Saturday night I went downtown Denver for the first time. If safety lies in numbers, then I was practically wrapped in bubble wrap... I went with a group of 15 corps members! We walked around without concrete plans, just hoping to see what there is to see. There were lots of cute shops and restaurants. There was also a lot of solicitation and poverty, and that was really hard to process. Overall, I loved downtown and can't wait to explore it more.
This was my first ride on the light rail! It's a great electric train that helps you get around in Denver. I am growing my bus and train legs! Also learning a lot about navigating public transportation. From left: Mazz, Roxanne, Robin, me.
My view of the city skyline from the light rail window.
Our huge group at Diego's. The birthday girl is in the red hat. The food was very good and fairly priced. I got a black bean and cheese burrito. It was an a la carte item, but huge and filling!
On Sunday, I got to go hiking for the very first time! A large group of corps members and team leaders went to hike in the flat irons of the Rockies in Chautauqua Park. We split up into different groups depending on how challenging of a hike we wanted. I went with the "easy" group because I'm so inexperienced! We took Mesa trail up to Mallory Cave trail. Round trip it was about 5 miles. I didn't think it was very easy, but it was definitely worth it! The views were breathtaking, I can't describe how they made me feel. I also got to bond with two other girls who have asthma and were at the back of the pack with me! I feel that taking the hike helped me adjust to the altitude. It was my first strenuous exercise since I've been here, and I felt so much better at the end than I did at the beginning. Dan Dutkiewicz was right: one time hiking will make you fall in love with the mountains.
The view upon entering Chatauqua Park.
Winding down the trails together.
It was such a sunny day! I waaayy overdressed; I thought it would be very cold. But at least I wore layers. I just ended up with two coats in my backpack and my hoodie tied around my waist.
The view from the top!
After the hike, we had lunch at Illegal Pete's in Boulder. It has a burrito/taco bar like Chipotle, but a much cooler atmosphere! I highly recommend the primavera vegetarian taco.
On Monday, I got to explore the Denver area more with my temporary team at the time, Christine's Fire 2. Some corps members were being trained as van drivers and needed practice on the road, so we all tagged along and turned it into a field trip. We saw Red Rocks amphitheater and the Columbine memorial. We ate bag lunches at Washington Park (the place I served at on Saturday!). Christine bought us all ice cream at Sweet Action and helped us find halloween costumes at a great thrift store called the ARC. I found one but it is a secret for now. ;)
There was a statue of a CCC member at the entrance of Red Rock Amphitheater because CCC'ers helped build it! That was really cool to see because the CCC is kind of the grandfather of NCCC, we are modeled after it.
Red Rock!
The view from the stage.
My temp. team and other CM's at Red Rock.
Columbine Memorial healing wall
Columbine Memorial healing wall
Columbine Memorial healing wall
Columbine Memorial victim plaque
Sweet Action was ahhhmazing. They make all their ice cream there and the flavors change all the time. I got the carmelized pear and loved it! Go there.
Also on Monday we had our first day of physical training (PT). We went to Centennial Park and practiced for our baselines. Baselines are an evaluation we will have next week where we will record how fast we can run 1 1/2 miles and how many pushups/situps we can do in one minute. There is no pressure, we just do baselines every few weeks during our service to set goals for ourselves and to measure how we've grown. I felt surprisingly very good during the run yesterday, but today I feel pretty sore! Oh well. I'm glad that being in this program will help me to develop healthy habits.
Today we had team bonding time with new temporary teams. Right now I'm with Jarrett on Fire 3! I went to REI for the first time. I thought it was overpriced, but cool. The store we went to was the flagship store! We also checked out a great book store called Tattered Cover. If you ever go, don't forget to venture to the second floor! It is quiet and has lots of comfy chairs. Our last stop was one of the best candy shops I've ever been to, Rocket Fizz. In the afternoon, we learned a lot about van safety and this evening I did laundry and watched the presidential debate.
Jarrett taught us how to make balloon animals! He went to Disney University. No big deal.
I'm pretty tired and sore and a bit homesick, but I'm loving all these adventures. Thank you for reading. =)
Love,
Rachel
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