Day Six: Rocky Mountain National Park

Out of the desert and into the woods! RMNP was a breath of fresh meadow air. I went for a nine mile run on a beautiful path that offered views of the Colorado river, meadows and mountains. I didn't turn down the right path despite oral directions and a map on hand, so I had to run along the road for the last few miles.
At this point Maggie and I were pretty tuckered out, from the trip, not sleeping as well in a cold campsite, etc. So we took a leisurely stroll through a flat, 1 mile round trip path views of everything I just named. We then drove along the road that offered views at higher elevations but unfortunately there was a fire in a nearby park that made everything hazy.

There was still snow at the very top!


We drove an hour or so out of the park and towards Chicago and stopped at a Starbucks for their Wifi. After being unsuccessful in finding a place to camp, we went to a Walmart parking lot and slept in the car. Which turned out to be very comfortable and convenient.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Winter in Chicago

Image
There was a week or two end of November/beginning of December where it got pretty cold, but it's actually been in the 30s/40s which has been quite pleasant. Of course I say that now as I look out on a cold grey sky. I have yet to go ice skating, but one winter activity I participated in this year was the holiday train! Each year the CTA trains get decked out with Christmas music, decorations, etc. and Santa even rides the train. I think they usually do it twice for each line (I rode it on the Red Line) and then a few buses get decorated as well. I was torn between letting it happen spontaneously (i.e. showing up for the morning or evening commute as usual and getting a wonderful surprise) and actually looking up the schedule and making sure to catch it. I opted for the latter since I didn't ride it last year. This means I arrived to the train early from my internship and stuck around as three trains passed, waiting for the holiday one. And I was not disappointed! The seats we...
Read more

Update: Job Search

Image
As I continue my search, I am now tutoring 3 days a week with Academic Approach and will start a weekend program in a few weeks as well. This is will be how I pay the bills and will ease much of the stress of the job hunt. Of course I could have been doing this the whole time, but I thought I would have a job by now. Additionally, I am now an English tutor of children in China through VIPKids. I have yet to teach my first online class (it's a one-on-one setting), but my availability is open so hopefully I'll book some slots any day now. I am most excited about starting an (unpaid) internship with the Metropolitan Planning Council Thursday Nov. 1. They were the client I worked with during the winter quarter on the Our Great Rivers project. I could have also been doing this the whole time, but, again, I thought I would have a job by now. In my "spare" time I will continue to apply for jobs and network. I do have a phone interview coming up, but I'll spare y...
Read more

Boston Marathon, here I come!

Image
September 1st I ran a marathon in Madison, WI in an attempt to qualify for Boston so that I can run it with Patrick next year (who qualified in March at a race at Virginia Beach). My friend Abigail (a classmate I met fall quarter of last year and who I have run with a lot in Hyde Park) and I rented a car and drove up there the day before to pick up by bib and explore Madison, where neither of us had been before. Arriving before the pick up time, we drove straight to the capital building to take a look around. A nice building with access to an upper, outdoor deck with panoramic views of the city, which boasts two lovely lakes. Afterwards we ate a mediocre lunch and headed to the packet pick up location. I wasn't aware beforehand, but the race was tiny (131 marathon runners) so the expo was pretty uneventful. We next drove to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum where we enjoyed a lovely walk among the trees. Because you're not supposed to be on your feet too muc...
Read more