Kickin' it in Colorado: Golden Days

We spent a few days of our trip putzing around Golden, Colorado, a city that lies west of Denver. There one evening, we got our first taste of the Rockies at Lookout Mountain where we watched yet another glorious Centennial State sunset.

The next day, we set out for a day hike at North Table Mountain.

I was impressed by the assortment of flora we encountered. 

Phallus flower

Dandelion XXL

An enormous wild cabbage

Desert-y flowers and beyond, the city of Golden

The hike itself was rather wonderful. To get to it, you had to drive through a beautiful windy neighborhood on a street which turned into a dirt road that eventually led to the North Table Mountain trailhead. We were so close to the houses and buildings beneath, yet we were also on a legitimate, moderately-difficult hiking trail. Within just fifteen minutes or so of ascending the path, we came across climbers. We also ran into several mountain bikers and many other hikers, all peacefully sharing the path. Everyone was also incredibly friendly - exchanging "Hellos" and "How are yous", and telling you where they'd encountered wildlife further up the trail. Basically, more reasons to fall in love with Colorado and its residents.

The Coors factory in Golden

Started from the bottom now we here

Once we'd reached the table, we ended up accidentally making a wrong turn and doing some of the loop backwards and the long way 'round (lol). But that was okay because we had been having a rather sedentary vacation so far, and also because we were technically supposed to be in week one of marathon training (more lol).

It took about four hours total for us to complete the hike. Satisfied and hungry, we headed back into Golden's quaint downtown area for some well-deserved beer and burgers to refuel.

My future sister-in-law raved about Golden and now, I can absolutely understand why. It's close enough to Denver to easily commute to and from work, but the vibes I got from it were much more family-oriented and laid-back than in the city itself. I also loved that there was climbing and hiking all right there - North Table Mountain was just one of many that surrounded Golden. City-by-city, Colorado was seriously raising the bar.

Next up: Hiking the Flatirons in Boulder!