Mike and Amy, Last Full Day

New Years Eve! We all got a late start this morning. The general plan was to get some climbing done and then take a tour of the New Belgium Brewery down in Fort Collins. So we loaded up around lunch time and hit the road with our crashpad and my horrible guide book for Colorado Bouldering. The objective was to hit Carter Lake outside of Fort Collins and pull down on some sweet sandstone. After a bit of navigational difficulty (again, horrible guide book) we finally found Carter Lake. I was a bit miffed to find out we had to pay $7 to play there. That seems like a lot of cash, especially in the winter when there is no one around. After some more navigational difficulty (grrrr) we finally found the trail to the rocks. The rocks themself are strewn across a hillside above Carter Lake, which is a man made resevoir. The rock itself was mostly rough sandstone with lots of embedded pebbles. It felt weak and I was constantly worried about pulling off holds but everything held. I was probably just not used to it yet. I'll spare you the gory detail of all the boulders we hopped on and just post pics.

Mike shoeing up


Amy on possibly her first ever boulder



Me nearing the top


Mike and I working a V1 crack.





Scouting


Not sure...


Trying to unlock the secret


Mike trying to keep a straight face


We all enjoyed this route





Here I am PUMPED to be outside touching rock


So after about 4 hours climbing we rolled on down to Fort Collins to the New Belgium Brewery. Unfortunately we missed the actual tour but they do have a tasting room where you can sample all 12 of the beers they brew. I suppose it is a lot like a wine tasting. They bring them out in a certain order and you are supposed to sniff them, take a small sip, then plug your nose and take another sip and then exhale through your nose. It is interesting to try to identify how the different ingredients make different tastes and styles. Here we are nearing the end and no, we did not finish all that beer.


After the tasting I was desperate to find a Chicago style hot dog but we struck out and ended up at Chipolte's. Not as good as Pancheros but awesome none the less.

We finished the evening watching movies and welcomed the new year while watching Ace Ventura.

The next morning, Mike and Amy hit the road for the long drive back to Iowa. We will miss them and hope they get back out here soon.