things to do in denver when it rains

Our plan to run under the storm Friday afternoon and try make it to Fruita for the weekend conjured up some old memories. Needless to say, we never left the house and some of those who did that afternoon, spent several (5-7) hrs on a closed highway only to be redirected to a shelter for the night.

Anyway, almost racing into the snow storm had me thinking of a day at sea when I was a young boy and I learned that mother nature reined supreme. I grew up near the water on the east coast and the open water was a big part of my life from NY to MD. I remember one fishing trip in particular on the Chesapeake Bay. I was with my father when a storm rolled in hard and fast while we were on the open water. We were cornered into making the only move that many on the open sea are often forced to make in such a check position. That choice is to run directly into the storm. The obvious reason is, you have a much better chance of taking heavy seas head on as opposed to being rolled over while hastily running towards the light. This was the first time my dad had handed me a life vest and told me to put it on with nothing but grave look of concern and a, shit already hit the fan tone of voice. Several waves came over the bow of our 25 footer that afternoon but luckily, none of them held her down. I was scared shitless needless to say but when you make it out the other side of something like that and you realize you got the straight up from an elder, it's a pretty cool feeling. Much respect.
I digress, we stayed on the front range and blew Saturday away in Denver. Is was fun, inspiring, and unusually rainy. Sometimes I miss being near a city but most of the time I just enjoy the trails.


the museum of contemporary art

famous pizza, the best slices around

the used book store

back in time

We then went home and I tried a new beer. A little on this IPA, this was recommended by the "beer expert" at Bottles. Now, Imperial IPA is a favorite of mine so I thought I would give it a try after his rave review during which he compared it closely to Maharaja. I normally would have furrowed my brow at someone who so haphazardly juxtaposed this $4.99 per pt bev next to the mighty Maharaja but I figured what the hell, I will give it a try. First impressions of the Green Flash Brewing Co. Imperial IPA put it in the true imperial category. Some brewers double hopped or imperials leave much to be desired. This is a super hoppy beer though with a fine piney finish. According to the brewer, this is brewed like a "San Diego style IPA" which in turn (I assume) was influenced by the British Empire style. Either way, a great new find and a good fill in for the seasonal Avery greatness I am so fond of. They also have a West Coast IPA that is rumored to be exceptional. Fine beer is much like wine, which I also enjoy. That said, I am pleased that I was able to find this offering from the hop gods and will revisit it again soon. Highly recommended for sure.