No, You are in Washington…

We made it to Denver…our luggage made it…and most importantly Jess made it to pick us up.  Our travels were fairly uneventful except when we backed away from the gate in Providence—an on time departure—we then were held on the tarmac because of weather and back ups at Dulles (our connecting point).  As a result our 90 minute window of time to make a connection started to get smaller and smaller.  Just because there is bad weather keeping flights from getting in doesn’t mean flights are being delayed getting out—on time departures.


Of course the flight from Providence to Dulles is on a United Express jet so the arrival gate is at the very end of the A Terminal; and the Dulles to Denver flight is on a 777 leaving from—we had already figured this would be the case—almost the furthest gate in the C Terminal.  We hurried through the airport…with the obligatory restroom stop…it must have something to do with the pressure and altitude changes in flying…and made it to the gate as they were announcing, “now boarding all rows and all passengers”.


Just to be sure—since we had just turned a corner and there was the gate—I said to the ticket agent, “This is Denver…right?”


And his answer, fortunately with wry grin was, “No you are in Washington.”


So we flew…we arrived…Jess picked us up…and it was off to her apartment.  With the time zone changes and travel although it was only 8 pm in Denver it felt like 10 pm to us so we had a pizza from a shop nearby and went to bed fairly early…so we could begin the adventure in earnest (actually in Denver) the next day.

Then it was into the car and heading out towards the mountains—we made a stop along the way to get a couple of photos proving we are here…

The next morning, after taking Maggie (Jess’ Labrador) out for some ‘fetch’ and outdoor time, we headed over to meet PJ at his apartment and then to a local restaurant for breakfast.  We ate at Snoozes which specializes in breakfast and the selections were great.

   




Our travels began with a trip to Boulder, CO and the first stop was at the home—and only location—of Celestial Seasoning Tea. 


We sampled teas…saw a video…donned hairnets and took a tour.  No photographs are allowed on the factory floor so nothing to show from the inside.



The aromas were strong—similar to going into the Yankee Candle Store—overwhelming at first, but then you get a little bit use to it.  They have a separate Mint Room where they keep the mint leaves—all from Oregon and Washington—before blending into teas.  The door is kept shut except to get the product and when tour groups go in.  The oils in the air are so strong that you can feel it in your eyes and every breath seems to clear your lungs and sinuses.


The production facility is almost fully automated, but there are many staff there to make sure the equipment is operating correctly and to catch errors that the machinery may miss.  When in full production the plant can produce 10 million tea bags a day.

Our next stop…since it was nearby…was the Boulder Creek Winery.  This is the production facility for this Colorado wine and their vineyards are on the western slopes of Colorado.  The vineyards are in the 4,000 to 7,000 foot range so there is no need for pesticides and the strong sun with cooler nights produces a more Bordeaux-like type of wine.

It was a nice tour and of course we took advantage of the wine tasting.


Since the mountains were nearby, and we knew we would need the exercise, we then drove over to the Chatauqua State Park for a little hiking in the Flat Irons area.  The area is named for the way the rocks rise up and resemble flat irons on end (okay…you do have to use your imagination a little).

 
We hiked up to the base of the Flat Irons and looped around back down to the Ranger Station.  Our planning didn’t include the right shoes or clothing for anything more extended—this trip—but it is an area we will probably explore more on one of our next visits.





When we got back to the base I saw a local trail map at the Ranger Station.  It showed a road up to a nearby peak, so we decided to try and drive up there to enjoy the view.  It turned out that the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was located on this peak so we decided to explore the visitor center.


The Center is housed in a building designed by I.M. Pei—he had an interest in atmospheric research—and overlooks Boulder, CO.  Research is conducted through a partnership with the University Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) to gather data from around the world and study the impacts on the world around us—everything from weather formation and conditions, climate impact, solar activities, and the history of weather in the preceding 150 million years (plus what that tells us about today). 



The visitor center had some great displays, a small theater and great photos of atmospheric phenomena (plus what causes them).  In addition the center houses two of the largest super computers in the world—operating more than a million times faster than the CRAY Supercomputer of the 1970’s.  It was a great happenstance that we stumbled upon the Center…I’d recommend a visit to anyone in the area.


We got back to Denver in time to take a short break and then we headed out for a very nice dinner at Venice Ristorante—a place Cheri had found on-line during our trip planning.  It was a great way to top off our first full day of the visit.


More Adventures to come…