Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site. That’s an incredible name, isn’t it?! (How the Buffalo Jump Got Its Name) When hunting buffalo, a key tactic for Plains Indians was to spark a stampede and drive the buffalo over a cliff to their deaths. At Head-Smashed-In, archaeologists have found thousands of years’ worth of evidence that […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 7: Edmonton Fringe Festival
Erica is not writing this blog post. Erica is lying crumpled up on the bed after two intense days of the wonderful Edmonton Fringe Festival. Were she here and even vaguely conscious, she would tell you they were two perfect days full of time with friends, delicious street food, and nine different beautiful gems of […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 6: Calgary
The bad news: we were forced to re-route our trip. Originally, our game plan called for us to take a 7-hour drive through Alberta’s Jasper National Park, which I have been led to believe is heaven on earth. The wildfire smoke has persisted, which would have made our drive overly long and tedious instead of […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 5: Banff National Park
For those of you playing at home, no, the wildfire smoke did not magically drift away overnight. We had one full day in Banff National Park, and we made the most of it. We spent the morning exploring downtown Banff. Last night, after assuming it would be too hazy to really enjoy hiking, we booked […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 4: Kootenay National Park
Today was a haunting day to be driving through British Columbia’s national parks. Over 600 wildfires are burning in BC alone, and our trip continues to be besieged by smoke and haze as a result. The bulk of today’s drive took us through Kootenay National Park, on roads which only days ago had been completely […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 3: Idaho Falls
(Part 1: Jackson Hole, Wyoming | Part 2: Craters of the Moon) This morning found us in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We had rolled into town late the night before, and so hadn’t seen much of the area, so we woke up early this morning to explore before we hit the road again. Do you recognize […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 2: Craters of the Moon
(If you missed it, our 3,400 mile road trip began with part 1.) Today started just outside of Grand Teton National Park. Dan discovered a bike trail from downtown Jackson Hole straight into the park, so he took an early ride and we met up for breakfast at Dornan’s Chuckwagon in full view of the mountains. (All […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 1: Jackson Hole, WY
It’s summer road trip time. Banff or bust! Dan and I are headed to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, for a few reasons: We are road trip people by nature; in fact, we will be hitting a few cities that we have driven through before; We have had our eye on Banff for […]
Read MoreA tale of two tattoos
August 5th marked my 35th birthday. Dan and I spent the day together doing many of my favorite things: a bike ride and brunch at Snooze, dinner at Lulu’s in Louisville, a shopping trip at Lush in Boulder, cheesecake at home while watching O Brother, Where Art Thou?. The centerpiece of my birthday celebration, however, […]
Read MoreThe Adventures of Ryan and Jenny
July has been the month for visitors! This week we hosted my brother Ryan and my sister-in-law Jenny, who were visiting between a wedding in Seattle and a wedding outside of Denver. During one of our adventures, Dan and I took Ryan and Jenny to Ginger and Baker, a restaurant that I love for as […]
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