Denver and Boulder

On Monday, I flew from Atlanta to Denver. It was incredibly windy when I arrived. I had to walk out to my car, parked in the economy lot, and it was in section W (i.e., all the way to the far end). I walked it with my two bags, right through a headwind. It took me 20 minutes, and when I arrived at my car, I had dust, rocks, and all sorts of schmutz all over me.

Anyway, Sharon and David, my cousins in Denver, recommended that I spend a couple of hours at High Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver. I've only ever done High Tea once before, in New Orleans a year ago. But this time, instead of appearing in a dress and looking cute, I appeared in jeans and sandals, with my hair blown into a rat's nest and dust all over my face. Fortunately, the folks at the Brown Palace didn't scold me too badly, and I enjoyed scones, clotted cream, tea, and pastries, all while listening to a harpist. The hotel is gorgeous, with a stained glass roof so that the light shines down onto the atrium where the tea is held. As much as I might be tempted to make fun of such a "ladies who lunch" type of event, I have to admit, it is a lovely way to spend an afternoon....

Later that day, I met up with David and Sharon. They are always so much fun, and this visit was no exception. I stayed with them for two days, and I had a wonderful time seeing them and re-meeting their children, Rachel and Jacob, who are now 30 and 27, respectively. (The last time I saw them, they were 16 and 13!)

I also went to Lookout Mountain yesterday, to the Buffalo Bill Museum. Although I was doubtful at first, I must admit it was pretty interesting. I never knew (a) that Buffalo Bill was a performer, (b) that he performed with Sitting Bull, (c) that he discovered and performed with Annie Oakley, (d) that he died impoverished due to poor business dealings -- even though his Wild West act performed all over North America and Europe and made him a fortune, and (e) that there was controversy regarding where he should be buried. (He apparently stated that he wanted to be buried at Lookout Mountain, but the folks of Cody, Wyoming wanted him buried there, since he founded that community.) His grave is on Lookout Mountain, and after his wife died and was buried there too, they covered the entire gravesite with concrete so that the folks from Wyoming couldn't come and steal the body....

I also never knew that he originally was awarded a Medal of Honor for his work as an army scout during the Indian Wars, but that it was later rescinded because he was not in the military! Even more interesting, though -- the medal was then reinstated years and years after his death.

The pictures above were all taken at Lookout Mountain. The first is the plaque at Buffalo Bill's gravesite. The second and third were taken during a walk that I took after leaving the museum, and just show the view from the mountain. The final picture shows Golden, Colorado in the foreground (you can see the Coors plant between the two mesas), with Denver in the background.

Today I left Denver and drove to Boulder. I took a hike this morning with Karen (a friend of Barbara's, my yoga teacher, who offered to house me here in Boulder), and then we went to a yoga class. This afternoon, I went to the Pearl Street Mall and wandered around all the shops and restaurants, and just enjoyed seeing the city. Boulder has some reminders of Austin, for sure (think dreadlocks, multiple piercings, baja shirts, and lots and lots of weed), but has many upscale shops and art galleries amidst the crystal/smoke/Nepalese shops. Oh, and mountains. Can't forget the mountains....

Just one disppointment, which is not unique to Boulder: here I was, in this incredibly picturesque scenery, among all these interesting independent stores, and what did I find? The Cheesecake Factory. And Old Chicago, Chico's, Ben & Jerry's, Haagen-Dazs, Paradise Bakery, Starbucks, Prana, and Patagonia. Why, oh why, must there be chain stores and restaurants everywhere? Is no town allowed to be unique anymore? So sad.