Getting to the Rockies

We can go ahead and get this out of the way: Nebraska is boring. Tons of corn on a flat ground. I think we went over a hill once or twice and ran into some construction, so that was exciting.

It took about six hours, but we eventually crossed into Colorado. It was an immediate difference as it seemed like we started to make a slight incline as we approached the Rockies. Eastern Colorado is beautiful with a lot of different ranches and open space that isn't like Nebraska.

On our way to Boulder, everybody was hoping to be the first to see the Rockies. I think somebody thought they saw them about two hours out, but it was merely just a cloud. That happened a lot. However, by about an hour outside Boulder, we could make out the mountains in the distance. They weren't really snow-covered anymore, which is to be expected in July, but they are massive. We couldn't believe how they just kept getting bigger and bigger as we approached Boulder.

As we got close to Boulder, Ethan hopped on his phone to find something to do when we got there. Avery Brewing was doing a free tour at 4 pm (mountain time) and we were scheduled to arrive at 3:50. So, despite looking like we just drove for eight hours straight, we pulled up to the brewery, and made it in time for the tour.



After the tour, we were all ready for some food and headed into downtown Boulder. We got a recommendation for where to eat called Rio de Grande, and it lived up to the hype. Cara and I ended up getting the same exact thing: three tacos and we split an appetizer.

The food was just what we needed to walk around Boulder for an hour or so. Rio de Grande was only a block from the Pearl Street Mall, which is a staple of Boulder. We walked into a few shops, but we really were just taking in the atmosphere. There was an outdoor concert going on called Bands on the Bricks with a lot of people just packed around the mall enjoying the folk music.

By about 7 pm, we figured we could head out to Black Hawk, a small mountain town in the Rockies about an hour outside Boulder and Denver. It has an elevation of over 9,000 feet, and we felt it on our trip up the mountain.

These are a few photos from our drive to Black Hawk:

This is from a scenic stop point outside Boulder. I'd estimate the elevation here to be around 5,000-6,000 feet.

We're staying with one of our friend's aunt in an amazing, scenic house in the mountains. Driving up the mountain was an unforgettable experience. The sun was setting over the Rockies, trees were in full bloom, and we were just winding our way through it all. I couldn't take any photos as I was driving, but I'm sure Cara will eventually share some.

By the time we got to Black Hawk, it was about 8:30 pm, and we were all exhausted. We chatted with Anne Marie and Jim (our gracious hosts) for about an hour before the exhaustion got to us. Sleeping indoors was a nice change from sleeping in a tent during 70 degree nights and humidity. I think we all got close to 10 hours of sleep and feel refreshed.

That's a good thing because we're about to go white water rafting in less than two hours!