My spirits could not be dampened in Denver. As I strolled through the surprisingly flat town, I could not help sighting cyclists by droves, cruising through town. I am, at my core, an
urban cyclist, seeing it as the most logical and utilitarian use of the vehicle. And so I was overjoyed to find bicycles in Denver piloted by a seemingly representative cross-section of the city's population. Unlike Philly, where only the hip or daring are typically found on bikes (not clad in lycra), here you find an adult, casually dressed, riding a cruiser like he was plucked out of Holland and dropped on the front range.
Often a pang of disappointment at being confined to pedestrian mobility. Easily replaced by the beauty that surrounded me, in a city that felt like it had been built into nature, as though she had opened her arms to let it be. You find yourself forgiving the moonscape downtown, where green was obstinately replaced by gray, for over the shoulder of the tallest skyscraper is the overshadowing mountain range, refusing to be bested.
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| Jason and I probably got started a little too early with our tour of Great Divide Brewery |
Jason, a coworker from Philly, in a fortuitous turn of events, happened to be working in Denver during my visit and tromped around the city with me. An afternoon will pass unobserved with the exchange of words over a few rounds of beer. Denver may be known for its beautiful location, but the sheer number of local micro-brews may be just as important. It is certain, at least, that they compliments each other.
I rendezvoused with Emily at Golder's Denver office, where I presented my case for a future position. They seemed to find me mildly curious, a lukewarm impression for a casual interview so we'll see how that all turns out. In the mean time, my travels are of greater importance. Boulder has much over Denver in terms of location, but it did not stir the same passionate drive in me as Denver had. Perhaps in my mind, the college town is dismissed as artificial, compared to a city with its economic dynamism and cultural capacity. An eight-hour hike into the surrounding mountains confirmed that my arm was still broken and it voiced its annoyance by swelling to a cartoon version of itself. So I decided that I will restrict my hikes to two hours until I have surgery to fix my arm.
Sun Valley, Idaho was a brilliant half-way point to Seattle. Next to Sawtooth National Forest, among the snow-capped peaks, Emily's old friend has a family home bordering the park. The temperature stands in stark contrast to the 'lowlands' of Denver and so we opted for a drive through the mountain range instead of a hike (and I figured I ought to give my broken arm a rest before Seattle). Again, I admit that my photos and words fail to express the beauty of this region.
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| The Gulf admires the view |
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| A solitary rain cloud. |
My spirits could not be dampened in Denver. As I strolled through the surprisingly flat town, I could not help sighting cyclists by droves, cruising through town. I am, at my core, an urban cyclist, seeing it as the most logical and utilitarian use of the vehicle. And so I was overjoyed to find bicycles in Denver piloted by a seemingly representative cross-section of the city's population. Unlike Philly, where only the hip or daring are typically found on bikes (not clad in lycra), here you find an adult, casually dressed, riding a cruiser like he was plucked out of Holland and dropped on the front range. 
Often a pang of disappointment at being confined to pedestrian mobility. Easily replaced by the beauty that surrounded me, in a city that felt like it had been built into nature, as though she had opened her arms to let it be. You find yourself forgiving the moonscape downtown, where green was obstinately replaced by gray, for over the shoulder of the tallest skyscraper is the overshadowing mountain range, refusing to be bested.
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