Life on the Runn...

Boulder is a second home for us, especially for Brian, and Colorado - and its monumental peaks - is always on our minds.  Summer would have been incomplete without a trip there. We were very excited when schedules aligned and we were able to make a real adventure of our trip; that is, our cousin Annie, a person made for adventures, and Becky, who has helped me survive more than one trip westward, were able to join us for a full week of fun in that great square state! We spent a full week in Colorado, arriving after what was surely one of the most prolonged bouts of turbulence I have ever experience....and I've make the trek to DIA many, many times!  Our to-do list included hiking, celebrating Brian's birthday, and sampling the local flavors (Whiskey Wednesday, the Dark Horse, Movement Climbing + Fitness, Chautauqua Park, the Flatirons, Lucky's, Whole Foods, basically everything Boulder).  And we did it all.  And that included surviving or strange and very full...

With August on the horizon, it was time to pack up and head north.  We were extremely lucky to have spent so much time in Chamonix, and yet I was still very sorry to have to say goodbye. I fell in love with the beauty and serenity that was that fantastic mountain town. sights seen on our cross-country adventuring Over a period of seven days, our final days abroad, we visited four cities and moved between two countries.  We dropped Scott and Steph off in Geneva and then made our way to Lousanne, Switzerland.  Aside from excellent views of Lake Geneva and endless vineyards, we were also able to take in a few other sights, namely the Chateau Chillon and the Musee Olympique.  We were at the chateau early and missed much of the crowd, which made for a quiet and near-solo castle experience. As for the Olympic Museum, we'd surely have spent another two hours there if we had the time.  There was a lot of history packed into the exhibits, some of which I remember,...

On July 1st, we made our way to O'Hare International Airport.  Somehow we had managed to pack all the clothing, climbing gear, and American snacks (read Trader Joe's licorice) we'd need for thirty days abroad. This I took as a good omen.  We needed luck on our side as we were already panicking about the impending avacado withdrawal (as part of our pre-trip research we learned they may not be plentiful and could also be expensive).  And despite a very delayed departure from Montreal and a power outage in the terminal, we made it to France... and so did all of our luggage.  Only a six hour car ride and a very slow-moving rental car company stood between us and our time in the French Alps. Chamonix, as Brian described it prior to our arrival, is like Vail on drugs.  It is everything great about a mountain town and then some.  There was plenty of fresh air; there were trails to hike and rocks to climb; and there was gelato, lots of pistachio gelato.  The...