Poudre Canyon: A Preview

There's an amazing canyon that begins just outside of Fort Collins (~10 mins.).  The Cache la Poudre River flows through it, and the highway snaking alongside is allegedly one of the most gorgeous drives in Colorado (which isn't exactly an ugly state).  We'd never been there before.  Yesterday, though, Charlotte and I took a short excursion to see what we'd been missing (and what we have to look forward to).

The views aren't too shabby!  We'll pass some more photos along the next time we're in the canyon, but until then, have a great week!  If you need us, we'll most likely be exploring Montana in this rig-can you tell that Charlotte's used it for fieldwork already?

Gardening at 5,000'

Well, we will shortly have a post up here to show you our efforts to coax some yummy veggies out of the ground in Laramie.  Last year we learned that this requires some effort.  However, I wanted to briefly mention that we're also taking on a decently sized garden plot here in my Fort Collins backyard (half a mile lower, where the climate is way more favorable).  You could say it was a little overgrown to begin with...

However, after a sunny Saturday of work, I got things cleaned right up and some crops in the ground.

You might be curious about what I'm planning to grow, since there are so many options in Colorado (thanks to the awesome climate...and recent changes in our laws).  Well, I can report that every plant I'm growing is legal under both Colorado AND federal law!  That said, I am experimenting with a very close botanical cousin of cannabis: humulus lupulus.  Hops!

As you can see, I'm still not quite ready to brew beer with hops that I've grown myself, but I'm excited to learn a bit about these plants firsthand once these rhizomes begin growing.  I'm testing two different varieties (Cascade and Centennial hops) that are quite popular with American brewers.  Colorado's dry, sunny climate is purportedly ideal for hop plants in general, and these in particular, so we'll see how this goes!  In the meantime, have a great week, everyone!

Summer's A-Comin'!

Well, summer is rapidly approaching, even here in Laramie.  Some flowers are beginning to bloom.  And, because of last year's unbelievable drought, we've never actually seen green grass in Laramie like this before.  Not too shabby for the West!

With summer, though, comes fieldwork for Charlotte, and the excitement of getting a snazzy field vehicle.  This year, Charlotte received a sharp-looking Hyundai Santa Fe for her use.  

It was pretty nice, and had the unexpected fun factor of being from Canada!

However, space inside was a bit limited for field equipment.  Also, its speedometer was in kilometers per hour.  C'mon Enterprise!!!  We're Americans who live in Wyoming and Colorado.  We don't even know what kilometers are!  Can you grill them?  Fortunately, about 10 minutes later, Charlotte got a call that another (awesome) option had materialized on the Enterprise lot.  Say hello to Charlotte's new and improved 2013 field truck: a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee (Limited Edition)!

It's big and rugged with four-wheel drive...

...has lots of nice features (including a rearview camera and sensors, HID headlights, power leather seats, SIRIUS radio, a built-in power inverter, and a large-screen navigation system)...

...lots of glass for viewing the scenery (and night sky)...

...and, best of all, it's a good old American truck!

Anyway, we'll keep you posted as Charlotte's field adventures approach, but enjoy your weekend until then!

Until Our Next Official Post

Hi everyone!  Today (May 1st) we received about 10 inches of snow in Fort Collins.  We thought it was "blog-worthy."

That is all.  Hope you're doing great!