I had my skis tuned over the weekend, and when I picked them up on Sunday, the young woman who took my money stared at my skis with disdain and said, “Wow, those skis are old. How long have you had them?” “About seven years.” “Wow,” she repeated, and not in a tone...
Day Tripping
PICKING MY OWN FOOD: Raspberry Picking at Berry Patch Farms
The raspberry lets go of the vine with a soft tug. And another, and another. As I move down rows of bowing green bushes dangling plump rubies, the sun drills my neck with the last blast of summer. I’m reconnecting with my food, going a step farther than the farmers...
HIKING MAYHEM GULCH: Centennial Cone Park, near Golden, Colorado
I've had such a busy summer, I've grown adept at finding hikes that get me out of Denver without taking all day. It was the name of this little trail in Centennial Cone Park that grabbed me: Mayhem Gulch. The name is misleading; the trail is reasonably tame, despite...
A CALIFORNIA GIRL AT THE ALASKA STATE FAIR: Cream Puffs, Dead Turtles, and Beach Boys
On one of the closing days of an Alaska summer, my husband and I take his sister and her husband to the State Fair in Palmer. When I lived in the Last Frontier, I enjoyed the fair year after year, even though it’s small – because it’s small. This will be a perfect way...
HIKING TO BLUE LAKE: Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Colorado
The summer hiking season is winding down, but it's still easy to enjoy some great trails well into fall. If you live or travel in the Denver area, you might want to consider one of the hikes I've done lately in Colorado's high country. When I'm not interested in...
HIKING ANNE U. WHITE TRAIL: Fourmile Canyon Creek, Boulder, Colorado
A friend and I wanted to go on a hike, but we were limited on time, so we chose one of my favorite short trails in nearby Boulder, Colorado. For me, the sight and sound of running water along a trail washes away stress like a glass of water quenches thirst. The Anne...
HIKING EAGLE WIND TRAIL – Rabbit Mountain, near Lyons, Colorado
Because I've been busy working on a writing residency, I've kept my recent hikes simple and close to home. If you like to see wildlife, Rabbit Mountain near Lyons, Colorado is a fun choice. The chatty prairie dog town at the trailhead might tempt you to hang out there...
HIKING BIG BLUESTEM LOOP – Boulder, Colorado’s South Mesa Trail
One of my favorite things about Denver is that I don't have to travel far to get away from the city. I recently drove 45 minutes to the South Mesa Trailhead near Eldorado Springs and South Boulder, where I hiked the Big Bluestem Loop. This relatively easy trail...
HIKING BETASSO PRESERVE – Exploring Colorado on Video
Instead of only reading about travel and adventure, how would you like to also see videos that show you fun, beautiful, unusual, relaxing, exciting places to go? I thought so. I have a new camcorder, so every now and then I'll offer you a more active peek at my...
High Tea, Strong Women
Often at Thanksgiving, our family gathers in Los Angeles: my father, his wife, my grandparents, two younger stepsisters, a teenybopper half-sister, and me. (My husband is a jeweler, so he always stays home in Denver to prepare for Black Friday.) But this year, my...