It’s confirmed – the Lookout Mountain trail from Windy Saddle in Lookout Mountain is short-term visitor approved. Not too long, not too high in elevation (reaches just over 7k feet), and has some of the best views!
Seriously the best views for such a short hike! DenverSpeax, April 2015.
Source: Velo Swap Facebook Photos.
Yet again we are in one of those situations where we can’t decide if we want to promote an event or keep it as secret as possible. But really, how do you keep the world’s largest consumer bicycling and sports expo a secret? Continue reading
Trailhead sign for Mount Bierstadt. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014.
Last Friday, a few co-workers and I received a random day off. With summer coming quickly to an end, we decided to hike Mount Bierstadt, a Class 2 difficulty, 14,060′ mountain in Colorado. This only being my second 14er, I was just as anxious as the first!
Out of the three of us who hiked, 2 of us were on our second 14er and for one of us, Bierstadt was the first. I would definitely recommend Bierstadt for first-time 14ers for a few reasons: 1) lower class of difficulty, 2) no incredibly steep inclines, 3) the trail is clearly defined and consists of wooden planking (beginning), dirt, and boulders – you get a taste of everything! 4) if you can park in, or close to, the parking lot at the trailhead, it is only about a 7.5 round trip. For directions to Bierstadt, click here.
Luckily, the weather last Friday was incredible! We had a few scary clouds once we hit summit, but no rain or hail the entire afternoon. Amazing, right?! It was nice to hike on a Friday and beat the weekend crowds also – if you have the chance to go on a weekday, take it!
A hidden lake during mile 1 of Bierstadt. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Sunshine and a two-track trail – how beautiful is that view?! Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
We began hiking the trail at about 7 am and made our way across the two-track path; wooden decking also consumed a portion of the trail early on in the first mile, leading us over marshy land and through tall grass.
Beautiful meadows and wildlife. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Beautiful meadows and wildlife. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
The views of the valleys and meadows were breath-taking. Beautiful wildflowers are present along the majority of the trail until about the 3rd mile (guess-timate). Marmots and little chipmunks were everywhere! It was really fun to see wildlife in addition to the beautiful plant life on our hike this time.
Check out how far we’d come! Looking back at the trailhead below somewhere between mile 2 and 3. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Although the trail is pretty tame, the last mile or two are definitely more rough. The higher up, the rockier it gets!
View from somewhere around mile 3. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Rough terrain in the last mile. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Check out the sweet “Stairway to Heaven” pic from summit:
Cassy summitting Bierstadt. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
The views from the top were incredible, but with the clouds rolling in we were only able to stay up there for about 10 minutes.
View from the top of Mount Bierdstadt. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Just enough time to get a picture with the conveniently placed, home-made signs that are waiting for you at the top!
Kirsten at the top of Mount Bierstadt. Photo Credit: Cassy H., July 2014
Lonely backpack at the top. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, July 2014
Something we need to mention – 14ers are hard. They truly test your physical and mental abilities to the max. When I hear people say “It’s an easy 14er” or, “Hey, that one’s an easy one!”, it annoys us as this is not necessarily true for you and your abilities. Know your limits. Yes, the 14ers are classified, and this is a good guide in order to pick out which mountains to start on and which mountains will be more challenging than others; however there are no “easy 14ers”.
Research your mountain before you go – 14ers.com is an amazing site with a TON of information including classifications, directions, trailheads, and pictures. Figure out which mountain is going to be right for your skill level. There are 54 to choose from! We definitely recommend Bierstadt as a first-time 14er, but remember that it is still a physical feat to accomplish! There’s no doubt in our mind that you can do it. 🙂
Have any questions or want to accompany DenverSpeax on an upcoming 14er? Comment below, or email us at denverspeax@gmail.com.
Yesterday, Steve and I (Kirsten) journeyed to Colorado Springs for the first time since moving to Colorado a year ago. Equipped with snacks, water, cameras, and a little dog, we hiked for a few hours throughout Garden of the Gods.
Steve & Moguls, checking out the view. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods is a registered National Natural Landmark located about an hour south of Denver on i25. There are about 15 miles’ worth of trails throughout the park, all of which outlined on a FREE map provided by the Visitor & Nature Center Information Desk. For our first trip, we stuck to the paved walkways and took note of interesting looking trails for next time. We couldn’t have asked for better weather!
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Climbers are allowed in designated areas of the park with proper permits and equipment. Honestly, one of the coolest experiences at the park was watching climbers clench to the side of these massive, jagged rocks.
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
A Boy and his Nikon. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods is a great place for all ages! The views are spectacular, and the hiking is amazing. There are all levels of trails throughout the park with maps posted throughout. Also, it’s a great workout for you and your furry friend, just remember to keep them on a leash at all times.
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Steve and Kirsten exploring Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Steve looking for the best shot in Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
Garden of the Gods. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, May 2014
If you’re ever in the mood for being inspired by more of Colorado’s natural beauty, check out Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Visit their Visitor and Nature Center, climb the massively jagged rocks, or hike one of the several trails. They have tons of events relating to geology, tours, and more. Also, check out the other sights in the park, like Balanced Rock.
The power of reminder can be very interesting and thought-provoking, to the point of near meditation:
A song comes on the radio, and you’re instantly placed into a time previous of extreme joy, or maybe content, or possibly sadness.
You head west out of Denver to visit the Rockies, and you’re reminded of your first trip to Loveland Pass, or your first drive through the Eisenhower Tunnel.
View from Arapahoe Basin – Click on the photo to see more beautiful pictures in this area.
These places serve as reminder for us as to why we moved here, and why we started DenverSpeax. It’s important to reflect, and have our reflection over the past (almost) year rejuvenate our spirits and provoke motivation. I thought it would be good to pass this along to you all who have supported us.
The Story:
When we moved here, we had a few friends from back home, but they were fairly new as well. It was difficult to find places to go or see because we didn’t know what we were looking for, per se – try using Yelp to find a restaurant when you’re in the mood for a certain atmosphere, or when you’re trying to make friends – is there a filter for those? Although we believe Yelp is a great application and very helpful, sometimes a star-rating just doesn’t cut it. Sure, there’s another great site called TripAdvisor – we use it when we are traveling…but we weren’t traveling any longer. We weren’t looking for advertised Bed & Breakfasts and their ratings – we were looking to call a place home.
The best way to learn and begin to understand a community is by fully emerging yourself. This is what we’ve learned in our various travels domestically and internationally, as well as with this move to Denver. Out of boredom, and lack of known resources within the Denver community & beyond, DenverSpeax was born.
City Park hosts City Park Jazz for many Sundays each summer. Click on the picture to read more!
We roam around Denver and the surrounding areas looking for what’s good in the community. The good comes in all shapes, sizes, and experiences. We support small, local businesses when we eat out, and prefer to stay local with our purchases as well. Luckily, there are so many festivals, parks, food and beverage, volunteering, and natural beauty here that we’ll never run out of things to write about.
Walking around on the 16th Street mall can be a ton of fun. Click on the picture to check out more!
DenverSpeax exists to promote positivity within the community, helping out natives and transplants alike with what to do, where to go, and how to experience all of the good that’s so aplenty here. Know someone who’s moving to Denver? Show ’em our website. Ran out of things to do and experience? Look through the site! Planning a trip to Denver and want the real feel of our diverse community? Well, we have a website for that!
Thank you for your endless support. We are devoted to continue to bring you the low down on what’s good in Denver. A few things we’re looking at tackling next:
How you can help: Come with us! Or, let us know…
What other features would you like to see on the website?
What is local and positive that you just can’t live without?
For more on what’s good in Denver, follow us in real-time on Facebook, Instagram (@denverspeax), or Twitter (@denverspeax).
Gociety hooks you up with people of same outdoor interests – what a great platform to motivate more Coloradans to get outside and mingle with like-minded, awesome people! Check out Gociety on Facebook by clicking on their logo above – Photo Credit: Gociety Facebook Page, April 2014
Gociety is a site we’ve been watching for a while, and for good reason; their concept is fresh and new, and provides a GREAT service to the Colorado community. With Gociety, you can meet people from all over Colorado getting outside and doing what they love!
For example, we are avid bikers and appreciate meeting new people to bike all over Denver with – Gociety is a platform that will help us out with this.
Road biking lets us exercise and see new parts of town; on Gociety, I can meet new people that love to do the same. Click on the picture above to check out the Gociety Facebook Page. Photo Credit: DenverSpeax Archive, 2013
Creating a Gociety profile is super easy – we just made one! By visiting Gociety, you can join via Facebook profile, OR email. Fill out info about how you get down in the great outdoors of Colorado, and BOOM! – you have a Discovery Feed outlining multiple outdoor activities in areas all over Colorado. From Cat Skiing to to Fly Fishing to multiple runs and triathlons, there is a TON to do – and what better way to find it than one, organized Discovery Feed via your personal Gociety profile. Search options on the right-hand side make it easy to limit the feed to your interests only.
Get outside and hike Mount Evans! Photo Credit: DenverSpeax Archive, 2013
With an easy-to-use platform, it’s no wonder more and more Coloradans are catching on to Gociety‘s awesome idea. We can’t wait to sign up for a few events (aka, Gocieties) and meet new, awesome people that love getting outside. We’ll be sure to give you an update as well as an inside look of our experience. Stay tuned!
For the meantime, go check Gociety out on the web or on Facebook and see what they’re all about for yourself.
Thanks to all of our friends and family that have made this trip to OneSpark in Jacksonville tomorrow possible. Watch our brand expansion project’s video – CitySpeax – your city, your love.
Also, please please PLEASE vote for our project to get NOTICED and FUNDED here. “Bookmark” it, and help us rise through the ranks of popularity. Thanks again for your support!
With the nice weather coming, we feel it’s important to create fun and safe Bicycle Pub Crawls. Yesterday, Jeff and I (Kirsten) set out to visit a few pubs on Colfax, and ended up riding 7 miles round trip while visiting. Check out the highlights of our three stops!
Jeff representing Detroit underneath the Detroit street sign; first stop was Three Lions on Colfax. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014
Stop #1: The Three Lions: A World Football Pub
We’ve been hooked on this Football (or, soccer) pub since last summer when we experienced a bus trip from the place to see The Colorado Rapids.
Three Lions is all things Football, have a variety of great beers, and some killer appetizers. Bonus, their patio out front sports a few fantastic picnic tables so you can enjoy the sun and your brew simultaneously!
Stop #2: Sancho’s Broken Arrow on Colfax. Pictured: Jeff & Kirsten (above). Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014
Stop #2: Sancho’s Broken Arrow – A Thinking Place
Sancho’s is another place we really enjoy – who can’t with all of the Grateful Dead parafanalia, pool tables, and ridiculous specials. 2 for $3 Coors Light drafts yesterday? Don’t mind if we do! We also made a friend from Wisconsin who had stopped in before going to finish up some errands. There are always friendly people at Sancho’s with interesting stories to tell. Stop in and say hi.
Jeff introduced me to Kwak at The Cheeky Monk! Pictured: Jeff, Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014
Stop #3: The Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe
Yesterday was my first time at the Cheeky Monk. Jeff introduced me to a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Pauwel Kwak. A heavily fruity beer, there was a brief banana after-taste – something new! Try it out – it gets great ratings, and is served all fancy-like. In addition to the Kwak, we also had some tasty frites (fries) served with a garlic aioli as well as delicious pretzel bites served with a spicy mustard. Specific appetizers were half off while we visited – check out the Cheeky Monk online to see when they host happy hour and other specials.
Delicious garlic frites with a garlic aioli on the side. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014
Pretzel bites – delicious! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014
There you have it – a mini pub crawl on Colfax Ave with 3 great locations. We look forward to planning more of these epic excursions to explore more brews and good eats around the city.
Where should we go next? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page!
This weekend, February 23rd, 2014, CrossfitDeCO and the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver are teaming up to hold a fundraiser to sponsor student athletes.
Thanks to CrossfitDeCO for posting this awesome photo for the fundraiser – click on the photo to be re-directed to their site for more information on the event and how you can help. Credit: CrossfitDeCO, Feb 2014
Stop in at CrossfitDeCO from noon to 2 pm this Sunday to see how you can help a student with an 8 week Crossfit membership. No donation is too small, and this is a great way to get kids active in the Denver area. Don’t believe us? No worries – there will be a sample workout performed to make you a believer. Note that while childhood obesity is increasing in awareness, Colorado’s childhood obesity rate continues to increase, per the Denver Post. What a great fundraiser to help out with this issue!
Check out CrossfitDeCO’s Official site for more information.
Like CrossfitDeCO on Facebook! DenverSpeax, too!
Last weekend, we rolled up to A-Basin to skiboard (some of us ski, some of us snowboard – this magical word includes both) for the day. The first and only time Steve and I visited Colorado (October 2012), we skiboarded A-Basin; it was great to experience more than one run being open and nice, short lines. Check out the photos from last Sunday on the mountain:
View from one of the lifts at A-Basin. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Jan 2014
Last chair of the day – the wind was nuts and visibility on the way down was shadows at best. Totally worth every second! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Jan 2014
Our last run of the day. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Jan 2014
It’s great to be reminded every once in a while! Especially after a nice yard-sale in the middle of the mountain. I mean, not that that’s ever happened… Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Jan 2014
Excited to get out on the mountain this upcoming Saturday – hopping in the car and heading West is such a great feeling.
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