950. 15. 1. 113.

No, I'm not giving you the secret IP Address of the coolest MP3 download site the web has ever seen. I'm actually telling you about yesterday in the simplest way possible. What better way is there to describe yesterday than just laying it out by the numbers? None comes to mind, so here they are:

• 950: The number of miles we drove yesterday to get from Boulder, Colorado to Phoenix, Arizona to visit family.
• 15: The number of hours it took to drive said distance.
• 1: The number of days we decided to take to get there. We may not do that too many more times.
• 113: The predicted temperature in Phoenix on the day of our arrival. It was in the 80's in Boulder.

That's a long drive to do in one day. I was beyond antsy rounding the mountain curves of I-17 during the home stretch from Flagstaff. At least we're stopping off in Ridgway, Colorado for a few days on the way back, just a mere 9 hours from Phoenix.

Here's to spending a few days in the company of family and friends, and experiencing absolutely world class air conditioning.

Sanitas Pics

I warned you that I might post pictures of hiking Mt. Sanitas. Well, here you go. Weird to think about being on the last mountain before the land gets flat. Cool views. Check out the Denver skyline off in the distance in one of the shots.

(Click on any of the pictures to see it larger.)

At Least We're Stuck in Boulder

True, no jobs were won in May, I'm still having to code - in Windows - to make a living, and Mindy has to drive 50 miles round trip to get to her job. Still stuck in Boulder.

The good news is, at least we're stuck in Boulder. Of all the places we've lived, Boulder is the most fascinating and satisfying mix of city and wilderness we've yet lived in. Our apartment is located right next to the Rocky Mountain foothills and the Flatirons range. I mean right next to. If we cross the street and head west, we start walking up hill.

Mindy and I went walking this morning, and saw two deer in the neighborhood. That's not that unusual. Neither is spotting a fox, or - perhaps a little more foreboding - a mountain lion or a black bear.

The Mt. Sanitas trailhead is a 1.7 mile long hike to a peak that provides spectacular views of the Colorado plains to the east, including, way off in the distance, downtown Denver, and snow capped peaks to the west. It's within walking distance of my front door. Next time I hike it (tomorrow, perhaps?), I'll take pictures and post them.

Less than a mile south of our place is downtown and Pearl Street, a pleasant outdoor mall with local stores and at least two great Mexican restaurants. Just a little further south is the Boulder Creek path, which pretty much spans the entire width of Boulder, and is a great place to bike, walk, or tube down. (Just on of those three options involves being in the creek instead of next to it. I'll let you guess which one.)

All sorts of different people live here, including the hippies, and ultra ultra green "we should all kill ourselves and let the deer live in peace" folk, but most people are friendly and get along.

A short drive to the north is Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, with astounding vistas and great hikes. South of here is Denver, with all the culture and sports of any great city. And when you've had enough of the big city, you can come back to the relative quiet of Boulder.

When I get a job, I'll leave in a heartbeat. But I'll miss Boulder. And until then, I'll continue to really enjoy it.

(Other titles cosidered for this post: "Yay, Boulder", "Amazing What a Big Cup of Coffee Does to Your Attitude", or "Well, Yeah, but Will I Still Like Boulder When My Allergies Start")