Valley View

my view off the back porch of the Oak House

They don't call it Valley View for no reason.  Set up on the hill with a magnificent view of the valley, VALLEY VIEW hot springs is a must for any naturalist rambling through the state of COLORADO. I make a visit anytime I'm in the state and have been doing so for the last 7-8 years.

enjoying a soak in the lower of the 3 upper pools

late evening or early morning....?

the view of the 3 upper pools from the source pool

I dig the clouds in this shot... is "heavenly" a good word?

there's a new deck out to the MEADOW pool

 While I didn't get any photos, I did make two new friends this visit. Ed and Martha live in Denver and we're car camping right next to me. They invited me over for dinner one evening and we'd bump into each other from time to time. We've stayed in touch and you'll see more from them in a few posts.....

you see deer all the time

waterfall pool is my favorite...had it all to myself

 the indoor sauna with cold pool is unmatched in the country....

Back to Boulder

From the Fort I rambled back to Boulder to hang with LZ. We had a ball taking over the streets for some frisbee action. Farkle was played as well.

Check out that technique

I can't recall who was victorious...

was that a 1500 point roll... does it matter?

Rich Johnson of John Doe zine was scouting spots for his king of the road episode and we connected for lunch at VG.

Rich was a good sport about his vegan lunch.

I was able to eat at LEAF two more times. I can't recall what these two dishes were but they were GOOD.

                         

rode my bike up BOULDER CANYON

took a hobo bath in BOULDER CREEK

toured the gorgeous grounds of a ZEN sactuary

viewed adventurous souls rope swing into Boulder Creek

                       Final night in BOULDER I saw a screening of I AM in a sold out theater.

would have loved to stay for the FOUND FOOTAGE FEst

a packed house of in tune people! 

the FORT's skateparks....

One of the most significant reasons I ended up going to school at CSU was because of an indoor skatepark called FORT SKATE....... I just did a search and found no vid clips or photos... but it had a vert ramp, a wooden bowl with PVC coping, a fun mini ramp, and small street course. I asked around and a few pics were sent over. The park lasted during my freshman year 90/91. After I came back from summer vacation in 91, it was closed.

early construction - p:borrowed from Kurt Olesik FB by A Wiess

John Boyd worked at the park... We later shared an APT my Junior year.

Matt Swanson smithing where I spent a lot of my time. p:boyd

Another park wouldn't open til the LATE 90's. Here it is in 2011 and the town has 4 public skateparks all offering something a little different....

1st to open is EDORA.

Some of the fellas from SeanKelly's wedding were out bailing the big bowl at Edora..

After my early morning game of golf, I set to skating.

Zac Powell works with Sean at GRINDLINE SKATEPARKs. Adam Marshall has lines for days in the bowl.

Northside aka the DIY park - back bowls section

Northside - street

The STREET PLAZA park at Fossil Creek way on the south end of town...This was my first time ever figuring out how to get there.

Fossil Creek offers lots to the transitionally challenged.

I enjoy a nice ledge but most are too tall for my old bones.

TheSPRING CANYON skatepark is the newest to the area... phase 1 had the bowl and the few street elements. Phase 2 has the door way and qp section.. 303 MONTAGE of some of the parks...

the doorway is challenging and the POOL is ridiculously HARD

 The Skateboar Market, aka MRKT, has been holding down in the FORT since just after I left town in 94. There is a lot of history on the walls and ceiling at the shop. Marcus and Andy were the OG partners. Then Andy ran it solo and more recently passed the torch so he can concentrate on his nonprofit - LAUNCH.

the MRKT's well stocked DVD case

 It's hard for me to talk about skating in FT COLLINS without thinking about JOHN DOE ZINE and Rich the creator....22 years deep of chaos, fun, and b/w zines... Footage from the most recent anniversay party.

From the road I couldn't tell if it was wet.. looked fun but I was foiled.

A Few Days in the FORT>

I had some flexibility in when I could venture up to Ft.Collins for a few days. I chose to go the weekend that Sean Kelly was getting married. It turned out to be the only day that I could catch Andy Wiess still in town.

At this point, Sean had only been married for less than 1 hour.

The wedding was so relaxing and unpretentious. It was held on an organic farm on the outskirts of town. The weather was gorgeous and the music was spot on.

I found a seat next to ANDY and his wife as dusk fell.

Who knows if I'll ever get married, but I did store away a few ideas from Sean's wedding.... Especially the mobile pizza oven operation they used to cater the dinner.

basil, spinach, onion, & garlic before the oven

coming out of the oven

perfection!

River levels were TOO high to swim in the POUDRE.

Mel & Marcus enjoyed the FREE BOX

I had a nice sit down with Melissa and Marcus at their crib and met their two kids. I think I met Jackson when he was in diapers, but now he's almost out of high school. We rehashed old skate stories from my time at CSU. Sure we talked about Rich Johnson and the time that Rich and Marcus lived in OMAHA. Good laughs and stimilated memories. It was amazing remembering how much I loved skating the TJ MAX shopping center after hours with Jack and Monty and whoever else was around.....

It encourages me to see a restaurant that stands for something

Tasty Harmony is my favorite eatery in the FORT as of the past few years since Heidi and I discovered it. I had the pleasure of getting a few meals there.

Been craving taco for months, so I tried the tempeh tacos. just ok.

down home and Southern...I ate this plate for Klich.

YUM YUM's is the first place I ever consumed a falafel sandwich, and because of that I hold it close to my heart. Anytime I'm in the Fort, I get at least one falafel. I remember the owner being pretty old when I first started going there in the early 90's. This trip, I rolled up and barely recognized the place. It's gotten a facade face lift and they expanded into the adjacent storefront. The falafel business is going good. And the old man was nowhere to be seen, but his daughter is now the face of the business and we got to catch up. She thought she remembered me from when she was a youngster hanging out at the restaurant....

Falafel from YUM YUM's - the pic doesn't do it justice

My last evening in town, I was passing time at THE BEAN CYCLE. Most of you know my disdain for coffee, BUt I love this place because there is so much more going on there besides hot beverages. It shares space with MATTER bookstore. They prominently display at the front of their space a COMMUNITY wall that showcases local struggles and activities. I found a zine for a local organization called HAMMER TIME. This group facilitates a tool sharing project, a FREE STORE, info shares, and a garden among other things. They had limited hours and on this SUNDAY in question it was slated to be closed.. But I rode my bike out there and found a few members hanging out and they showed me around..  Super cool and right up my alley... Wish that would have been in existence when I was living in the FORT>

The Community WALL at the Bean Cycle - so informative

The sign on the building - HAMMER TIME!

A massive community garden on the property

The tool Co-op and FREE STORE share the same space.

fort collins skateparks in the next installment.....