Friday 5: Colorado Adventures

Happy Friday!  I'm excited to be back linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today!  They are doing a fun theme of race memories today, but I'm going to keep on with my recap of my adventures.  It already seems so long ago!

1. New Belgium Brewery Tour:  My aunts know that I love good beer and scheduled a tour as soon as they heard I was coming.  We had a great time and I think it would be an awesome place to work.  Not only is it in beautiful Fort Collins, CO, but you get a free bike after a year of working there and then a month sabbatical after ten years of working.  Not too shabby.  They have such a fun atmosphere and even have a "director of fun" who made sure they are equipped with ping pong tables and even a rock wall.  At the end of the tour you could choose to go down a slide.  My aunts and I were more than happy to join in the fun!

2. Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey: As much as I would like to be, I am not a whiskey girl.  I will say that even if you're like me and make faces when you sip whiskey, the tour is definitely worth the time!  It was really interesting learning about the process (I never really thought about it before!).  Fun Fact: Bourbon is 51% corn or more.  Whiskey is 50% and under.  Just in case you were like me and had no idea.

3. Claremont Inn: Last drinking one I promise!  The Claremont Inn is a gorgeous inn and winery.  My aunt (who is also my "fairy" godmother) planned out a special day for us since we rarely get to spend time together.  She pulled out all the stops on this one.  It was so fun sipping wine and enjoying the appetizer plate while chatting with one of the amazing owners.  At the end my aunt surprised me by buying me several of my favorite bottles with a customized label.  It was so sweet and thoughtful and we had a great day together.

4. Hiking St. Mary's Glacier: Oh man guys.  I could write a whole post just on this.  It was SO hard.  A couple of months ago I was talking to my uncle who asked me to hike to the top of the glacier.  He said it was a good workout, but that I was definitely capable.  Later when we talked he said "If I would have told you how hard it was then you probably wouldn't have come."  The views were absolutely breathtaking (or maybe that was just me sucking wind after hiking my butt up a mountain), but I've gotta say that I am more than happy with the little trail walks Maddux and I do!

It rained at the beginning of our hike and we had to hide under a tarp.
Yes, someone had a tarp.  I should have known it would be a hardcore hike.
I also should have ran home at this point.

I didn't think we were serious about going all the way to the top.

Buuuut then we did.  And then we kept going.

5. Spending Time with Family: As much fun as all our adventures were, I really loved just being with my family.  It was great sitting on the porch drinking coffee with my aunts and cousins or lying in bed with my grandma recapping the day and just talking about anything and everything.  I finally got to meet my cousin's adorable kids and was actually there for his oldest's birthday party.  I can't wait to schedule my next trip!

Have you ever been to Colorado?  Where do your grandparents and aunts live?