Denver Lives Up to Expectations

For Fall Break, I am spending the weekend in Denver, Colorado. I grew skiing in mountains of Colorado but never spent time in the city. I had heard legends of how incredible the city itself was from my friends and their constant social media stories. Needless to say, I had high expectations.

            We landed late on Friday night to complete darkness, so an environment evaluation could not be done at that very moment. We woke up early the following morning to go explore the city. What immediately stuck out to me was the mountains in the distance. I felt an intense desire to go rent some ski boots and skis and catch the next gondola. After the desire diminished, I still could not get over how breathtaking the mountains were. Growing up in the Midwest and now living in Texas, I cannot even imagine growing up and living in a place where the mountains can be seen from your backdoor.

            Later that afternoon, we went to a park to play games and relax. The park was right in the middle of experiencing Fall. The leaves were covering the ground with a slight green and yellow cover acting as the second layer to the grass. The weather was clear sky’s and sunny but a crisp cold in the air. A unique combination of feeling cold and putting on a sweatshirt only to start sweating five minutes later.

            What I was most blown away by was not mountains, leaves, or weather but the people that were experiencing all of it. From high schoolers to young families, everybody was taking in the nature that they were afforded. I think I was so taken aback because I am fortunate to have seen and experienced such stunning nature, but rarely do I see a wide variety of people all making the most of it. People were running and walking, using electric scooters, and playing on the field. Denver has definitely set the bar for what environmental beauty is, and it has also been an example of making the most of the nature you are afforded no matter how big or small.