I have to admit that the first couple weeks of re-entry were challenging. What with the time change, rainy weather, increased altitude, figuring out what we needed to accomplish in our time here, and adapting to yet another residence that is not our home, we had some adjusting to do. Two weeks in, things are much improved, thanks to several bike rides, a helpful host, and just some time to rest and recoup our strength.

On Wednesday morning, we headed out from our current residence to one of our “usual” bike path rides. It has been raining a lot here, especially by Colorado standards. Thus, all the streams are running high and everything is very green. We encountered only one underpass that had running water on the path (about 6″ deep). As we detoured, we noted that the path was not well-designed for egress at this point. Apparently, we needed to turn off before we knew the underpass was flooded.

We enjoyed the change of scenery and were wowed by the water levels in Bear Creek and the South Platte river. The rainy spring has had another result–fantastic flowers!

We also stopped to take a picture of this sign:

I kind of wish there was a “poop fairy” to help with backyard cleanup. 

After the ride, we accomplished a task we’ve been working on since we arrived in Colorado, so we felt a bit like celebrating. Fortunately, we had two social appointments for the evening.

To start the evening, we planned to meet Maureen’s niece Hannah for Happy Hour. Since she lives in Boulder and we live in Lakewood, we arranged to meet at Denver’s Union Station, where our transit options intersect. Union Station now serves as a bus, light rail, and Amtrak terminal and reopened shortly before we left last summer. Thus, this was our first opportunity to see the revamped station. We parked at a station on the West Rail line and rode the light rail in. We were able to navigate buying tickets and finding the platform, but both here and at Union Station we found the signage to be less than ample. Once at the Union Station light rail stop, there is a short walk to the station. 

  It may be possible to go underground for this walk, but we did not investigate this possibility. We were a bit early, so we relaxed in the waiting area for a few minutes.

We enjoyed Happy Hour with Hannah at The Kitchen Next Door. The $5 cocktails were well-made and strong and the $5 snacks were tasty. We tried the mule, the marg, the wings, and the hummus. The company was also great. 

Next, we headed back west to meet some good friends for dinner in Lakewood. The return light rail trip had some interesting fellow passengers, but luckily another woman convinced them to “chill” before it came to blows or shouting. We collected our car and drove a few miles to the restaurant through (what else?) some early evening rain. We had a lovely time talking and catching up.

The next morning we treated the dogs to a trip to one of Shiloh’s favorite places, Crown Hill Park. Our busy day Wednesday meant that the dogs did not get a walk at all. So, they were quite pleased to be out on this beautiful day.

We didn’t see a lot of wildlife, but we did see many red-winged blackbirds.

 
It’s good to ride familiar rides and visit a known downtown and hike in a favorite park. Seeing the world is great, but home is great too.