Red Rocks

I really like Colorado. A lot. Craig just finished culinary school, so I decided it was time for me to take some time to go celebrate. I flew into Denver on Saturday, Jan. 24 and spent a few days in the city with my little brother.  Craig took me to some great places downtown... One of the highlights was the Falling Rock Taphouse, where there are about 70 different beers on tap. We also had a great meal (including dessert, of course) at the Cheesecake Factory.  Craig, being the culinarian he is, is generally not a fan of "chain" restaurants, but he was pleasantly surprised with this spot. We also visited the Coors Brewery in Golden, just outside of Denver. 

Here's Craig in the tasting room...

I helped Craig pack up and clean his apartment to get ready for the big move back to Grand Junction. Our parents live in Grand Junction during the winter months, so they drove over on Monday to help Craig move his things. It took us a speedy 3.5 hours to drive over the pass, which was surprising because mom and dad had a rough ride over that same morning. 

Grand Junction is a small city in western Colorado, very close to the Utah border. Mark and I were lucky enough to visit together last year in March. It's situated at the foot of the Colorado National Monument, between two little towns called Palisade and Fruita. There are thousands of miles to explore, and so many hiking and mountain biking opportunities. 

This is Dad and I at Captain Smith's cabin in Escalante Canyon, just outside of Grand Junction. 

Eslcalante Ranch runs through this whole canyon, and we got stuck behind a cattle drive on the road out! The two cowboys had about six herding dogs working the cattle crowd. Being the proud mom of two herding dogs, I had a good time watching these dogs in action. They wouldn't even let the poor cows stop for a drink of water! They mean business. 

Oh, did I mention that Grand Junction is right in the middle of Colorado's up-and-coming wine country? Mom, Dad and I visited a few wineries in the Palisade area: Graystone Vineyards, Garfield Estates Vineyard, Plum Creek Winery, and Canyon Wind Cellars. I bought two bottles to share with Mark, but they never made it home. Sorry, Mark! 

Canyon Wind Cellars' vineyard...

Mom and I at Canyon Wind... 

Grand Junction is very close to the Utah border, so one day we took the "back road" to Moab (mountain biking mecca). On the way, we stopped at Fisher Towers to do some hiking (in January!!!). It was an amazing hike -- one of the best I've ever done. It wasn't too easy or too hard, and the scenery was spectacular.

Craig was busy hunting for jobs this day, so I had a great time hanging out with my parents! Here's Mom and I on the trail...

After we hiked Fisher Towers, we continued onto Moab. This picture was taken just outside of Moab at a place called Gemini Bridges. Gemini Bridges are two bridges that span over a huge canyon. It was incredible, but very, very high up! Here's Dad and his Rubicon near the bridges...

The day before I left, Craig invited me to go hiking with he and his girlfriend LeeAnna and fellow chef and friend Luke. We hiked just outside of the Colorado National Monument on the "Mica Mine" trail. 

Mica... I brought some home!

There were lots of highlights to this trip. One of them was Craig's cooking. He and Luke made a delicious chicken concoction one night, and the morning I left Craig got up early to make me Eggs Benedict (my fav). What a brognar! 

While I was there, Craig landed an interview at a place called Bin 707. The night he had his interview, the family went out to dinner at the place to scope things out. Delicious food, great atmosphere. Best of all, Craig got a job offer the next day!

I had a great week with my family. Mark and the pets survived without me for a week. I even came home to a clean house! :)