The great outdoors is all very well, but in the wilderness there are plenty of things ready to bite, scratch, and sting you, and a distinct lack of free wi-fi and good cappuccino.
This being the case, today Hannah and I decided to keep our hiking activities urban. Replacing a backpack full of waterproofs and extra socks for one filled with laptops and reading matter, we strode from out hotel and up to the University of Colorado campus (via Safeway to pick up some sensitive toothpaste).
The Uni here is really nice, a large campus with plenty of trees and green space. Unlike Berkeley's eclectic mix of architecture, everything pleasingly matches in local red stone. It was the students' first day back. We crossed from one end to the other, ignoring the Christian Union that was handing out free water and marvelling at the skin tone of people old enough to attend university these days. Were we ever that young?
We made it into town and found a nice coffee shop (good cappuccino, free wi-fi) where we caught up on a few e-mails and read more about England's stunning cricket victory before a picnic lunch in the park. It was here that the thunder started, and as the huge, heavy drops began to fall we got on a bus and sped back to the hotel.
But the quiet life isn't for us! A cup of tea later (imaginatively made in the coffee machine) and we were out again. The rain had let up, but the humidity was stifling. Undeterred we made our way back into town along the Boulder Creek Trail.
After two hours of walking, Hannah commented that perhaps we should have checked the distance before setting off. Another half-hour and Boulder's downtown came relievingly into sight. Legs that have had far too much asked of them finally gave way and we stumbled into a conveniently placed Asian bistro where, as if by magic, they served kiwi fruit margaritas...
Wildlife of the urban landscape.
At Cal we have bears, here they have a buffalo (what's the difference between a buffalo and a bison...?)
You should have come to Haas! Maybe you weren't admitted.
Mmm. Something you don't see on a mountain.
Lunch in the park before the deluge.
Another day, another trail.
Don't go into the light Hannah!
Just like a walk in the English countryside...but with added mountains.
A friendly local.
Rest stop. By now we needed it.
Some people have even more time on their hands than me!
Isn't it easier just to spray your name on the wall?
Thai dumplings and a kiwi margarita - the best things about urban living.
