Days 13, 14 & 15: Boulder

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Day 13 Boulder Shopping and Culture
We had a nice leisurely morning in our room. Laurel took some quick pictures of the Boulder Mountain Lodge where we're staying. It's actually in Boulder Canyon a couple of miles outside city proper. The lodge is on a creek and at the bottom of a smaller canyon called Fourmile Canyon. There are a few trails off the back of the property.





Then we embarked on some exciting errands. We picked up some rock climbing stuff, got the oil changed on the Escape and then we went to the Celestial Seasonings Tea factory. It was neat to try different flavors, go on the tour and see how the tea is actually made, and then pick up all our favorite flavors in the gift shop.



After dinner we went back into town for the Shakespeare Festival. The performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was absolutely fantastic. We were both rolling on the floor laughing. The play was in an outdoor theater on the University of Colorado campus which was also really neat.

Day 14 Climbing
After another leisurely morning, we headed out for Boulder Canyon to climb the Dome. We parked next to Boulder Creek and hiked for 10-15 minutes up a very steep trail. In the hot sun Dan led what he thought was Left Edge (5.5). However, we both had trouble reading the new guide book and Dan made up his own climb. We think it was a 5.7 or so. He made his way up to the base of an A-shaped roof and then we decided to rapp off once Laurel got up. Boy, was it hot in the sun!





Down below on the trail (along Boulder Creek) we spotted a 70-foot rock with a good wall in the shade. Dan scampered up the back of Rock Island and set up a top rope that we played on for a while. This area is close to a lot of bicycle and hiker traffic so we ran into a number of tourists (who took pictures of us) and a violinist in town for the Colorado Music Festival. He was a really nice guy who always admired climbers from afar. We answered a lot of his questions and then he invited us to a performance Sunday night. There is a bassoon concerto being performed that night! Needless to say, Laurel is very excited. (There's some Wagner and Bach, too.)

Once we got cleaned up we headed downtown to the Pearl Street area to a tapas restaurant Dan found called The Mediterranean. The food was fantastic. We each tried a variety of plates before the chocolate tower.

Day 15 Climbing Again
Off to the Dome again today. This time, we got out there a lot earlier. Dan lead the first pitch of the real "Left Edge (5.5)" that we tried yesterday. This time we did the climb right. There was an interesting corner to start (crack climbing) and then there was an inclined ramp to smear on. After the belay there was quite a traverse (a bit freaky) before the final ascent to the top. On the tippity-top of the Dome we could see for miles. To the east we could actually see the town of Boulder and make out some of the buildings on campus. To the west, further in the canyon, we saw some industrial buildings perched high on a mountain and some snow-covered peaks way off in the distance. Just beautiful!







After the scramble down, we hit the cold pool at the lodge before heading off to see Harry Potter 5 (a must-see!). After the movie we explored the city a bit, made dinner, and then went for an evening walk. Another great day in Boulder, Colorado!