Boulder, CO

Settlers Park, Boulder, CO

I lived in Boulder, Colorado, briefly about fourteen years ago, then moved back to Chicago. That about-face remains today one of my biggest regrets. Boulder is beautiful. Situated right up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder offers a variety of walking and biking trails that lead up into mountain beauty. It is also a beautiful, historic Western town, a college town with two universities, one of them being University of Colorado at Boulder, and the other being Naropa University, a small Buddhist university that focuses on the liberal and fine arts. The heart of downtown Boulder is the pedestrian Pearl Street Mall, which offers a great selection of art galleries, boutiques, bookstores, restaurants, and Tibetan art gift shops. To this day, Boulder, Colorado, is a hippie haven and a place that conjures up in my mind the breakfast image of a steaming hot cup of black coffee and a bowl of organic granola (in either low-fat, soy, or rice milk, of course!) A place of artists and seekers of all types, Boulder is truly unique. After I left Boulder about fourteen years ago, I vowed to return for a visit. And it never happened. Not until last weekend, that is, when I finally made a visit. After moving back to Phoenix, I decided that I had to take advantage of the relative close proximity between these two Western locales and go back to Boulder. This and the next few posts will feature Boulder, Colorado, a place that I once left but still call a spiritual home.

Boulder Creek Trail, Boulder, CO

The day of my arrival in Boulder, I was welcome by a chill in the air, a soothing gray sky promising rain, and mist hanging over the mountains. After walking down Pearl Street Mall, and eventually enjoying a late lunch of a burger and a couple of stout beers at one of the pubs, I decided on a whim to take a walk on one of my favorite paths, the Boulder Creek Trail, which starts in the heart of Boulder and leads a good two miles into the mountains. Hoping to visit a place that would give me the taste of autumn I lack here in Phoenix, I am happy to say that Boulder, as always, did not disappoint.

Boulder Creek Trail, Boulder, CO 

Autumn out on the road, Boulder, CO 

Boulder Creek, Boulder, CO 

Boulder Creek, Boulder, CO 

Boulder Creek, Boulder, CO 

I cannot tell you how many times I walked the Boulder Creek Trail when I lived in Boulder. Under a crisp blue sky or a sky gray with oncoming rain, I never tired of experiencing the slow, gradual ascent into mountains and listening to the sound of water from the creek rippling over boulders and rock. One day in October, just weeks before I moved away, Boulder witnessed an early winter storm that dumped a heavy amount of snow over the mountains and the city, and a day or so afterward, with snow still on the ground, I took a walk along the Boulder Creek Trail and snapped some beautiful photos of mountains and pine trees caked with snow.

Boulder Creek Trail, Boulder, CO 

Mountain, rock, and pine, Boulder, CO

Pine trees, Boulder, CO 

A field of pine, Boulder, CO

The serenity of scenes such as these are images that nourish me during hard times. I am glad that I made the trip back to Boulder. There are more Boulder photos yet to come!