Denver Lofts

I have lived in the Denver area for many years, and wouldn’t imagine living anywhere else, at least for now.   I used to live up in the mountains, and we called “Denverites” by a name that isn’t usually used as a term of endearment.  We called them (which is really me/us now) “Weekend Warriors.”    Folks from Denver, as it goes, don’t usually do the mountain thing during the week, but are fired up on the weekends, clogging the roads (I-70), and making the ski resorts miserably crowded.

I’ve ‘gotten over’ my need to battle crowds, and traffic, especially now that I have discovered all of the backcountry skiing available to me within a short drive from the Denver area!

The great things about backcountry skiing are:

1) Once you have the equipment, there is no fee, lift ticket, or $14 bowls of chili at the lodge.  You pay for gas, and pack a lunch

2) It is family friendly – once your kids learn, and have the equipment, you can go whenever, and for however long.

3) There is no “guilt” associated with being done at 1:30, especially after you have paid up to, and over $100 for a lift ticket.   When you are done, you’re done, and that’s perfect!

4) No crowds (unless a group of squirrels, and maybe a snowshoer is your idea of a crowd-scene).

5) You can sleep in, wait for the morning traffic to subside, and then sneak up to the mountains mid-morning in plenty of time to get a lot of skiing in!

6) Did I mention that it is economical?

I was surprised at how easy it was to outfit my skis with “climbing skins” which go on and off easily.  You just need to trim them before use, and there are a number of good videos out there (Black Diamond site has a few) and tutorials.

Here is my photo from an awesome ski day, just outside of Copper Mountain in a little valley called Clinton Gulch.   It was about a 1.5 hour drive (easy drive) from Denver.  We got there around 10, left at 2 – and avoided all traffic.  It was a perfect day.

We are heading over to Rock Creek Farm today – it’s just about 20 minutes outside of Denver (and actually right next to our house in the open space we so dearly love).   They have a huge pumpkin patch – zillions of pumpkins, and also a corn maze that is quite impressive.

This is a great area full of trails, a lake, and lots of wildlife and critters.   I love running in this area.

Rock Creek Farm has a website here

The pumpkins look specatcular.  Running by them, I am amazed at how quickly they grew and how large they have become.   I wonder how much water it takes to bring a pumkin to maturity – not to mention thousands of pumpkins.

I guess now we have to figure out what to dress our little guy in for halloween!

I don’t know why I decided to write about this one – perhaps because my stomach is starting to gurgle and grumble with those mid-afternoon cravings. I am also thinking about good food because my wife and I happen to have a babysitter for our 3-year old tonight, so I am thinking of where we should go to enjoy our temporary childlessness.
We both love Thai Food, and there are a lot of options in the Denver area. Tommy’s Thai is a great choice, but a little more fancy than we care for. We always fall back on Swing Thai because it is very casual, and superb food. There are 3 locations in Denver, and we go to the one on Pennsylvania street. They have a little outdoor area if it is nice out, and the inside is quite nice and we never have had to wait for a table. My wife always gets a Thai Iced Tea and the Massaman Curry. I always get the Egg Plant Pud Gra. The spring rolls are always excellent.
Swing Thai is also good because my wife has a cornstarch allergy, and many Thai Places use this cheap ‘filler’ ingredient. Swing Thai does not, as far as her tummy can tell. Swing Thai also delivers, and they are usually very, very fast. We have done this on several occasions. Anyways, I am getting too hungry to concentrate, so I’ll just say that Swing Thai is our favorite in Denver, and you should definitely give it a go.
More about Swing Thai here

Today feels like we are living in the Northwest somewhere. It has been cool, drizzly, and just really pleasant. I love it when it rains here because there are times when we can go seemingly months without a drop. It also seems to mellow people out a bit, and cleans up the air! I’d have to say this is also my favorite time of year. Not quite stinkin’ hot yet, and everything is about as green as it gets.
For a fun thing to do in Denver on a day like this, Go to REI’s flagship store down on I-25 and Speer – you can’t miss it. It’s an awesome multi-level building with a Starbucks and even a climbing area for little kids. Great people watching too. There are several loft properties within walking distance from REI.