later we sat on the grass in front of the courthouse and listened to live music on Pearl St.  I am in love!  With Boulder, that is.  If only I could support myself here, I think I could live happily ever after.

View of the Rockies from the First Flatiron

I went back to Lorraine's and we had another nice visit over a bottle of wine; sleep came easily and heavily that night.

In the morning, Lorraine and lazed around with good coffee and good conversation.  Eventually I headed back to Chataqua Park to finish the hike I started the day before.  It felt so good to be close to the mountains again.  I felt the endorphins wash away all the stresses that had been mounting concerning my future and the mountain energy cleared my mind of all but the most positive of thoughts.