My gym, Yeti Cave CrossFit, has become a central part of my life — not only physically but socially. On Saturday, four different teams from Yeti Cave took part in Project Uplift, an athletic competition that raises funds for local foster families. I am not quite ready to start competing myself, but I rode my bike […]
Read MoreGunnison and Crested Butte
Heaven forbid we spend more than two weeks in a row at home. This weekend the road was calling: off to Gunnison, Colorado. Toward the end of our 5-hour drive, we experienced the most dramatic sunset I’ve seen in my life — photos certainly don’t capture it, but here are a few that try. We […]
Read MoreTour de Fat bike parade
One of Fort Collins’ most anticipated events is the annual Tour de Fat, New Belgium’s celebration of beer and bicycles and all varieties of weirdness. Tour de Fat takes place across 6 cities, but from what I understand, Fort Collins is the party to beat — and it is the only city that still hosts […]
Read MoreTo school or not to school
I am grappling with a substantial decision: to go to grad school, or not to go to grad school. PRO: I have already been accepted to Erica’s Dream Program, an MA (or MFA, depending) in Poetry with an Emphasis on Versecraft. It is a highly unique program that includes classes on poetry in translation and […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 9: The Home Stretch
3,174 miles later… we are home!! We have just finished putting the new pins in our map of the United States. We had walked through the trip beforehand, using that same map — but now that the miles are behind us, the enormity of it is really hitting me. One city (Edmonton, Alberta) is so […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 8: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site. That’s an incredible name, isn’t it?! (How the Buffalo Jump Got Its Name) When hunting buffalo, a key tactic for Plains Indians was to spark a stampede and drive the buffalo over a cliff to their deaths. At Head-Smashed-In, archaeologists have found thousands of years’ worth of evidence that […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 7: Edmonton Fringe Festival
Erica is not writing this blog post. Erica is lying crumpled up on the bed after two intense days of the wonderful Edmonton Fringe Festival. Were she here and even vaguely conscious, she would tell you they were two perfect days full of time with friends, delicious street food, and nine different beautiful gems of […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 6: Calgary
The bad news: we were forced to re-route our trip. Originally, our game plan called for us to take a 7-hour drive through Alberta’s Jasper National Park, which I have been led to believe is heaven on earth. The wildfire smoke has persisted, which would have made our drive overly long and tedious instead of […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 5: Banff National Park
For those of you playing at home, no, the wildfire smoke did not magically drift away overnight. We had one full day in Banff National Park, and we made the most of it. We spent the morning exploring downtown Banff. Last night, after assuming it would be too hazy to really enjoy hiking, we booked […]
Read MoreBanff or bust, part 4: Kootenay National Park
Today was a haunting day to be driving through British Columbia’s national parks. Over 600 wildfires are burning in BC alone, and our trip continues to be besieged by smoke and haze as a result. The bulk of today’s drive took us through Kootenay National Park, on roads which only days ago had been completely […]
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