How Portable is a Tiny Home? Our CO to NY Adventure
We are asked this question often. . . how portable is a tiny home? Or. how portable is YOUR tiny home? Well. . . it took us a while to write this post for many reasons. But mainly, we put the portability of our tiny home to the test by driving it across the country from Colorado to upstate New York at the end of May/beginning of June. Here is how it went:
Our intended route from CO to NY with stops at Wally Worlds across the US. Why Wally World? Free overnight parking.
After a late night of trying to get the tires back on and a rainy week in CO, we ended up with a muddy mess.
The interior of our tiny house secured for the big move. Almost all of the cabinet handles were designed to fasten with a rubber band.
After a tow out of the field, we were on our way.
About 100 miles east of Fort Collins, we had our first setback. Somehow we had the unbelievable fortune of breaking down in the driveway of an older gentleman’s ranch in rural Colorado who happened to have a “tire rack” and all of the equipment to change a tire. After a few hours, we were back on the road.
Welcome to North Platte Nebraska! We stayed for the night and planned to get on the road the next day. Sadly, we had more tire issues. Dondi searched around and found a used set but it was Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and all of the tire shops were closed ’til Tuesday.
We decided to enjoy Memorial Day weekend since we were “stranded” in North Platte, NE. We found a beautiful lake a few miles away and spent some time relaxing in the sunshine.
Good Year opened early Tuesday morning, put our tires on, and we were off on the road headed east.
On the road in eastern Nebraska. After another pit stop in western Illinois for a set of new tires, we were back on the open road. We “cruised” at a speed of 40 to 55 miles per hour the whole way to New York.
Just when we thought things were going well, we hit a 4 foot wide pot hole in Chicago and broke a shackle on the trailer frame. Bummer! We found a local auto body shop that welded the shackle back onto the frame and we were back on the road.
Six days later. . . we finally made it to NY but we were not home yet!
The final straw. We made it 35 miles from Ithaca and broke down in the Lows parking lot. They were kind enough to let us stay for the night until the next day when we found a shop to fix another shackle and a bent axle. NY roads sure took a beating last winter and did a number on our trailer!
We finally made it to our new house in Ithaca. Because the ground was wet from all the rain, we didn’t make it far.
One last attempt to pull the tiny home to the back of the property with three pull vehicles. Needless to say, it didn’t work. We made it as far as the front lawn and that is where the tiny home stayed for the night.
Luckily Dondi’s dad showed up with his tractor!
The tractor worked like a charm to pull the tiny house back to its spot on our new property.
Seven days after our departure from Fort Collins, our tiny house was safe and sound at its new location in upstate New York. To Erin (33 weeks pregnant) the trip was a bit of a nightmare. To Dondi, it was an adventure with a new challenge at every turn. Now that we’ve had a bit of time to reflect on our “adventure” we have very different memories but nevertheless, it was an adventure. What did we learn from the experience? Add a 3rd trailer axle for a long haul with a tiny home and definitely put NEW tires on the trailer before the trip! Until next time, Erin & Dondi
Southwest Road Trip- Week 2
Week 2 of our 16 day road trip throughout the American Southwest. . .
Day 8- After 1 night and 1 day in Vegas, we were ready to get back into nature at Zion National Park in southern Utah
Dondi playing on our hike up to Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park
The hike to Angel’s Landing (5.5 miles round trip and pretty much straight up)
Erin hiking the final 500+ vertical foot rock scramble up to Angel’s Landing
The shuttle buses looked a LOT smaller from the top of Angel’s Landing considering we hiked up from the shuttle stop/road
Zion Canyon from the top of Angel’s Landing
Dondi cooling off in the North Fork of the Virgin River in Zion just downriver from the Narrows after a strenuous hike
Day 10- On the beach at Lake Powell near Page, AZ
Lake Powell and dam
Short hike to Horseshoe Bend in Colorado River near Page, AZ
Day 11- 5.5 mile hike through Wirepass Gulch, slot canyon in southern Utah
One huge perk of an April/early May trip were all of the wildflowers. . . they were everywhere!
Dondi at Wirepass Gulch intersection
Dondi playing in the crevices in the slot canyone at Wirepass Gulch
Day 12- Sunrise from the truck on the beach at Lone Rock, Lake Powell
Nothing beats camping on the beach by the water. . .except maybe if the water was warm enough to swim in 😉
Monument Valley, UT in a wind/sand storm (can you see the mittens?)
Tiny houses (well rental cabins) being built in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. . . they weren’t on wheels but looked like a great place to stay
Cowboy and his dog herding a flock of sheep in the windstorm near Monument Valley, UT
Driving to our campsite on BLM land near Mexican Hat, Utah (yes, the town was named after the rock formation)
Beautiful campsite at a bend in the San Juan River (thankfully, out of the wind!)
A yummy dinner. . . super simple shrimp fajitas with grilled veggies and salsa
Chillin by the San Juan River. . . considering we camped about 4 miles down a 4WD road, it was bizarre and fun to see a raft of 3 people float by
Day 13- A stop at Newspaper Rock on our way to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park gave us our fill of petroglyphs. . .
View from a hike in the Needles District at Canyonlands National Park, UT
Far off view of the “needles” in Canyonlands National Park, UT
The “wooden shoe” in Canyonlands National Park, UT
Camping between the Needles District and the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park
Day 14- Mesa Arch in the Island in the Sky District at Canyonlands National Park
Another yummy camp dinner =)
Sun setting over Canyonlands
Evening glow in the Island in the Sky District at Canyonlands
Sunset in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park
Day 15- 3 mile morning hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, UT
Beautiful landscape views on our hike to Delicate Arch
Hike to the Windows in Arches National Park
Day 16- We hightailed it back to Fort Collins after camping near Glenwood Springs, CO a day early due to the May 10th winter storm warning calling for 10 to 20 inches of snow. . . it was a very good decision since they got about 20 inches and closed I-70! =)
Overall, it was an incredible trip and we loved every minute of it! We drove about 2800 miles which really wasn’t bad since it was broken up with no more than 4 hours of driving each day and several days with under an hour of driving. Like the trip photos, leave us a comment! -Erin & Dondi
Southwest Road Trip- Week 1
On Friday April 25th, we left on a 2800 mile, 16 day road trip throughout the American southwest. . . It was an awesome trip and one we will remember for a long long time! Here are some of the highlights of our trip. . .
Day 1- campsite near an old railroad bridge not far from Trinidad, CO
Day 2- Santa Fe farmer’s market, Santa Fe, NM
Erin and Dondi wandering around Santa Fe, NM
Day 3- Stopped for lunch at the Church St. Cafe in Old Town Albuquerque, NM
A short hike through Petroglyph National Monument just outside of Albuquerque, NM revealed some pretty awesome petroglyphs!
Sunset at Petrified Forest National Park in AZ
Day 4- Touring Petrified Forest National Park in AZ. . . gorgeous colors created by mineralization
Dondi and “Old Faithful”, the park’s largest log weighing some ridiculous number of tons
Driving from Petrified Forest National Park toward Flagstaff, AZ
After an awesome lunch in Flagstaff, we headed to the East Entrance of the Grand Canyon and caught our first incredible views from the Desert View Watchtower
Grand Canyon from the Desert View Watchtower
Day 5- Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim
4 mile round trip hike from parking lot to Ooh Aah Point down into the Grand Canyon (did we forget to mention. . . Erin is 7 months pregnant in this pic)
Day 6- On the west side of the South Rim, we spotted a herd of bighorn sheep on a ledge far below our overlook
Day 7- Dondi’s first good look at the Hoover Dam
New bridge at the Hoover Dam everyone coming from Arizone to Nevada doesn’t have to drive over it
Erin and Dondi at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas before going to see the Cirque du Soleil Show ‘Ka’- it was INCREDIBLE!
The rest of our trip (Week 2) is on its way. . .
March 2014 Update
Hiya. It’s been forever since our last update- so sorry. The good news is we have plenty of updating to do today! So, here it goes. . .
Harmon (bro-in-law) and Dondi antelope hunting in Wyoming in late October.
Hunter (nephew) and Dondi with Dondi’s first elk!
Dondi (and some friends) processed the entire elk in a weekend. . . sausage, ground elk, cube steaks and all.
Dondi and Erin backcountry snowboarding up at Cameron Pass (about an hour west of Fort Collins).
Dondi, Erin, Meg, and Matt at our long-time friend Ashley C’s wedding.
Christmas in Cincinnati– creek hiking and other fun times with Erin’s family.
LauraLee and Dondi making homemade ice cream at the cabin in NY on New Year’s Eve.
Our curtain project. . . it was a budget project relatively speaking since custom blinds for all of our windows would have been well over a thousand dollars. These will do!
In February, we did our final (crossing my fingers at least) tiny home improvement project. . . curtains! We chose a nice lightweight material to allow the light to shine through all of the windows while providing some additional insulation in the winter, shade in the summer, and privacy too.
February ski weekend in Steamboat Springs with some friends. The powder was awesome!!
Skiing at Steamboat. The trees looked like snow sculptures!
Skiing in the trees at Steamboat. The famous “champagne powder” was amazing!
While snowshoeing in Steamboat Springs, we tried to figure out a fun way to make an announcement. . . did it work? Yup! Erin is due in mid-July. Pics of the baby bump to come in our next post!
CSU vs. Harvard Polo Game- it was awesome to see CSU kick their butts!
CSU vs. Harvard- CSU won by a landslide. Sweet!
Dondi studying for the PE (Professional Engineering Exam) on a super sunny March day- he’s studied all the other days too since Jan 1st, just on our tiny home table. =)
Ryan and Sarah (Erin’s bro and sis-in-law) came to visit FoCo after a ski trip in the CO mountains– good times!
The mare in the field next to us had a foal. . . it’s been fun to watch him grow up quickly over the past week or so!
Beautiful March day in the tiny home!
We were selected to speak at TEDx FrontRange on May 22nd, 2014 in Loveland, Colorado. Can’t wait!!
In our TEDx talk, we’ll be discussing our “experiment in simple living”. The event will be live-streamed online and we’ll be sure to post the details on the blog so you can check it out. Check it out here: http://www.tedxfrontrange.com/
That’s all for now! Until next time. . . leave us a comment. We love to hear from you. -Erin & Dondi
Late Summer Adventures and Moving our Tiny House Soleil
Hiya! It sure has been busy on our end with loads of adventures, Erin starting her dietetic internship, Dondi doing his thing at work, and moving our tiny house. Here’s the last month or so in pics. . . enjoy!
Our friend Rebecca, Erin, and Dondi celebrating Erin’s MS thesis defense at Scrumpy’s. . . the new cidery in Fort Collins
Erin and Dondi mountain biking near Estes Park, CO before the big flood
The start of the boulder path to Castle Peak near Aspen, Colorado
Erin and Dondi at the top of Castle Peak- peak by noon, ate lunch, then got ready for our next adventure (beyond getting back to the truck). . .
The view from the top of Castle Peak- we made it up our first 14-er!
The view of Pearl Pass Road from the top of Castle Peak (aka, our next adventure)
One of the “dicey” spots on Pearl Pass Road. . . we should have thought twice before taking Dondi’s stock 4WD truck up an old US Forest Service Road
We made it to the peak of Pearl Pass (nevermind the lightning and everything literally buzzing. . .)– the map said the road was 6 miles long, not 19 MORE miles to Crested Butte!
The other end of the “road that never ends” through the aspen trees. . . Erin even made up a song: “this is the road that never ends, it goes on and on my friend, some crazy people started driving it not knowing what it was, and then they kept on driving it forever just because. . .” (they really really didn’t want to turn around and go back the same way they came) LOL!
If Pearl Pass Road wasn’t enough for that weekend in September, Erin and Dondi decided to go check out the Crystal Mill while near Marble, CO
We made it to Crystal Mill about 5 miles down the 4WD road right before a major downpour, it sure was beautiful
Driving North from Crystal Mill, we stopped in and checked out the field of planes, campers, and food trucks. Maybe our next adventure will be flying??
Tiny home moving day! Pulling our house down the dirt road we lived on. . .
Our house was on display at the NCRES (Northern Colorado Renewable Energy Society) event at Swing Station en route to our new location in Fort Collins, CO- who would’ve thought 150+ people would be able to walk through/fit in our little house in a couple hours!?
With all the rain we’ve had, we got a little stuck at the gate
Our tiny house Soleil in its new spot in Fort Collins- near the bee hives and horses
Good morning snow on October 18th. . . it was a bit too early to be excited about snow but it sure was pretty!
That’s all of our adventures and tiny home moving for now. Leave us a comment if you’d like! We love to hear from you. =) -Erin & Dondi
Sand Dunes, Durango, Mesa Verde, and Tiny Home Update
Hi All! Since our not so little debut on the Tiny House Blog (check it out here: http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/erin-and-dondis-off-grid-tiny-house/), we’ve had a flurry of comments and new followers. We’ve been super busy and we promise to answer all of the comments really soon.
Here’s a quick update on our tiny house Soleil (almost completely finished. . . YAY!) and our adventures at the end of July and August. Enjoy!
You may or may not have noticed but we’ve been using screws to open the drawers since we moved in. Dondi finally made the drawer fronts and put on the handles. They slide out like butter now. . . =)
Dondi helped upholster the couch cushions. The two bottom cushions are attached and they fold out to form the bed mattress along with the back cushion. The drawers under the couch are used as storage for hats, gloves, games, blankets, etc.
The drawer fronts are on! Yes. . . the filing cabinets are now a lot easier to pull out. The aspen was only 5 1/2 inches wide so Dondi decided to get a bit creative by joining different boards with opposite graining.
The dresser drawers are fairly heavy so using a drawer pull is much appreciated! This is the last of the 29 drawer fronts. . . who would have thought there could be so many doors and drawers in a tiny home!?!
Dondi also finished the headboard this month. It is 12 inches deep and the doors are hinged to fold down from the top. They are filled with extra sheets, pillows, and towels. And yes, you can sit up in the center of the bed (we can at least).
The garden is doing great. It is exploding right now with basil, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, beans, lettuce, carrots, onions, etc.
At the end of July, we did a whirlwind trip to the Southwest corner of Colorado. Great Sand Dunes was the first stop. . . and it was AWESOME!
Can’t beat the view from our camp spot aka the back of the pickup truck!
In the morning, we “hiked” one of the 450 foot tall dunes on all fours. By about 9am, the sand was really hot which explains why Erin climbed up with her hands in her shoes.
At the top of the dunes, we felt like we were in the middle of the desert. Kinda crazy for Colorado. This National Park is pretty awesome.
The best part? Sliding down!! The sand is at “the angle of repose” so it starts sliding when you touch it. The foam mat kind of worked as a sled but an actual sled or one of the super cool “dune boards” the National Park Service rents would have been even more fun.
The hot springs in Pagosa Springs was another highlight of the trip. They had over 20 pools all at different temperatures.
The next day we went to Mesa Verde National Park in the Southwest corner of Colorado (aka the four corners where Colorado meets Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico). The views were gorgeous!
The view from atop Cliff Palace before our tour.
A kiva inside cliff palace at Mesa Verde National Park.
We went on the 3 1/2 mile hike to see the petroglyphs in Mesa Verde National Park. They were pretty cool but maybe it wasn’t such a good idea considering what the next day would bring. . .
Dondi saw the ancient reservoir system in Mesa Verde National Park was designated as a Civil Engineering Landmark and had to get a pic. 😉
On our way to camp in the National Forest above Durango, we saw a full double rainbow. It was majestic!
The view from near our campsite above Durango at about 9,000 feet.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early (like 4:45am. . . ugh) to get to the start of the Durango 100- a 100 mile road ride from Durango, Colorado to Farmington, NM and back through the San Juan mountains.
The start of the Durango 100. . . there’s us. Naive and tired and ready to start the ride. Little did we know that the first 50 miles were mostly down gently sloping hills into NM. . . and the last 50 miles were almost all up really big hills (aka mountains)! It was grueling, fun, and we both made it to the finish. =)
That’s it for this update. Hope you enjoyed all the pics. Leave us a comment if you’d like. . . we love to hear from you! – Erin & Dondi
Rafting, Yellowstone, Wyoming, and Cabinets!
Hi there, its summer and blistering hot here in CO. We’ve been busy (as always) working on finishing the details of our tiny house, camping, hiking, cycling, and having fun. Here are some pics from our latest adventures. Enjoy!
Setting up the tent to camp with Chloe (Erin’s little sister)
Eating dinner by the campfire
8 Mile hike near Red Feather Lakes, CO
Rafting on the Poudre Canyon
A calm spot in the river after Erin fell out of the boat on a Class IV rapid
Tyler and Dondi rockin out on their scoot-scoots after a nice dinner at Restaurant 415 in Fort Collins (LOL)
Hiking in WY with Hunter (nephew), Harmon (brother-in-law) and Dondi
Hunter and Dondi after a fun hike in WY
Driving to Yellowstone, Dondi had to stop to check out the mountain sleds– who’s in?
We made it to Yellowstone, picnic by the lake
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone big waterfall
Hot springs at Yellowstone
Old Faithful erupting at Yellowstone National Park
This was Erin’s favorite sight in Yellowstone. . . other than the wildlife!
Bison. . .
This was awesome. . . I guess bison need to scratch their heads too
And then we ran into a traffic jam. . . had to wait at least half an hour for the herd of bison to cross the road!
And more bison. . .
Beautiful elk near the road
Bison and elk and BEARS. . . oh my! These two black bears were amazing to watch
Yummy dinner back at camp. . . we were sure to eat all the salmon so there bears didn’t come to find it (I mean us)
Back at our house, Erin’s trying to keep some order to the garden and the weeds
And Dondi worked on making some cabinet doors (using every conceivable drying space he could find)!
Our tiny house starting to look a lot more finished with some doors hung
And more doors in the kitchen! Dondi made 34 (!?!) cabinet doors in all and somehow they all fit in our 181 square foot house!
May 2013 Update
Its been a while! We’ve been really busy since January– Erin in grad school and running her biz (www.erinharner.com), Dondi at work, skiing and snowboarding, cycling, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and of course working on putting the finishing touches on our tiny home. Hope you enjoy these pics. Leave a comment if you’d like. . . we love hearing from you!
Skiing and boarding at Vail with Tyler, Sarah, Erin, Dondi, Steve, and Nick
Skiing at Breckenridge with Ryan, Sarah, Erin, and Dondi
Dondi’s backcountry hut trip with work– splitboarding and lots of other shananigans
Dondi and Shawn (in from Seattle, WA) playing old school ice hockey on a frozen pond near Salida, CO
Dondi installing a light fixture on our tiny house
Cedar siding finally complete and boxed in the propane tanks
Front entry complete with an aspen post, Douglas fir decking, and a mint plant
Exterior of our tiny home is DONE!!!
Dondi building Douglas fir garden boxes
Garneropolis garden work day
Gardens planted and irrigation installed. . . now waiting on the veggies (and the weeds)
Erin hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park with college friends and teammates Meg and Brynja
Rocky Mountain National Park’s Alberta Falls in May
“The Loch” at Rocky Mountain National Park– end of May and about 3 feet of snow the whole 5 miles to get there!
15 mile hike near Pingree Park Memorial Day weekend
Stopping to smell the flowers!
A glimpse of the High Park Fire burn area almost 1 year after the fire started
Mountain biking near Pingree Park
Erin mountain biking through the stream and past the eerie burnt trees
Chillin back at camp and having some lunch
Erin and Dondi laughing about how we eat more veggies than anyone we know when camping. . . where are the hot dogs?!?
January 2013 Update
Hi! Here is a quick update of the progress on our tiny home and our Christmas adventures in Colorado and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Enjoy. . .
Before
… and after. Comfy window couch with pull out drawers.
Couch converts into a folder out guest bed.
Before
After Dondi installed the Aspen risers and oak treads to match the walls and the floor.
Files, drawers, and shelves in the office.
The wide angle view of our tiny home from the front door.
Erin, Dondi and Shawn at the hot springs in Salida, CO
Erin and Dondi in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Parasailing in Mexico
It was a long way up, about 300 feet. . .
Four wheeling on the beach near Cabo
Until next time. . . feel free to leave us a comment! We love to hear from you. =)
– Dondi & Erin
Erin and Dondi’s Tiny Home
To fill you in. . . the first half of 2012 has been nothing short of interesting. Dondi is pretty excited about our tiny home. Its been in the works (the thought at least) since January and we’re finally in the construction phase of the project which started on June 2nd.
Cutting down the 50 foot trailer to 29 feet for the foundation of our “tiny home”.
Dondi welding the trailer.
Erin using the angle grinder to prep the trailer for a fresh coat of paint (this is after 8 hours. . .)
Framing out the floor joists after a fresh coat of paint. Almost ready for decking and then the big floor flip.
Dondi, Erin and Sarah (a friend in FoCo) flipping the 500+ pound floor. . . that was brilliant. Could have used some brute force for help. . . Dondi and 2 girls was just a bad idea but we figured it out.
Erin– helping to set up wall #1.
Framing the wall with a very eery background. Day 2 of the High Park Fire about 15 miles west of Fort Collins that has now burned about 92 square miles of private land and national forest.
Erin scoping out the new composting toilet and 300 gallon water tank. This tiny home is going to be 100% off the grid.
Dondi cutting and laying out rafters for the roof of the tiny home.
Dondi framing out the rafters and contemplating on how to frame out the dormer (aka “bedroom”).
Dondi standing on the ridge beam after a long day of framing up the roof.
The floor plan for our 200 square foot tiny home.
That is all for now. Hope you enjoyed the pics of our new “home”! Until next time, Erin & Dondi
September and October Adventures in Colorado
October 30, 2011
Hey there. . . its been a while! Things got really busy. Dondi got a job in August and started working full time for JVA Consulting Engineers (jvajva.com) shortly after. He’s loving it! Erin’s been busy networking and building her business in Fort Collins and enjoying the challenges of being in a new place and building a fairly new business. Its all good. Here are some of the highlights from September and October:
Another splendid sunset from our window in August
Brother-in-law Harmon came to visit on his way to Wyoming
Erin's new secondary form of transportation (2nd to biking). . . affectionately called "scoot-scooting". The snow has been a bit challenging for the "scoot-scoot", forcing us to get creative!
Dondi and his colleagues at the tournament at Mad Russian Golf Course. . . and the course lived up to its name!
Dondi and Erin mountain biking around College Lake in Fort Collins
4 x 4 driving up Moody Hill. . . it was a bit more than we expected! We were passed repeatedly up the 8 mile road (see next pic). Somehow (not sure how exactly) Dondi's stock 4 x 4 came out without a scratch and only bottomed-out once. It was really gnarly!
Yup- those were the guys who passed us on their way to the big shindig at the quarry at the top.
Dondi in Wyoming with Harmon's bull elk
Erin on a hike at Lake Tahoe, California
Fun day hanging out in Boulder. . . couldn't resist taking a pic by the "love" rock
Erin climbing at Red Rocks Park in Boulder
October 26th- our first real snow. . . sadly it was about 6 inches that took down a lot of trees but it was beautiful
Erin enjoying her straight hair for a day or two
Yay pumpkins for Halloween. We couldn't resist. . . =)
Please leave us a comment if you’d like! Until next time, Erin & Dondi
Road rides, Horsetooth Mountain, and other fun adventures
August 19th, 2011
Wow- its amazing how time flies. Dondi and I have officially been in Colorado for about four weeks now. We know how to get around Fort Collins (by car and bike), where to shop for food and all sorts of other stuff, and what to do for fun. Well, we’re working hard on that last one. . . exploring the vast array of opportunities for fun here and its been a blast! Check out our pics below to see what we’ve been up to this week. . .
Sunday morning ride from Full Cycle Bike Shop- we left at 8am with a group of 6 and did a beautiful 30 mile road ride
Pedestrian and bike bridge over the Cache le Poudre River just Northwest of Fort Collins
Another incredible sunset from the dining room window
After looking at the notches on Horsetooth Mountain (in the back), we decided it was time to climb it
On our way up the mountain
Dondi's brother Bob and his colleague Aaron were in Denver for business so they came to visit and did the climb with us which was a lot of fun
Getting closer. . .
The top of Horsetooth Mountain up close
We made it to the top of Horsetooth Rock. The view of Fort Collins to the East and the mountains to the West was totally worth it every step uphill! =)
Bob climbing down from Horsetooth Rock
After lunch at Coopersmith's, we took a walk through Old Town Fort Collins and chatted with a "bicycle keg-delivery guy" from Equinox Brewing Company
And to top it all off, Dondi and I were invited to the Intel annual party (thanks Matt!) and had a lot of fun learning how to play Roullette and winning (Dondi) and losing (Erin) lots of fake money on the BlackJack Table
I hope you enjoyed the pictures. We are certainly getting acquainted here and having a lot of fun! Don’t be afraid to leave us a comment. . . =)
Adventure update- lots of biking!
August 13, 2011
Greetings friends and family. Its been a super busy couple of weeks continuing to get set up, get settled, and get to work here in Fort Collins. Dondi and I have managed to find some fun things to do amongst all of the work and getting caught up. Here is a quick run-down of some of the fun adventures we’ve had in the last couple weeks.
Old Town Fort Collins at night- a happening place
Old Town Farmer's Market- every Saturday from 8am -12pm
On our bikes again. . . the bike paths here get you pretty much anywhere you want to go
We made a spur-of -the-moment trip to Denver to accomplish 2 things- an American Society of Civil Engineers BBQ and to. . .
Replace this (an incredible uncomfortable air mattress topped with a sofa bed mattress). . .
With this! =) An eco-friendly soy-based foam mattress. The best part (for Dondi) is that I no longer complain all day about my broken back!
FYI- if you come visit, we no longer have the “back-breaking air mattress” pictured above so don’t worry! We got you covered. . . =)
We just had to see why on Earth people in Fort Collins were towing boats- so we did a nice 18 mile bike ride up to Horsetooth Resevoir and figured it out in a hurry! This beautiful 6.5 mile long lake is gorgeous.
Horsetooth Resevoir on our way back
We stopped at a rock outcropping on our way back down from Horsetooth Resevoir- the city of Fort Collins is behind us
Dinner at Nyali Ethiopian Cuisine in Fort Collins- if you've never had Ethiopian you are soooo missing out! The best part is you get to eat with injera bread and your fingers =)
Dondi and Erin at the Colorado State University Trial Garden in downtown Fort Collins
This one's for you Nana
Stopping at the Sculpture Part on the CSU campus
Au revoir, until next time!
First week in Colorado
August 2nd, 2011
Wow- what a crazy week! We arrived in Fort Collins, CO on Sunday night of last week and in one weeks time we. . .
After being on the road for two straight weeks, we were pretty eager to find a place to live so on Monday, we arranged something like 7 showings on the hour every hour for the whole day. Two we liked and the one we got allowed us to move in on Wednesday.
Learned that arriving with all of our stuff in a pickup truck leaves a pretty lonely looking apartment.
To remedy that, we figured out that a little bit of money can buy a lot of really good stuff if you know where to look (Craig’s list, Target, thrift stores, antique stores, and garage sales- in order of preference).
Learned that lotion and hydration is super important and the sun shines here just about all day everyday and if it rains there is often a rainbow.
Figured out that you can get just about anywhere in the city on one of the paved bike paths and biking 14 miles in an hour at a comfortable sight-seeing pace is no big deal.
Now know to watch the sun set to the West every night because the sunsets here over the mountains are truly spectacular.
Went to the Cheyenne Frontier Days on Sunday to see what all of the fuss was about- we agree, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo probably is the “daddy of em all”. For our first ever rodeo experience, we had a lot of fun. =)
YAY! We have a place to live- its amazing how much can fit into the back of a pickup truck
The sunset from our dining room window
Grilling some pizza on the porch
Dondi in the living room after a long day of Craigs-listing and thrift store shopping =)
Home cooked meals again- for real? Woo hoo!
Who in their right mind would get on a pissed-off bull? Well, we experienced the wonders of the rodeo at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Our favorite event was barrel racing
Overall, it was a great first week in Colorado (with a quick jaunt to Wyoming). . . leave us a comment or two- we'd love to hear from you!
Erin and Dondi 