This past Thursday I headed out to Colorado to visit Jen; one of my best friends for almost half of our lives. It was a weekend of firsts — experiencing the mountains up close, sampling fried ice cream, finding the shopping street of my dreams and even appreciating the mac. Colorado was everything I’d hoped it would be and I’m so glad the timing and the flights allowed me to get there.

Jen and Bob spoiled me rotten! The first night we made mac and cheese just like our Fredonia days because Jen knew I missed cooking. She also knew I missed having pets and let Paco stay in my bed. Jen had to work, but was on her lunch break by the time I finally got up so we had lunch together at her office — outstanding sourdough pizza. NJ style pizza prides itself on the depth of the grease layer relative to the thickness of crust (approx. 2:1) rather than taste, so I have a renewed appreciation for anything else. After lunch I went with Jill (the gps) and Jen’s car to Urban Outfitters. Immediately I noticed refreshing smiles and eye contact from basically everyone in Boulder. Once Jen got out of work we hit another couple of stores that aren’t available back east, she showed me how to cook something delicious, and I had my first Coldstone ice cream (I recommend this, yum.).

Saturday was Pike’s Peak and Garden of the Gods. Pikes Peak is one of the tallest points in the United States, standing at 15,000 feet. Even trees lack enough oxygen to grow past 12,000. Of course views were gorgeous, but pictures will relay that better than I could.

The famous ballad “America the Beautiful” was inspired when visiting college professor Katherine Lee Bates looked around from the top of this mountain. I kind of see her point now.

We pulled over to photograph a longhorn sheep and watched as two hawks flew above us, dropping snowballs from their claws. At the top it was very cold and the low oxygen content made us feel drunk and sleepy. The roads to get there were steep enough that special driving instructions were indicated “to prevent brake failure.”

The next stop, Garden of the Gods, has 12 million-year-old rock formations made out of sandstone. These gigantic rocks appear to be balancing on almost nothing and the beginning of a sunset made them glow vibrant orange. Coda was very photogenic in the setting.

After Garden of the Gods, I had my first Sonic. This fun little drive in can’t be found in New York or Jersey and reminded me of Cali’s In & Out burger.

On Sunday I was a kid in paradise with all the eclectic shopping on Pearl Street. I may have impulsively spent too much money, but I wouldn’t be Kim if hadn’t.

The thing I like most about Pearl Street is that most of the stores are locally owned, and a lot of the very affordable and unique jewelry is created by artists right in Boulder. Much of the clothing comes in one size: free. The whole thing took me back to the 60′s in a 21st century way. Stunning mountain views that seem inescapable here were a nice backdrop to Pearl Street. While Purchasing some earrings, I asked if the woman packaging them had made them herself and she said “No, but thanks for asking!” then spoke enthusiastically about the woman who had. Every new city has its own unique pulse or aura that can be felt even when there’s barely time for a snapshot. If I had to summarize the Boulder vibe, I would say that most people have a genuine friendliness, appreciation of life, and conscientious awareness of both the environment and others around them, valuing both. This is worth noting because it’s a rarity that should never be underestimated. Proximity to the grandiosity of nature is most likely a big reason for this impression.

Probably the most fantastic drive of my life followed Pearl Street. One thing I noticed about driving in Colorado: it’s never boring. Not the tristate version of ‘never boring’ where you can witness a constant sequence of road rage in action, more like a postcard perfect “oh my god did you see that” because there is never a lack of beautiful things to take in. At times the lighting made it all appear magical. The first stop, Boulder Falls, would be my first time watching actual mountain climbers and it made me almost dizzy to look. I was impressed and envious of the bravery and trust (in your buddy and a single rope) that takes. It made me want to have a drink with them because people who lean slightly toward crazy are always great to have around. After hiking around a little, we drove through the town of Nederland. Bob explained that Boulder had originally been formed by those who wanted to escape Denver’s city atmosphere. When Boulder became a more populated tourist favorite, some of them migrated to Nederland. Nederland does not fail in this regard; it is indeed very small, nested between mountain cliffs with its own offbeat eccentricity. Past Nederland, the landscape becomes increasingly “country” until eventually it’s just you, the road, mountains and trees. We decided the drive and the fun, curvy roads made us feel like we were in a racing video game. Some of the best pictures we took are from that afternoon.

The grand finale came on the last evening when I finally learned how to use and appreciate a mac computer thanks to Jen’s patience and Bob’s genius. This is something I never would have predicted, so there, I said it. There are several things that make it intuitive, streamlined and user friendly — but only if you know what you’re doing. Who could’ve guessed.

Tons of thanks to Jen for knowing what to see, and to Bob for helping us get there to see it. You were the best hosts ever and I had so much fun. Let’s do it again.