Sunday I tried to meet a Meetup group at Red Rocks but missed them because it wasn't clear where exactly we were meeting, and I admit to not allowing time enough to search all parking lots and the damn pavilion. It was a Sunday. So I missed out on a 2 mile hike with 25 people. One other hiker was looking around for the same group, a red headed vice principle from Jersey. She was fouled-mouthed and good company for a quick 1.4 mile walk.
I met Justin in Boquete, Panama, this winter at Habla Ya, the spanish language school I attended for 2 weeks. After hanging out in Bocas del Toro for a week I decided to meet Justin in Costa Rica to spent 3 weeks at Finca Bella Vista working in exchange for a free place to stay.
Sometimes we took pics with his phone when I didn't have or forgot my nikon. This is us in an old gutted truck in a bar, Crash 45, during our custom made pub crawl last Saturday. 
This is Lost Creek & Goose Creek loop. A total of 28 miles. 3 blocks loosely equals 2 miles as the crow flies. The elevation varied between 9,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level. We spent 2 nights. It's the longest and most strenuous backpacking venture I've been on. I melted down twice. We made it a little too rough on ourselves because we did not bring enough food or water for 3 full days so the pace was quick and miserable. But very educational. It was beautiful though. 
The trail head at the beginning. I had no idea how much I'd hurt later. 
Great shot, Joot!
Some of the forest had been burnt recently. 
The End. 
July 17th was National Ice Cream day. We didn't know this before we decided to go to Mitt & Muggs ice cream party in Black Hawk, CO, as advertised in the Westword, before heading south to Lost Creek. They broke the world record for flavors served in a day or party or something. The previous record was 500 something. It was the first world record thing I've ever been a part of. Gladly. No charge. I sampled maybe 25. My favorites were cream corn, and arnold palmer, which tasted like the lemonade & iced tea drink. Lots of happy people. Everyone was enjoying the ice cream, so it was easy to make comments about the flavors with strangers. It was a wonderful little event. 
It took them 6 months to make all 1,001 flavors. 
Black Hawk is such an adorable little mountain town. It would be too cutesy if it wasn't for all the casinos downtown. 
1,001 flavors! They served over 5,000 samples. You can find Mitt & Muggs on facebook of course and they said they'd post a list of All the flavors. They are very proud of that day, as well they should be. So Delicious!!
These guys at the ORIC desk at REI told us about a hike we saw in Backpackers mag in Lost Creek Wilderness off 285 heading south near Bailey, CO. A review somewhere on the net said it is the most beautiful terrain around outside of Yellowstone. I've never seen Yellowstone, but I can say the Goose Creek loop in Lost Creek is the most beautiful hike I've been on in the Rockies thus far. 
big funeral parlor sign
Root Down in Highlands, hand made veggie burger with pine nuts on a challah bun. Fuck. Those sweet potato fries with yogurt aioli are so delicious they are equal company to the sliders.
I bought a bike for Joot to get around town for $10 at Goodwill. It needed new brake pads & tubes to be at least rideable. Turns out the seat is so uncomfortable and the handle bars sooo low & unadjustable it's only rideable for 2 blocks. But Justin was a good sport, changed the tubes and rode it to and from my place to downtown a few times, but no long rides to Golden along Clear Creek for us. The bike I bought for myself from Goodwill for $20 and had fixed by a professional (expensive) bike shop is riding pretty well. I can ride to Golden, my art studio and my favorite tool shop and dance hall downtown. Joot & I went on a long hike instead. 
Justin is silly
Riding along Cherry Creek towards REI flagship store downtown
Chill'n on the Platte River 
So hot in Denver, we had to get in to the Platte River that runs just north of downtown
Ryan
Ryan is a brewer working at Three Rivers Brewery in Farmington, NM. This bar is apart of it's restaurant-bar-brewery block downtown. You bet there's a buffalo head wearing a bra hanging above the wait station and panties made of candy necklaces hanging above the bar, but this place is way cool cause everybody was really friendly. Not to mention the beer is yummy and under appreciated by this novice. Check it out if you are in the area.
I took a ton of pics while Ryan ran around per his to do list. I loved the equipment and their colors.
Beer vats
Lugging empty kegs around the basement
Trouble with the tap
Ryan's place in Durango, just past Turtle Lake. Sunday we hiked the mountain to the right of the house in this picture. On the other side of the mountain there's a great view of the Animas River running along main street. Next visit we'll tube down the river.
His view while washing dishes.
That's what we hiked, took a few hours, not sure how many miles. We ate Boarshead cajun roast turkey sandwiches at the top. 
Durango
Upper Animas view towards Silverton & Ouray. Love the Red Rock!
Last Friday I met Ryan in Leadville, CO, elevation ~10,100 ft. Ryan said it was once home to 200,000 some people while lead was hot. It was adorable, surrounded by 14ers and as saloon western as I've ever seen. Not as small or cornered as Marshall but reminiscent. We ate a green chili tamale plate & bean burrito while we sat with the surrounding peaks turned purple on the patio of The Grill the first night. We camped near Turquoise Lake and in the morning I baked bannock by making the dough with yeast, wrapping it around a stick and holding it over the fire like a wiener. With nutella and a lightly toasted marshmallow it's a long john doppelganger. 
Turquoise Lake
Photogenic sun bleached Aspen? lakeside.
Saturday night we woke to a pack of something-dog yelping and moving. We lit to the forester, bear spray in hand, and then heard nor saw nothing after that. The next afternoon we looked for paw prints up the mountain and found nothing. 
Don't know what Ryan is saying, but at this point we are packed up and heading out on Monday afternoon. The night before in Avon we watched the best fireworks display I'd ever seen and didn't get a picture of, and spent $31 on street fair food, including a lamb gyro, 8" tall plate of homemade chips with the works, deep fried snickers and 2 giant blueberry and watermelon lemonades. Yum.