This past weekend I traveled to Colorado, as you probably know from reading my last post. I am happy to say, I made it back in one piece and can officially cross it off my bucket list. I had the time of my life.

The first day I got there my cousin and I went brewery hopping. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I tried some great beers. We went to a brewery where there were 100 beers on tap. So crazy! I also went to my first dispensary. It wasn't the best experience, the guy was kind of rude. But it was definitely weird, to say the least. They had gummies, regular weed, cookies and so much more. Everything was in walking distance, it was great. I loved how everyone is so active out there. Another thing I noticed about the area is they have so many man made lakes. They have no swimming signs because the water isn't filtered naturally like the lakes here in New England.

The next day we drove up to Boulder to watch the University of New Hampshire football team play the Colorado University of Boulder. Prior to the game we went to this cute restaurant called "The Sink", if you are ever in the area, you need to go. It's a fun sports bar with great food. I wore my UNH t-shirt and it was a conversation piece to say the least. The drunk college "men" had some not so nice words, but hey, what did I expect going into the rivals territory? There were more UNH people at the game than I expected. By the sounds of it, they were mostly alumni that had moved out west. At the game I was able to see old friends from high school and cousins that I haven't seen in about 10 years. It was so great to re-connect.

Sunday morning I walked 15 minutes up to the main street and walked around the farmer's market. I found a hidden gem, a cute little coffee shop that After my cousin and I drove up Guanella Pass and it was absolutely breathtaking. The summit of Guanella Pass is 11,760 feet. The whole way up my ears were popping, as I was in awe of Colorado's beauty. Some of the trees were just beginning to change to a gold color for the fall season. The pass brought us out over a small town called Georgetown. We jumped on I-70 and cruised down to Idaho Springs (don't be fooled by the name, we were still in CO) to have a beer at Westward Bound and Down Brewery. I got a chicken sandwich and it was to die for.

Monday morning I drove myself across the city to the Botanical Gardens and enjoyed the beautiful flowers. From Japanese gardens to cacti, and more, I loved each exhibit. I went back to the main street from the day before to do some shopping at the little boutiques. I found the most comfortable socks and I will never wear any other socks ever again. Overall, my trip to Colorado was everything I could have hoped for. New memories, a new liking for beer, quality time with family and so many amazing views. Colorado, you treated me so well, but I'm happy to be back in Durham.

Talk soon! XX