Wish you were here, or rather can't wait to go back. For not having any idea of what I was going to do in Denver, I will 100% say this trip was one of the best ever. & to really put into context how unplanned this was...I booked the flight 36 hours before take off. Another thing I want to mention is that as I write this/list my 3 best things I will be very honest that these 3 days were not cheap. Going into this trip I had no set budget, and easily spent about $2200. While there are other hotels, activities, and so on this was my choice.
Let's start with the first best thing in Denver, the hotel. Obviously I value sleep, but more importantly I value safety/comfort. I had no idea where to stay, and with the help of Balanced Athletica I was able to have a few suggestions on their favorite hotels. After a few searches of availability and reviews the final winner was The Ramble. Located in downtown Denver, the images online sold me. I had no idea that the beauty of the hotel once there would easily outdo a Google review. The hotel made me feel like a true Goddess, and I was here for it. Each night was about $399 which did not include the $30 valet fee either. The staff was amazing! Not only were they accommodating for my early arrival, they each had suggestions on things for me to do while there since I was solo.
Once getting to the hotel the first suggestion from the front desk as to hit up the farmer's market going on that day. (It's on Sunday's until 2 pm!) I have never seen a farmer's market like it, plus so many doodles which...clearly hit my heart feels. The people, food, energy, it was well worth the chaos of street parking. The neighborhood the market was in also had such a cute historic little vibe. Each house had a unique character, and felt very vintage which I adored! After that next up was Maxwell Falls thanks to an old HS friend's input. They say don't go chasing waterfalls, but hey when on an adventure there are no rules. If you've seen my travels you know that even though it can be tiring, I tend to hop off planes and go straight to hiking. Word of the wise fuel up, and bring water!
That first night I easily went to bed at 7 pm MT lol...I'd blame the time change but that's only one hour early than TN. What I will really say caused that was that my flight left at 5:45 am and I had been up since 2 am. Goodnight world, day 2 was waiting for me. Now day 2 I literally had NO PLANS. The only thing on my list was Starbucks cold brew coffee, and the hour drive to Garden of The Gods. I'd been there before 2 years ago with a good friend, and knew I had to see it again. Tip here is that it gets VERY CROWDED. I got there about 9 am and parked at the visitor's center. Even with the smoke from all the fires and such it was still breathtaking/worth it. The only mess up for me was that I didn't anticipate it being hotter than TN and boy was it toasty!
While hiking around I had this instinct to pull up zipline adventures. It sounded like a neat thing to do in the mountains if I could find something local. Upon another quick Google search + a phone call I was off to a zipline tour in Castle Rock. I managed to snag the last spot ironically with a group of people from Houston. Can we say that was destiny, and thank you spirit for the sense of home. 10 ziplines, a small hike, and lots of sweat later I did it! If you have never ziplined before GO. This is coming from a girl who hates heights...it is such a cool experience. After that it was back to Denver I went with of course a Chick-Fil-A pit stop. That evening I actually grabbed a book to head down to the lobby where I tucked myself into a cozy corner and read for a good 2 hours.
Day 3, the last day but the most amazing experience. Many of you know that I use Cured Nutrition for CBD wellness in my life. Being that I have a link with them, I reached out a few days before my trip to see if I could meet them in person because they are based in Denver. I wasn't sure if I would be able to since it was so last minute, but they kindly said YES. & to put a name to a face to a business was wonderful. The whole team is amazing, and it only heightens my support on their products. After the meet up, I wanted to do one last little hike as once again I had a 5:45 am flight back to TN which meant hello 7 pm bedtime. This time though I decided to make my way to Boulder. Now this hike became interesting very quickly. It was SO windy and the views were lush beyond words. Then came my realization that not too far in the distance was a black bear. Yes I know this isn't abnormal, but for me it was not what I was expecting. However, it was the most terrifying yet zen moment of beauty. Clearly I wasn't concerned because I watched for 10 minutes and got a video LOL. After words it was a lovely traffic 45 minute drive back to the hotel to pack up and catch some zzz.
The flight home was also amazing as I made a new friend who lived in CO, and when I saw the universe puts people into your life in the most unique ways I mean it. & for a trip having no rhyme or reason it panned out better than ever. So much so that I will be going back either end of August or mid September. The 3 best things in Denver for me was the views, conversations, and ziplining. What I also learned is that my intuition is stronger than I give it credit for, and these spontaneous trips lately have had my wanderlust soul lit up.
If you've been to Denver what is your favorite thing? I'd love other spots to hit up when I go back.
-Taryn.
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