Rocky Mountain Bound

In a couple of hours, I'm hopping a plane headed toward Denver.  I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this here, but I used to live in Colorado, and it remains one of my favorite states to this day.  I actually moved there, by myself, the day after I graduated from college.  I packed up my little, sometimes-functioning car and drove my born-and-raised Midwestern self straight from Madison, Wisconsin deep into the heart of the Rocky Mountains.  I didn't know anyone, and I didn't have much of a plan, but it didn't matter.  I was in search of an adventure.  I ended up having some of the best experiences of my life there, and met many of my very best friends.  I also got Bubby dog there.  Yep.  Bubby was a good ol' Colorado mountain dog, born at 10,000 feet elevation.  It was a very special time, in a very special place.

I may not be hitting the open road ready for whatever comes my way like I did so many years ago, but I'm certainly looking forward to this 3-day trip back "home."  As soon as I land, my friend Crystal and I will be heading directly to Red Rocks (aka the most stunning concert venue ever) to meet up with Robbie and her boyfriend, who will both be in the midst of preparing for the show.  Then several of those best friends I mentioned above (those same ones who I met when I first moved to Colorado many years ago) will be joining us at Red Rocks to watch the band play.  They'll be coming all the way from Seattle and San Francisco for our little reunion, and I may or may not hug them so hard that I tackle them to the ground.  Saturday morning, we'll head north an hour or so for a dear friend's wedding (yet another of those friends I've known since I lived in CO!). Robbie has to miss the wedding because the band has another show in Boulder Saturday night, but he'll drive up late night after work to meet us.  Then on Sunday, we plan to make the rounds and visit some more friends before flying back to Chicago that evening.  

Colorado truly boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, so I'm hoping to have time to take plenty of pictures to share with you guys next week.  In the meantime, I'll do my best to post snippets while I'm away on Twitter and Instragram (@bubbyandbean).

Whatever you may have planned, I hope you enjoy your weekend (and the rest of your Friday too!).

Top photo taken on my last Colorado trip, July 2010.