Betasso Preserve

 Last weekend, my boyfriend had an obligation in Boulder. Needing a random adventure, I opted to join him on the day-trip and planned quite the little escape for myself.

We left the pup with a dog-sitter for the day and hit the road bright and early last Saturday. After dropping him off at the East Boulder Community Center for the day, I hit the town alone.

The plan: CU Boulder's Natural History Museum for the mind. Bikram Yoga for the body. An afternoon hike at the Betasso Preserve for the spirit. Top it all off with a dinner with friends over my favorite black bean burger at Mountain Sun and that, my friends, is a GREAT DAY!

The Natural History Museum is small but worthy (and free! suggested donation $3). One of the many cool things in the collection is a triceratops skull. It made me giddy enough to rival the munchkins running around. The lower level boasted an incredible art display called Portraits of Mass Consumption. Imagine visuals that could drive home the number of cans, plastic cups, paper bags and plastic bits that get thrown out in a matter of hours in the U.S. It's staggering but well represented. A great reminder that while it seems as if one paper Starbucks cup a day isn't bad, it's awful when multiplied by all Americans. I've been much better at bringing my own mug this week, that's for sure. And I think I try avoiding those in-flight beverages. Here's a peek:

Running the Numbers: Portraits of Mass Consumption

Artist Chris Jordan

January 20 - April 30, 2011

      The portrait above depicts one million plastic cups, the number used on airline flights in the US every six hours.

Bikram at the College of India was.... well, it was Bikram. This was by far the largest studio I have been in and it made me miss the cozy atmosphere of One Tree back home. It was harder to feel as though we were all working as a unit here that it does at One Tree and although I liked that it was well lit, this added to the distractions to overcome while trying to focus in the middle of my forehead. Overall, it did what Bikram was supposed to do-it kicked my butt and made me feel completely great. It was nice that they had showers on site so I could clean up for the rest of the afternoon.

As M was done with his work at 2, I went right from yoga to pick him up for our hike at the Betasso Preserve. The 3.3 mile Canyon Loop Trail just outside of Boulder was the perfect length for late in the afternoon, particularly after the 1 1/2 hour workout I had just come from. We ambled at a leisurely pace, snapping pictures (I couldn't get the Stellar's Jay to sit still long enough to capture. Maybe next time) and looking for wildlife, greeting fellow hikers and smelling the sweet vanilla scent of the Ponderosa Pines. Other than being nearly run over by some mountain bikers (on a prohibited trail), it was a perfect stroll. I kept picturing it as a perfect after work trail run. If only it wasn't 2 hours from my workplace. 

Last but not least, we hit my FAVORITE hippie burger joint/brewery, Mountain Sun. The first time I ate here, with my friend Annalea, I ordered the black bean burger and became very confused by the lack of meat, having only expected it to come with black beans on it....not to be made of beans. No matter though, I was hooked at first taste. Good thing too, as I no longer partake of the meat varieties. Some friends came from Estes park to dine with us, which was a great treat.

A chai from The Cup , served by a guy with the coolest sleeve tattoo I have ever seen, and I was set for the drive back home. A great Colorado adventure day.