Arches National Park (Week 1 of Roadtrip)

Breakfast at our campsite- thanks to the Biolite Stove!

Panoramic of our campsite just southwest of Moab, UT

^ Balancing rocks and warm sunlight.

^ Love these vibrant desert flowers.

^ Hiking to see Delicate Arch

 ^ See the video below...

This was the road with tons of rock-climbers. We also camped near here.

^ Inside Arches National Park... Hiked up to see Delicate Arch.

^ Fantastic view of several arches from atop a rock hill.

^ Cacti and their flowers

^ I felt so small standing near this huge rock formation

^ Welcome Centre- where we filled up about 5 gallons/day for free :)

^ Sunset at Arches

Sunday morning coffee overlooking mountain ranges on [almost] all sides... Makes the job/apartment/life'spurpose search all the more enjoyable.

Back in the C O

I am finally back in Colorado after 5 long (yet fun!) weeks of traveling. We saw so many interesting places, and my Books To Read list has gotten a lot longer -- how can I not read written works by John Muir and John Wesley Powell after traveling through so many historic places in Utah and California?

And, I'm proud to say, the trip was done on an extraordinary budget, especially considering some of the cities we visited- namely Los Angeles and San Francisco, where one could easily drop two grand on a long weekend.

I'm in the process of editing some pictures (the task of sorting through 2500+ photos is a job in itself!) and then I will subsequently upload the best of the best. :)

Until then, here is a picture from this morning's short hike with the pup.

Such a beautiful time-lapse video... watch it in 1080/HD!

Boulder & CO Springs

~ BOULDER ~

^ Fiske Planetarium, learning about the world!     ^ Boulder Reservoir

Unfortunately I had to drop Chase off at the airport, cutting our time in Boulder short. Many prayers go out to his family as his grandma is hospitalized. Thankfully I have a former coworker from the Alpine Club living in Denver now, so we hung out for a few days. That first night we went downtown with her boyfriend and one of his friends (in town visiting for the Cannabis Cup, lol) and had a BLAST playing beer pong and bar hopping. Love you, Carley!! The next day we escaped the city and drove south. Here are some photos from our day-trip to Colorado Springs, which was just over an hour south of Denver.

~ COLORADO SPRINGS ~

^ view of the "garden" from the visitors' centre

^ planting seeds with Carley :)

^ Garden of the Gods... Colorado Springs, CO

^ climbing some rock-o's in my chacos

^ exploring the western part of the park

Next Monday is the anticipated start date of our road trip to Utah, Nevada, and California... So I'll be sure to post some updates from that trip!! :) Until then, I'm just hanging out in Vail. x

Love, Nature, and Yoga

"Love is a force that blurs the line between where we end and others begin. It allows us to sacrifice some of our own pleasures and desires for the well-being of another. Ego does just the opposite. It hardens the line between where we end and where others begin. It disconnects us from how we affect others and keeps us focused on our own needs. When we are in the presence of something truly beautiful in nature, whether it be the night sky, an ancient tree, the seemingly infinite ocean horizon, we feel so small. This smallness means that we are not trapped inside our own egos anymore. We are a part of nature and not apart from it. In this process of shrinking the ego, we sense not just at the head level but at the heart level that there is a joyous interconnection between us and all life. In this process a profound love awakens. What I have learned is that by seeking stillness in nature our deepest heart becomes clear."


- Eoin Finn, Blissology yoga

Vail Closing Day 4/20

^ who stops chair 4? kayla does! rawr!

^ pano at top of 4... costumes galore!

^ closing day party

^ this bear had too many easter shots

Denver Trip

I was so blessed to travel back to Denver with my father, who is a Delta Diamond member. He gave me his first class seat, which made my trip soooo much better! (He was only a row or two behind me, lol). He and a small group of his co-workers from NPN were gathering in downtown Denver for an annual strategy meeting. My dad was gracious enough to let me sleep on his pull-out couch so that I could explore Denver on a budget for a few days. We stayed at The Curtis, which is a Hilton Doubletree boutique hotel, with quite a unique theme. Here are a few pictures (from the internet, not my own) to give you an idea of the decor/atmosphere.

Lobby of The Curtis

Street View & Denver Performing Arts Center

My friend/co-worker from Splendido, Kayla, was in Denver for two days, so I went happy hour bar-hopping with her and Cat, a new friend. We checked out Adrift (a tiki bar with delicious blended drinks) and several others I can't recall the names of. After a home-cooked steak dinner with Cat's boyfriend, I headed back to the hotel. The next day, after traipsing around the city on foot, I met up with my dad and his coworkers for a few hours of go-karting in Morrison, CO. What a freaking blast!! We had to "suit up" and everything! As they headed to Larimer Square for a fancy steak dinner, I met up with some friends from university, Bri and Ryan, who have been living in Denver for about a year. We had tacos at a trendy (and busy!) bar and I really enjoyed catching up with them. :)

After my dad flew home, I met up with Chase and we headed to Boulder, CO, where the University of Colorado's main campus is. It's super expensive to stay there (we learned the hard way) but we found a somewhat reasonable place with a really cool indoor pool and hot tub. We explored the campus, toured the Celestial Seasonings factory/HQ, walked around the Boulder Reservoir, and spent time driving around to marvel at the Flatiron Mountain range. Next time we're here I definitely want to spend several days hiking and biking, as this is a MECCA for outdoor enthusiasts!!!

Yorktown Photos (part I)

Wrapping Up the Season

What's new in my life: Well, I'm finishing up my jobs here in Beaver Creek, CO... and it's bittersweet but probably only because I have a tendency to look at the past with rose-coloured lenses. I'm actually super glad to be done with these seasonal-type jobs and move on to something more rewarding and purposeful. I've met some really awesome people this season out here, I've had some good days on the mountain, but I've also experienced a lot of "down" days/weeks filled with challenges of all kinds.

I started reading for pleasure again, now that I'll have more time to sit out in the sun with a good book. Currently I'm reading The Zahir by Paul Coelho, who also wrote The Alchemist (which I'm pretty sure I highlighted HALF that book, it's that good!). Anyway, it's a great read so far that has given me a lot to think about. Especially about love.

I fly out of Denver on Tuesday, so hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to ski Vail the entire day (and not stress about organising the mess that is my car and what the freaking hell I'm doing with my life this summer and beyond). Running used to be my go-to stress relief but for some reason I let myself get complacent. It's about time I throw on my Nikes and get some fresh, heart-pumping air.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the past week or two. The snow is starting to melt at the base of the mountains, which the locals call the start of the Mud Season.

^ walking in Minturn's Nordic park with Brotis :)

^ polishing silverware with coworkers at Splendido

^ view of Avon, CO, from Beaver Creek Landing