Boulder, CO

On Thursday afternoon we pulled into Boulder, CO to begin the extended Colorado portion of our cross country adventure. We also used this day to take care of errands and pick up supplies...namely new running shoes.

As we drove through town on our way to check in at the Boulder International Hostel where we crashed for the night we were both scanning the local businesses for a running store. Being in the Mecca of trail running, mountain biking and outdoor activity we knew one couldn't be far away.

At Boulder Running Company we monopolized the time of a very knowledgeable salesman as we tried on 4-5 different pairs of trail running shoes each. Seth was also in the market for a new road shoe so he took extra time. After test driving a plethora of pairs we made our picks (Seth really wasted the poor guy's time because he ended up buying the same shoes he always wears in a newer model.)

We then took our new kicks out for a trail test with the Boulder Trail Running Club. Seth was a great co-pilot on the drive to Boulder and was feverishly searching on his iPhone for all sorts of cool stuff for us to do in Boulder. He found this trail running club that has Happy Hour runs on Thursdays. We joined the group for a 45 minute run on local trails followed by dinner and $2 beers at a local Nepali restaurant called Sherpa's. We met great folks and ate delicious food.

Years ago when I was in grad school at AU I attended a workshop out here with the Colorado School Mediation Project and had been recommended to try the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse. After dinner Seth and I walked to the teahouse for dessert and tea.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan is Boulder's sister city. To celebrate the establishment the sister city ties more than 40 artisans in several cities of Tajikistan created the decorative elements of the Teahouse from 1987 -1990, including its hand-carved and hand-painted ceiling, tables, stools, columns, and exterior ceramic panels. The entire teahouse was constructed in Dushanbe, then disassembled, crated and shipped to Boulder where it was reassembled. We sat outside last night along a gurgling stream and sipped vanilla nut rooibos herbal tea and tangerine ginger bread. Seth, not being much for tea,
had a glass of wine instead.

On our walk back to the Hostel we passed what can only be described as an impromptu bicycle rave at the band shell of a town park. 30-50 bicyclists had gathered after dark with glow sticks stuck in their spokes and jammed to 70's style tunes. Seth even spotted a couple unicycles.

Boulder is the quintessential college town and we stayed right in the heart of it. Coffee shops and tattoo parlors abound in this haven for people watching. We were passed on the road by an old BMW convertible packed with 19 year-old guys whose license plate read "OOHYEAH". The windows of our hostel room faced Sigma Pi's fraternity house. I had forgotten what a party night Thursdays were in college.

I must admit that we are reveling in the excellent coffee this morning, after weeks of the signature gas station blend, as we prepare to head south to The Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak, which we will climb tomorrow. I, for one, am snickering at the young students sipping their morning lattes over a calculus text book. It is good to be done with that...wait a second...