Happy New Year and Fort Collins!

Happy New Year! This year we chose to ring in 2015 by joining many others on the 16th St Mall in Downtown Denver. We ate at range, which was quite good. It is located inside the the Colorado National Bank building and has since been converted to a hotel with restaurant. We enjoyed a tasty appetizer of kale and artichoke flatbread which also had little fingerling potatoes! This was followed by entrees of jumbo shrimp and squash tortelloni! Not like you need to know everything we ate, but I thought I would mention anyways. 

Fireworks made two appearances, once at 9pm for families with youngerish children and again at midnight. The fireworks were shot off from two different locations! We stood in the middle of the pedestrian mall between both sites and watched them go off at midnight! It was cold, but nothing like what Wisconsin is experiencing now! 

Between dinner we visited several establishments; Katie Mullens (terrible music, especially for an Irish pub), a lovely bar with many beers on tap that I forgot the name of, and Toms Urban where I drank my first mocha of the year with a shot of Bailey's for good measure!

Today, we finally made it to Fort Collins. I have been waiting to check out this college town for a long time. I have always wanted to visit New Belgium Brewing...and the only day they are closed is Monday...today. So, we proceeded on to Odell Brewing. What a fantastic place. I was extremely impressed! Their beer has been a favorite of mine since I tried it so I knew this was going to be a great time! As we walked up to the brewery, the bright red and yellow building greeted us warmly. I immediately noticed the recycled decking and native plantings. Inside, as I looked around I noticed reclaimed wood tables, recycled glass counters, and a very clear display for trash divided into landfill, recycle, and compost. There were also informational signs describing more ways Odell participates in water conservation like porous pavers, incentives for employees, helping the community, and supporting local farmers. All around...impressive.

In fact, the whole Fort Collins community is quite progressive and sustainable. We stopped in to get a warm beverage after our dinner at Lucky Joe's (very good Irish pubfare). As I entered Mugs, I was greeted by a friendly gentleman waiting to brew us up some good coffee. Mugs too had their garbage receptacles separated into landfill, compost, and recycling. In talking with Nate, it really isn't that difficult. If everyone made a small effort the amount of waste in landfills could greatly be reduced! Especially if all one had to do, is simply decide which bin your trash goes in. I'll get off my soapbox...

We also took a drive to see Horsetooth Reservoir. It was stunning! Snow stuck on the north facing slopes, bare rock on the south. The water was half frozen and reflecting the sun beautifully as we drove past. I wish it would've been safer to pull off and take a picture, so I will have to do with my smudgy one from the window. We weren't able to go too far up because the road was closed due to winter conditions. 

I enjoyed Fort Collins very much and would go back in a heartbeat. I would love to explore more...hiking, mountains, breweries, food, etc.  

My apologies for the lack of pictures this time. I don't have many fantastic ones...I will work on a few and post later. We have about a week until the next great adventure...and I'm not referring to the Packer game...